“We are always proud of the services we provide to our patients, and this is a testament to our associates and physicians that provide this life-saving surgery,” said Gordon B. Ferguson, the hospital’s president and Chief Executive Officer.
Physicians and staff who have helped build the cardiac surgery program at the Murfreesboro hospital joined together to celebrate this achievement and honor those who have been instrumental in ensuring that residents in Rutherford County and several neighboring counties have access to the cardiac surgeries.
“I'm honored to be part of a system that offers this level of care locally,” said Dr. Aaron Hoffman, Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford cardiovascular surgeon. “Heart surgery isn't something anyone wants to go through, but if we can make it easier for people by keeping them closer to home and to family, then that's a wonderful advantage for our patients. It allows us to make a stressful time less stressful.”
Ascension Saint Thomas invested more than $5.6 million in its Rutherford hospital to establish the open heart surgery program in April 2023.
“Cardiovascular surgeries revolutionized and progressed all aspects of cardiovascular services here in Rutherford and the surrounding areas,” Hoffman said. “It made available more options for patients without having to be transferred out of Rutherford County. In cases where surgery is the best or sometimes the only option, then patients can now have surgery without the burden being further from home.”
“It is a great privilege to serve here as a surgeon,” said Dr. Wilson Clements, Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford. “We are fortunate to offer this service to our patients, and I believe that as Rutherford County continues to grow, Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford is uniquely positioned to grow our cardiovascular surgery program and continue delivering exceptional care to the community.”
About Ascension Saint Thomas
Ascension Saint Thomas is a leading health care system with a 125-year history of providing care to the community, and is the only faith-based, non profit health system in Middle Tennessee. Today, the health system offers a highly comprehensive system of care, with more than 250 sites of care that cover a 45-county area in Tennessee consisting of 16 hospitals and a network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and specialty facilities. Across the state, Ascension Saint Thomas and its partner organizations employ more than 13,000 dedicated associates who care for millions of patients each year. Ascension Saint Thomas is part of Ascension, one of the nation’s largest faith-based healthcare organizations committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension includes approximately 134,000 associates, 35,000 affiliated providers and 140 hospitals, serving communities in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Visitwww.ascension.org.
