As Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Westlawn marks its second anniversary, the hospital is celebrating with a major expansion to better serve the growing Blackman and Westlawn communities. Construction will begin soon to build out the second floor, featuring a state-of-the-art, 12-room heart clinic with advanced outpatient imaging, including cardiac CT. The $10 million investment will add 12,000-square feet of dedicated cardiovascular care, with an anticipated opening in May 2026.
Since opening as Tennessee’s first neighborhood hospital in March of 2023, Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Westlawn has provided care to more than 24,000 emergency department patients, with an average arrival-to-evaluation time of just 10 minutes. The hospital offers 24/7 emergency and inpatient care, on-site diagnostic imaging, an in-house laboratory, and food service—all under one roof. This expansion will further enhance community health by providing more convenient access to preventive heart screenings and expert cardiology care.
“We are committed to growing alongside our community and ensuring our neighbors have access to high-quality, comprehensive healthcare closer to home,” said Gordon B. Ferguson, president and CEO for Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital. “This expansion reflects our ongoing dedication to meeting the needs of our rapidly growing community to provide exceptional care for patients today and in the future.”
The new heart clinic at Westlawn is part of Ascension Saint Thomas Heart, the region’s most trusted name in cardiovascular care with more than 80 heart specialists across 45 locations in Tennessee. Westlawn patients will now have access to advanced diagnostics, specialized treatment, and compassionate care—right in their own neighborhood.
“At Saint Thomas Heart, our mission is to make world-class cardiovascular care more accessible,” said Fahad Tahir, president and CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas. “This expansion for cardiac care at Westlawn will allow patients to have access to advanced diagnostics, specialized treatment, and compassionate care—right in their own neighborhood.”
Construction progress updates and additional details will be shared as the project moves forward. For more information on cardiac care, visit the Saint Thomas Heart website.
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 320 sites of care that cover a 45-county area in Tennessee consisting of 18 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. Visit www.ascension.org.
