UofL Health opens new West Tower. What to know about the facility

Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal

Thu, December 4, 2025 at 4:10 PM UTC

3 min read

The University of Louisville's health care system opened its latest addition to its downtown medical campus Dec. 3, a seven-story West Tower with new facilities for patients and amenities for visitors.

The $186 million facility that began construction in 2022 is the "hospital's new front door," officials said, providing "significant upgrades" for those in need of UofL Health's services. The West Tower expands UofL Hospital's patient capacity with new inpatient rooms and a 24-bed observation unit "to ease demand on one of Kentucky's busiest emergency departments." There are also six operating rooms and additional space for observation beds on the inpatient floors.

Visitors to the West Tower can access a two-story atrium, concierge desk, chapel, coffee shop and gift shop. The seven-story tower also has the infrastructure to expand to nine floors when future growth is needed, administrators said.

“UofL Hospital is a hub for critical and acute care, with lifesaving capabilities and innovative treatments to support our community and the entire commonwealth,” UofL Health CEO Jason Smith said in a statement. "The investment in this tower represents our ongoing commitment to ensure our patients have access to the very best in care, in a healing environment, with an expert team of collaborative and compassionate care givers guiding their recovery.”

Here's what else we know about the West Tower:

How does the West Tower impact UofL Health's operations?

Administrators said the West Tower adds 193,000 square feet to the hospital, a 43% increase in capacity. The additional space comes as UofL Hospital has often operated at around 90% capacity in recent years. More than 1.5 million patients from Kentucky and Southern Indiana seek medical services from UofL Health each year.

"The combined impact of the additional patient rooms and the observation unit create room for nearly 100 more patients, allowing the hospital to operate at its full licensed inpatient capacity of 404 beds," officials said in a statement.

UofL Health Chief Nursing Officer Shari Kretzschmer said the West Tower serves to "elevate patient-centered care and streamline nursing workflow."

"Our nurses had significant input in shaping these improvements to ensure care is efficient and compassionate," Kretzschmer said. "Patients and families will experience enhanced accommodations, including private rooms. Spacious, thoughtfully designed rooms and open areas create an environment that promotes healing and comfort whether recovering from surgery, illness or injury."

UofL President Gerry Bradley said the addition of the West Tower "is about more than increased capacity."

"The improved space provides an excellent setting for developing the next generation of physicians, nurses and allied health professionals,” Bradley said. "This is the type of first-rate facility that our clinical instructors — and most importantly our patients — deserve."

What else is UofL Health building in the Louisville metro?

UofL Health expanded outside of its downtown footprint from 2024-25, including the completion of the South Hospital in Bullitt County and the expanded Frazier Pediatric Rehab center at UofL Health – Mary & Elizabeth Hospital. The expansion of the outpatient pediatric program at Mary & Elizabeth Hospital allows UofL Health to accommodate more children, while also providing new equipment and technologies for physical, occupational and speech therapy.

Officials also proposed a 21,000-square-foot facility for infants and parents at Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, known as The Birthing Place, though the project was paused in August due to Medicaid cuts, a shortage of obstetric physicians and other factors. Louisville Metro Council members have since proposed allocating more than $5 million from the city's $17 million budget surplus toward funding birthing centers at Mary & Elizabeth Hospital.

In other news: University of Kentucky to use $150M gift for new arts district

Lucas Aulbach, Killian Baarlaer, Olivia Evans and Marina Johnson contributed. Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@gannett.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: UofL Health West Tower includes new features for patients, visitors

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