UK HealthCare

UK HealthCare OB-GYN division to increase care, access with 19 new outreach locations

Image of group of staff and providers in waiting area of clinic
UK HealthCare expanded OBGYN care and ovarian cancer screenings to Kentucky River Medical Center in May. Photo provided by Kentucky River Medical Center.

LEXINGTON, KY. (June 12, 2024) – The outreach division of UK Women’s Health OBGYN will expand access to high-quality specialty and sub-specialty obstetric and gynecological care to 19 new sites in 2024-25.

Supplementing the existing 17 sites located across the Commonwealth, new and existing patients will have access to ovarian cancer screening, gynecologic oncology, gynecology and high-risk obstetric care at locations throughout central and eastern Kentucky. Patients will meet dedicated advance practice providers (APP) onsite and consult with obstetrician/gynecologists and subspecialists in high-risk obstetrics and gynecologic oncology.

“Partnering with local hospitals to extend healthcare services into rural areas isn't just about bringing medical expertise closer,” said Emily A. DeFranco, D.O, chair of UK HealthCare’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “It's about weaving into the fabric of these communities, becoming not just a service provider but a trusted ally in each patient's healthcare journey.”

UK HealthCare providers work closely with the patient’s existing care team to create a seamless continuum of care. Telehealth consults also allow the patients and their family to remain close to home, reducing the burden having to travel to Lexington for routine appointments.

Locations for OBGYN care:  

  • Hazard ARH – APP onsite, GYN ONC physician via telehealth  
  • Middlesboro ARH – APP onsite, GYN ONC physician via telehealth  
  • Highlands ARH  – APP onsite, GYN ONC physician via telehealth  
  • Kentucky River Medical Center – GYN physician onsite  
  • Kentucky River Medical Center – GYN APP onsite

Locations for the Ovarian Cancer Screening Program:  

  • Ephraim McDowell - Fort Logan  
  • Ephraim McDowell - James B. Haggin  
  • Hazard ARH  
  • Lake Cumberland McCreary  
  • Highlands ARH  
  • Kentucky River Medical Center  
  • Georgetown Community Hospital  
  • Clark Regional Medical Center  
  • The Medical Center Bowling Green  
  • Spring View Hospital  
  • Middlesboro ARH  
  • London Women’s Care  
  • Grayson Primary Plus  
  • Taylor Regional   

OBGYN care, cancer screenings and maternal-fetal medicine services are also available at the UK HealthCare clinics in Georgetown and Morehead, as well as affiliate healthcare facilities throughout central and eastern Kentucky.

Other existing outreach sites include:

Ovarian Cancer Screening Program

  • Maysville Primary Plus 
  • Somerset 
  • Elizabethtown 
  • Paducah 

Kentucky Angels Telehealth Program 

  • Manchester – Advent Health
  • ARH Women’s & Family Health Center – Middlesboro 
  • Primary Care Centers of Eastern Kentucky – Hazard 
  • Ashland Center for Women’s Health – King’s Daughters Medical Center 
  • Maysville Primary Plus 
  • Sterling Women’s Care – Winchester 
  • Women’s Care of the Bluegrass – Frankfort through Cumberland Family Medical Center 
  • Physicians for Women – Prestonsburg 

OBGYN Care

  • Bourbon County Health Department – GYN APP 
  • The Medical Center Bowling Green – GYN Oncology MD

Patients seeking sub-specialty care will need a referral from their primary provider. Click here for more information about services, providers and appointments.

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.