Ballad Health Provides Innovative Care in Johnson City, TN, and Appalachian Highlands 

Ballad Health

Ballad Health has an unwavering commitment to improving the health and well-being of its neighbors in the Appalachian Highlands, with facilities in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina. 

Its headquarters are in Johnson City, also home to Johnson City Medical Center – the region’s only Level 1 trauma center – Niswonger Children’s Hospital, Franklin Woods Community Hospital and Woodridge Hospital, a mental health trailblazer. 

The company has a growing health care footprint in the area, with significant investments in jobs, technology and partnerships. During the summer of 2024, Ballad Health announced two major initiatives expanding emergency care in Johnson City. The plan is designed to improve hospital capacity and expand services for the city’s rising population. 

Nearby Quality Care

On the drawing board are 20 new beds – a 25% increase from 80 to 100 at Franklin Woods – helping to open needed space at Johnson City Medical Center. 

In August, a $60 million capital investment to expand the Johnson City Medical Center emergency room was announced. The adult emergency department will be enlarged by 13,000 square feet, adding 19 beds, two additional trauma rooms and modern waiting rooms, with a 2027 targeted opening date. 

“These investments will enable our facility to continue providing an excellent standard of supportive, high-tech care to our community for decades to come,” says Kenny Shafer, Johnson City Medical Center CEO. “I’m very excited for the bright future of health services in Johnson City and the Appalachian Highlands as a whole.” 

Meanwhile, Ballad Health is expected to complete construction on a 40,000-square-foot vertical expansion to the Niswonger Children’s Hospital in 2025. 

Larry Smith ETSU

Academic Partnerships 

A key piece of Ballad Health’s commitment to strengthening the nursing workforce is its partnership with East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and the launching of the Appalachian Highlands Center for Nursing Advancement. 

The center is located at ETSU and serves as a blueprint to attract and retain nurses through various partnerships and innovations. One example is the creation of the Nurse Narratives Initiative, the gathering and preserving of first-person stories from local nurses about how they face all of the challenges of their profession with compassion, grit and determination. 

“The pandemic caused a significant setback to the nursing workforce that we and every other health care organization in the nation are still reeling from,” says Dr. Lisa Smithgall, Ballad Health senior vice president and chief nursing executive. “We are thrilled to work with our partners to address this problem, as our center is already educating and nurturing the next generation of health care workers.” 

Milligan University, another academic partner, is adding a high-fidelity simulation lab to advance clinical education, thanks to a generous $1 million gift from Ballad Health. 

The university’s nursing, physician assistant and occupational therapy students will greatly benefit from the new human patient simulators, medical equipment and other IT equipment as they prepare to fill critical gaps in the health care labor force. 

“Growing a pipeline of skilled, qualified clinicians in our region is the most important thing we can do to combat this significant shortage of health care professionals,” Smithgall says. 

Committed to Innovation

Ballad Health combines the best of both worlds: advanced technology like da Vinci surgical systems with a friendly, human touch. Patients receive top-notch care in a comfortable and supportive environment. 

Franklin Woods Community Hospital recently earned the designation of a Center of Excellence in Robotics Surgery from the Surgical Review Corp. 

Ballad Health also embarked on a 10-year, $260 million collaboration with Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company, to integrate advanced oncology solutions. This alliance will enhance the patient’s journey, from screening to survivorship, with state-of-the-art cancer treatment options. Johnson City Medical Center completed its first bronchoscopy utilizing the Ion system, a robotic-assisted platform for conducting a minimally invasive lung biopsy to detect cancer sooner. 

“Ballad Health is setting a new standard in health care technology, not just in our region but across the nation,” says Dr. Clay Runnels, Ballad Health chief physician executive. “By bringing together top talent, leading-edge robotics and unprecedented access to oncology advancements, we are fulfilling our promise to provide the very best access to life-saving technology close to home.”