LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky broke ground on the new UK Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Building on April 25, a new facility created to help centralize many hospital services under one roof.

The 550,000-square-foot facility will be the new home of the UK Markey Cancer Center, the Comprehensive Spine Center, ambulatory surgery space and other outpatient services.

“As Kentucky’s flagship university, we have a responsibility to lead the way in health care,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “This building signifies our commitment to addressing the critical health needs of our state, providing advanced care across various disciplines and ensuring that Kentuckians have access to the most innovative treatments close to home.” 

“This new state-of-the-art facility will help more of our Kentucky families defeat cancer and access the critical health care services they need to be healthy and thrive here at home,” said Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky.

Outpatient services for the Markey Center are currently located in six different areas across the UK Chandler Hospital campus. The new building brings the cancer center’s outpatient clinic and oncology support services under one roof, improving patient accessibility and fostering collaboration among Markey researchers and clinicians.

“This facility will enable our talented clinicians and researchers to work together like never before, accelerating innovations that will directly translate into better outcomes for our patients,” said B. Mark Evers, M.D., director of the UK Markey Cancer Center. “In a state that still holds the highest cancer rates, this building represents our commitment to expanding care, growing our capacity, and ultimately, conquering cancer in the Commonwealth.”

The building will house outpatient clinics, including chemotherapy infusion, radiation medicine, multidisciplinary oncology, gynecologic oncology, the breast care center and hematology/bone marrow transplant. The center is designed to streamline patient experience and provide a full spectrum of cancer care services, including imaging, lab, urgent care, pharmacy, palliative care and rehabilitation.

Additionally, the building will feature expanded space for Markey’s Cellular Therapy Program and its Precision Medicine Clinic, the only in Kentucky to offer early phase clinical trials for adult cancer patients. The expanded space will give even more patients in Kentucky access to the next generation of cancer treatments, including personalized medicine tailored to patients’ unique genetic profiles and innovative cellular therapies that harness the immune system to kill cancer.  

The new facility will also have a floor dedicated to ambulatory surgery and procedural space focused on cancer-related surgeries.

In addition to cancer services, the new building will also house a new Comprehensive Spine Center with a transdisciplinary approach dedicated to offering a wide range of services designed to diagnose, treat and prevent spinal conditions.

The UK Board of Trustees approved initial planning and design in May 2021. The Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Building and an adjacent 2,400-space parking structure are slated for completion in 2027.