PIKEVILLE, KY –

Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) has announced the expansion of its services in the city of Prestonsburg at a press conference held Thursday, June 20, at the Lawson Cancer Center.

The move comes on the heels of conversations between Board of Directors Vice President and CEO, Donovan Blackburn and Prestonsburg Mayor, Les Stapleton.

“Prestonsburg is excited to have Pikeville Medical Center expanding to our city. We feel this new endeavor is an opportunity for additional health care options and will increase traffic into Prestonsburg, which will benefit not only the city, but our existing businesses as well,” Mayor Stapleton said. “And on a personal note, it was an opportunity for me to conduct business with a trusted friend, Donovan Blackburn.”

Blackburn believes that Mayor Stapleton is a man who loves his community and is dedicated to making decisions to benefit the residents of Prestonsburg.

“Mayor Stapleton recognizes the quality of care that Pikeville Medical Center Provides,” said Blackburn. “The intent was to go into Prestonsburg with an urgent care facility has not changed. In fact we are stepping up the timeline.”

PMC purchased a property in downtown Prestonsburg to bring primary and urgent care to the area. Specialty services, already being offered at the First Commonwealth bank, will remain open in the existing location. Demolition of existing structures is currently underway and an 8,500 square foot modular unit is being brought in from South Williamson. The property also allows for growth and the addition of new specialties in the near future.

“We have a very aggressive plan to open the new Prestonsburg Clinic within the year,” said Blackburn.

As for the South Williamson Clinic, PMC is currently in negotiations for a separate, much larger property that will allow for the opportunity to expand the service lines offered to that community.

“We do specialty care in our surrounding communities and we do it really well,” said Senior Vice President, Assistant CEO and Chief Medical Officer Aaron Crum, MD. “Our goal is to provide specialty services in a facility that looks and feels like it does on the PMC main campus.”

Dr. Crum went on to say that the future expansion of PMC’s outlying clinics will be focused on primary care and urgent care.

“Primary care is key to successful specialty lines,” Dr. Crum added. “While urgent care may not be popular in our region, it is more common away from here and is the bridge between primary care and the emergency room.”

With PMC expanding their footprint in more communities, offering better options and more specialized medicine, it is fair to say that in all areas of health care, PMC intends to be the leader.

For more information about PMC, please visit www.pikevillehospital.org or call 606-430-3500.