LEXINGTON, Ky. — LEXINGTON, Ky. — King’s Daughters Health System in Ashland will become part of the University of Kentucky on Dec. 1 after the UK Board of Trustees approved the plan. The move provides more Kentuckians with care.

What You Need To Know

  •  King's Daughters Health System will become part of UK Healthcare

  •  UK Board of Trustees approved moving forward with the venture

  •  The pair have worked together for 18 months under Royal Blue Health LLC (RBH)

  • King's Daughters will still be under RBH, but now UK will own RBH

“Our vision is for the University of Kentucky to advance the Commonwealth in everything that we do. The health and well-being of our people is critical to that vision,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “King’s Daughters and its team will help UK move this vision forward in eastern Kentucky and the success of this relationship is a testament to the power of UK’s work to advance the Commonwealth.”

For over 120 years, King’s Daughters has provided health care for those living in eastern Kentucky, southern Ohio and western West Virginia. Kristie Whitlatch, president and CEO of King’s Daughters, said in a statement, “Expanding the relationship with the University of Kentucky gives me great confidence we are positioning the health system and all its subsidiaries to be stronger for generations to come.”

In the last year and a half, King’s Daughters and UK have worked together to grow the relationship between the two entities as members of Royal Blue Health LLC (RBH). The RBH board received notice that UK wants to make King’s Daughters part of UK Healthcare. The board voted unanimously in favor of coming up with and implementing a plan to complete the transition. Both UK and King’s Daughters will now seek regulatory approval to complete transition documents. A news release said King’s Daughter’s corporate structure will remain. RBH owns KD now, and it will do so after the transition. The only difference will be that UK will own RBH.

Since joining forces with UK Healthcare, King’s Daughters has seen a growth in revenue and in employees. It is also building and expanding infrastructure to improve access and care for people of eastern Kentucky.

King’s Daughters fiscal year ended Sept. 30. It employs almost 5,000 people, an increase in over 1,000 employees since the end of fiscal year 2020. It says the increased employment is the result of the health system focusing on expanding access to care.

King’s Daughters has:

  • Continued expansion of Primary and Urgent care facilities. There are now over 50 King’s Daughters facilities throughout the region. 

  • A new floor on KD’s Parkview Patient Tower has opened and is to be used to enhance clinical access and adds 36 new inpatient beds.

  • A new Sleep Lab was constructed and expanded to 16 rooms serving people age 5 and older.

  • The Lung Center expanded to 31 exam rooms with additional testing and treatment areas.

  • A facility upgrade was completed on the Mother-Baby Unit to provide a more modern and comfortable environment.

  • A new Specialty Pharmacy was added, bringing better access to complex specialty medications and pharmaceuticals.

  • Construction is beginning this month on new Imaging and Emergency departments (ED). The 44,400 square foot ED expansion will allow KD to better serve the more than 70,000 patients who seek emergency care annually.

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