Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency (HSDA) today granted Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford approval of its Certificate of Need (CON) application to add adult open heart surgery to its well-established cardiac program.

The application was heavily supported by the local community as well as by civic and business organizations, including physician groups, MTSU, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Maury Regional Medical Center, Unity Medical Center and local and state government officials.

"Now that we have approval to bring open heart surgery to Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, we will fill a significant gap of advanced heart care that exists between Nashville and Chattanooga," said Evelio Rodriguez, M.D., chief of cardiac surgery, Ascension Saint Thomas Heart. "We have a strong history of bringing advanced heart care to the communities we serve and look forward to our next steps."