Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) was recently denied approval from building its proposed 48-bed hospital in Rutherford County, according to reports.
In April 2020, VUMC filed a public notice with the State of Tennessee’s Health Services Development Agency to seek approval to build a 48-bed, 154,000 square foot full service, acute care hospital in Murfreesboro. The hospital was to be located at the intersection of Veterans Parkway and S.R. 840.
The new hospital, VUMC stated at the time, would have served as “a hub for Vanderbilt Health’s inpatient needs and support its growing list of ambulatory and outpatient surgical services already in Rutherford county.”
Vanderbilt proposal to build new Murfreesboro hospital denied by state https://t.co/klbADo6WkX
— WKRN News 2 (@WKRN) June 17, 2023
However, John Howser, Chief Communications Officer for Vanderbilt, told WKRN News 2 on Thursday morning that plans for the proposed hospital stopped, saying, “Our certificate of need was denied. We are very disappointed in the decision, and we are currently reviewing all available options. VUMC continues to be committed to the Vanderbilt Rutherford Hospital project and to serving the patients of Rutherford County.”
Citing a state ruling on the decision to deny VUMC’s proposed hospital, WKRN adds that the new facility “would have been ‘virtually in the identical location’ of a Saint Thomas hospital and provide ‘identical services.’”
Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford is a full-service hospital located on Medical Center Parkway.
In a statement to the outlet, Saint Thomas Health commented, “The court determined, based upon the evidence presented by all sides, that a fourth hospital in the market is not needed. Access and affordable care is available for consumers at Ascension Saint Thomas and other nearby hospitals.”
Vanderbilt currently has more than 140 doctors and advanced practitioners providing care in Rutherford County, according to the institution’s website.
“The explosive population growth in the county supports the need for an additional hospital in the county. Our goal is to enhance the health care available in the area for patients who choose Vanderbilt for care,” Vanderbilt adds on its website.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Vanderbilt University Medical Center” by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
