The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE - Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services plans to build a $35 million medical center in Bullitt County that could more than double the number of doctors in the rapidly growing community.

The center would be built on a 20-acre "medical campus" off Interstate 65 near Hillview that would include a 40,000-square-foot office building in hopes of attracting up to 20 new doctors.

Bullitt is the largest county in the state without a hospital and has only 16 doctors to serve nearly 65,000 people. It has been designated a medically underserved area by the state and federal governments.

The 65,000-square-foot medical center would include an outpatient surgical center, 24-hour emergency care and diagnostic and laboratory services, according to an application Jewish Hospital filed last week with the state Cabinet for Health Services.

"This is going to be a showcase for the county," said Dr. Mohana Arla, a Bullitt County physician who has spearheaded the effort to get a surgery center. "And it's being done in an area where the care is needed. The time it will save people will save lives."

The center must be approved by the state. Cabinet officials will make a decision in mid-April.