150 years is a long time for a neighborhood to not have a local hospital. But that has all changed with the construction of Norton West Louisville Hospital, in the West End, a majority-Black neighborhood in Louisville KY,
According to CBS News, Corenza Townsend, a chief administrative officer for Norton West, pitched the idea of establishing a hospital in West End in an elevator pitch to her CEO.
“We had this plan. It wasn’t in writing yet. We happened to see Russ Cox, our CEO, walking to the bathroom. So, we stalked him outside the bathroom…Nobody thought he would actually say yes,” Townsend explained. “He said, yes. He just listened to us, and he said, ‘Let’s do it. What do you need?’”
With Cox’s endorsement of the idea, Townsend was emboldened to put all her energy and procure community resources to make it happen. Without question, the local Black community of West End was in dire need of a state-of-the-art medical facility.
“The life expectancy in West Louisville is about 12-and-a-half to 15 years different here than anywhere else in the city,” Townsend said. “That alone gives you reason enough to build a hospital in West Louisville.”
After breaking ground on the facility in June 2022, Norton West Louisville Hospital’s ground opening was in November 2024.
The hospital is built in the community and nearly 70% of the 300 employees of the hospital’s staff are West End residents. Charles Ramsey, a hospital case manager who grew up in the West End, has become the de facto advocate and point person for those who are seeking medical attention.
“Empathy is something that is not practiced a lot anymore in health care,” Ramsey said. “I feel like if you have empathy for a person, you understand them better. That’s where the trust comes in.”
Norton is more than just another hospital. It’s a safe space for those who have been previously ignored. The hospital also houses a food pantry in partnership with Dare to Care, 20 beds, a 24/7 emergency department, a bistro, valet parking, a retail pharmacy, and artwork from the local community.
People are coming into this pantry and we’re converting them to primary care patients,” Townsend said. “Or they’re coming in and they’ve had ailments that needed to be addressed for years, and they never did, and we see them right in the emergency department.”
Townsend believes that the success of Norton West could serve as the blueprint for hospitals around the country to reach underserved communities.
“Because people don’t feel comfortable coming into the space,” Townsend said. “The people we were serving, we asked them what they wanted and what they needed. They told us, and we created it.”
