The State of Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency has approved two CON requests by Saint Thomas Health. The CON approval allows for vertical expansion at Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, which will include the addition of 72 medical beds, increasing the capacity of the hospital from 286 beds to 358 beds. The project, estimated at more than $47 million, is part of a larger expansion plan at Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in an effort to meet the current and long-term demands of the growing Rutherford County community.

Additionally in Rutherford County, Saint Thomas Health received approval to begin construction of an ambulatory surgical treatment center in a joint-venture partnership with USPI. The planned surgery center will be a 13,000-square-foot, multi-specialty facility with two operating rooms and one procedure room located on New Salem Road in Sparta. It is estimated to cost more than $16 million.