Kentucky Children’s Hospital launches affiliate network, welcomes Georgetown Community Hospital
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 30, 2025) — Kentucky Children’s Hospital has launched a new affiliate network, connecting community hospitals across the state to expert pediatric care. Georgetown Community Hospital signed on as the first official affiliate in March 2025.
UK HealthCare has three affiliate networks dedicated to adult patient care: Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network, Gill Heart & Vascular Affiliate Network and the UK HealthCare/Norton Healthcare Stroke Care Network. The KCH network is among the first in the country to have a hospital network centered around pediatric care.
Scottie B. Day, M.D., physician-in-chief for Kentucky Children’s Hospital, recalls the logistical challenges of accessing care from his childhood home in Leslie County in eastern Kentucky.
“The vision of the KCH Affiliate Network is that no matter where a child is born geographically in the state, that they will have the same access to high quality pediatric care as those born in larger cities,” he said. “A large demographic of the patient population we serve struggles with financial hardships and asking them to travel back and forth to Lexington is an additional burden on them. We know that it’s better for the patient and their family to remain closer to home and their support system.”
“We have amazing collaborating hospitals in communities across the state who are willing and able to care for the kids in their own communities,” said Christina Briggs, director of the KCH Affiliate Network. “The network aims to empower those health care professionals with the knowledge, training and education needed to stay abreast of the best practices in pediatric care.”
Briggs spent months traveling the state, speaking with providers and administrators of community hospitals about connecting their pediatric providers with those at KCH, particularly in areas of specialized, complex care. The feedback she received was overwhelmingly positive; providers, particularly in rural areas, are keenly aware of the barriers patients and their families face when comes to accessing health care.
“One of the favorite parts of my job is getting to know so many amazing health professionals across the state who are truly passionate about caring for kids in their communities locally,” she said. “These are the kids they see at ballgames on weekends and church on Sundays. They want to provide those kids with the best possible care.”
“We’re proud to expand our partnership with UK HealthCare through the new Kentucky Children’s Hospital Network,” said Clifford Wilson, CEO of Georgetown Community Hospital and Market President of Lifepoint Central Kentucky. “From oncology to heart and stroke care, UK HealthCare’s affiliate networks are at the core of several of our specialty services. This collaboration ensures our patients have access to advanced care when needed, while still being able to return home for follow-up and recovery close to their families.”
Benefits for member hospitals include:
- Access to pediatric specific educational lecture series in both pediatrics and neonatology
- Customized hands-on trainings in Lexington and at their home facilities to meet the needs of their staff
- Ability to observe KCH care teams in clinical settings
- Access to protocols, policies and best practices to enhance and improve patient care
- Continuing education credit opportunities for their staff
- Access to attend a pediatric specific annual conference in Lexington for education, trainings and networking opportunities
- Transfer review for continuous improvement
Briggs notes that many providers and administrators at KCH are eager to help bring care directly to patients in outlying communities and are volunteering to give lectures, lead trainings and host visiting providers for on-site demonstrations. Though newly launched, Briggs has plans to expand the network and hire nursing staff whose focus will be to travel the state to provide trainings in high demand areas such as neonatology, pediatric hospital medicine and pediatric emergency medicine.
“Our mission is to lead collaboration across health care facilities to empower community hospitals to provide high quality pediatric care close to home, focused on the improved overall health and well-being of the kids of Kentucky and beyond,” she said. “In short, our vision is to provide families with high quality pediatric care in their local communities.”
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and Kentucky’s top hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.