NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission has approved two new hospitals for the city of Clarksville, one located in the Sango neighborhood, the other in North Clarksville. It opens up the opportunity for hospital competition for the first time ever in the Montgomery County area.
The commission meeting lasted more than four hours and attracted quite the crowd. Every seat inside the Tennessee Senate hearing room at the Cordell Hull Legislative Building was full, and dozens had to stand and watch.
Every elected official in attendance, despite their political party, advocated in favor of hospital expansion. "One hospital is not enough," said State Rep. Ronnie Glynn (D-Clarksville).
"One hospital cannot support the healthcare needs in Montgomery County," echoed Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden, a registered Republican.
The commission heard lengthy arguments on why the city of Clarksville could use a total of three public healthcare providers.
Ascension Saint Thomas plans to convert the current Boyd Pumpkin Patch along Highway 76 into a 44-bed community hospital, with the possibility to expand. Ascension also announced that they will share the new campus with a Montgomery County EMA office and Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance. The facility would be right next to Tennova Clarksville's satellite ER building. "We are here today because the people of Clarksville have asked for more," testified Fahad Tahir, the CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas.
HCA TriStar plans to build a 68-bed hospital along Tiny Town Road in North Clarksville. Currently, there aren't any other medical centers in that area of town, and has the possibility of attracting lots of patients from nearby Kentucky. "Competition will improve healthcare in the region," said Mitch Edgeworth, the President of TriStar Health.
Tennova Clarksville, which has a main campus with more than 230 beds in the St. Bethlehem neighborhood of Clarksville and the satellite ER Sango location, hoped to block these expansions. They are currently the only major medical provider in town. "The services they are proposing are the exact same medical services that Tennova Clarksville is already offering at best," said Travis Swearingen, an attorney for Tennova Clarksville. "There are not enough patients, there are not enough doctors, there are not enough nurses to support both of these projects."
Back in 2021, Tennova got approval from the same commission to build a satellite emergency room in North Clarksville. Plans never came to fruition. Now Tennova wants to alter that proposal and add more hospital rooms to their Sango facility. That move will require separate approval, at a later date, by the Health Facilities Commission.
More than 50 Clarksville residents and stakeholders signed up to testify in front of the commission Wednesday. Each speaker was limited to just one minute, to keep the meeting from lasting too long. "Please do not stand in the way of better healthcare for Clarksville," said Greg Pope, who works for the Catholic Diocese.
"When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I couldn’t give birth at Tennova," said Emily Velasquez, a Clarksville resident.
"Having another facility five minutes closer can mean the difference between life and death," said Chris Proctor, the Chief of Montgomery County EMS.
"We can continue to love all of Clarksville’s people," said Eve Rice, the director of Austin Peay State University's Nursing program. Rice told the commission more local hospitals will allow her graduates to stay local.
"This cycle must end. Please vote yes," said Erin Yow, a Clarksville resident.
All of the members of the community who rose to speak advocated in favor of both hospitals being approved by the commission. No one volunteered to speak against the certificate of need being granted for AST and HCA.
After a brief discussion by the commission, the vote was unanimous on both proposals. The crowd erupted in thunderous applause.
The inevitable next question becomes -- how soon will Clarksvillians get to use these new healthcare facilities? Both properties are currently farms, so it will take years to get construction fully underway and complete.
Do you celebrate this news about two new hospitals coming to Clarksville, or is this a misstep by state leaders? Let me know what you think by emailing me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
I love a good "before and after" and Nick Beres comes through showing what some TLC can do for some pups found in deplorable conditions. It's so good to see these dogs on their way to a much better future. Enjoy this update!
- Carrie Sharp
