Less than a month after approval from the state for a hospital, Ascension Saint Thomas and Lifepoint Rehabilitation have submitted plans to build an inpatient rehabilitation hospital.
A new inpatient rehabilitation facility is set to come to the 96-acre Ascension Saint Thomas Clarksville campus, pending state approval.
“Integrating this specialized rehabilitation hospital into our comprehensive health campus, Ascension Saint Thomas is creating a seamless system of care for Clarksville, covering all stages of care, recovery and well-being,” said Fahad Tahir, president and CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas.
“This facility will be designed to meet the growing healthcare needs of the region and deliver high-quality care that helps patients regain their independence after serious illness or injury.”
The proposed location will have 40 beds providing specialized care for adults recovering from debilitating conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurological disorders, orthopedic trauma and other complex diagnoses.
It would be staffed by interdisciplinary care teams, including rehabilitation physicians, nurses, physical and occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists.
“This proposed new inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Clarksville will build on our successful partnership with Ascension Saint Thomas and our shared commitment to expanding access to specialized rehabilitation services across the region,” said Russ Bailey, president of Lifepoint Rehabilitation. “We are honored to play a role in bringing this much-needed resource to the Clarksville community.”
According to the news release, the proposed hospital will also provide essential services for active-duty military personnel, veterans and their families.
“The facility is being thoughtfully designed with these communities in mind, incorporating programs that support long-term recovery and reintegration following injury or illness,” the release said.
Emergency service in the works
This comes just weeks after Montgomery County and Ascension Saint Thomas announced plans for a new Emergency Medical Services facility at Exit 11 off Interstate 24.
Chris Proctor, Chief of Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services, said this expansion comes at a ‘pivotal time’ in the department as they have been working with the Mayor’s Office to build a new station in the Exit 11 area.
“We currently operate out of a small portion of a city fire station with no room to accommodate the continued increase in emergency medical responses,” Proctor said. “This new facility will not only provide our team with the space and tools they need, but it will also save taxpayer dollars in the long run. We are truly thankful.”
Previous plans approved
During the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission’s July 24 meeting, the commission approved the applications of both Ascension Saint Thomas and TriStar hospitals.
The Ascension Saint Thomas hospital would have emergency care and inpatient surgery, 44 beds, cardiology, oncology, women’s health, neonatal intensive care, orthopedics and other specialties at the intersection of Highway 76 and Interstate 24.
Tri-Star’s 213,000-square-foot facility would be located on Tiny Town Road at Sandpiper Drive, featuring a 12-bed emergency room, along with 68 beds for admitted patients, with the ability to expand to 224.
With a room filled with more than 200 people, many of whom gave their testimonies of why Clarksville-Montgomery County would benefit from these hospitals, the commission approved July 24 the Certificate of Need (CON) for the hospitals with a unanimous vote of 8-0.
Kenya Anderson is a reporter for The Leaf-Chronicle. Story ideas and tips are always welcome and can be sent to [email protected] or on X at kenyaanderson32. Sign up for the Leaf-Chronicle to support local journalism at www.theleafchronicle.com.
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