Norton to Offer Expanded Services for Women and Children at Renovated Suburban Hospital

As questions arise over the future of reproductive health services in Louisville, Norton Healthcare announced today it will reconfigure Norton Suburban Hospital into a facility for women and children."We see it as our responsibility to provide specialized care in areas such as cardiac care, orthopedic care, breast health, oncology, prevention and wellness, and this is certainly going above beyond the more traditional obstetrics and gynecological care that you would expect in a women's hospital," says Norton spokesman Thomas Johnson.The availability of reproductive health services has been at the center of the pending merger of University of Louisville Hospital, Jewish Hospital and a division of Catholic Health Initiatives. After the merger, certain procedures involving birth control, abortion and end-of-life care will not be allowed in University Hospital. The U of L School of Medicine will not be part of the merger, and officials insist all existing services will be offered somewhere through U of L after the merger. Click here to read WFPL's coverage of the merger.Johnson says the renovations to Norton Suburban have been planned for years and are not a reaction to the merger. Rather, he says it's part of an effort to provide better services for women."Once you put all of the care for women in one location and allow for better interaction among the doctors and the medical records, the outcome for women's care is so much greater," he says.The renovations will include expanded services from Kosair Children's Hospital. Changes will be evident at the beginning of next year, and Johnson says everything should be complete in 2013. The renovations will cost an estimated $120 million.