BELLEVUE, Tenn. (WTVF) — More people in Nashville means more emergencies waiting to happen. It's why one hospital system is working to give care closer to you.
As our population grows, so may the need for freestanding emergency rooms. These are small, stand-alone ERs that act as satellite facilities to a main hospital.
Nikki walks the around the construction site of the new Bellevue campus in the player above.
TriStar Centennial Medical Center has seven across Tennessee and Kentucky, but they're working to increase that number to 10.
The hospital system broke ground on a future ER in Bellevue in November, with the hope of a fall 2024 opening.
"It's as if you're taking the ER from Centennial and putting it in Bellevue," said Dr. Michael Hasty, who will be the future medical director of the Bellevue ER.
He knows Bellevue needs emergency services when it comes to the population and the distance from a main hospital.
"They're probably five to eight miles away from the closest emergency department," he said. "So if they're having a stroke or heart attack or in severe pain, they have a long way to travel."
He added Bellevue has seen a massive influx of people over 65 in the last 10 years. This means it's a population that may have more serious consequences if they have a fall or the flu.
"To be able to get them to our emergency department sooner, to get the medicines, to get the airway management, could be the difference of if they make it or not," he said.
The $16 million project, along Highway 70 South, off Interstate 40, will be open 24/7 and fully staffed with emergency-trained physicians and nurses, just like a regular hospital.
In addition to the Bellevue location, TriStar has two more freestanding ER plans in the works, in Nolensville and East Nashville, to become a reality in early 2025.
I LOVE Forrest's stories on the history of NewsChannel 5 as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. Here's a story I wasn't familiar with until recently. Eudora Boxley had a live cooking show in the early days of the station. She may have been the first black on air at NewsChannel 5 and perhaps, one of the first African Americans to have a TV cooking show anywhere in the country. It wasn't until her grandson reached out to me that I even heard of Ms. Boxley. Thankfully, I was able to connect him with Forest to learn more about this great nugget in NewsChannel 5 history.
-Lelan Statom
