At a recent groundbreaking ceremony for a $51 million hospital expansion in Chattanooga, Tenn., Erlanger East officials recast the vision of the facility as a "health lifestyle center," according to a Times Free Press report.
Currently, Erlanger East is a medical campus that includes a surgical center, emergency department, physician offices and a women's services obstetrics wing.
Under the redeveloped project, the hospital campus — which is well-known for its labor and delivery services and outpatient care — will be transformed into a full-service facility.
"Erlanger East will transform into the region's first healthy lifestyle hospital, with emphasis on health, well-being and short lengths of stay," Erlanger East CEO Phil Jackson told the Times Free Press.
Currently, the build-out plans include:
- A patient tower with 58 new private rooms
- Four operating rooms
- A cardiac catheterization lab; and
- Six additional postpartum beds in the labor and delivery unit
Under the "healthy lifestyle center" plans, the campus will also include:
- A 1-mile walking trail
- A sculpture garden
- A community garden
- An area for a weekly farmers market
- Active recreational amenities (i.e. volleyball court, basketball court, putting green, etc.); and
- Space for cooking demonstrations
The project is slated for completion in 2016.