Contact: Amanda Nelson

“By hiring architects of this caliber, and beginning the initial design work, we are taking an important step to better serve our patients and the Commonwealth."

-- Michael Karpf,
executive vice president for health affairs,
UK HealthCare,
University of Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 11, 2005) -- UK HealthCare officials announced the next phase in the construction of its new $375 million patient care facility by selecting the architectural and engineering firms that will design the new hospital.

Ellerbe Becket, a Minnesota-based architectural firm, will have primary responsibility to design the patient-centered facility which will serve over 25,000 patients a year. Ellerbe Becket, which has designed a number of medical facilities around the country, will incorporate a strong focus on patient and family needs into the new UK Hospital.

“Featuring all private rooms, the new facility will ultimately replace the original hospital structure and will support the complex medical services that we deliver while providing a more appealing environment for patients and their families,” said Murray Clark, associate vice president for medical center operations. “The new hospital will enable our medical staff and our entire team of health care providers to better deliver care to our patients.”

Two area firms, GBBN Architects Inc. and A.M. Kinney Inc., were also selected and will partner with Ellerbe Becket and the engineering firms of Affiliated Engineers Inc. and Staggs and Fischer, in completing the largest construction project in UK’s history. Together these firms have constructed major medical buildings for many health care institutions including Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, The National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Center in Maryland and Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York.

“By hiring architects of this caliber, and beginning the initial design work, we are taking an important step to better serve our patients and the Commonwealth,” said Dr. Michael Karpf, executive vice president for health affairs, UK HealthCare.

The cost of the patient care facility will be funded through existing hospital revenues and a $250 million bond issue financed by UK HealthCare. Gov. Ernie Fletcher and the General Assembly approved the first phase of the bond issue -- $100 million – in March.

The patient care facility is scheduled for completion in late 2009. A new parking garage, which hospital officials hope to begin this fall, is targeted for completion in 2006.