Murfreesboro Residents Speak Out Against TrustPoint Hospital Plan

Sep 22, 2016 at 09:26 pm by bryan


City Council held a public hearing Thursday night to discuss the possible expansion of TrustPoint Hospital that will add almost 400 jobs, and was met with some angry residents.

TrustPoint opened on Thompson Lane near the southwest corner of Wilkinson Pike in 2011, and the rezoning request involves over 10 acres to expand the hospital.

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The proposed expansion will provide a two-story medical office building, expansion of the existing hospital building, a construction of a new two-story hospital, and adding almost 150 beds for patients.

TrustPoint serves as a care general hospital and is located near Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in the city's Gateway area off Medical Center Parkway. TrustPoint provides physical medicine and rehabilitation, behavior health for adults and seniors and acute psychiatric services.

Many residents who will be affected by the construction spoke out about possible problems with drainage, losing forestry, traffic congestion, blasting damage, the size of facility with patients, interference with Stones River National Battlefield, and even shared stories about encounters with possible escaped patients in their neighborhood. NewsRadioWGNS' Jackson Jones has more...

Murfreesboro Resident Barbara Fry shared her story about an encounter with a possible escaped patient from TrustPoint...

Many council members spoke on how to address the residents' concerns.

On the topic of security, Councilman Rick Lalance called for better protection for the neighborhood from the hospital, Councilman Doug Young added that making a higher wall is an, "easy fix."

Councilman Bill Shacklett addressed the issue with blasting, which will be solved with a pre-blasting survey on the site, and on not taking away the park experience from Stones River National Battlefield.

The park will be affected by construction with attractions like: "The Slaughter Pen," being right across the street from the hospital.

TrustPoint Dr. Jeffery Woods thinks the plan is moving in a positive direction..

Also, on the topic of there being any escaped patients, Dr. Woods had this to say...

Council ultimately approved the recommendation.

Councilman Shacklett said, "This is a service our community needs, but when you grow there is this difficult balance. We will be watching and seeing what is said and approved." Shacklett added trust is built by your actions of what you say and what you do.

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