UK HealthCare

‘UK at the Half’: Richard Ford on the UK King’s Daughters Health System

Jerry Pennington | UK King's Daughters Health System
Jerry Pennington | UK King's Daughters Health System.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 3, 2023) Last December, the Ashland-based King’s Daughters Health System officially became part of the University of Kentucky, a move that helps create greater access to high-quality care for more Kentuckians. UK and King’s Daughters have had a close relationship working together on health issues for many years, and UK’s resources and infrastructure are helping King’s Daughters keep up with the significant growth they’ve recently seen.

King’s Daughters serves a 16-county region across Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia and has more than 5,000 employees. Its health system comprises two acute-care hospitals totaling 465 licensed beds; an integrated network of more than 600 physicians and advanced practitioners; more than 50 ambulatory centers and practice locations; a long-term care facility; medical transport company; and six urgent care centers.

In this “UK at the Half,” Richard Ford, M.D., highlights the UK experience that inspired him to become a physician and how the growth of the King’s Daughters Health System is making an impact on the Ashland economy. Ford is a UK College of Medicine alumnus and former resident who held an OB/GYN practice in Ashland for 15 years, and he is now the chief medical officer for inpatient and procedural services at King’s Daughters.

"UK at the Half" airs during halftime of each UK football and basketball game broadcast on radio and is hosted by UK Public Relations and Strategic Communications and Marketing and Brand Strategy. To hear the "UK at the Half" interview, click on the play button above.  

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.