New UK King’s Daughters Main Entrance to open Monday, May 12
UK King’s Daughters is hosting two public events to introduce its new Main Entrance ahead of its official opening Monday, May 12. The building is located on the Ashland main campus along Central Avenue between 22nd and 24th streets.
From 4 to 7 p.m., Thursday, May 8, there will be a Business After Hours event with the Northeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, with tours and refreshments.
A community open house takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 10. This family-friendly event will give the public a preview of the new Emergency Department. Guided tours, themed giveaways and refreshments will be available.
“We are excited to welcome our friends and neighbors to preview our new Main Entrance,” UK King’s Daughters President/CEO Sara Marks said. “In the coming weeks, we will transition our Emergency Department and Imaging Services into the Main Entrance. I’d like to thank our patients and visitors for their patience during construction, and thank our entire team for providing excellent care during the largest addition to date at UK King’s Daughters. We are excited about expanding much-needed emergency care in our area.”
Immediate changes
UK King’s Daughters is pleased to announce the opening of its new Main Entrance and 260-space parking lot, set for 6 a.m. Monday, May 12. The Main Entrance will be the new 24-hour entryway into the Ashland campus. Valet parking will be available. Inside, the Welcome and Information and Patient Registration teams will be on hand to help guide patients to their destinations. Direct access to the rest of the hospital, including Medical Plazas A and B will be available.
One new change took place in late April: the King’s Daughters Facilities Team worked with the City of Ashland to change the three-block stretch road of Central Avenue between 22nd to 25th streets to a two-way street to better facilitate entry into the new Main Entrance.
Services to be available later in the summer
The Main Entrance will be the new home of the Emergency Department and Imaging Services. However, the new Emergency Department is not slated to open in its new location until mid-June. Patients coming for emergency care and EMS agencies should continue to go to the Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street location.
A planned transition to bring the new Emergency Department completely online while continuing to provide care at the current location begins immediately after the new building opens. First responders are invited to a special welcome and orientation event at the Main Entrance from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, May 21.
Imaging Services is planned to be fully operational in the new building in August. Also known as Radiology, Imaging Services, including X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds will continue to take place in their current locations while new equipment is being installed and current equipment is moved to the new location.
Services to be available in new Main Entrance building
When the transition to the new location is complete, the new Emergency Department will have:
- 86 total treatment areas, including 60 private rooms, and rooms designed for treating patients where enhanced privacy and security are needed
- four trauma bays and two dedicated CT scanners
- a separate, covered entrance for ambulances and law enforcement, along with a nearby, dedicated work area for EMS and officers
- private entrance and treatment area for patients with behavioral health needs
The new, centralized Imaging Department will have all inpatient imaging modalities in one location, including:
- Computed Tomography (CT) Scan
- Echocardiogram
- EKG/Holter Monitoring
- Nuclear Medicine
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Ultrasound
- X-ray
The Main Entrance also will be the new home of the King’s Daughters Family Pharmacy, opening Monday, June 2. Pour House Coffee also will relocate to the Main Entrance later in the summer.
The new building also has a shelled-in ground floor for expansion set to begin in Summer 2025. In Summer 2026, it will be the home of a new, expanded Endoscopy Lab and Urology Procedure Center.
