President Bendapudi addressed Staff Senators and highlighted recent accomplishments from members of the UofL community. In September, a surgical team with UofL Health – Jewish Hospital performed the world’s first total artificial heart implantation in a female patient, for example.

“In September, the first artificial heart transplant for a man in the United States was performed at Duke University. A week later, the second artificial heart transplant for a man in the United States was here at the University of Louisville. We followed that up by performing the very first artificial heart transplant for a female patient in the world right here at UofL,” Bendapudi said. “I mention that because going forward, I hope I can share these bragging points with our employees because these are genuine, world-wide accomplishments for the university.”

Bendapudi also addressed Staff Senator’s questions and concerns regarding compensation. She said future annual 1% raises for university employees will be contingent on revenue and student enrollment figures. Student enrollment and retention is the largest contributor to revenue for UofL and also affects state funding. Projections estimate that the number of college students in Kentucky will decrease 15% by the year 2025. For this reason, Bendapudi prompted senators and their constituents to reach out and encourage students on campus.

“The best chance we have of our increasing our revenues – the part of the world that we can control and influence – is student enrollment and retention. It is the biggest contributor to revenue and controls where and when we can provide raises,” Bendapudi said. “I believe that everybody who works at UofL should feel confident that every year they will get a raise. To do that, we’ve got to work on our enrollment and retention.”

Vice President of Human Resources Mary Elizabeth Miles informed senators that will be available Oct. 20 through Nov. 3. Employees wishing to make no changes to their plan will not need to take any actions; however, those with a flexible spending account will need to reenroll to retain their balance.

Kari Aikins, director of Total Rewards for UofL, provided senators with additional information on Open Enrollment. Aikens addressed some of the recent changes made to health care plans, including the transition to Optum Health for HRA and FSA administration and moderate increases to vision and dental plans. Senators and their constituents were encouraged to attend one of the four Open Enrollment Benefit Information Sessions offered by Human Resources via Microsoft Teams. Employees who were unable to attend one of the four sessions may view a or reach out to their designated for additional information.

Committee reports and a of the virtual meeting can be found on the . The next Staff Senate meeting is Nov. 9 via Microsoft Teams.

The investigational device, currently intended as a bridge to heart transplant, is part of an Early Feasibility Study (EFS) sponsored by CARMAT, a French medical device company, in partnership with UofL, UofL Health – Jewish Hospital and the UofL Health – Trager Transplant Center.

Led by cardiothoracic surgeons Mark Slaughter and Siddharth Pahwa, both of UofL Health – UofL Physicians and the UofL School of Medicine, the team performed the implant of the device on Sept. 14, 2021 at UofL Health – Jewish Hospital. The same team completed the nation’s second implantation in a male patient last month, also at Jewish Hospital.

“For the other half of the world’s population, completion of this procedure by the Jewish Hospital team brings new hope for extended life,” said Slaughter, UofL Health surgical director of heart transplant and professor and chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in the UofL School of Medicine. “Size limitations can make it harder to implant artificial hearts in women, but the Aeson artificial heart is compact enough to fit inside the smaller chest cavities more frequently found in women, which gives hope to a wider variety of men and women waiting for a heart transplant and increases the chances for success.”

More than 3,500 individuals are awaiting a heart transplant in the U.S. and 900 of them are women. There are few treatment options for patients with biventricular heart disease, meaning both the left and right sides of the heart are not pumping blood adequately. The Aeson device is designed to solve the limitations of current left-ventricular assist devices, which pump blood in just one chamber, by pumping blood in both heart chambers.

Aeson also contains pressure sensors that estimate the patient’s blood pressure and automatically adapts cardiac output according to the sensor information. It is fully implanted as a heart replacement and powered by a portable external power supply.

During this procedure, the Aeson total artificial heart was implanted into a 57-year-old Kentucky woman with severe biventricular heart failure during an eight-hour surgery. The recipient, whose identity is being withheld upon request, was referred to the Advanced Heart Failure Therapies Program at Jewish Hospital earlier this year with end-stage heart failure and had undergone cardiac surgery years before. The patient is recovering well in the cardiovascular intensive care unit. Jewish Hospital is just one of four programs in the nation approved to perform this clinical trial procedure.

“The varying pumping ability of the Aeson device increases its viability among more patients,” said Pahwa, UofL Physicians cardiothoracic surgeon and assistant professor in the UofL Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. “While other devices are set at a fixed rate or create a continuous flow, CARMAT has developed the Aeson to automatically adjust the flow, creating an improved performance to meet the body’s changing blood flow needs.”

Currently, the Aeson artificial heart is tested as a bridge to transplant for patients with end-stage biventricular heart failure, allowing more time for the patient to receive a permanent heart organ transplant. The device already has been approved for such use in Europe, where approximately 20 devices have been implanted. It currently is being tested in the U.S. as part of a feasibility study approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The first Aeson artificial heart in North America was implanted in a male patient in July at Duke University Medical Center. The second implantation, also in a male patient, was performed at Jewish Hospital in August. This third North American implantation is the first to involve a female patient.

“Even as we have fought this deadly pandemic, our researchers and health care providers have also been on the front lines of improving care and quality of life for not only Kentuckians, but for people around the world,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “I am proud that UofL, Jewish Hospital and their doctors are leading the world in implanting this promising and innovative device that could offer hope and time to thousands of people, including our wives, mothers and other loved ones, in coming years.”

Stéphane Piat, chief executive officer of CARMAT, said, “This third implant in the U.S. was a landmark event not only because it allowed us to finalize the enrollment of the first cohort of patients of the EFS, but very importantly because it is the first time ever that our device has helped a woman suffering from heart failure. This achievement confirms that the size limitations for adults are minimal, which makes us very confident in Aeson’s potential to become a therapy of choice for a broad patient population.”

Preclinical research for CARMAT’s artificial heart began at UofL more than five years ago. Researchers at UofL’s Cardiovascular Innovation Institute tested Aeson’s autoregulation capability, which allows the device to adapt its flows according to the patient’s needs by detecting changes of pressure in the device. UofL researchers have conducted preclinical testing of artificial heart components and mechanical assist devices at CII for many years, testing some portion of nearly every mechanical assist device that is commercially available today.

Jewish Hospital and the University of Louisville share a storied history in advancing heart care. Highlights include:

• Aug. 24, 1984: Kentucky’s first heart transplant performed at Jewish Hospital by UofL physicians
• July 2, 2001: The world’s first AbioCor artificial heart was implanted at Jewish Hospital by UofL physicians, led by cardiothoracic surgeon Laman Gray
• Dec. 21, 2011: Kentucky’s first transcatheter aortic-valve replacement performed at Jewish Hospital by UofL physicians
• Jan. 18, 2015: Kentucky’s first HeartMate 3��left ventricular assist device implanted at Jewish Hospital by UofL physicians
• Feb. 21, 2018: UofL Health – Trager Transplant Center’s 500^th heart transplant performed at Jewish Hospital
• June 14, 2019: The first EvaHeart2 LVAD implanted as bridge to transplant at UofL Health – Trager Transplant Center
• April 22, 2021: UofL Health – Trager Transplant Center’s 1000^th TAVR performed at Jewish Hospital

“This world-first artificial heart implant into a female patient is another demonstration of UofL Health’s commitment to provide both the world-class care of today and develop the world-class standards of tomorrow,” said John Walsh, chief administrative officer of Jewish Hospital. “We celebrate this first as a milestone and recognize the hard work of Drs. Slaughter and Pahwa and the entire team. The true impact of their work will be measured in the dozens, hundreds and thousands of lives improved in the years to come.”

The patient who received the nation’s second Aeson implant, on Aug. 20, 2021, continues to improve at Jewish Hospital. An update is expected in the coming weeks.

The team, led by Mark Slaughter, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in the UofL School of Medicine and lead cardiothoracic surgeon at UofL Health – Jewish Hospital, performed the implant of the investigational device on Aug. 20.

The artificial heart, Aeson, developed by French medical device company CARMAT, serves as a bridge to transplant for patients with end-stage biventricular heart failure – heart disease affecting both left and right sides of the heart – allowing more time for the patient to receive a permanent heart organ transplant. More than 3,400 individuals in the U.S. currently are awaiting a heart transplant and there are few other treatment options for patients with biventricular heart disease.

“We are excited to provide this new technology to patients in Kentucky and the surrounding region and be one of the first U.S. centers to implant this new total artificial heart” Slaughter said. “This device has the potential to save the lives of critically ill patients suffering from biventricular heart failure who currently have very limited treatment options.”

The new total artificial heart was implanted into a middle-aged man from Southern Indiana with severe biventricular heart failure during a seven-and-a-half-hour surgery. The recipient, whose identity is being withheld upon request, was referred to the Advanced Heart Failure Therapies Program at Jewish Hospital. The patient currently is doing well in the cardiac surgery ICU. The Advanced Heart Failure Therapies Program at Jewish Hospital is the only program in the area that is performing heart transplants, the latest in mechanical circulatory support and cell-based therapies for advanced heart failure.

“Innovative care is what put Jewish Hospital on the world map,” said John Walsh, chief administrative officer at Jewish Hospital. “UofL Health was formed, in part, with a promise to preserve and build on the transplant legacy for generations to come. This procedure is another lifesaving milestone.”��

The new device is designed to solve limitations of left-ventricular assist devices (LVAD), which pump blood in just one chamber, by pumping blood in both heart chambers. Aeson also contains biosensors that detect the patient’s blood pressure and position and automatically adapts cardiac output according to the sensor information. It is fully implanted as a heart replacement and powered by a portable external power supply.

“We are honored that our device is implanted at UofL Health – Jewish Hospital, which is recognized throughout the United States for its quality of care and cardiovascular research” said Stéphane Piat, Chief Executive Officer of CARMAT. “I would like to congratulate the teams at Jewish Hospital, the University of Louisville, as well as our technical and medical staff, on this exceptional milestone for both patients and our company.”

The device is medically approved in Europe, where approximately 20 have been implanted. The first Aeson artificial heart in North America was implanted in July at Duke University.

This is not the first time University of Louisville physicians and Jewish Hospital have made artificial heart history. Just over 20 years ago, on July 2, 2001, UofL cardiothoracic surgeon Laman Gray led the surgical team that implanted the first self-contained artificial heart in the United States at Jewish Hospital. The AbioCor artificial heart was implanted into Robert Tools, who lived five months on the device. The UofL surgical team also performed the first heart transplant in Kentucky at Jewish Hospital in 1984.

The transition of ownership from KentuckyOne’s parent company, CommonSpirit Health, to the university’s UofL Health affiliate is effective Nov. 1. Some 5,500 former KentuckyOne employees have now joined UofL and UofL Health, which has assumed management of the assets.

“This is an exciting and historic day for the University of Louisville,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “This acquisition enables us to ensure access to quality health care for our entire community, and it strengthens our School of Medicine and our Health Sciences Center campus by allowing us to offer more training opportunities for our students and more research capacity for our faculty. It also saves thousands of jobs that could have been lost if any of these facilities closed.”

UofL is acquiring the KentuckyOne assets with the promise of a critical $50 million, 20-year loan from the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority. Half of that loan would be forgiven if the university meets certain criteria in terms of employment or service to underserved areas. The Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence and the Jewish Hospital and St. Mary’s Foundation also are investing in the deal, contributing $10 million and $40 million, respectively.

“We owe such a debt of gratitude to our partners—Governor Matt Bevin, the leadership of the House and Senate and these foundations—for making this transaction a reality,” Bendapudi said.

She also thanked the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and leaders of the local Jewish community for the legacy of care they have created over more than a century of work in the Louisville community.

The purchase includes:

• Jewish Hospital, including the Outpatient Center, Rudd Heart and Lung Center, offices and parking garages;
• Frazier Rehabilitation Institute;
• Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Hospital;
• Our Lady of Peace;
• Jewish Hospital Shelbyville;
• Jewish Medical Centers East, Northeast, South and Southwest;
• Physicians groups affiliated with KentuckyOne.

All of the assets will be rebranded under the UofL Health umbrella.

“Today marks an important moment for the future of health care in the Louisville community, and I want to thank everyone who contributed to the successful completion of this transition,” said Larry Schumacher, senior vice president of Operations, Southeast Division, CommonSpirit Health. “As we transfer the ownership and operations to UofL Health, I am optimistic that these facilities will continue their legacy of excellence and innovation led by the outstanding employees and providers.”

Among the most immediately visible changes will be modified names and signage to reflect the new ownership under UofL Health, the historical legacy of the communities that surround the hospitals and medical centers and the traditions of the faith organizations that were the foundation of many of the facilities.

“I want to thank the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, the Louisville Archdiocese, the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence and our larger Catholic and Jewish communities,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “Health care in Louisville has grown because of the commitment made by these organizations to improve the health of patients throughout the greater Louisville community and the passion they have to serve with excellence and compassion.

“The University of Louisville and UofL Health will build on this foundation, to improve wellness for our community, by building a regional academic health care system based on treatment innovations, leading-edge research and patient-centered care.”��

Because the hospitals will no longer be operated as Catholic facilities, the Archdiocese requested that the names of Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital and Our Lady of Peace be changed to no longer reflect a Catholic affiliation. Upon the closing date, they will become UofL Health – Mary & Elizabeth Hospital and UofL Health – Peace Hospital. Crosses adorning the outside of the buildings will be removed, but the hospitals will maintain their chapels, including the iconic Sky Chapel at Mary & Elizabeth, and many other artifacts that reflect the legacy of the Catholic faith and the rich heritage of the hospitals.����

As is the case at UofL Hospital, people of all faiths are encouraged to use the chapels as they choose. Chaplains are on staff to support and honor the many different faiths and traditions observed by patients and employees.

“I am encouraged that University of Louisville Health desires to continue to honor the spirit of the Church’s healing ministry as it acquires these former Catholic facilities. I once again want to extend my gratitude to the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth for their long legacy of care and compassion, beginning with the founding of Sts. Mary & Elizabeth and Our Lady of Peace Hospitals. I appreciate the University of Louisville’s stated intention to respect the history of the Sisters’ health care ministry, and I am pleased that the University will seek to maintain health care for underserved areas of the city, serve the poor and vulnerable and preserve employment for many loyal employees,” said the Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz, Archbishop of Louisville.

UofL Hospital – Jewish Campus

Jewish Hospital and UofL Hospital will become one united hospital with two locations.��The two locations will have a unified leadership team and direction to better support and restore the services, research, employees, physicians and programs at Jewish Hospital.��In addition, it will further strengthen UofL Hospital and the teaching and research programs of the UofL School of Medicine located at both locations. The newly unified hospitals will be highlighted through the new name, UofL Hospital – Jewish Campus. The name respects Jewish Hospital’s history as a leader in cardiovascular services, neurosciences and transplantation while also preserving its legacy of serving the community.��UofL Hospital’s name will not change.

“We appreciate the care that everyone at the University of Louisville and UofL Health has shown in working with the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence Board of Trustees to make this transition,” said Jeff Polson, JHFE executive director. “We are certain that the traditions, culture and history of Jewish Hospital will continue to be honored at the new UofL Hospital – Jewish Campus alongside our legacy of excellence in health care.”

“We worked with leaders across the system and with the Archdiocese and JHFE to develop the new names for the hospitals,” UofL Health CEO Tom Miller said. “The hospitals have a rich culture and a time-honored heritage associated with many traditions. UofL Health is committed to honor this rich history and to support the hospitals, their employees, physicians and communities in keeping the traditions that make them unique and special.”

The rest of the KentuckyOne Health system

Throughout the rest of the former KentuckyOne Health system, names will be modified as follows:

• UofL Health – Frazier Rehab Institute
• UofL Health – Rudd Heart and Lung Center
• UofL Health – Shelbyville Hospital
• UofL Health – Medical Center Southwest
• UofL Health – Medical Center South (Shepherdsville)
• UofL Health – Medical Center East
• UofL Health – Medical Center Northeast

Physician practices, currently part of the KentuckyOne Medical Group, also will be renamed under UofL Physicians brand to reflect new alignment with UofL Health.

“UofL Health welcomes the teams from all these locations and, most importantly, we welcome the patients and families served,” Miller said. “We are excited to bring this larger system together, share best practices and extend The Power of U to more communities.”

Sign changes will begin this week, but will be a gradual process over the next several weeks and months.�� UofL Health will assume ownership of the facilities on Nov. 1. While these changes are being implemented, there should be no interruption or delay in care.

As part of the new agreement, UofL will pay $10 million to acquire the assets from KentuckyOne’s parent company, CommonSpirit Health, while CommonSpirit will forgive $19.7 million in outstanding promissory notes from University Medical Center Inc. Additionally, UofL will assume more than $76 million in accounts receivable from KentuckyOne, providing an immediate source of capital.

To help secure the purchase, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Vivek Sarin have promised to support a $50 million, 20-year loan – half of which will be forgiven if the university meets certain criteria in areas of employment or service to underserved areas of the community and commonwealth. Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers and Speaker of the House David Osborne also expressed support for the loan.

Further, the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence and the Jewish Hospital and St. Mary’s Foundation, are investing in the facilities, contributing $10 million and $40 million respectively, to be paid throughout four years.

These outside investments are vital to the agreement, as they help offset the significant financial risk such a purchase poses to the university, according to UofL President Neeli Bendapudi.

While acknowledging the risk, she stressed the upside of the acquisitions, noting the additional medical facilities will strengthen UofL’s academic medical center, providing more opportunity for residents and students at the university’s Health Sciences Center. The additional facilities and resources also will provide venues in which to conduct leading-edge research and entice more clinical trials, external funding and renowned faculty to the university.

“These medical facilities and the thousands of professionals who work there have for decades provided outstanding and important medical care to patients throughout our community and beyond,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “We are proud to protect that legacy and to ensure the continuation of that care as we acquire and enhance these facilities.”

Bevin added that the preservation of these healthcare programs, services and jobs are vital to UofL, the UofL Medical School, Metro Louisville and the entire Commonwealth.��

“UofL’s acquisition of the KentuckyOne facilities will maintain more than 5,000 jobs in the healthcare sector and ensure that our healthcare delivery system in Metro Louisville is preserved,” he said. “I am confident that this acquisition will further the incredible medical research occurring at these facilities, while simultaneously meeting the growing demand for quality, cutting-edge health care services.”��

The purchase includes:

• Jewish Hospital, including the Outpatient Center, Rudd Heart and Lung Center, offices and parking garages
• Frazier Rehab Institute
• Mary and Elizabeth Hospital
• Our Lady of Peace
• Jewish Hospital Shelbyville
• Jewish Medical Centers East, Northeast, South and Southwest
• Physicians groups affiliated with KentuckyOne

Services provided by UofL physicians at Jewish Hospital include organ transplantation, cardiovascular medicine and neurological surgery. The hospital is home to the only solid organ transplant facility in the region, and UofL’s renowned clinical care and research in cardiovascular medicine and spinal cord injury are conducted at Jewish and Frazier Rehab.

Approved by the UofL Board of Trustees at its meeting this morning, the sale is expected to close Nov. 1 pending regulatory approvals and the consent of the Catholic Church, which must approve the sale of Sts. Mary and Elizabeth and Our Lady of Peace. As part of the agreement, the facilities will be branded under the UofL Health umbrella.

Once the deal is closed, UofL will assume management of the facilities.

“This has been an arduous process, and it took an outstanding team and hard work to get us to this point,” Bendapudi said. “I want to thank our governmental leaders, our trustees, the foundations and, of course, our team led by Tom Miller, CEO of UofL Health, University Counsel Tom Hoy and Dan Durbin, UofL CFO, for their dogged efforts to make this happen. Tom Miller’s remarkable work in restoring the financial standing of UofL Hospital in less than a year gives us confidence that we can have similar success in turning around these assets.”

Check out the press conference announcing the deal below:��

President Bendapudi: It did not turn out that we had attractive options. The offers we got were not viable.

We are really referring to a couple of things. One is finding a partner that would invest the dollars to make sure that we could run all these hospitals in a sustainable manner. As you know, with many of these, there would be fresh infusions of cash required for deferred maintenance, for IT, for those types of things. And (second), ��during negotiations, you realize whether it’s possible to come to an agreement or not, and in this case, it was not.

We know that our most important obligation is to the University of Louisville. We need to make sure that we are financially viable and sustainable, and that we thrive.

How much money are you talking about?

President Bendapudi:��It’s hard to say. I don’t want to pinpoint a particular number but we were looking for a partner that would keep this viable. During the process we had three potential suitors…trying to see if this would work. In the timeframe, however, they all needed significantly longer. I’m not avoiding the question, but candidly, how much is required is dependent upon the structure of the deal. How much equity would we give out? What would happen? That’s why I’m not able to tell you. If someone came in and said, ‘we just want 10 percent,’ it would look very different from if we were going to be full partners.

What happens now?

President Bendapudi:��The good news is that both parties are committed to an orderly transition. What I am happy to tell you is that all of our agreements have been extended with no real end date. Our Academic Affiliation Agreement and Master Services Agreement are still in place. If these are to end for any reason, we have to be given a 90-day notice.

We are very reassured that … for the residents’ training … we have an agreement that if Jewish Hospital were sold, those residency slots transfer to the university or to the facility of our choosing.

Down the road, if KentuckyOne finds a partner who is not interested in extending your agreement, what happens then?

President Bendapudi:��There’s a minimum of a 90-day notice (from KentuckyOne Health) we would have to be given about a potential partner. And even then, I’m confident that given the long history of this community and the importance (of these facilities) to it, it would be a very orderly process. We have been doing contingency planning so that none of our programs is at risk. We would have to find alternative locations for the services we provide. Or maybe a potential buyer would say they want to work with us; that’s possible.

How do you guarantee these programs’ protection?

President Bendapudi:��Our agreements are all in place, so for our doctors, other health care providers that are working in these facilities – nothing is imminent. There’s no problem. If (KentuckyOne Health) says they are going to shut down a facility, then we would move our programs. We would have new AAAs and MSAs with the places where we would practice and for the services we would provide. In our contingency planning we have been looking at what we can move to our facilities and we are looking at the other health systems – Norton (Healthcare) and Baptist (Health System). I have reached out to both CEOs. A lot of what we already have done has been is putting all the data into a data room…and verifying all the numbers that both sides were getting. … So the conversations (with Norton and Baptist) are not new. In contingency planning, that’s what you do: If this happens, what will we do? If this doesn’t happen, what will we do? So none of this is starting from zero because clearly, we’ve all been thinking about this as have they.

What was your level of confidence going into this and how surprising or disappointing is it that you could not find a partner?

President Bendapudi:��Going in, we knew that we had to look. It really was a moral obligation that we, as a university, had to try to keep (Jewish) open. Internally we knew that it was a toss-up whether we could do it but it’s one of those things where you say, “be brave and try.” So I give credit to our Board and to our people that we said, “we must try.”�� Are we disappointed? Yes. Because it would have been great to make this work. But I have to say that discretion is the better part of valor. Looking at the numbers that we saw, we could not see how we could do it in a way that would not jeopardize the university.

Again, we owed it to the university, to the community to try (and make this deal). We had an obligation to try. We were enthusiastic about the potential. It was really important to give it everything we had. And we did.

The press conference in its entirety is available here:��

Talks were halted because UofL could not find a suitable partner to help fund the acquisition. UofL officials were not willing to put the university at financial risk by taking on the acquisition alone.

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“We regret ending our talks with CHI, but we must do what is fiscally responsible for the University of Louisville,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “Without a viable partner, we do not have the resources necessary to make the acquisition a reality.”

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“KentuckyOne Health is disappointed that the university was not able to secure a financial partner,” said Deborah Lee-Eddie, interim market CEO for KentuckyOne Health. “We will now continue our discussions with other interested organizations.”

��

UofL and CHI have agreed to several steps as the two parties work on the changes in their relationship.

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CHI will extend the Academic Affiliation Agreement to ensure that undergraduate and graduate/resident medical education programs continue at Jewish Hospital and Frazier Rehab Institute. If programs cannot be continued at those facilities, CHI will assign those residencies to another facility requested by the university.

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The AAA is an agreement that provides conditions under which the university’s physicians and medical residents provide care for patients, serve in leadership roles for various hospital programs and services and conduct clinical trials that offer innovative treatments unavailable anywhere else in the region.

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CHI also has agreed to continue the current professional services, medical directorships and similar provisions included in the Master Services Agreement while it and UofL discuss transition planning. CHI will provide at least 90 days notice before terminating any of those individual agreements.

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��“Our patients will continue to receive the highest quality care, and our students and residents will continue to receive the education and training they must have to become future providers,” Bendapudi said. “That is our unwavering commitment.”

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KentuckyOne’s local properties also include Our Lady of Peace, Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, Jewish Hospital Medical Centers East, South, Southwest and Northeast, Jewish Hospital Shelbyville and the KentuckyOne Health Medical Group.

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UofL and CHI have negotiated in good faith on the purchase of the portfolio only since December 2018.

��

Services provided by UofL physicians at Jewish Hospital include organ transplantation, cardiovascular medicine and neurological surgery. The hospital is home to the only solid organ transplant facility in the region, and UofL’s renowned clinical care and research in cardiovascular medicine and spinal cord injury are conducted at Jewish and Frazier Rehab.

��

Bendapudi applauded all those who tried to make a deal for the KentuckyOne assets a reality.

��

“Everyone involved in these talks put dedication and hard work into them, and I thank them all,” she said. “This endeavor did not fail for lack of effort on the part of either party.”

Although these work groups – Learn, Work, Invest – will be filled with just 30 employees each, Bendapudi said there will be plenty of opportunities for as much input from as many people across campus as possible, whether that’s through town halls, the strategic planning website or something else.

“It’s really important we keep everyone engaged in this process,” she said.

Benadpudi said progress is being made on fundraising, pointing to recent donations from UPS and the Gheens Foundation as examples. She continues to devote much of her time to HSC issues surrounding the fate of Jewish Hospital and UofL’s clinical programs that exist there. An RFP to find a partner for this location closes on March 8. At stake is about 36,000 ER visits a year.

“Not only are we concerned about our programs, but for the community as well,” Bendapudi said. “But it has to make sense for UofL and not put us at risk.”

She closed by telling senators that she is much more optimistic now about the direction UofL is headed than she was just a few months ago.

“I have a much better understanding of what we are facing and I feel really good about what we’re doing,” she said. “Every day is like a jigsaw puzzle and I am seeing it come together.”

Provost Beth Boehm also provide updates from her office, including personnel announcements. Rehan Khan was named chief information officer last month, while the EVPRI search is under way and the EVPHA search is on hold. The SPHIS and School of Medicine five-year dean reviews were recently conducted and approved. Boehm expects a new music dean to be named soon.

She also provided an update on faculty diversity. Nine African American faculty have left since 2016, representing a total of 8%. By comparison, 63 white faculty have left since that time frame, representing a decline of 4.7%. About 6% of our faculty are currently African American. By comparison, about 3.3% of UK’s faculty are.

“We recognize we should be higher here. In some schools, we’re higher, in some places we’re less,” Boehm said.

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A proposal was made for a distilled spirits business certificate, with representatives from the College of Business noting the booming industry in Louisville and beyond. The certificate covers not just bourbon, but also distilled spirits, and aims to teach students the unique aspects of this business.

While the University of Kentucky offers a program in wine and distilling, theirs is an undergraduate degree focused on science. UofL’s proposal is focused on business operations. The College of Business expects about 25 students in the beginning, with a growth projection of up to 50 students. It was approved.

Faculty Senate Chair Krista-Wallace Boaz guided a discussion about a University Values and Principles Statement. The document acts not to replace any current language or the work and suggestions the Strategic Planning work groups. The impetus behind this statement is to “define who we are to inform strategic decisions” including and especially through potential budget crises.

The statement is . It was approved by the Faculty Senate.

Wallace-Boaz also provided a chair’s report, including an upcoming board of trustees meeting April 18, an HSC update and an update about the Ekstrom Library renovations. .��

The SGA is working on safety initiatives, including via a new partnership with the ULPD and Housing to increase officers on campus, and pedestrian safety on the HSC campus. A food pantry is open at the SAC for students and employees with food insecurities and donations are welcome.

The Staff Senate heard an update about the budgeting process from CFO Dan Durbin, as well as a parking update. .��

Finally, Amanda Herrera from the Campus Bookstore reminded faculty that adoption campaigns for the summer and fall are due March 18. This advanced time frame allows students to have a better idea of what books they need and how much they’ll have to pay.

Committee reports are . The next Faculty Senate meeting is March 6.

“Three-hundred lung transplants is a significant milestone for Jewish Hospital Transplant Care,” said , director of the Transplantation Program at Jewish Hospital and chief of the division of Transplant Surgery at and the . “We recognize the selfless sacrifice of all organ donors, celebrate the improved lives of our organ recipients, and recognize the impact of everyone on the transplant team for their lifesaving and life-changing work.”

The 300^th lung transplant was performed Tuesday, Sept. 18, on a 71-year-old man from northern Kentucky who suffered from pulmonary fibrosis. The patient was on the transplant list for two months before undergoing a lung transplant. The surgery was performed by , surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Jewish Hospital and chief of Thoracic Surgery at UofL Physicians and the UofL School of Medicine.

“Each year, we are performing more and more lung transplants at Jewish Hospital, and it is exciting to hit this milestone as this momentum continues,” said Dr. van Berkel, “When I first started, we were doing between five to 10 lung transplants a year. Now we are closer to 20 lung transplants a year, and we’re trying to grow that even further.”

The first lung transplant at the hospital took place in 1991, and the first double lung transplant in 1995. Since then, transplantation has seen significant advancements in anti-rejection medications, surgical techniques and other technologies, helping Jewish Hospital achieve one-year survival rates higher than the national average.

In 2017, the Jewish Hospital Trager Transplant Center’s program with UofL became the first transplant program in Kentucky, and only the second program in the region, to begin offering Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP). EVLP is a leading-edge technology that allows for an expansion of the Lung Donor Pool that will allow more patients to receive lifesaving lung transplants. ��

“The Jewish Hospital and UofL transplant team are helping save lives in our community each day,” said Ronald Waldridge, MD, president of . “The team is one of the leading providers of organ transplantation in the United States, and milestones like the 300^th lung transplant remind us how important this work is daily. We’ve come so far since the first lung transplant in 1991, and we’re looking forward to many more lives impacted.”

On Thursday, doctors and lung transplant recipients gathered at the to celebrate the 300^th milestone and the many lives that have been saved over the years thanks to lung transplantation.��

“When I first started my training, we used to have a firm age limit of 65. That was the absolute limit for transplantation,” said , medical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Jewish Hospital and a pulmonologist with UofL Physicians and assistant professor at the UofL School of Medicine. “These days, we are extending that age and our oldest recipient got their lungs at age 75, so we are continuing to push the envelope in terms of being able to offer transplants to older patients, and patients who are sicker who we would not have considered doing a transplant on 5 to 10 years ago.”

Dr. Jill Jacobs is among the 300^th lung recipients at Jewish Hospital. Jacobs was the 271^st recipient, and was also a double lung transplant recipient. Jacobs says she smoked cigarettes for about 40 years, and by the time she stopped, had already developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ��

“I had the transplant in February of 2017,” Jacobs said. “I have been extremely happy and grateful that I had doctors who have given me my life back. They’ve given me a new life, in fact.”

Jacobs said before the transplant, she couldn’t even do simple things, like getting dressed, without being short of breath. She says the has helped change her life.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that I went to Jewish to have this done,” Jacobs said. “It’s a gift nobody can believe. It’s a miracle, in my opinion. A miracle.”

Earlier this year, the Jewish Hospital Trager Transplant Center – a joint program with the UofL Physicians, the UofL School of Medicine and KentuckyOne Health – also celebrated its 500^th heart transplant. In addition to Kentucky’s first heart transplant, the program is known for performing Kentucky’s first adult pancreas, heart-lung and liver transplants.