The investment will support the renovation and development of a new dynamic Student Collaboration Lounge in the UofL that will become the heart of the student educational program. The funding also will enable the build out of UofL ’s Culinary Medicine Training Kitchen.

“The University of Louisville’s mission includes preparing professionals who will have a significant impact on our community and the commonwealth. Our nurses are frontline heroes and today’s announcement will only improve their experience and training,” said UofL interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. “Thank you to our partner Kindred Healthcare for investing in UofL’s School of Nursing and our community’s next great generation of nursing leaders.”

“Louisville’s ability to stand out as the nation’s epicenter for the future of health care innovation relies on a robust and well-trained nursing workforce across the care continuum,” said Kindred Healthcare LLC Chief Executive Officer Ben Breier. “On behalf of the Kindred Foundation, and me personally, we are proud to support the development and training of the next generation of nurse leaders through our investment in UofL’s School of Nursing. Our hope is that we can support well-trained caregivers and positively impact the health and well-being of our entire community.”

The essence of the 3,485-square-foot Student Collaboration Lounge renovation positions UofL nursing students for success by encouraging them to engage with one another, to share ideas and to develop collectively. The new Student Collaboration Lounge features spaces to support collaboration in both open and private places, including an open kitchen area built to resemble a modern café.

The innovative Culinary Medicine Training Kitchen will help train the health care workforce of the future address barriers to healthy eating by increasing students’ and patients’ sense of preparation, confidence and comfort; help erase misconceptions about popular diets; facilitate learning how to make healthy food flavorful with spices and herbs; provide basic cooking techniques and address food access and other equity issues.

By providing an evidence-based curriculum that supports various delicious and healthy ways of eating, participants will be better prepared to explain dietary approaches and offer strategies to support this foundational component of wellness to their patients.

“The facility we’re about to see built right here represents a new opportunity for people who need inpatient rehabilitation,” said Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman. “And it’s also a $21 million investment that will create 140 jobs – one more example of the record levels of investment we’re seeing all over Kentucky.”

Frazier Rehabilitation Hospital – Brownsboro, located at 5000 Chamberlain Lane, near the intersection of I-71 and I-265 in the northeast area of Jefferson County, will include approximately 55,000 square feet and cost $21 million. The two-floor rehabilitation facility will have all private rooms and focus on acute rehabilitation for patients who suffer from stroke, traumatic brain injury, neurological disorders, complex orthopedic conditions, amputees and other injuries or disorders. Large multidisciplinary therapy gymnasiums will be outfitted with the latest therapeutic technologies, including augmented reality balance training, therapy bionics and a full-body exoskeleton. The hospital will also include a transitional living apartment – including a fully functional kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom and laundry facilities – designed to simulate a residential apartment, to prepare patients for their daily living tasks before they are discharged home.

“Since I took office as Mayor, creating a healthier Louisville has been one of our core city values, and today’s groundbreaking builds upon that value. By providing breakthrough therapies and cutting-edge treatments, the UofL Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Hospital will improve the lives of Louisvillians and add to our ever-growing health and aging innovation business cluster,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.

UofL Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Institute is recognized nationally as an innovator in rehab care. For more than six decades, patients from across the world have sought out Frazier Rehab for life-enhancing treatments and therapies. In the last year alone, Frazier Rehab Institute cared for more than 2,000 inpatients and 30,000 outpatient visits at its 17 regional locations.

“While we are certainly proud of Frazier Rehab’s worldwide reputation, transforming care in our community and the Commonwealth is a cornerstone of UofL Health,” said Tom Miller, CEO of UofL Health. “This new hospital means increased access to world-class inpatient rehab care, closer to home.”

The state-of-the-art facility is expected to begin inpatient rehabilitation services in Q1 2023, subject to regulatory and other approvals. In addition to expanding patient access, the new hospital creates an opportunity to increase the number of future nurses and physicians specializing in rehabilitation.

“The University of Louisville’s mission includes preparing professionals who will have a significant impact on our community and the commonwealth,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi, who also serves as chair, UofL Health Board of Directors. “As UofL Health grows, so do the training opportunities. And in a growing community, we will need more doctors and nurses, including rehab specialists.”Ěý

The article pointed out that Louisville is home to the largest cluster of aging care businesses (nursing homes, hospice, home-based health care, etc.) and boasts a number of health care and health insurance giants, such as Humana and Kindred Healthcare.

“These businesses employ more than 21,000 professionals, producing over $50 billion in revenue. City leaders want Louisville to build on that foundation to become a center of innovation for improving the quality of life for America’s growing elderly population,” the article states.

The objective to become an aging capital was first outlined in 2012 when Mayor Greg Fischer noted that Louisville is a leader in developing targeted economic development strategies around its strengths, including aging care and lifelong wellness.

The University of Louisville was recognized in the article for pitching into the cause alongside city government and business leaders. Specifically, UofL and other key institutions have “combined resources and backed several aging initiatives,” the article states.

In November, , called the Hive, which is focused on creating healthcare technology solutions for aging care. These solutions include a mobile compliance app that was developed with the help of J.B. Speed School of Engineering students.

Kindred is also working on another app that would allow nurses to assess a patient’s eligibility for hospice care.Ěý Ěý

UofL’s contributions will likely increase thanks to a new, nearly $2 million grant awarded to the Institute for Sustainable Health and Optimal Aging by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A strategy to engage primary care practitioners in meeting behavioral health needs of older adults is at the heart of the grant.

The to students in social work, psychology and psychiatric nursing programs who will be part of the Rural Geriatric Integrated Behavioral Health and Primary Care Training Network.Ěý

“When you look at a disease like dementia, patients deal with many behavioral disorders like paranoia or agitation, and there can be a lot of anxiety on how to problem-solve around those factors. This grant is important in not only getting behavioral health specialists into rural areas but also in opening up opportunities for physicians and nurse practitioners to coordinate with behavioral specialists to improve patient outcomes from a social support stand-point,” saidĚýChristian Furman, MD, the Institute’s medical director and a professor of geriatric and palliative medicine.

The Institute for Sustainable Health and Optimal Aging is devoting its resources to educational efforts throughout March and April as well. As a part of Age-Friendly Louisville, the Institute for Sustainable Health and Optimal Aging joins AARP, the City of Louisville and the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency to host a number of workshops throughout Louisville that focus on what makes the community a better place for people to “live, work and play at every stage of life.” The events will include small group discussions on social, health, economic and built environments that can support individuals in leading lives that thrive.

Workshop dates are March 7, 14, 21, 28, and April 4, 7, 17 and 24. More information, including times and locations, is .Ěý

KIPDA and UofL’s Institute for Sustainable Health and Optimal Aging are also teaming up to host World CafĂ© this month throughout Jefferson, Bullitt, Shelby and Trimble counties. These events will include discussion about the results of the most recent regional needs assessment and how to work together to ensure support for the area’s aging population. .Ěý

Finally, the Institute is currently seeking nominations for the Gold Standard Award for Optimal Aging. The 7^th annual award will be given in September and will celebrate older adults who embody the Institute’s vision for “a world where all older adults lead engaged and flourishing lives.” Nominations will be accepted through April 15. .

“Optimal aging is the ability to flourish throughout one’s lifespan. It is not a specific level of achievement but rather a state in which a person is able to continue living life to its fullest,” said Anna Faul, PhD, executive director of the Institute.

Thanks in part to UofL’s work, that ability to flourish is very much a reality in the city of Louisville.Ěý

The partnership, called the Hive, focuses on creating healthcare technology solutions for aging care, such as mobile applications that track compliance. By locating near campus, Kindred will get to work closely with students and faculty.

“This is an example of the ways in which companies and universities can work together for the benefit of the community, students, patients and companies such as Kindred,” Kindred President and Chief Executive Officer Benjamin A. Breier said in a statement.Ěý

The 3,500-square-foot center is in former K-I Lumber & Building Materials office building at Floyd and Lee streets, near UofL’s Belknap Campus.

The space has a distinct “startup” vibe, with bee-themed decor and graphic design pieces from students at the UofL Hite Art Institute. There are also smartboards, computers and other technologies donated by California-based technology giant, Cisco Systems Inc.

The University of Louisville Foundation purchased that property two years ago. It’s in the heart of “the North Quad,” an area that’s increasingly drawing these kinds of university-industry partnerships.

“To see the amount of innovation that’s taking place at UofL, and especially in the North Quad, is a tremendous thing,” said Louisville mayor, Greg Fischer. “Not just for the university and for great companies like Kindred; it’s wonderful for our city, as well.”

Louisville-based manufacturer Advanced Energy Materials opened a new facility there . And, FirstBuild — an open-innovation makerspace and micro-factory —opened in 2014 in partnership with GE Appliances, a Haier company.

“This is all part of our plan to develop a series of partnerships between industry and academics,” said UofL interim president, Greg Postel. “The students actually contribute to the innovation that takes place here and at the same time, it enhances their education.”

For example, take Will Rigby, who worked with Kindred as a student at UofL’s the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, helping develop the company’s first mobile compliance app. He graduated in August and now works for Kindred as a programmer and analyst.

“[Working with Kindred] provided me with some real world experience working in the field of healthcare,” he said. “And there really is no substitute for work experience for a student.”

Kindred’s already working on another app that would allow nurses to assess a patient’s eligibility for hospice care. There are many other projects in the works.

“At Hive, students get real-world experiences, and in return, our technology professionals gain a fresh perspective from the students,” said Kindred Chief Information Officer, Charlie Wardrip. “Together, they bring the latest innovative ideas into the development of products that we can put into the hands of our patients, our customers and our team members.”

He said it’s also a pipeline as Kindred looks for new talent. Hive currently houses six UofL engineering students, working under supervision of faculty and Kindred staff.

Check out more from the ribbon-cutting ceremony:Ěý

, UofL’s summer product launch competition, returns for its third year from May to July. Students will team up and build their ideas into products and companies that could attract investors.Ěý

Participating teams will present the projects they plan to pursue at the next Speed Up meeting, which is 5 to 7 p.m. on May 23 in Duthie Center Room 225 at the U of L J.B. Speed School of Engineering.Ěý

Teams can choose to work on one of two themes: open data or digital health and wellness. Or, they can tackle a special challenge to produce a targeted mobile application for sponsor, Ěý

Sponsors also include and .ĚýThe free program is through the Speed School’s department of Computer Engineering and Computer Science and the , which connects industry with campus.

Teams can be between two and five students from any department — business or design, for example — but the leader must be a Speed School student or recent graduate.ĚýThey will have several weeks creating a product and mini business plan, including a preliminary marketing pitch and evaluation of potential customers.Ěý

At the end of the program, the teams will present their work to a panel of judges to compete for investment and awards. Winners will be announced in an awards ceremony on July 18.