Norton Healthcare has officially opened a new $30 million automated pharmacy facility in Jeffersontown, integrating advanced robotics and centralizing system-wide fulfillment to enhance speed, accuracy, and prescription accessibility for regional patients.
Located at 2701 Chestnut Station Court in a Jeffersontown industrial park off Blankenbaker Parkway, the 41,000-square-foot facility, named Norton Pharmacy – Blankenbaker, officially opened on July 20. Healthcare leaders gathered on Aug. 13 for a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the milestone investment.
Enhanced Centralized Fulfillment and Patient Services
The centralized hub operates as both a full-service retail pharmacy for walk-in pickups and vaccinations and as the organization’s high-volume central fill operation. Managed by Norton Pharmacy pharmacists, the facility uses 12 automated dispensing robots, automated conveyor systems, and RFID tracking-enabled equipment to prepare thousands of prescriptions daily.
The system is capable of processing up to 7,000 prescriptions during a single eight-hour shift. Centralizing the preparation of retail prescriptions allows Norton Healthcare to standardize consistency and accuracy across its network.
“We’re so proud of this facility because there is no reason going forward that any of our patients don’t have an easy way to get access to the medication that they need,” said Russell Cox, president and CEO of Norton Healthcare.
Expanding Regional Access with Home Delivery
For the first time in the 140-year history of Norton Healthcare, the health system is offering free home delivery for prescriptions to patients across Kentucky and Indiana. While the system aims for delivery within 72 hours of a prescription being issued, initial operations have achieved an average turnaround time of approximately 28 hours.
“After years of having to travel a long distance for my prescriptions, I am thrilled for the option of home delivery,” said Vanta Lewis, a patient who spoke at the ribbon cutting. “This additional pharmacy creates convenience and access for patients across the region.”
Strategic Location and Operational Growth
Norton Healthcare acquired the property in July 2025 and brought the location online within one year. Positioned less than a mile from the future 150-acre Norton Children’s pediatric campus, the site fits strategically into ongoing expansion plans in Jeffersontown.
“We know that we have more growth in the J-Town area, so this was really kind of an ideal situation,” said Amanda Castle, system vice president of pharmacy services at Norton Healthcare.
The automated pharmacy currently operates with 30 full-time equivalent employees on a single shift. Operations are expected to expand within the next five years to include a second shift and dozens of additional staff members as patient adoption grows.
This operational transition reflects a broader regional trend among healthcare providers seeking to increase medication accessibility. Competitor Baptist Health opened a centralized pharmacy facility two years ago in June.
“We talk a whole lot in healthcare about new treatments, new discoveries, new whiz bang ways to do things and what we miss sometimes, if we would just improve the process for the wonderful things that we already have, that removes the friction from patients and it will make for better outcomes,” Cox noted. “This is the best example of that.”
By automating repetitive filling tasks, the health system intends to free up pharmacists to focus on direct patient care across clinical settings.
“At the end of the day every prescription represents a patient, someone who needs to get their medication … and have their healthcare team make that process a little bit easier,” Castle said. “That’s really what this pharmacy is about. …The goal is to ensure our (teams) can spend more time providing the personal care that our patients deserve.”
