High-tech hospital in small-town atmosphere
Providing accessible and affordable health care is an important objective for any community, and a big part of that is providing the kind of first-class medical facility needed to achieve that goal. Warren county is fortunate to have just such a facility in River Park Hospital, located at 1559 Sparta St. in McMinnville.
River Park, part of the TriStar health system, is a 127 licensed bed facility that is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Of the 127 beds, 82 are designated as medical/surgical. River Park serves over 115,000 residents in an eight-county region which includes Cannon, coffee, DeKalb, Grundy, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren and White counties.
The original hospital was built in 1970, but in 1996, River Park completed a new facility that increased in size to 200,000 square feet on 14.2 acres. The new hospital was designed to accommodate the community’s needs as well as the need to incorporate ever changing medical technologies.
River Park offers many of the same services that larger metropolitan area hospitals offer including same day surgery, lithotripsy, laser surgery, a rehabilitation unit, sports medicine, Life-Flight services via a tertiary facility, 24-hour crisis line and a physician referral line.
The facility leads the way in state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment services with highly qualified radiologists and technologists providing MRI, mammography, ultrasound, CT scan and a bone densitometer screening device. Cardiac services have been available at River Park Hospital since 1992.
River Park is an equal opportunity employer and provides employment for 350 area residents. The 107 members of the medical staff are all board certified or board eligible. The hospital saw 4,087 total inpatient admissions and 592 total births in 2003. During 2003, River Park provided care on 43,500 occasions. Emergency care was provided to over 20,000 patients when they needed it most.
River Park is committed to the financial well being of the community as well. In 2003 the facility contributed nearly $50 million to the local economy. That included more than $16 million paid in salaries and wages and over $31,000 donated to local charities. River Park’s other community contributions include $51,396,000 in uncompensated care, 2,644 served at free screenings and health fairs and over 1,000 flu shots given.
The hospital’s commitment to the community runs deep and includes involvement in a wide range of charities and community activities. River Park provided free education seminars to over 600 area residents and hospital employees participated in a variety of fundraisers including the American Heart Association, March of Dimes, United Way, Walk for the Cure and Ronald McDonald House. Corporate sponsorship from TriStar Health System helped bring the Highland rim Cycling Classic to Warren County for the 8th year with over 400 cyclists from all over the country.
The National Association of Senior Friends is an organization of over 350,000 members sponsored by caring hospitals in communities throughout the United States. The program offers adults age 50 and over, employed and retired, a wide array of health options for happier living, along with numerous discount opportunities and benefits. The River Park Hospital Chapter of Senior friends was established in July 1996 and has grown to over 460 members.
River Park Hospital strives to provide a facility area residents can trust to provide the best service and patient care available as well as a good working atmosphere for its employees. As evidence of this commitment, River Park was proud to accept the 2003 Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics from the Murfreesboro Area Better Business Bureau.
“We are very honored to receive this recognition,” said River Park CEO Steve Otto. “As an organization, we work very hard to ensure the hospital has a reputation for trust and integrity and puts the highest priority on quality patient care.”
River Park Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to the community again and again, and has announced its intention to grow and provide quality health care to Warren County and the surrounding area well into the future.