King’s Daughters may lease Bellefonte Center
King’s Daughters Medical Center is adding extra doctors and even considering leasing the Bellefonte Medical Center in Greenup County. All this is in response to the surprise closing of Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital. All services at the hospital will end in just a couple of weeks.
King’s Daughters CEO Kristie Whitlatch said in a statement, “We are working toward leasing Bellefonte Centre, which would help keep jobs in Greenup County, something we know is very important to that community. I hope to be able to share the good news on this front very soon.”
King’s Daughters has also hired the pediatric rehab staff at OLBH’s Vitality Center and is currently negotiating to lease the building and its equipment.
She also says the health provider is adding more doctors to their staff to treat the influx of patients caused by the closing of OLBH.
Joining the staff at King’s Daughters are:
• Cardiologist Charles Rhodes
• The seven physicians of Family Medicine Center:
Larry Fields, Abbe Cassity, Carrie Connett, Rancie
Hannah, Derek Jones, Ryan Kazee, and Audrey
Smith
• Family physician Angela Lewis
• Family physician Thuy Nguyen
• General Surgeon Tyler Grant
• Infectious Disease specialist Francisco Fernandez
• Internist Kimberly Baldock
• Internist Nikki Christian
• Pediatrician Jason Ford
• Podiatrist Phillip Dowdy
• Psychiatrist Scott Lance
• Urologist Jeremy Bonzo
The hospital is also welcoming advanced practice providers:
Dustin Adkins
Samantha Childers
Jodi Conley
Ashley Crabtree
Lisa Pennington
Whitney Rowe
Christina Sheppard
Whitlatch said she expects to welcome 20 additional physicians and advanced practitioners in the next few weeks.
She said they’ve already seen a rise in patients at both their emergency and urgent care facilities as well as primary care physicians and the hospital. “Not only have we brought on more new providers than ever, but we are also welcoming a record number of new team members in a very short time frame. March will be very busy with orientation occurring almost daily beginning next week. We continue to interview OLBH employees as well as other qualified candidates and expect to extend more offers as our volumes increase and needs become clearer.”
She thanked the community for their continued support and said,
“Please know I am committed to King’s Daughters doing our share – and more – to ensure the future of local healthcare in this region.”
