LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 21, 2022) - UK HealthCare’s Kentucky Neuroscience Institute (KNI) officially unveiled its new inpatient unit on the fifth floor of the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital Pavilion A on Thursday. Patients will begin occupying the floor this weekend.
“At UK HealthCare, we are focused on solving the health problems of Kentuckians,” said Mark F. Newman, MD, UK executive vice president for health affairs. “With the opening of the fifth floor of Pavilion A, we’re taking another step toward improving treatment and outcomes for people who experience neurological health problems including stroke, epilepsy and more. With our cutting-edge monitoring technology, the expertise of the best neurologists in the state, and the new and improved amenities for patients and families, this new floor helps further our vision to create a healthier Kentucky.”
The new fifth floor puts units focused on providing comprehensive care for patients with complex neurological disorders together in one centralized location. The new floor spans across Pavilion A’s Tower 100 and Tower 200 and covers more than 66,000 square feet. The space houses 32 progressive care rooms, 20 neurologic intensive care (NICU) rooms, and a 12-room epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) – which will make UK home to the largest EMU in the state.
The EMU will utilize state-of-the-art continuous video-electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring technology to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients with possible epilepsy. An EMU that is incorporated and adjacent to the NICU creates an ideal flow for complex neurological patients.
“The entire epilepsy care team and I are so thrilled about the opening of our new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU),” said Meriem Bensalem-Owen, MD, Medical Director for KNI’s NAEC Level 4 Epilepsy Program. “After much anticipation and careful planning, our new 12-bed adult EMU will offer patients and their loved one’s spacious private rooms and enhanced design that is focused on patient safety and comfort. This is our commitment to Kentuckians and to patients from the region, and beyond. "
The unique design and layout of the floor will bring staff and providers to the patient’s bedside rather than the other way around. In addition to 64 inpatient rooms, the new fifth floor also houses its own physical/occupational therapy gym and a radiology suite with a portable CT scanner that can go directly to a patient’s bedside. Both features will greatly enhance a patient’s treatment by having those services available without having to travel to a different area of UK HealthCare.
The new inpatient floor also allows easy access to UK HealthCare’s new neuro-interventional Radiology (NIR) procedure space. The NIR space contains 43 prep/recovery beds with multiple new angio suites, including two biplane suites, and an intraprocedural CT for complex cases.
“The new inpatient neuroscience unit brings state-of-the-art technology together with comprehensive patient management to deliver optimal care to our patients. We see each patient’s admission as a story that must be of the highest quality start to finish,” said Justin Fraser, MD, director of cerebrovascular surgery in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UK HealthCare, and surgical director of UK’s Comprehensive Stroke Center.
KNI offers the most advanced and robust set of specialty care in the state as the only hospital in the area maintaining the standards required to receive the highest accreditations available in all of the following areas of care: stroke, epilepsy, ALS and multiple sclerosis. No matter the condition, UK HealthCare is determined to help patients overcome it while also meeting the needs of their loved ones.
“The new KNI inpatient unit was designed with the help of UK neurology and neurosurgery faculty, nurses, and staff. This new space is specifically dedicated to the care of patients with complex neurological disorders in an environment that also supports their families and friends,” said Larry Goldstein, MD, Ruth Louise Works Endowed Professor, chairman of UK College of Medicine’s Department of Neurology, and co-director of KNI.
In addition to a focus on patient care, the new fifth floor contains kitchenette spaces for families and visitors staying for long periods of time to offer convenient and more affordable meal options. There is also a dedicated lactation space and the lounge areas within the floor were created to be warm, inviting, and comfortable.
The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion four years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" three years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers." We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for five straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.
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