The former Dillard’s store in the vacant Turfland Mall will become home to University of Kentucky primary care and specialty outpatient clinics. UK HealthCare will be the anchor tenant on the first floor, using some 85 thousand square feet of renovated space. Chief of Ambulatory Services, Dr. Marc Randall says it’s about offering medical services at a more convenient location. “You know our campus has evolved into much more of a tertiary care medical center and so it was just a better fit to be located where patients can park conveniently and access their physicians and caregivers more easily,” said Randall.
Moving to the space formerly occupied by Dillard’s is UK Family and Community Medicine from both the campus and Kentucky Clinic South on Harrodsburg Drive.
Also making the move are UK Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, UK Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, and the Travel Clinic. Randall says the move is not about increasing patient numbers.
“We’ll be certainly open to the possibility, if this is successful and people see it as something they want to be a part of as patients. We’re in a position to grow, but we’re not planning that on day one,” added Randall.
Randall says the annual lease cost for UK will be up to two million dollars. The renovation is expected to be completed later this year with clinics opening in the fall. The remaining section of the mall will be torn down.
