CROSSVILLE – Cumberland Medical Center is ready to debut its newly renovated emergency department. The hospital will host a community open house Friday, Sept. 30, to celebrate its grand opening.
The event, scheduled from 4-6 p.m., will include guided tours of the new space. The $6.3 million expansion project began last October and includes more than 17,000 square feet, 25 new private patient exam rooms, designated rooms for trauma and cardiac care and capacity to treat up to 44,000 patients annually – an increase of 29 percent.
“This project represents a significant investment for our community and patients for years to come,” said David Bunch, president and CMC chief administrative officer. “We are blessed to have such an incredible facility in our community, and the support of Covenant Health in this project has been tremendous.”
Following the open house, the new emergency department is expected to officially open for patients care effective Oct. 4, said Jennifer Thompson, CMC’s marketing/PR manager.
The UCBJ first wrote in June 2015 that CMC was planning the ED work as the hospital sought a certificate of need from the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency.
A nearly 200-page document outlined the hospital’s plan for a more modern, up-to-date facility. CMC is not alone: Many hospitals have put an increased focus on their emergency department’s over the years; Covenant says the ED serves as the “front door” for the facility and is a major portal to the hospital’s inpatient and outpatient services. It was ID’d as CMC’s highest priority in a 2014 study by national health care consulting firm Dixon Hughes Goodman.
CMC’s current ED, which is also located on the first floor of the hospital and stands at 11,292 square feet, is “significantly outdated and no longer meets all modern hospital standards, medical staff requirements and evolving community expectations,” the CON says.
It marks the ED’s first major enhancement at CMC since 1992.
“We have simply outgrown the area, and our community continues to grow,” Dr. David McKinney, medical director, CMC emergency department, wrote in his letter of support last year. “With the ongoing high volume of patients, the space has deteriorated aesthetically over the 20 years it has been in service.”
