Photo by Greg Campbell/Daily Memphian
Photo by Greg Campbell/Daily MemphianChris Locke, the CEO of Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett sat down to discuss plans to develop a growth strategy in Arlington. The original plan was to create a free-standing emergency department. However, the application was denied. “One of the challenges is keeping patients moving through our emergency department, that was one of the reasons we looked into building a free-standing emergency department”, Locke stated.
Baptist appealed the denial and the decision was overturned. Now, Baptist will partner with Regional One Health to build a $10 million facility. Saint Francis is still debating on whether insurance companies will support patients at free-standing emergency departments.
Saint Francis- Bartlett has grown quickly within the past 15 years. In 2012, Saint Francis completed a $34 million, 83,000-square-foot expansion, which added a second catheterization lab, doubled the number of operating rooms to eight and expanded the emergency department from 19 beds to 33. Saint Francis is committed to preventing readmissions and pushing the importance if not smoking.
The city of Arlington has experience rapid growth. Saint Francis has a physician office in Arlington and is ready to meet the growth of the town. The town’s population grew 350% between 2000 and 2010, according to the US Census.
“We want to be known as a ‘community built on care’ – that’s our tagline,” Locke said.
-Original post by Michelle Corbet. Published in the Daily Memphian
