CommunityLink

Oak Ridge, TN

Health Care

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is getting a $40 million facelift. An 84,000-square-foot addition is being constructed on its 36-acre campus in the heart of Oak Ridge. An additional 84,000 square feet inside will be receiving major renovations.

“In our master planning process, we identified the need to separate public and clinical areas and make it easier for patients to access our services,” explains Suzanne Koehler, vice president of support services. “In addition to upgrading our facilities, the master plan also called for us to preserve our history as a state-of-the-art medical facility.”

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge has provided the latest advancements in medical treatments and technology for the past 60 years to its five-county service area. A part of Covenant Health, the hospital offers 30 specialty services, and its high-caliber physicians, nurses, technicians and support staff help make the medical center an award-winning facility.

Koehler explains that phase one of the construction project includes a new building on the east side, utilizing the site of the old Medical Arts Building, which was demolished in 2004. The new space provides a new and expanded emergency department and includes a three-level, 190-car parking lot; a new cafeteria, lobby and main entrance; and a new registration area with more inviting public spaces.

The new and expanded emergency department includes three operating areas, a special fast-track area for non-urgent and routine cases, an observation area where patients who have chest pain or are in transition to admissions can remain under continuous observation, and imaging services within the emergency department.

“The building’s new design will alter the way people use the facility, making it much easier to navigate,” Koehler says. Procedural areas and same-day services will all be located on the first floor. New and upgraded laboratories will be located on the lower level. Patient areas will be separate from public areas.

Renovations also include an upgraded cardiovascular
diagnostic area, an enlarged operating room for orthopedic procedures and a new operating room to support growth in the hospital’s vascular services. “We have one of the largest vascular programs in the area, and we do more carotid procedures than anyone,” Koehler asserts.

Phase one of the project is due for completion in early 2006. Phase two is expected to increase the number of private rooms.

Koehler says that the community was heavily involved in the master-planning process, which included input from physicians, staff members and community members. The certificate of need process was completed in June 2003.

“Our master-planning process helped decide what new services and products were needed and where was the best place for each of them,” Koehler says. Sustaining the hospital’s history of excellence and quality was part of the plan.

Methodist Medical Center has received numerous national
recognitions for its health care advancements. It was the first hospital ever to earn the state’s highest award for quality, the Tennessee Quality Governor’s Award. Its congestive heart failure and urgent care programs earned the highest recognition possible, a Level 5, from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), making Methodist the only U.S. hospital to have earned two such honors.

Methodist Medical Center serves more than 200,000 people in Roane, Anderson, Morgan, Campbell and Scott counties. It has one of the highest percentages of board-certified physicians of all hospitals in the East Tennessee area, with more than 175 physicians representing 30 medical/surgical specialties. The Medical Center’s nurses, technologists and others on the clinical staff earn more than 300 advanced certifications per year in categories ranging from advanced life-support tactics to cancer services.

“Because of the history of Oak Ridge and the early Army
hospital here that supported the Manhattan Project, we have always enjoyed the presence of physicians from the best medical schools in the country,” Koehler says. “These doctors have stayed in Oak Ridge, creating a nucleus of excellence and making it easy to recruit physicians of that same high caliber.”

Among the Medical Center’s technologically advanced services are cardiac care, including open-heart surgeries; cancer care, including a chest cancer clinic; an award-winning intensive care unit; orthopedics; vascular surgery; one-day surgery; women’s services, including a special breast health center; behavioral medicine; a sleep diagnostic center; and physical, speech and occupational therapy.

The Medical Center also operates the Wellness Place at Methodist to make healthy living easier for people of all ages and for those with chronic diseases. The Wellness Place serves seniors, diabetic patients and congestive heart failure patients through a variety of programs, screenings and educational opportunities.

Supported by charitable contributions, Hospitality House
of the Methodist Hospital Foundation provides temporary
lodging for families who must travel great distances for treatment at Methodist Medical Center.

“This expansion project is the embodiment of our commitment to serve the community, backed by the strength of Covenant Health,” Koehler says. “We have been responding to the area’s health care needs for the past six decades, and we are thrilled to update our facilities to serve the community with the highest quality health care for decades to come.”

The award-winning facilities at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge provide the highest caliber of health care in the nation, doing so with the compassion and convenience of a hometown hospital. For more information, call 865-481-1000.

Ridgeview

Ridgeview is a private, not-for-profit community mental health center based in Oak Ridge. Since its inception in 1957, Ridgeview has expanded services to over 15 sites in a five-county area that includes Anderson, Campbell, Morgan, Roane and Scott counties.

Ridgeview’s range of programs and services provides
individualized care for adults, youth and children. Services are provided through highly trained and caring professionals that include psychiatrists, psychologists, registered nurses, licensed therapists, substance-abuse counselors and case managers who form a team to plan comprehensive treatment to improve the quality of life of clients and promote independence. Acute inpatient services for adults, as well as outpatient and administrative services, are provided at Ridgeview’s facility.

Ridgeview is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is licensed by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Health, and the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services.

Additional Medical Services Support the Medical Center and the Community With over 200 physicians, dentists and therapists specializing in all areas of medicine and health care in Oak Ridge, there are many options and services available for individuals seeking treatment.