Nashville, TN: A National Leader in Health Care Innovation

Pete Eklund/Eklund Photography

The health care crossroads of innovation, entrepreneurship, management, outstanding patient care and education converge in Nashville, earning Music City and the surrounding region the distinction of being an industry leader nationally and globally. 

Nashville: A Healthcare Powerhouse

Data from the Nashville Regional Economic Development Guide shows that the health care field collectively contributes nearly $66 billion in economic impact and over 333,000 jobs, earning it the distinction of being the No. 1 industry in the region. 

There is a big family of over 900 health care companies that call Middle Tennessee home. The top 10 employers in the field provide slightly more than 62,000 jobs. It includes names such as HCA Healthcare, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Ascension Saint Thomas, Community Health Systems Inc. and others. 

Training the Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals

HCA Healthcare, founded in Nashville nearly 60 years ago, continues to keep an eye on the industry’s future with its support of the Academies of Nashville — recognized as one of the nation’s best college and career prep programs. 

High school students are given the opportunity to develop new skills in the health and wellness arena and create their own learning experiences. That gives them the ability to make informed career decisions after graduation, which can include being hired by HCA Healthcare. Metro Nashville Public Schools’ students receive clinical experience through this career-based learning, allowing them to graduate with a certification. Extensive hands-on learning at HCA’s TriStar Health clinics ranges from shadowing physicians to taking patients’ vitals. 

Academies of Nashville

“HCA Healthcare is proud of its status as a deeply dedicated partner of the Academies of Nashville,” says Whitney Weeks, HCA Healthcare assistant vice president of community engagement. “From bilingual volunteers sharing their health care career stories to hosting on-site tours at our Nashville-based Center for Clinical Advancement to leadership providing guidance to the academies at both the school and district level, HCA Healthcare is committed to the success of career academies that authentically and deeply engage young people.” 

Expanding Access to Mental Health Care

Research from the National Institutes of Health indicates mental illnesses annually affect tens of millions of people, yet the study suggests only half that number receive treatment. The rapid growth in Nashville and surrounding counties continues to highlight the need for all-encompassing, fact-based mental health care. 

Family Care Center: Comprehensive Mental Health Services

In November 2023, Family Care Center, one of the nation’s premier mental health providers, opened its first clinic in Midtown Nashville to help meet this challenge. The company now has six clinics throughout the Nashville Region that provide high-quality, integrated mental health services and bring jobs to the community. 

Family Care Center offers experts from various disciplines to provide wide-ranging mental health care under one roof to deliver better results, fewer frustrations and faster appointment access to regional locations. 

Family Care Center provides therapy for all ages, including families and couples, psychiatric services, including medication management and transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, a cutting-edge, noninvasive treatment for depression, OCD and more. 

“We offer evidence-based mental health care for all ages and a wide range of conditions,” says David Wood, regional director. “Our multidisciplinary, collaborative team works to provide patients with a comprehensive, personalized approach.” 

Another health care celebration is in order with the opening of the new Nashville Healthcare Center Bordeaux. The northwest Nashville facility will provide a one-stop neighborhood location, which can be easily accessed by walking. 

Fifth and Broad/Donn Jones

Nashville Health Care Council: Advancing Industry Innovation

Since its founding in 1995, the Nashville Health Care Council has served as a common meeting ground to help bring together great minds and elevate discussions with the nation’s top health care visionaries. The council is the place to exchange modern ideas, share solutions, build businesses and grow leaders. 

One of the key ways they accomplish this mission is with the Nashville Health Care Council’s Sessions Conference — the preeminent convening for intentionally moving the industry forward. The weeklong event is set for Sept. 29-Oct. 3, 2025. 

Attendees can engage in a stimulating collective of health care insights, transformational discussions, CEO roundtables, industry events and purposeful engagements against the thriving backdrop of Nashville. 

“(Participants) from across the health care ecosystem will come together and think differently, expand their professional network, collaborate openly and have in-depth conversations,” says Apryl Childs-Potter, president of the Nashville Health Care Council.