News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
UT Medical Center excited to start providing the Fentress County community with quality care through the new standalone emergency department.
Executive Vice President David Hall said the project came about after conversations with Fentress County Executive Jimmy Johnson about the need for emergency healthcare following the closing of Jamestown Regional Medical Center in June 2019.
“We thought if you look at Jamestown, the lack of emergency services warranted us trying to go out and make a project like this work and so we did,” Hall said. “And UT Medical Center’s mission is to serve through healing education and discovery and serve the citizens of East Tennessee, and Jamestown is in our service region.”
Hall said the process to start was difficult because of the location requirements for these types of facilities from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He said with Jamestown being some 86 miles from UT Medical Center, it is likely the longest distance between a standalone department and its primary facility in the United States.
Hall said those who will utilize the emergency department can expect great care provided by board-certified physicians in a clinical team associated with an academic medical center. He said they’ll also have telemedicine and other clinical services for follow-up care.
