UK King’s Daughters joins Gill Affiliate Network
ASHLAND, Ky. (Feb. 22, 2024) – UK HealthCare and UK King’s Daughters have announced a collaboration to expand cardiovascular services to the Ashland area.
As part of the UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute’s Gill Affiliate Network, care providers from UK HealthCare and King’s Daughters will collaborate to deliver subspecialized cardiovascular care to residents of the tri-state area of Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia.
“UK King’s Daughters offers a broad range of high-quality heart and vascular services right here in eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio,” said Sara Marks, president and CEO of King’s Daughters. “Through this affiliation, we hope to improve patient access to highly specialized levels of heart care available at Gill, such as transplant services and clinical research.”
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in Kentucky, with the state boasting one of the highest rates in the nation. In response, the UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute, a leader in cardiovascular care, is working to combat these health challenges through its Gill Affiliate Network. This initiative aims to reduce the prevalence of heart disease by fostering collaborative relationships with healthcare facilities across the state.
As part of these measures, UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute works with a large network of regional and community hospitals across the state to enhance access to high-quality cardiovascular care to ensure Kentuckians receive care where and when they need it. The affiliate network includes 23 hospitals, more than 15 outreach locations and 10 sites where Gill provides cardiac image interpretation services across the spectrum of imaging modalities.
“We're excited to welcome King's Daughters to the Gill Affiliate Network family,” said Navin Rajagopalan, M.D., heart failure cardiologist and director of the Gill Affiliate Network. “This collaboration marks a significant step in our commitment to tackling cardiovascular disease in Kentucky. Through our combined expertise, we aim to create healthier communities for those we serve. King’s Daughters has demonstrated a dedicated effort to delivering the best in cardiovascular care to their patients, and we are honored to partner with an organization dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of others.”
Through the network, providers and staff King’s Daughters will have access to cardiovascular-specific education and training, support for the achievement and maintenance of cardiac accreditations and support for cardiac program growth and development. This partnership ensures that the full complement of heart care, from medical cardiology to vascular and cardiothoracic surgery, is accessible to residents across the state, allowing patients to receive local care for as long as possible.
About UK King’s Daughters:
Serving residents in eastern Kentucky, southern Ohio and western West Virginia, for 125 years, UK King’s Daughters is comprised of two acute-care hospitals totaling 465 licensed beds; an integrated network of 400+ physicians and advanced practitioners; more than 80 ambulatory centers and practice locations; a long-term care facility (LTC); medical transport company; seven urgent care centers; and a child development center. King’s Daughters is the region’s largest employer, with more than 5,000 team members providing a broad range of primary and specialty care services, including cardiovascular, orthopedics, oncology, digestive health, stroke/neurology, maternity, and Level 3 neonatal intensive care.
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.
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