A Transformative Year for Local Healthcare: A Look Back at Year One and What Comes Next

As I reflect on my first year serving as Market President and CEO of Meadowview Regional Medical Center and Fleming County Hospital, one feeling rises above all others: gratitude. This community—its families, its leaders, its caregivers, its patients—has welcomed me with trust and generosity. You’ve shown patience through change, partnership through challenge, and pride in the progress we’ve made together. I want to take a moment to thank you and to celebrate what you helped make possible.

Our mission is simple and deeply personal: making communities healthier. Over the past year, I’ve seen that mission come alive in the hands and hearts of our teams, and in the way this community shows up for one another every single day.

A Year of Safety, Quality, and Unwavering Commitment

When I arrived last spring, I knew I was joining two hospitals with deep roots and strong values. What I didn’t yet know was just how extraordinary our teams would prove to be.

Meadowview once again earned an “A” Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group—continuing its “Straight A” streak, an achievement most hospitals never reach. But what truly sets our facilities apart is this: across both MRMC and FCH, we recorded zero hospital-acquired infections. Zero. In a time when rural hospitals face immense pressures, our teams delivered care at a level that places us among the safest hospitals in the nation.

That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because nurses double-check, physicians collaborate, environmental services teams take pride in every detail, and leaders hold the line on standards that protect every patient who walks through our doors. It happens because this community deserves nothing less.

Investing in the Future of Rural Healthcare

Over the past year, we invested $4.5 million in capital improvements — modernizing equipment, upgrading facilities, and expanding access to advanced diagnostics. These investments ensure that people in Maysville, Flemingsburg, and the surrounding counties don’t have to travel far from home to receive the care they need.

One of the most exciting advancements was our partnership with UK HealthCare to bring Viz AI to both hospitals. This artificial intelligence tool accelerates stroke detection and treatment—saving precious minutes when every second matters.

We also launched cardiac calcium scoring and CTA imaging, giving our community access to powerful tools for early detection of heart disease. These services help us catch problems earlier, intervene sooner, and keep more families whole.

Expanding Services to Meet Community Needs

This year wasn’t just about technology—it was about people and programs that strengthen the health of our region.

• Our new wound care center, in partnership with Healogics, is already transforming outcomes for patients with chronic, non-healing wounds.
• Our bariatric and medical weight loss program is addressing one of the most pressing health challenges in our region with compassion and expertise.
• Our provider family continues to grow, with the addition of Dr. Boyd and his practice, Dr. Lambros and Lydia Floyd, APRN in gastroenterology, and Dr. Korey Shotwell in cardiac imaging.
• And at Fleming County Hospital, we are restoring rehabilitation services, welcoming occupational therapist Breanna Cracraft so patients can recover closer to home.

Every one of these additions reinforces that rural communities deserve the same breadth and quality of care as urban ones.

Looking Ahead: A Future Built on Momentum

I won’t pretend that past year has been easy. Healthcare rarely is. There were long days, unexpected hurdles, tough decisions and moments when the pace felt unsustainable. But through it all, our teams stayed focused, steady, and deeply committed to our mission of making communities healthier.

And because of that, Meadowview Regional Medical Center and Fleming County Hospital have tremendous momentum.

In the coming months, we will:

• Open outpatient surgery at Fleming County Hospital
• Launch dialysis services in partnership with DaVita Kidney Care
• Resume urology services at Meadowview through a collaboration with VirtuCare

These expansions will bring even more care options close to home—reducing travel burdens, strengthening continuity of care, and keeping families together during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.

A Shared Mission, A Personal Promise

As we move forward, we are embracing a message that reflects the heart of our work: Specializing in You. It’s more than a tagline. It’s a commitment to personalized, compassionate care—care that sees the individual, not just the illness. Care that honors your story, your needs, your family, and your future.

As I look ahead, my commitment remains simple: to continue recruiting exceptional providers, specialists, and nurses who believe in rural healthcare, keep investing in the tools and services that allow our hospitals to thrive and to ensure that every patient who walks through our doors receives exceptional care—right here in our own backyard.

Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your belief in what we can accomplish together. My first year has been full of growth, learning, and meaningful progress. But truly, we are just getting started.

With gratitude and determination,
Kathy Vancampen
Market President & CEO
Meadowview Regional Medical Center & Fleming County Hospital