More than 450,000 people visit the Kentucky Clinic at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center each year. That’s more than 1,200 people per day.

Many of those patients come for specialized care offered through a variety of clinics. Most of the offices are located inside the Kentucky Clinic building off Limestone Street in Lexington.

"The Kentucky Clinic really is an outgrowth of a need in Kentucky -- for people to look for some of the latest treatments, to look for all-encompassing clinical research and to be able to work with physicians who specialize in areas that are both common and very rare," explained E. Craig Clough, chief operating officer of the Kentucky Clinic.

Physicians in the Kentucky Clinic treat all types of conditions, both acute and chronic. These treatments are performed in an outpatient environment.

The Kentucky Clinic has approximately 480 physicians on staff, according to Clough. Those physicians are also faculty members at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

"It’s the largest group of physicians in the state of Kentucky under one roof," noted Dr. Vipul Mankad, professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center.

The Kentucky Clinic is a component that fits nicely into the mission of its umbrella organization, the UK Chandler Medical Center, noted Mankad. That mission is to provide state-of-the-art, comprehensive care to Kentuckians.

"So we are interested in primary care, preventive care and the most specialized care," Mankad noted.

In addition to working in the UK hospitals and related institutions, the physicians also work in rural outreach clinics throughout the state.

"The whole idea here is to not only provide the best care, but also to make it accessible," said Mankad. "That’s the purpose of doing outreach. When the patient can’t come here, we go to the patient."

Clough said the physicians at Kentucky Clinic have "pages and pages of outreach clinics" that are done anywhere from once a month to once a week.

"Our physicians are travelling throughout Kentucky on a regular basis," Clough said.

But most patients find their way to the Kentucky Clinic, where the list of specialty clinics is voluminous. There are clinics for "almost everything that you can imagine," said Mankad.

Those include clinics that cover diseases of the brain, heart, lung, kidneys, pancreas, intestinal tract and bones and joints.

"There is rarely ever a need for a child or an adult to go out of Kentucky for care," said Mankad. "This is the most comprehensive array of services that you can find under one roof."

Clough compares UK’s arrangement to a type of medical mall. As noted, the majority of clinics are located inside the Kentucky Clinic building. But there are several in other areas, such as a Kentucky Clinic in Frankfort, Kentucky Clinic North, located on East Third Street in Lexington, and Kentucky Clinic South off Harrodsburg Road in Lexington.

One of the specialty clinics is the Comprehensive Breast Care Center, located on the second floor of the main Kentucky Clinic building.

"It’s not just for women with diagnosed cancer," said Clough. "It’s for women who have an abnormality detected or a possible abnormality."

Often women can receive both tests and the diagnosis in a very short time period, according to Clough.

Another clinic deals with sports medicine. The UK Sports Medicine Clinic treats both UK athletes and other individuals with sports-related injuries. It also offers physical examinations.

Still other clinics are centered on particular types of cancer and are an outgrowth of the UK Markey Cancer Center. Others treat all varieties of problems of the eye.

UK Children’s Clinics serve over 70,000 children every year, according to Mary Margaret Colliver, director of public relations for the UK Chandler Medical Center.

Approximately 24,000 have surgical problems while 46,000 need medical attention. Another 23,000 receive subspecialty treatment for complex illnesses such as cancer, diseases of the heart, lung, blood, kidney, digestive tract, infections and other conditions. The UK Twilight Children’s Clinic is devoted to caring for sick children after-hours. (See related story).

Neurology clinics treat common problems of the nervous system as well as specialty clinics for the treatment of problems such as pediatric neurology, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, memory disorders and Alzheimer’s disease.

Other clinics, such as the Healthy Journeys Travel Clinic, are a little more out-of-the-ordinary. This clinic is devoted to getting people prepared for out-of-country trips. It includes immunization services, consultation for travelers who are physically challenged and assessment and treatment of travel-related illnesses on return.

Often, specialists in the Kentucky Clinic work closely with a patient’s primary care provider to ensure comprehensive treatment. But the university also has its own primary care physicians.

"University physicians are interested in providing all services for any health care needs that people in Kentucky have," Mankad added. "We do have some of the best treatments available for very serious and life-threatening illnesses. But we also innovate and constantly find ways of improving care for common problems, everyday problems, and even to help people stay healthy. We are interested in all of that."

Individuals can call the UK Health Connection at 606/257-1000 or 800/333-8874 to access any of the clinics.

The Twilight Children's Clinic 

Anxious parents with sick children can find after-hours help at the University of Kentucky’s Twilight Children’s Clinic.

This specialty service, located in the Kentucky Clinic, provides care to children who are ill but don’t require a visit to the emergency room. The clinic is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

"It’s done for the convenience of patients, to provide care most rapidly and most cost-effectively," explained Dr. Vipul Mankad, professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

The clinic looks much like a regular pediatrician’s office. That’s one of its benefits, as opposed to a hospital emergency room, according to Dr. Carol Steltenkamp, medical director of the clinic.

"It’s a child-friendly environment," Steltenkamp noted. "I kind of feel like we fit the bill."

The Twilight Children’s Clinic was developed, in part, to round out the services of the UK Children’s Hospital. It opened approximately five years ago.

And while the casual atmosphere may alleviate some of its younger patients’ fears, one of the benefits of the after-hours clinic is solely economic. Steltenkamp said the cost of service at the clinic is typically one-fourth to one-third the cost of an emergency room visit.

There are various reasons for that. One is staffing requirements.

"We’re not staffed here to do major trauma, like an emergency room needs to be," she noted.

Patients also see a board-certified pediatrician, who may require fewer medical tests than would be performed in an emergency room setting, according to Steltenkamp.

Aside from economics, the clinic offers convenience in the form of after-hour services.

"I’m a working mother," Steltenkamp noted. "I’ve got three little boys, ages two, five and eight. So I know what it’s like to pick them up from the sitter or to get them after school and they’re sick. By the time you assess that or you’re sitting down to dinner, what do you do? It’s not an emergency; they can make it through the night."

But working parents are often required to take time off from their job the following morning to take their child to a doctor. And, most importantly, the child is forced to suffer from the illness throughout the night or to visit a hospital emergency room.

Dr. Mankad recommends that parents call the clinic first to determine whether it is the appropriate place for their child to receive care for an acute illness. Parents should also make an appointment.

Like other medical clinics, the Twilight Children’s Clinic works with the patient’s pediatrician and can receive referrals from the primary care physician.

"We haven’t really aggressively marketed the Twilight Children’s Clinic," Mankad noted. "But so far, the reception has been pretty good."

Parents can reach The Twilight Children’s Clinic at (606) 257-6730.

Lisa Summers is a staff writer for The Lane Report.