Parkridge Health System will open its fourth hospital emergency room facility in the Chattanooga area next week when it debuts an 11-bed ER in the growing East Hamilton County.
The Parkridge North ER, which is located at 7402 Lee Highway next to Parkridge Valley psychiatric hospital, will open an 11-bed emergency room facility just 3.5 miles from Erlanger East Hospital on East Brainerd Road, starting at 7 a.m. next Monday. Located between Shallowford Road and Bonny Oaks Drive exits off I-75, Parkridge North will be the most eastern hospital emergency room in Hamilton County and will be staffed around the clock by physicians, nurses, technicians and ancillary staff.
"We're excited to introduce a new option for emergency medical care to our community," said Tom Ozburn, president and CEO of Parkridge Health System. "Parkridge North is the cornerstone for our future growth in Chattanooga's northeast corridor, and we are looking forward to expanding access to a wider array of medical services in the rapidly growing area that includes Ooltewah, Collegedale, Apison, East Brainerd and Tyner."
The $12 million facility will initially employ 25 employees and provide emergency medical services, including CT and diagnostic X-ray, which are also available as outpatient services; on-site laboratory; pharmacy oversight; and radiology support. The 12,000 square-foot ER features routine patient rooms as well as rooms designed specifically for bariatrics, behavioral health, decontamination and isolation, pelvic exams, and trauma and resuscitation.
The new ER is the first phase of a broader vision for Parkridge North. The second phase will include a medical office building that will house medical specialty offices. Parkridge spokesman Michael Ferguson said the medical office complex will be developed by a third party and will start once the building is pre-leased at 75% occupancy.
Parkridge didn't have to obtain a certificate of need for the project, which is the normal regulatory process required to open an emergency department in Tennessee. That's because the department is an extension of the Parkridge Valley psychiatric hospital located on the same campus.
Parkridge also operates emergency rooms in the Chattanooga market at its main hospital on McCallie Avenue, at Parkridge East in East Ridge and at Parkridge West in Marion County.