Hospital scales back master plan to $28 million, highlights ER, MRI and helipad work

Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center representatives told Boyle County Fiscal Court they have re‑scoped a previously discussed roughly $120 million master facility plan to a $28 million program focused on immediate clinical needs.

"The project's been pared down to, a $28,000,000 project right now with an emphasis on procedural space," said Nick Spadmore, who identified himself as administrator for EMRMC. Spadmore said the hospital expects to renovate the emergency department, add procedural space connected to the Johnson Tower, and pursue a helipad site on the south wing of the campus.

Spadmore told the court the decision followed a reassessment of bond financing and anticipated federal changes affecting health‑care reimbursement that could create an estimated $12 million annual impact beginning in 2028. Work that does not require demolition of the North Tower — such as fifth‑floor renovations and an MRI upgrade — can proceed sooner; Spadmore said the MRI swap is expected to begin in March 2026 with a mobile unit in place for approximately three months.

Officials asked about timing and traffic flow around the planned main entrance; Spadmore said some changes hinge on state approval to relocate a water line and the decommissioning schedule for the North Tower. He also described ongoing community‑benefit work, including charity care and a "food as medicine" program tied to local farmers and meal support for discharged patients.

The court did not take formal action on the hospital plan but heard the updates and invited continued progress reports.