(MURFREESBORO) Ascension Saint Thomas proposes to locate Tennessee's first neighborhood hospital in Murfreesboro on Veteran's Parkway at Shores Road, near I-840.

If approved by the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency (HSDA) ,the neighborhood hospital, to be known as Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford at Westlawn, will be a satellite hospital of Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford.

Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford President and CEO Gordon Ferguson noted, "Our Mission calls us to meet the needs of individuals in our communities by delivering personalized, compassionate care. Building on a 93-year legacy of significant past investments in the Murfreesboro community and Rutherford County, the proposed Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford at Westlawn project is the latest example of our commitment to serving our patients and their families."

It is being developed to complement the services offered at the main hospital's campus.

Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford at Westlawn will be located in one of the fastest growing ZIP codes in the State of Tennessee and include eight private inpatient medical beds, an emergency department with eight treatment rooms, diagnostic imaging and laboratory services.

In Nashville, Ascension Saint Thomas President and CEO Tim Adams said, "The hospital will have two levels, with the second floor used for clinical office space and additional clinical services. "Ascension Saint Thomas is building a system of care in Middle Tennessee that supports access, convenience and our commitment to lowering the cost of care for those we are privileged to serve."

Adams continued, "We're looking forward to the opening of our hospital bed expansion project on the main campus by the end of this year and proposed future projects like the satellite neighborhood hospital."

This project is subject to approval by the HSDA. The Agency will hold a Certificate of Need hearing on the proposed neighborhood hospital on August 26, 2020. A Letter of Intent to file a Certificate of Need application was formally published on April 9. The estimated cost of the project is $24.6 million, with anticipated completion in early 2022.

About Ascension Saint Thomas

In Tennessee, Ascension Saint Thomas operates nine hospitals in addition to a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities that cover a 68-county area and employ more than 8,000 associates.?

Here in the Volunteer State, Ascension Saint Thomas has provided more than $137 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty during fiscal year 2019.

Serving Tennessee for 15 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., operating 2,600 sites of care - including 150 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities - in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.Ascension.org.