Wilson County’s only hospital now called Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital
by John Howser
Leaders of Vanderbilt University Medical Center today announced completion of the acquisition of Tennova Healthcare-Lebanon, a two-campus facility licensed for 245 beds, from subsidiaries of Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS). Terms of the transaction will remain confidential.
The hospital, which is the sole provider of both inpatient and outpatient medical services in Wilson County, will be known as Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital (VWCH).
In Lebanon, the main campus of VWCH is located at 1411 West Baddour Parkway, while the hospital’s second campus, which provides behavioral health and physical rehabilitation services, is located at 500 Park Avenue. The facility at West Baddour Parkway has a floor of undeveloped shell space that can be built out to meet future needs.
VUMC’s acquisition includes not only the two-campus hospital facilities but also related physician clinic operations and outpatient services that now bear the Vanderbilt name including: Vanderbilt Surgery Center, Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center, Vanderbilt Primary Care, Vanderbilt Primary Care Walk-In and Vanderbilt Gastroenterology. These services join an array of other Vanderbilt Health clinics already available in Wilson County.
Prior to this acquisition, the Vanderbilt Health system included four hospitals and 137 adult and pediatric clinics located throughout Tennessee, Southern Kentucky and Northern Alabama that served approximately 2.3 million patients in the most recent fiscal year.
“After months of preparation we are excited to complete this acquisition which reflects our strong commitment to the citizens of Wilson County and strategically places Vanderbilt as the dominant provider of health care services in one of Metro Nashville’s fastest growing bedroom communities,” said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer for VUMC and Dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
“Through the addition of this hospital into our health system, we are advancing the Medical Center’s mission to improve health throughout the region while meeting patients’ needs wherever they are.”
“Today, we are formally welcoming the hospital’s staff and our community physician partners into the Vanderbilt family. We are honored to join with them to continue to provide outstanding care to the patients and families of Wilson County and look forward to working closely together to build on the hospital’s rich, 40-year history of service to the community,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for VUMC.
“Our goal is to improve the health and well-being of the newest community we serve while meeting a wide array of health care needs.”
Along with joining the Vanderbilt Health system of hospitals and clinics, VWCH is also the newest member of the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network, a family of hospitals and health care providers that includes 69 hospital locations, 6,000-plus clinical providers and nearly 120 quick-care options located across six states.
VWCH is staffed by more than 200 community physicians and employs approximately 600 administrators, nurses and support personnel. Through the acquisition VUMC retained substantially all employees of the hospital’s previous owner. According to a recent Nashville Business Journal survey, the hospital is currently Wilson County’s seventh largest employer.
In 2017 the hospital admitted more than 5,000 patients and provided more than 65,000 outpatient visits. That year, nearly 6,700 surgeries were performed, and more than 600 babies were delivered. Last year, the hospital’s Emergency Department experienced approximately 25,000 visits.
According to 2018 U.S. Census data, Wilson County has more than 140,000 residents and one of Tennessee’s highest median household income levels. From 2010 through 2018 the county’s population increased by more than 23%. The county has added more than 1.5 million square feet of new retail space in the last five years.
