Find Top-Notch Health Care in Johnson City, TN
This hub for health in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia is also a national leader in rural care.
The excellent options for health care in Johnson City provide a well-established health and wellness hub for Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia and is recognized as a national leader in rural health innovation.
It is home to the Johnson City Medical Center, which houses the area’s only Level I trauma center, the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University and other health organizations working together to transform how people across the region access the care they need.
In This Article
Reimagining Rural Health
A modern, well-equipped hospital, Johnson City Medical Center is the surgical and medical flagship facility of Ballad Health, an integrated health organization serving 29 counties in the Appalachian Highlands. The comprehensive facility is a 445-bed, regional acute-care teaching hospital affiliated with ETSU and is the site of the Highlands Emergency Air Rescue and Transport, or HEART. The fleet is the region’s largest group of dedicated emergency air ambulances, with bases in Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky providing timely life-saving services throughout the region.
As part of the Ballad Health system, Johnson City Medical Center engages in the adoption of value-based payments, addresses health-related social needs and helps fund clinical and health systems’ research. Committed to the long-term investments in children and families, the medical center is focused on becoming a national model for rural health and health care.
While the Highlands has rich, cultural roots and a deep well of community strengths, the rural locales also face many socioeconomic issues affecting the region’s welfare. To positively address these challenges, Ballad Health works collaboratively with key local partners, such as serving as the backbone organization of the 300-member Striving Towards Resilience and Opportunity for the Next Generation or STRONG Accountable Care Community.
In addition, Ballad Health provides services through the Appalachian Highlands Care Network, which connects thousands of uninsured patients and their families with free or low-cost health, community and financial services, plus other assistance.
Community-Supported Care
Appalachian Mountain Project Access has connected low-income, uninsured individuals to donated medical care for 15 years and has an average of 1,000 patients actively enrolled in the program with many success stories.
“I remember a lady who came into our office and was out of work, in pain and needed a hip replacement,” says Andréa Brady Verzi, executive director of Project Access. “We were able to help her get the needed surgery. Afterward, she was able to return to work, got promoted and now has health insurance. We try to help intervene before the situation becomes an emergency.”
Positive outcomes like this are the fuel that keeps the passion to serve burning bright at Project Access.
The organization is also a member of the Appalachian Highlands Care Network. After screening participants for financial and medical needs, the organization tries to connect individuals with insurance, when possible, but regularly works with local physicians, hospitals and medical groups who have agreed to see patients at no cost to them.
“Having access to quality health care is a vital component of a thriving community,” Verzi adds.
Training Health Care Providers
East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine is consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s leading schools for rural medicine and primary care training. It is part of the university’s Academic Health Sciences Center, featuring the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, the College of Nursing, the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences and the College of Public Health.
The colleges are part of ETSU Health that, in addition to providing training for the next generation of caregivers, offers an expert team of more than 300 providers who serve the community inside health clinics and hospitals. Care is available in dozens of specialties, including pediatric and genetics, many that otherwise would not be available in the region. Plus, ETSU Health’s genetics clinic is one of only three centers in the state.
“Improving the quality of life for our region is our primary mission, both as an academic institution and as health care providers,” says Dr. Bill Block, ETSU’s vice president for clinical affairs and dean of Quillen College of Medicine. “Every day, we are proud to serve the underserved by providing innovative training across dozens of health science programs, thereby preparing a well-qualified workforce to meet health care shortages.”
Healthy Option: Head to the Farmers Market
Located in the heart of downtown is the Johnson City Farmers Market (JCFM), which sets up seasonally and sells fresh items from local farmers. JCFM operates every Saturday from April through October on West Main Street in the pavilion at Founders Park. Hours are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The market features local producers selling organic and naturally grown produce along with several varieties of meat, baked goods and fresh eggs. Also available are flowers, plants, herbs, artisan crafts and food trucks.
The market’s main objective is to support area farmers, gardeners, bakers, canners, artists and vendors.
Get to Know Johnson City
Want to learn more about living and working in Johnson City, TN? Check out the latest edition of Livability Johnson City.
