Hospital plans new facility

By BRAD DICKERSON
Glasgow Daily Times

May 10, 2008 02:43 pm

— In 2006, T.J. Samson Community Hospital provided more than 921 jobs in the community, generating $38.2 million in annual payroll locally.
This was one of the findings in a recent study evaluating Kentucky hospitals’ economic impact on their communities, which was sponsored by the Kentucky Hospital Association.
Figures from 2006 were the latest available data.
T.J. Samson was also listed as generating nearly $11.2 million for local companies from purchases and that hospital employees spent an estimated $14.3 million in area purchases.
“When people think of a hospital in a community, they strictly, for the most part, talk about providing health care — taking care of people’s health needs — and don’t realize that, for instance, we’re the second largest employer in Barren County behind (RR) Donnelley,” said Bill Kindred, CEO of T.J. Samson.
The hospital’s local impact to the community will continue as officials make plans for the addition of a new outpatient facility, which Kindred said is still three years away.
“What we hope to do with that is to move our outpatient services that are currently being provided in the hospital to that facility and enhance the delivery of care,” he said. “It would also provide for more parking and space inside the hospital for the expansion of inpatient services.”
Kindred added that the facility has been discussed for the past three years, yet a proper location could not be found.
“When Dr. (George) McKinley’s property became available for purchase — it’s right across the street from the hospital — it looked like a good opportunity for us,” he said.
The exact services the future facility will offer and its exact size are still being discussed, according to Kindred.
Laura Belcher, business and marketing director for T.J. Samson, said one idea is a focus on women’s health.
“Women make a huge contribution in the decisions of health care needs for their families and we want to make sure that they’re able to get the care they need,” Belcher said. “We know that women’s health will be something that we have an emphasis in at some level in that facility.”