Parkridge Hospital will open its third new freestanding emergency room built in Hamilton County in four years later this month, bringing the first hospital-level medical care facility to Soddy-Daisy and the growing north end of Hamilton County.
During a ribbon-cutting Friday for the $17 million complex, Parkridge Hospital CEO Chris Cosby said the facility just off Harrison Lane is needed to give people quicker access to ER-trained physicians and staff. Similar to the ER facilities Parkridge built in 2020 in Ooltewah and last year in East Ridge, the new facility will house 12 beds, a trauma room, diagnostic capabilities and support services — including CT, X-ray, on-site laboratory, pharmacy and radiology support.
Jim Coleman, a former firefighter and paramedic who serves as vice mayor in Soddy-Daisy, welcomed the new ER and said it should help with health care in the northern part of Hamilton County.
“We’ve needed this type of service up here for many years,” Coleman said during an interview Friday. “When we had a bad wreck or other emergency in the past, we’ve had to transport patients all the way to Chattanooga, so having dedicated trauma and emergency physicians on staff around the clock at this facility will cut down on our response times and improve health treatments for many people.”
HCA, the world’s biggest hospital chain and owner of Parkridge, will staff the new Soddy-Daisy ER with about 40 employees, including board-certified emergency room physicians, and the facility will be open around the clock. The stand-alone ER facility does not include any hospital beds for overnight stays, but it does include a new helicopter landing site to provide air transport to and from the facility for those needing to be hospitalized or requiring more specialized care.