Erlanger Bledsoe celebrates 25 years making the community healthier
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Health care is key to a community’s survival. Knowing this, a group of people came together 25 years ago to forge a partnership between Bledsoe County and Erlanger Health System to save the county’s rural hospital. Erlanger Bledsoe was the result of their efforts and celebrates 25 years of improving the overall health for Bledsoe County.
Despite being in the bottom one-third economically in the state, Bledsoe County ranks in the top one-third in healthcare — thanks to Erlanger Bledsoe and its physicians.
“I was here when we were concerned the hospital was going to close,” said Stephanie Boynton, who has been an administrator at the facility for 30 years and currently serves as Senior Vice President, CEO Critical Access Hospitals for Erlanger.
“Things were so bleak then,” Boynton said, “the employees were out in the community getting petitions signed to try and keep the hospital open. At the time, Bledsoe County Hospital was one of only a few rural critical access hospitals in the state.”
That designation made Bledsoe County Hospital more appealing for Erlanger to pursue the partnership. In addition, Erlanger was the referring hospital where patients were sent from Bledsoe. Financially, that was key to the partnership.
“I saw new life come in when we added Erlanger,” said Boynton. “That gave us a boost, but at the same time, we didn’t have the physicians.”
Boynton said they were able to bring Dr. David Sapp back to Pikeville, along with his wife, Dr. Jennifer Alverez, which was a tremendous addition. Then another Bledsoe County native, Dr. Andrew Smith was added, along with Dr. Scott Dibrell.
Boynton said these physicians not only work with Erlanger Bledsoe, but they each have a vested interest in the community they serve, which is rare.
Dr. Smith noted Dr. Dibrell came to Erlanger Bledsoe because it is very unique, affording him the opportunity to provide inpatient medicine and clinic.
“It’s a model that has fallen away over time and there’s not many places that you can practice like that anymore,” said Dr. Smith.
Accolades were given to the staff at Erlanger Bledsoe, many who have been there for numerous years. One of those, Loretta Dodson, has 45 years with the hospital, noted Boynton.
One thing that sets Erlanger Bledsoe apart, according to Dr. Smith, is when a patient is treated at the facility, the staff has been there long enough to get to know the patients and how they can help them, he explained, especially in the treatment of elderly or dementia patients who like being treated by someone familiar, or even like family.
“There’s no group that measures up to them, in my opinion,” said Dr. Phillip Burns, whose father Randall Burns served on the first hospital board for Bledsoe County Hospital when it opened in 1971. His father, along with former Bledsoe County Executive Billy Frank Wheeler, were among the people who were instrumental in establishing and opening the hospital then.
Dr. Phillip Burns played in intricate role in securing the partnership between Bledsoe County and Erlanger 25 years ago in order to keep the rural hospital open. Prior to that in 1980, Dr. Burns helped get the helipad at the hospital for emergency helicopter landings.
That ‘golden hour’ is vital in the survival rate for trauma patients, said Dr. Burns, so the addition of the helipad enhanced the hospital’s ability to be a critical access hospital.
Since Erlanger Bledsoe was established in 2001, many improvements have taken place including the addition of a CT scanner, mammography, additional labs, and specialty doctor services like cardiology. Plans are to expand the existing doctor’s office and add such specialty physicians as urology, pulmonary, sports medicine, and obstetrics. Boynton added the hospital is receiving a grant to expand women and children health access here too.
Currently, the facility is undergoing renovations to the Emergency Room area, waiting areas, adding a mobile MRI that can be used at Erlanger Bledsoe and in Dunlap at Erlanger Sequatchie Valley, reported Boynton.
Erlanger Bledsoe has become a model for how a central entity can help rural health care, said Dr. Burns.
That model led to the addition of a satellite emergency room in Dunlap, known as Erlanger Sequatchie Valley. After Sequatchie County’s relationship ended with HCA, explained Boynton, Sequatchie’s health data showed it was ranked 91st of 95 counties. Since Erlanger Bledsoe established a satellite emergency room facility, Boynton said, within two years Sequatchie’s health ranking improved to the forties.
Erlanger Bledsoe is working to grow physicians. One way to accomplish growing doctors for rural communities is a program that has been added at Erlanger Bledsoe – the rural residency program. Resident doctors can come to Pikeville to do their residency and will hopefully want to become a rural doctor.
With the newly opened TCAT (Tennessee College of Applied Technology) Upper Cumberland in Pikeville, Boynton said Erlanger Bledsoe hopes to work with the facility in the training and hands-on work experience for students. Just another way to grow the hospital and future employees, she said.
“I’ve seen us at our lowest but I feel like we are almost at our highest,” said Boynton. “We’re not satisfied with that, we’re looking to do more.”
