They’ve been working together for awhile, but Clark Regional Medical Center and UK HealthCare announced a formal partnership on Thursday.
The collaboration’s primary goal is to improve cardiac and cancer care throughout Central and Eastern Kentucky. Dr. Rick McClure is the director of UK’s Gill Heart Institute Affiliate Network.
"Kentucky is the eighth worst state for cardiovascular mortality and heart disease is still the number one killer in our state. So it's a big problem throughout our state so we're trying to make sure with these partnerships that folks get access to the care that they need as soon as they can," McClure said.
McClure says the partnership will give patients in more rural areas access to additional specialty and sub-specialty physicians and care, while allowing them to stay close to home for most treatments.
Clark Regional becomes the ninth hospital to join the GHIA network.
UK’s Markey Cancer Center will also assist CRMC in establishing its own oncology program.
