Cafeteria
Grand piano in the lobby
By the fireplace
Dr. Phillip Jackson stands by putting green
Play area
New hospital on Gunbarrel Road
Local art
Missionary Ridge train scene
Spacious patient room
Deluxe patient room with a view
Erlanger trustee Phil Smartt inspects
Playground view
Surgery suite
Physician dining area
The brand-new Erlanger East Hospital, featuring the ambiance of an upscale hotel, is filling up fast.
The $50 million addition to the Women's East campus has all beds full on the second floor of the new Patient Tower. As soon as staffing is ramped up, there will be a third floor open as well.
Dr. Paul Guinn said doctors at the new surgery section, featuring the Da Vinci robot and other latest surgical equipment, are performing 20-25 operations per day and sometimes over 40.
There are eight new operating rooms to go with the initial 12 operating rooms. Included is a cardiac cath suite.
The wide range of surgeries includes ob-gyn, orthopedic, sports medicine, plastic surgery, urology and pain management.
There is a brisk traffic at the new emergency room on Gunbarrel Road, and six intensive care beds are available.
A private dining area was set up for the physicians.
Dr. Phillip Jackson, East administrator, said the first idea in designing the facility was to tie it to a hotel.
The final configuration was, instead, to give Erlanger East the feel of a top-quality hotel - far removed from the traditional bland, sterile hospital.
The sprawling lobby, which serves as the family waiting area, features large-screen TVs, fireplaces and comfortable furnishings.
Patients can telephone in their meal orders and get fast room service. A full-service cafeteria is up and running on the ground floor.
The hospital commissioned Chattanooga artists to help adorn the walls of the new facility. There were over 1,100 entries with 150 top-notch art scenes selected. Many are of iconic area scenes.
The grounds are extensively landscaped and include a woodland walking trail.
There's a children's playground as well as a putting green (guests can request a putter and golf balls at the front desk).
Dr. Jackson said Erlanger East was a significant investment by CEO Kevin Spiegel, but he said it is quickly paying off. He noted that Erlanger has the only hospital for many miles in the rapidly-growing area centered on Hamilton Place Mall and the Enterprise South Industrial Park.