# UofL Health opens $25M cancer center in Bullitt County **Published:** 2026-08-28T15:42:53.000Z **Source:** [Lane Report (KY Business)](https://www.lanereport.com/189144/2026/08/uofl-health-brown-cancer-center-bullitt-county/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/uofl-health-opens-25m-cancer-center-in-bullitt-county UofL Health completed construction of a $25 million regional cancer center at South Hospital in Bullitt County, bringing specialized oncology services closer to patients across South, Central and Western Kentucky, according to [a report from the Lane Report](https://www.lanereport.com/189144/2026/08/uofl-health-brown-cancer-center-bullitt-county/). The 26,440-square-foot, two-story Brown Cancer Center is scheduled to begin seeing patients Sept. 14 along the Interstate 65 corridor at Exit 121. The facility will house 16 private infusion and examination rooms, an on-site laboratory, an oncology pharmacy, and spaces for clinical trials and translational cancer research. A patient resource center will offer financial counseling, psychotherapy, nutritional support, massage therapy, art therapy and other services. The project created 30 new jobs and will serve as home to the University of Louisville's Center for Rural Cancer Education and Research, which will focus on improving cancer prevention, screening and treatment access in rural Kentucky communities. Patients with lung, melanoma and gynecologic cancers will begin receiving care on the opening date, with expansion to all solid tumor types planned by November and blood cancer services beginning in January. Kentucky faces a significant public health challenge, ranking highest in the nation for cancer mortality and incidence. The state experiences 175.6 cancer deaths per 100,000 people, with more than 10,000 Kentuckians dying from cancer annually. According to UofL Health, cancer-related healthcare costs total an estimated $2.74 billion annually, with productivity losses adding another estimated $3.1 billion. For rural patients, access to specialized oncology care has posed a major barrier. Much of eastern Kentucky is classified as a health professional shortage area, with the nearest cancer centers located one to two hours away. Chemotherapy infusion sessions can last up to eight hours, and lengthy travel times compound treatment challenges for patients experiencing nausea and fatigue. Gov. Andy Beshear emphasized the impact of reduced travel time for patients. "Instead of spending hours in the car driving to and from appointments, they get that time back to spend with their family and friends, doing what they love," Beshear said. The center represents Kentucky's multilayered effort to address rural cancer disparities, an initiative that has [become a national model](https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/23/cancer-care-kentucky-national-model-threatened-medicaid-cuts/) for expanding access to preventive services and treatment in underserved regions. Jason Chesney, director and chief administrative officer of the Brown Cancer Center, said the organization has established a goal of reducing Kentucky's cancer death rate by 50% by 2035. The new Bullitt County facility becomes the fourth Brown Cancer Center location in the state. Bullitt County Judge-Executive Jerry Summers said the importance of advanced cancer care nearby is personal, recalling his father's repeated trips to downtown Louisville for cancer treatment. "To now have this exceptional level of care close to home is an absolute blessing," Summers said. ## Sources - [Lane Report (KY Business)](https://www.lanereport.com/189144/2026/08/uofl-health-brown-cancer-center-bullitt-county/) - [STAT News article on Kentucky's rural cancer care efforts as a national model](https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/23/cancer-care-kentucky-national-model-threatened-medicaid-cuts/) - [UofL Health Brown Cancer Center information](https://uoflhealth.org/locations/brown-cancer-center/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Lane Report (KY Business), enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.lanereport.com/189144/2026/08/uofl-health-brown-cancer-center-bullitt-county/.