Cookeville Regional’s new south tower project has reached the schematic design phase.
CEO Buffy Key told Board of Trustees members Tuesday the phase includes planning what might be housed on each floor. Key said CRMC is using a strategy forecaster to determine the best use for the facility’s space.
“Honestly, we are looking at everything,” Key said. “You heard me talk about this last month. We are looking at where we are getting all of our patients from and what are the needs of the community. That will be our biggest need and our biggest expansion space that we need will be what’s in four, five, and six (Floors).”
Key said the big piece of the project is a new emergency room. Key said the emergency room will be one of the first phases of the project to be constructed. Key said the project is still on track to begin in late 2026.
Key said CRMC has considered making the third floor an observation area for patients who need less than 24 hour response time. Key said CRMC is actively using a market analysis to understand what the community’s needs are.
“You do community needs assessment every few years, but that’s kind of high level,” Key said. “That kind of tells you what kind of services you need for the community. But to really see exactly what we need for our people, our community, and our region, we do market analysis, and we have actually contracted with a group right now that’s doing that with us currently.”
Key said the South Tower Project will be a crucial project for CRMC to handle the region’s growth.
“We have more and more people moving into our community, and we have to remember that” Key said. “We’re not just here for the people that are ill, but we are here for people that are looking at to spread their industry, community growth, economic development, and everything else. So we need to grow for the people that are coming into our region and our community.”
Key said she knows that she hears the complaints about wait times regarding the emergency room. Key said while the project is being planned out, CRMC is continuing to make improvements on its current emergency room.