“Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center continues to be a cornerstone of Covenant Health’s mission. This expan-sion project demonstrates our health system’s investment in the hospital and the patients we serve,” he said. “I am very pleased to say that you can count on Covenant Health and you can count on Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center to provide excellent care for this area and for our entire region

for many years to come.”Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero said Fort Sanders Re-

gional Medical Center is the primary healthcare provider for “the heart of Knoxville and the heart of our region.” She said the expansion is a crucial investment that underscores Cov-enant Health’s commitment to providing access to quality health care.

“I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that Fort Sanders Regional is here, the primary health care option for those of us who live and work in the center city,” Mayor Rogero said. She said the expansion project also represents center-city in-vestment and economic opportunity.

City Council member Stephanie Welch repre-sents the 1st District, which includes the Fort Sand-ers area. Welch noted that healthy communities de-pend on access to healthcare and on collaborative partnerships. She thanked the city, county, historic and neighborhood organizations that have worked with Fort Sanders Regional and Covenant Health to facilitate the expansion.

The celebration ended with an unveiling of an artist’s rendering of the project, which is expected to be completed in about two years.

HealtH & lifestylesB December 19, 2018

News From Fort saNders regioNal medical ceNter • FsregioNal.com • 331-1111

Raising the RoofFort Sanders Regional Medical Center and Covenant

Health launched a $115 million building project on Nov. 30 that will expand emergency and critical care capacity at the downtown medical center. A “Raise the Roof” celebration was held at the hospital’s Center for Advanced Medicine and was attended by representatives from the City of Knoxville, several community organizations, Fort Sanders Regional, Covenant Health, and project designers and builders.

As a major regional referral center and the only hospital remaining in the downtown area, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is facing increasing demands for services, said Keith Altshuler, president and chief administrative officer. “Our community has a crisis-level need for emergency care and critical care beds. We are ‘raising the roof’ today so we can meet that need,” he said.

The expansion project will coincide with Fort Sanders Regional’s 100th anniversary celebration, which begins in 2019. The hospital was chartered in 1919 and began serving patients in 1920. The project will include a new emergency department on the first floor of the Center for Advanced Medicine. The new department will almost double the existing square footage of the current ED, and will increase the number of beds from 20 to 45. The new ED also will include a radiology suite and an updated waiting area. Plans also include enlarging the Laurel Avenue parking garage adjacent to the ED by 250 spaces.

A new critical care department will occupy two floors that will be built atop the Center for Advanced Medicine, nearly doubling current critical care capacity to 72 beds. The new critical care patient rooms will be nearly twice the size of current rooms and will have more space for family members to be with their loved ones.

Jim VanderSteeg, Covenant Health president and CEO, said the project is a tribute to the hospital’s visionary leaders in years past, as well as a commitment to the future.

Keith Altshuler, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center president and chief administrative officer

Jim VanderSteeg, Covenant Health president and CEO

Madeline Rogero, mayor of KnoxvilleStephanie Welch, City Council member, 1st District

Fo� Sande� Regional Medical Centerwishes you and your familya wonderful holiday season

and a ha y new year.

fsregional.com • (865) 673-FORT

and a ha y new year.

Artist’s rendering of the Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center expansion project

Representatives from the City of Knoxville, community organizations, Fort Sanders Regional, Covenant Health, and project designers and builders gathered to celebrate the start of the expansion project.Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero calls Fort Sanders

Regional Medical Center the primary healthcare provider for “the heart of Knoxville.”

John Geppi, Covenant Health CFO; Brian Lett, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center Vice President of Finance; Chris Hall, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center Vice President and Chief Support Officer Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center staff