FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Sick children who live south of Nashville have a new place to receive medical care. A children's hospital has begun operating in Franklin.
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital Vanderbilt at Williamson Medical Center opened at 7 a.m. Wednesday.
"All systems work, the patients have been seen, and we have plenty of staff, and help on hand," said Director of Pediatric Services Brittany Youngblood.
By mid-morning, the hospital had two patients.
"I think things will ramp up very quickly, very fast. With the holiday weekend coming up, it's usually our busiest time," Youngblood explained.
Statistics showed the new hospital would get a lot of use. Last year, doctors in Williamson Medical Center's emergency room treated 6,000 children.
The new facility was a joint venture between the county-owned hospital, and the privately-owned Vanderbilt Medical Center.
The new hospital was set to service children south of Nashville, in areas that extend down to Huntsville, bringing specialized services closer to thousands of families.
"The faster they can get in the ER, and get treated, the better. The better for that child, the better for the parent," according to Lori Orme, Williamson Medical Center's Chief Nursing Officer.
Twenty Vanderbilt doctors would be working at the new hospital, and would rotate with doctor's on the Vanderbilt campus.
They said they'd be able to treat many childhood ailments, but the sickest of patients would still need to go to the Nashville campus for more complicated issues.
The facility was built with 16 in-patient rooms. Each room had the latest medical equipment, as well two beds for parents to sleep in, and a desk where parents could work from the hospital.
The addition to Williamson Medical Center was built three stories tall, and was designed for future expansion. Three additional stories can be built on-top of the existing structure.
