Rutherford County Provides Residents With High-Quality Health Care
The Rutherford County region is offering ever-improving health care services.
Rutherford County is quickly filling the prescription for bringing the latest in medical services, from a new Air Evac helicopter to a lifesaving procedure using artificial intelligence technology, to Middle Tennessee residents. Ready to explore all the health-related happenings going on in the county?
In This Article
Health Care Soars
Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital joined forces with Air Evac Lifeteam to provide a dedicated StatFlight-branded BELL 407GXi medical helicopter that will serve a 70- to 100-mile radius of the hospital and provide residents with around-the- clock emergency service.
The hospital also continues to expand, with plans for an additional $110 million facility development of the main Medical Center Parkway campus targeted to be completed in 2024. The project includes an additional 16 critical care beds on the second floor of the east tower; a build-out of 36 medical beds in shelled space on the eighth floor of the west tower; the development of a higher level neonatal intensive care unit; a second-floor reconfiguration to support expanded operating rooms; and a 1,100-space parking garage.
“The facility development plan supports Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford’s continuing commitment to the communities we have been privileged to serve for the past 90 years,” says Gordon Ferguson, president and CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford. “This investment will allow us to bring higher acuity services to our patients, including open heart surgery, Level II trauma services and proposed higher level neonatal care.”
Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford recently opened the New Salem Surgery Center, a lower-cost option for outpatient surgical care, and work continues on the $25 million Westlawn Hospital, which is scheduled to open by the end of 2022.
The neighborhood hospital will be on Veterans Parkway near Interstate 840 and feature eight inpatient beds, eight emergency treatment rooms, medical imaging and laboratory services, as well as outpatient medical practices on the second floor.
“This investment will allow us to bring higher acuity services to our patients … ”
Gordon Ferguson, Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital
Innovative Technology
In Smyrna, TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center is blazing an exciting path, as well, with the latest inpatient care, utilizing modern technology. It is the first hospital in Tennessee to offer a powerful new ally in the prevention of colorectal cancer. The GI Genius Intelligent Endoscopy Module uses artificial intelligence for enhanced screening and earlier detection of precancerous colonic polyps.
“Bringing innovative technology to Rutherford County is what TriStar StoneCrest strives for every day,” says CEO Louis Caputo. “Our goal is to provide our community with the technology that will support minimally invasive procedures, increase efficiency and enhance our ability to provide the best patient care options close to home.”
Another first for Rutherford County is the facility’s new innovative guidance and navigation platform to assist with spinal surgeries, first utilized in April 2021.
“The use of the surgical robot navigation platform is designed to improve safety and accuracy within the operating room,” says Dr. Juris Shibayama, a spinal surgeon. “It provides improved visualization of patient anatomy to optimize their treatment, streamline the surgical workflow and greatly reduce radiation exposure to surgeons and staff.”
Just off I-24 in Smyrna, patients with skin cancer are greatly benefiting from the new Mohs Micrographic Surgery Suite at Stones River Dermatology. The suite has six procedure rooms, a new lab and an additional waiting area.
“Bringing innovative technology to Rutherford County is what TriStar StoneCrest strives for.”
Louis Caputo, TriStar StoneCrest
Care in Murfreesboro
As for other advancements taking place in the area, Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced its intent to build a $144 million, 42-bed hospital in Murfreesboro by 2026 called Vanderbilt Rutherford Hospital.
The facility will be constructed at the intersection of Veterans Parkway and Interstate 840, and Vanderbilt officials say an additional hospital in Murfreesboro is needed because Rutherford County’s population has grown by 30% in the past 10 years.
Additionally, children, primarily between the ages of 18 months and 18 years old diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, can now access Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy with Acorn Health. The Murfreesboro location provides center-based and in-home services determined by the clinical needs of the children and their families.
“The use of the surgical robot navigation platform is designed to improve safety and accuracy.”
Dr. Juris Shibayama, TriStar StoneCrest
Murfreesboro Medical Clinic is also adding another campus – a three-story, 75,000-square-foot building at Shores Road and Birchtree Drive off of Veterans Parkway. MMC’s main campus is on Garrison Drive, and it also oversees three other satellite medical facilities in Rutherford County. The new Veterans Parkway site is scheduled to open in 2023.
Magnolia Medical Center in Murfreesboro, an integrated, holistic treatment clinic, has moved to its new location on Williams Drive and continues to help patients manage pain with physical rehabilitation and functional medicine.
And rated by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best Medicare Plans in Tennessee, ATRIO Health Plans, an Oregon-based Medicare Advantage Plan company, opened a Murfreesboro office in the Gateway area.
Rutherford County Economic Development
This digital edition of the Rutherford County Economic Development is sponsored by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
