Yarmuth represents Kentucky’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Now in his eighth term, he has served as Chairman of the House Budget Committee since 2019.

Yarmuth has been recognized for his work to improve education, expand access to affordable health care and for his leadership in enacting the American Rescue Plan, legislation that responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the U.S. economy.

“At its core, everything I’ve done in Congress has been about serving the Louisville community, so I can think of no final act more fitting than turning over this historical record to our flagship university,” Yarmuth said. “In the hands of University of Louisville’s students, faculty and staff, I’m hopeful that my work will continue to serve the community for generations to come.”

“For 16 years, John Yarmuth worked tirelessly to represent the interests of the people of the Third District including the University of Louisville,” said UofL Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. “We are thrilled that the documentation of this service will be housed at the University of Louisville for future researchers to draw upon. As he closes out his congressional service, we thank him both for his work on behalf of our district and for this priceless gift to future generations of students, faculty and scholars to be archived at UofL.”

“We are extremely honored to add Rep. Yarmuth’s papers to University Archives and Special Collections,” said Carrie Daniels, UofL university archivist and director of archives and special collections. “His collection represents a wide-ranging documentation of key events over the past 16 years.”

The collection comprises both digital and paper materials, including documentation that traces Yarmuth’s time in the House of Representatives. Included are working drafts of legislation he sponsored, correspondence, recorded interviews and a multitude of other materials that trace his Congressional record. University of Louisville archivist Heather Fox worked closely with the House Archivist at the U.S. House of Representatives to prepare the transfer.

Yarmuth’s contributions to UofL include serving as a visiting professor for several semesters. The Yarmuth family also established the Yarmuth Book Award endowment in 1987 in honor of his father Stanley Yarmuth that awards a book, chosen by a UofL committee, to qualifying high school juniors throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

Throughout his tenure in the House, Yarmuth has sponsored legislation or otherwise secured funding that supports research and other programs at UofL. Most recently, in September, he secured $750,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of ����ֱ�� to launch the Robotics and Additive Manufacturing Pathways to SUCCESS program aimed at preparing workers for the automated workplaces of the future that involve collaborative human-machine interfaces and 3D printing.

Born and raised in Louisville, Yarmuth graduated from Atherton High School and Yale University. He and his wife, Cathy, have one son, Aaron; daughter-in-law Sarah, and grandsons J.D. and Rory. His retirement from the U.S. House is effective Jan. 2, 2023.

“The new tower will reduce capacity constraints and increase access to UofL Hospital’s specialized care, progressive academic research and innovative treatments,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “As Kentucky’s largest academic health care system, UofL Health is building the future of health care, to transform the health of the communities we serve, the Commonwealth and the region.”

The hospital expansion also will lead to an expansion of the UofL Health team, with approximately 325 new jobs being created. Positions will include nurses, plus clinical and non-clinical support. New hires and their dependents are immediately eligible for  funded by UofL Health.

The investments at UofL Hospital are part of an overall commitment to increase access to care in the region, particularly in federally medically underserved areas (MUAs). Over the past two years, UofL Health has opened five Urgent Care Plus locations, added two new locations for the Brown Cancer Center and recruited more than 143 new physicians. Two of the urgent cares, a cancer center location and more than 100 physicians are specifically located to serve people living in MUAs. In addition, UofL Health recently announced the building of a new rehabilitation hospital called UofL Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Institute – Brownsboro, in partnership with Kindred Healthcare, and is evolving a medical center into a full-service hospital in Bullitt County.

“UofL Health has been an outstanding Team Kentucky partner in the fight against COVID-19, and this expansion is great news for Louisville and the commonwealth,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “Increasing UofL Hospital’s staff and capacity will make it possible for more Kentuckians to get great care, alleviate the burden on other hospitals in busy times and help train the next generation of Kentucky physicians, nurses and other health care professionals. To develop our workforce, it’s important to make higher education more affordable. That’s why UofL Health’s commitment to providing free tuition to employees and their families is such a critical step and one that’s deeply appreciated.”

UofL Hospital is the primary teaching and research hospital for UofL Health, affiliated with the University of Louisville. Its Level 1 Trauma Center, one of only two adult trauma centers in the state, includes a comprehensive burn unit and admits more than 3,500 patients each year. The hospital is home to Kentucky’s first Comprehensive Stroke Center and includes UofL Health – . The cancer center specializes in treating cancers of the nervous system, breast, gastrointestinal and reproductive systems, head and neck, lungs and skin. UofL Hospital is part of one of only 120 academic medical centers in the country.

“By expanding UofL Hospital to meet today’s medical needs, we are also investing to grow the physicians, nurses and other allied health professionals of tomorrow,” said Lori Gonzalez, University of Louisville interim president. “The updated facility will complement the renowned reputation of our academic physicians.”

The hospital is licensed to operate up to 404 beds, but the existing facility limited operating capacity to 340 over the last several years. The combined impact of the additional beds and the observation unit creates room for nearly 50 more patients and reduces wait times as patients transition between different levels of care. The seven-story tower expansion will also include the infrastructure to accommodate two more floors for future growth.

“I’m thrilled to see UofL Health make yet another exciting investment that will improve care, expand access, and further grow our city’s already outstanding health care workforce. This new seven-story tower will help ensure that state-of-the-art, patient-centered care will be the hallmark of UofL Hospital for years to come,” said Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth. “As our state’s leading academic health care system and teaching hospital, I’m proud of the work being done here in Louisville to improve the lives of Kentuckians—whether they enter these doors as patients or as the medical professionals of tomorrow.”

“This expansion of vital health care resources, right here in our city’s core, is great news for people who need the kind of specialized services that UofL Health provides,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “Thank you to the UofL Health leadership and team for all your hard work, your passion and your commitment to our city and its residents.”

More than 1.5 million patients seek care through UofL Health each year, with patients from each of Kentucky’s 120 counties.

“This expansion means we can better support both our community and hospitals in other communities,” said Ken Marshall, UofL Health chief operating officer. “When we are full, we can deliver the care to our patients that is expected of us. We are building to allow more patients to benefit from the expertise of UofL Physicians and our clinical teams.”

Construction is expected to begin this spring, with the tower opening to its first patients in early 2024.

Financing for the project will involve a mixture of internal capital investment, tax-free bond financing, hospital revenue bonds and private donations. Those interested in supporting the project are encouraged to visit 

UofL Interim President Lori Gonzalez and local officials gathered Friday to announce the effort through Supplies Overseas (SOS), an organization that works with area hospitals and healthcare providers to collect gently/unused medical supplies and send them to those in need.��UofL surgeon Gordon Tobin, a founding board member of SOS, also participated in the announcement.

Former ambassador to the Slovak Republic Tod Sedgwick said his contacts in Ukraine stressed the need for medical supplies. The local organization has collected almost 20 pallets of supplies – worth more than $100,000 — including bandages, defibrillators, and anesthesia and orthopedic supplies, said SOS president Denise Sears.��The organization also is sending personal protective equipment in response to Covid-19 concerns in the region.

SOS has worked with local philanthropist Christina Lee Brown to secure funding for the initiative, and officials from UPS have offered their services to help transport the supplies.

“This is a partnership of many elements of our compassionate community,” Tobin said, noting that the organization was created more than two decades ago by physicians at the UofL Department of Surgery, with early participation by UofL, Jewish and Norton hospitals. “And they continue to supply the needed supplies you see here today.”

Tobin said SOS has shipped more than $60 million in supplies to more than 106 countries around the world.

Gonzalez said UofL’s participation is an example of one of its Cardinal Principles, being a Community of Care. And she thanked those who have pulled the initiative together.

“This is an example of the university and the city stepping up to help those in need,” she said. “To the people of Ukraine, you are in our thoughts. You are in our prayers. And more importantly … we are able to take action to actually give help on the ground.”

People wishing to donate medical supplies can drop them off at the SOS headquarters, 1500 Arlington Avenue in Louisville, or request pick up for larger items.��The first shipment of supplies to Ukraine is expected to leave Louisville early this week.

Specifically, the academy will provide curriculum and educational tools concentrated on eight fast-growing technology areas: artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, cybersecurity, cloud computing, internet of things, quantum computing, data science and design thinking.

Through IBM’s existing Academic Initiative, IBM will make available software and cloud technology with an estimated value up to $5 million a year.

“But the value of this far exceeds that figure. When you have two great institutions working together, who can say where the opportunity lies?” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi, who made the partnership happen along with Naguib Attia, IBM’s vice president of Global University Programs, after the two met recently at an event.

This skills academy is the first of its kind that IBM has developed with a higher education institute. The company is in discussions with four universities to open similar academies in the United States. Attia said the initiative is starting here because of Bendapudi’s “passionate leadership.”

“When I heard about IBM’s vision to try and bridge the digital divide, I knew we had to work quickly,” Bendapudi said. “It is important for us to be nimble with this, to be truly transformative, to say, ‘We see what’s coming, how can we be proactive?’ I am extremely grateful to IBM.”

Bendapudi said students will benefit from the academy through course credit and IBM certification, while faculty will be trained on skills curriculum to then be able to teach colleagues and students. But the benefits are expected to extend well beyond UofL’s campus, as trained faculty will also serve as workforce development agents for the community.

Attia said over 120 million jobs will be affected within the next three years by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Indeed, the share of jobs requiring AI skills has . Global spending on blockchain solutions in 2018 equated to $2.1 billion and is expected to . Meanwhile, the global cybersecurity market, currently valued around $120 billion, is expected to jump .��

“These skills are the most critical issue of our time and the south has the highest number of employees without an education beyond high school,” Attia said. “If we don’t work to close this gap, it could have a negative impact on millions of people.”

Because of the pervasiveness of these emerging technologies and the speed at which they’re evolving, Attia noted that such skills training will be available for all students, regardless of their area of study.

“The future is not going to leave the good people of Kentucky behind,” he said.

City, state leaders react to announcement

Underscoring the impact this announcement has locally and state wide, today’s press conference was attended by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Congressman John Yarmuth, Terry Gill, secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, and – via video –Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“I attend a lot of events where I can say ‘this is a great day for Louisville.’ But with this announcement, I can say this is an important day for Louisville; this is a critical day for Louisville,” Yarmuth said. “The world is changing at 100 miles an hour and this initiative will deal with issues of the future, including the benefits and challenges of technological change.”

Mayor Greg Fischer added that the academy will help build on the city of Louisville’s employment growth trajectory from the past eight years – about 80,000 new jobs – noting that nearly every new position includes some technology skill requirement.

“Our goal is to quintuple the amount of employees receiving technology training every year and this (partnership) is exactly what we’re talking about,” Fischer said. “If we’re not integrating technology in everything we do, we’re really missing the boat.

In a prepared statement shown via video, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell said the academy will further advance UofL’s upward trajectory and help push the boundaries of technology while providing the tools students, faculty and researchers need to be leaders in their fields.

“We shouldn’t have to rely on the west coast and the northeast corridor to be nimble in high-tech areas,” Bendapudi said. “This is a game changer for UofL and for the commonwealth.”

More information about the IBM Academic Initiative is .��

Check out footage from the press conference below: