King's Daughters Medical Center

King's Daughters Medical Center is located in Ashland, Kentucky and is the city's largest employer at over 3,400, generating $155 million in payroll a year. It is a locally controlled not-for-profit 385-bed hospital that offers "cardiac, medical, surgical, paediatric, rehabilitative, psychiatric, cancer, neurological, pain care, wound care and home care" services.

Early history
King's Daughters' Hospital opened in 1897 as a three-room emergency hospital over the Poage, Elliott and Poage Drug Store on Winchester Avenue near 16th Street. In 1899, the hospital itself was founded by What-so-ever Circle and moved to a seven-room building at 18th Street and Greenup Avenue. Ten years later, the hospital moved again to a nine-room building between 20th and 21st Street along Winchester Avenue.

In 1915, the hospital purchased property at the northeast corner of 22nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Two years later in November, it opened a new 50-bed facility in a two-story brick structure. An expansion in 1930-31 added an east wing, which was expanded again in 1945 and 1953, all to the east.

In 1958, a new administration building was completed across Lexington Avenue and the remainder of the hospital.

Developing into a modern facility
In 1963, the hospital began to study plans for a specialized Coronary Care Unit. The hospital expanded in 1965 with a northern extension. In 1967, a 24-hour emergency room was established. One year later, the Coronary Care Unit opens with four private patient rooms and a ten-bed Intensive Care Unit.

In 1968, the hospital expanded upon the 1953 extension with a two-story structure ; this was expanded upward with an additional two levels in 1984. With the extension, the hospital now stretched from 22nd Street to 23rd Street. One year after the hospital was expanded upon, the Ashland Medical Arts Building was completed in 1969 at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street.

In 1972, a new emergency room was completed. Six year later, the Cardiac Step Down Unit and Cardiac Rehabilitation opened, followed by the Echocardiology Department in 1981 and the Diabetes Clinic in the following year.

The hospital expanded northward again in 1984 to Montgomery Avenue. In 1986, a new 16-bed Intensive Care Unit was completed, followed by the opening of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab one year later. The Cardiac Lab was expanded in 1993 and again in 1994 with the addition of a second laboratory.

In 1985, the Tri-State Regional Cancer Center opened adjacent to the Medical Arts Building. In 1988, a new facade and lobby with atrium was completed along Lexington Avenue; the new lobby was constructed within the 1953 addition. During this year, the original 1917 hospital structure was demolished in favor of the Tri-State Diagnostics center.

In 1990, a four level parking structure was completed along Lexington Avenue. A medical library and health education center was completed in the lower level of the parking garage in 1992. Three years later, a new 22-bed emergency room was completed along 23rd Street. Three years later, a third Cardiac Lab and a 24-bed Cardiac Surgery Unit was opened.

The $32 million Center for Advanced Care, also known as the Parkview Addition, was completed in November 2000. It features a 24-bed Intensive Care Unit, 3 Cardiac Cath Labs bringing the total to five, a Cardiac Cath Lab pre-op and recovery areas, three dedicated Cardiothoracic surgery operating suits, a nine-bed Cardiovascular Recovery Unit, and a rooftop helipad. The Vascular/endovascular program was initiated at this time, the Cardiac Alert Unit was installed in the former Intensive Care Unit and the emergency department expanded to 45 beds. Three years later, Cardiac Alert Unit became a 10-bed Chest Pain Unit, expanding to 18-beds in 2005.

Campus expansion
Medical Plaza A, opened in 2002, was originally constructed as a three-story building providing room for physician offices, a Wendy's fast-food restaurant, a National City Bank branch and a cafe. It was expanded in May 2005 to five-stories.

In 2003, a new five-story structure was completed along 23rd Street that provided new patient rooms, surgery facilities and Intensive Care Unit. The Center for Advanced Care features the hospital's new main entrance and the Parkview Cafe.

The 526-space parking structure at the corner of 23rd Street and Bath Avenue was completed and opened on March 22, 2005. The $5.5 million five-story facility can be utilized by patients, visitors, physicians and employees.

In the summer of 2005, the $2.3 million 12,000 sq. ft. Hospitality House at King's Daughters opened at the corner of 22nd Street and Central Avenue. Providing 13 guest rooms, a kitchen, dining area, living space and a reception area for those that are from out-of-town. It is styled to resemble a contemporary house and is adjacent to the northeast corner of Central Park. It celebrated its 1,000th family on February 6, 2007.

On May 3, 2005, Medical Plaza B, a four-story, 77,000 sq. ft. facility that houses 14 physician offices, the Surgical Weight Loss Center and a pharmacy opened. It is connected via a sky bridge to the 23rd Street Parking Garage.

On May 8, 2006, a new $60 million 200,000 sq. ft., five-story Heart and Vascular Center opened along 23rd Street. Envisioned as a three-story $43.5 million facility, a rising demand in services relating to cardiac and heart care necessitated the expansion of the hospital while it was under construction. It features a "cardiac rehabilitation unit, a therapy pool, administrative offices, admitting and pre-admission testing areas, a chest pain unit, patient rooms for stress testing, outpatient diagnostic testing and procedures, cardiac catheterization laboratories and vascular surgery suits and beds."

On June 5, 2006, a new $2.3 million two-story 18,000 sq. ft. Outpatient Imaging Center opened along Central Avenue adjacent to the Hospitality House at a cost of $13.3 million. Construction began in October 2005 and was designed to free up space in the existing hospital complex for inpatient and emergency radiology. The center is home to outpatient radiology, MRI, CT scans, mammograms, ultrasounds and X-rays; part of the second floor is dedicated to breast care. The completion of the Outpatient Imaging Center was the last component of a four-building, $70 million expansion that was announced in 2004.

The hospital also features an Outpatient Services Center on 23rd Street, where audiology services, physical, occupational and speech therapy is offered.

Today
The hospital ranks fourth in the state of Kentucky in admissions and employees 3,400, making it the largest employer east of Lexington and west of Charleston, West Virginia. It has been named one of America's top employers from 2002 to 2006 and was a recipient of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Quality Award from 2000 to 2002. It was also named one of the nation's Top 100 Hospitals by Solucient from 2005 to 2007, and was also named as one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother Magazine from 2003 to 2005.

The Chest Pain Unit also received accreditation in 2004 from the Society of Chest Pain Centers, making it the third such facility in Kentucky and the 78th in the United States. It is also ranked number one in the state and among the top 5% in the nation for cardiac surgery and is the recipient of HealthGrades 2007 Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award.