It is the 10th most populous county in Kentucky.

But for those living in Bullitt County, access to medical care often requires a trip to Louisville.

For some, that's nearly 40 minutes away.

Well, that's no longer the case with the opening of the University of Louisville Health South Hospital, a $78 million full service hospital located in Shepherd's Ville.

In today's medical news, we look at what the new hospital has to offer Bullitt County and the surrounding area.

Health care access just got better for people in Bullitt County and all of our surrounding areas along that 65 corridor.

South Hospital is uniquely positioned to serve people from all of those areas.

It was just two years ago that we all stood at U of El Health to make a promise, and we announced plans to expand services at this South campus medical facility.

It was incredible news.

It was hope for the people of Bullitt County and the surrounding region.

The community had fought for a hospital of their own for decades, and now that full hospital was in sight.

Are you able physicians have been taking care of you and your families for many years here at this medical center?

But now, now, as a full service hospital, there is much more care we can provide.

Proximity is a significant factor when it takes you longer to drive to an appointment.

Some people just don't go.

So by having this hospital in one of the fastest growing areas in Kentucky, we are able to reduce that barrier to care.

You should never have to drive an hour or take two busses to see your doctor or to get the health care you need.

And now the residents of Bullitt County won't ever have to again.

Not only is health care a basic human right, it is a basic building block of our economy.

What you see around you is economic development.

Since this expansion was announced coming today, this facility has already hired 150 additional nurses and staff workers.

That's 150 additional Kentuckians that are able to put food on their tables and create better opportunities for their families.

And we're going to be opening 40 beds.

We have room to grow.

We have a shared space to be able to get 20 more quickly.

And then the infrastructure of the building is built so that we can get a fourth floor and maybe get up to a close to 100 beds if needed on this campus.

So these improvements help fill a gap in hospital care at one of Kentucky's fastest growing regions, where access to a nearby hospital as so desperately needed.

And officials say among the future, plans for the hospital creating a cancer center in Bullitt County.