10 Years of the Gill Affiliate Network: Owensboro Health Regional Hospital
The Gill Heart & Vascular Institute Affiliate Network launched in 2014 to better connect community hospitals across the Commonwealth with the expertise and resources available at UK HealthCare. Throughout 2024, UK HealthCare is highlighting achievements by the 23 members of the Gill Affiliate Network as part of the network’s 10th anniversary celebration.
Owensboro Health Regional Hospital became the 13th Gill Affiliate Network member on January 1, 2017. It is the centerpiece of Owensboro Health, which serves nearly 500,000 people in Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital, part of the same system, joined the network on July 1, 2023, further strengthening a successful relationship.
What are key aspects of your cardiovascular program that people should know about?
Owensboro Health offers a comprehensive team of cardiology specialists in non-invasive cardiology, interventional cardiology, structural heart care, and electrophysiology. With office locations in Owensboro, Greenville, and Leitchfield, we also provide a heart and lung rehabilitation program.
Working with UK HealthCare, we offer an advanced heart failure clinic in Owensboro to provide higher-level cardiac care to patients throughout the community. The cardiology program includes a Coumadin clinic and device clinic with remote monitoring capabilities and has a busy cath and electrophysiology lab where advanced technologies ensure safe and efficient outcomes for the patients we serve. Partnerships in cardiothoracic surgery allow patients to have their cardiac and thoracic surgery cases performed close to home.
How has being a part of the Gill Affiliate Network influenced how you care for those in your community?
Though Owensboro Health has been an affiliate member since 2017, we truly started to lean into the benefits of the affiliation the past year. The value from this affiliation has been immense! From program development, to clinical service agreements, marketing, and collaborative support, we are grateful.
The Gill Affiliate Network has significantly contributed to the growth of our program. We are now actively pursuing opportunities to enhance our value and positively impact the communities and patients we serve. Our collaboration has enabled us to deliver higher-level cardiac care locally, allowing patients like Bobby Patton to begin advanced heart failure treatment right here in Owensboro through our work with UK.
How have educational and training opportunities offered by the network contributed to the professional development of your hospital's staff?
Shared patient instruction materials have been a great benefit for our patients and team. Echo sonographer courses were helpful when starting our transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program and site visits to UK were incredibly beneficial when starting our heart failure program.
These resources and opportunities have allowed our patients to stay close to home, which is an invaluable resource. They’ve also helped build the trust of our community and physicians, who are aware of the ever-expanding services that we are able to offer because of the network affiliation.
What does Owensboro Health hope to achieve in the years to come with its cardiology program, and how can the Gill Affiliate Network help it?
Owensboro Health hopes to build a connection with the fellowship program as a potential recruitment tool for future cardiologists. We also look forward to expansion of the service line — Women's Health, Preventive Cardiology, Cardio-Oncology — and learning best practices for program development from UK HealthCare.
