by Christina Echegaray
Leaders of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and the Vanderbilt Department of Pediatrics today announced an agreement with Cookeville Regional Medical Center to provide pediatric physician services.
Vanderbilt’s board-certified pediatricians will provide coverage and support at Cookeville Regional for pediatric inpatient and newborn nursery services at the Cookeville hospital.
The pediatric agreement builds on a decade-long collaboration between Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Cookeville Regional. In 2012, the two entities entered an affiliation agreement to expand the scope of health care services in Putnam County and the Upper Cumberland region.
“We are thrilled to announce this important partnership with Cookeville Regional Medical Center to provide vital access to pediatric health services for infants and children in the Upper Cumberland region,” said Kris Rehm, MD, MMHC, vice chair and director of Outreach Medicine for the Department of Pediatrics and associate Chief Medical Officer for Children’s Services for Vanderbilt Medical Group. “Through this agreement, we are able to expand our ability to offer Vanderbilt’s specialized pediatric expertise and resources closer to home for children and families of the Cookeville region.”
Children and infants seen at Cookeville Regional can also be referred to Vanderbilt specialists for further evaluations and/or treatments.
Additionally, the onsite Vanderbilt pediatricians can utilize telemedicine for consults.
“This expanded partnership will continue our focus and commitment to high quality care for all of our patients,” said Paul Korth, Cookeville Regional CEO. “The expertise that Vanderbilt physicians have is second-to-none.”
Monroe Carell, named No. 1 children’s hospital in Tennessee and the southeast by U.S News & World Report, has been committed to providing specialized pediatric care to families in the Cookeville region since 2014.
The Vanderbilt Children’s Specialty Clinics, located at 100 West 4th St. in Cookeville and adjacent to Cookeville Regional, sees children for several specialties including, cardiology, rheumatology, endocrinology, diabetes, genetics, gastroenterology, neurology, nephrology, and pulmonology.
“We are proud to announce this agreement with Cookeville Regional Medical Center as we share a common mission to provide the very best in pediatric health care to all children. This also continues and enhances Vanderbilt’s longstanding commitment to provide world-class, compassionate care to the children and families in the Upper Cumberland region,” said Steven A. Webber, MBChB MRCP, James C. Overall Professor, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief of Monroe Carell.
Cookeville Regional Medical Center is an award-winning, state-of-the-art 269-bed regional medical center that serves the entire 14-county Upper Cumberland region and employs a staff of 2,450, with more than 200 physicians and other providers on its medical staff representing 40 medical and surgical specialties.
“Our longstanding relationship with Cookeville Regional is important for both institutions. This agreement further strengthens the collaborative nature of our work together,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Cookeville Regional also has a labor and delivery unit with a staff of 60, including surgical techs and physician-care assistants, lactation consultants and an onsite nursery for infants needing additional care. For more information about Cookeville Regional, visit crmchealth.org.
