Hodgenville mayor has life-saving experience as first patient in new Baptist Health Hardin cath lab
Hodgenville mayor Jim Phelps has always been proud to call LaRue County home.
A lifelong resident, business owner, and now serving his second term as mayor after 25 years on city council, Jim has built his life around family, community and service. This year, that same community spirit came full circle when he became the very first patient to receive care in Baptist Health Hardin’s new donor-funded cardiac catheterization lab.
In January 2025, Jim was recovering from recent back surgery when he noticed swelling in his ankle and shortness of breath. At first, his primary care doctor suspected fluid retention, but recommended he see his cardiologist right away.
That visit may have saved his life.
“They called back in the afternoon and said, ‘you need to go to the ER, like now,’” Jim recalled.
A CT scan revealed a pulmonary embolism – something he admits he had only ever heard about in television commercials.
“You see all these ads on TV for medicine for PE,” Jim said. “I didn’t know what the heck a PE was.”
Jim was rushed into the new cath lab at Baptist Health Hardin, and was soon told he was the very first patient to be treated there.
“They put the sheath in, and then it took six catheters to get as much of it out as he [the doctor] could get,” he said. “He said it was the second worst one they’d ever taken out of anybody, and they lived. I spent another couple of days in the hospital and that was pretty much it.”
Today, Jim is recovering well. A follow-up scan showed no sign of clots, and he continues routine visits with his care team.
“It all happened so fast, I really didn’t have much time to think about it,” he said. “The doctor sat down at the edge of my bed and said, ‘look, this is very serious.’ But what choice did I have? I just think it was the right place, right time, right doctors. The care was great. All the nurses were super. Every doctor that came in to talk to me was very informative. I’d go back there for anything.”
He credits both the timing and the facility itself.
“This new facility they’ve built, it’s just top notch – it's like going into the medical bay of Star Trek,” he joked. “But I don’t really want to go back.”
The new cath lab was made possible through the generosity of donors, a fact Phelps doesn’t take for granted. In fact, during a recent Baptist Health Hardin board meeting, he stepped outside his comfort zone to share his story.
“I’m not a public speaker by any means,” Jim explained. “But I just wanted to reiterate what was being said – that it’s not just all talk – it’s real.”
The advancements at Baptist Health Hardin represent the kind of healthcare access Jim believes his hometown community deserves.
“When I was a kid growing up, the hospital didn’t have a lot of resources, but since Baptist has taken it over, the care level has increased tremendously,” he said. “As you get older – and I’m a few months away from being 70 – healthcare becomes way more important than it used to be. Having something like this just 20 minutes away is wonderful.”
Family and community remain at the heart of Jim’s story. When he’s not leading Hodgenville, he can still be found helping at Phelps Heating and Cooling, the family business his grandfather started in the 1930s. It's now run by his daughter, making her the fourth generation, while two of his grandsons represent the fifth.
“I still do all the technical stuff for her and help out when I can,” he said with a smile.
It’s that same devotion to family and community that fuels his pride in Hodgenville.
“We have a premier Lincoln Museum, the Sweet Shoppe and Laha’s hamburgers on the square, and the people,” Jim said. “It’s a small community, but it’s close knit. It’s a great place to live, and we try to make it the best place possible to raise a family.”
For Jim, surviving a life-threatening health crisis is proof of what donor generosity and community can make possible. A man who prefers action over words, he rarely steps into the spotlight. But this experience was something worth speaking up about.
“I just felt that with the care I got – somebody should know,” he said.
A lifelong resident, business owner, and now serving his second term as mayor after 25 years on city council, Jim has built his life around family, community and service. This year, that same community spirit came full circle when he became the very first patient to receive care in Baptist Health Hardin’s new donor-funded cardiac catheterization lab.
In January 2025, Jim was recovering from recent back surgery when he noticed swelling in his ankle and shortness of breath. At first, his primary care doctor suspected fluid retention, but recommended he see his cardiologist right away.
That visit may have saved his life.
“They called back in the afternoon and said, ‘you need to go to the ER, like now,’” Jim recalled.
A CT scan revealed a pulmonary embolism – something he admits he had only ever heard about in television commercials.
“You see all these ads on TV for medicine for PE,” Jim said. “I didn’t know what the heck a PE was.”
Jim was rushed into the new cath lab at Baptist Health Hardin, and was soon told he was the very first patient to be treated there.
“They put the sheath in, and then it took six catheters to get as much of it out as he [the doctor] could get,” he said. “He said it was the second worst one they’d ever taken out of anybody, and they lived. I spent another couple of days in the hospital and that was pretty much it.”
Today, Jim is recovering well. A follow-up scan showed no sign of clots, and he continues routine visits with his care team.
“It all happened so fast, I really didn’t have much time to think about it,” he said. “The doctor sat down at the edge of my bed and said, ‘look, this is very serious.’ But what choice did I have? I just think it was the right place, right time, right doctors. The care was great. All the nurses were super. Every doctor that came in to talk to me was very informative. I’d go back there for anything.”
He credits both the timing and the facility itself.
“This new facility they’ve built, it’s just top notch – it's like going into the medical bay of Star Trek,” he joked. “But I don’t really want to go back.”
The new cath lab was made possible through the generosity of donors, a fact Phelps doesn’t take for granted. In fact, during a recent Baptist Health Hardin board meeting, he stepped outside his comfort zone to share his story.
“I’m not a public speaker by any means,” Jim explained. “But I just wanted to reiterate what was being said – that it’s not just all talk – it’s real.”
The advancements at Baptist Health Hardin represent the kind of healthcare access Jim believes his hometown community deserves.
“When I was a kid growing up, the hospital didn’t have a lot of resources, but since Baptist has taken it over, the care level has increased tremendously,” he said. “As you get older – and I’m a few months away from being 70 – healthcare becomes way more important than it used to be. Having something like this just 20 minutes away is wonderful.”
Family and community remain at the heart of Jim’s story. When he’s not leading Hodgenville, he can still be found helping at Phelps Heating and Cooling, the family business his grandfather started in the 1930s. It's now run by his daughter, making her the fourth generation, while two of his grandsons represent the fifth.
“I still do all the technical stuff for her and help out when I can,” he said with a smile.
It’s that same devotion to family and community that fuels his pride in Hodgenville.
“We have a premier Lincoln Museum, the Sweet Shoppe and Laha’s hamburgers on the square, and the people,” Jim said. “It’s a small community, but it’s close knit. It’s a great place to live, and we try to make it the best place possible to raise a family.”
For Jim, surviving a life-threatening health crisis is proof of what donor generosity and community can make possible. A man who prefers action over words, he rarely steps into the spotlight. But this experience was something worth speaking up about.
“I just felt that with the care I got – somebody should know,” he said.
“The care was great. All the nurses were super. Every doctor that came in to talk to me was very informative. I’d go back there for anything.”
The Dawn of a Healthier Tomorrow
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