KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Tennova Turkey Creek Medical Center has completed a $3 million expansion of its emergency department, adding more than 3,000 square feet of dedicated emergency care space and bringing the total number of patient rooms from 12 to 20.
Hospital officials marked the completion with a ceremony and tours of the new space Thursday. The expanded emergency department is expected to be fully operational in mid-July.
What’s new in the ER
The project adds eight treatment rooms with full trauma capabilities, bringing the total number of trauma bays to three. The expansion also includes a new fast-track area designed to move lower-acuity patients through more quickly.
The medical center treated more than 22,000 emergency patients in 2025, including more than 1,500 who required specialized trauma care. Hospital officials said the expansion was designed to keep pace with growing demand across the greater Knoxville area.
Charge Nurse Haley Russell said the additional beds will have a direct impact on wait times.
“We only had 12 beds. Now that we have 20 beds, that’s going to help us so much with wait times,” Russell said.
Russell, who has worked at the facility for five years, said the expansion also benefits patients traveling from rural areas with limited access to health care.
“Having this space means that we can help them too,” Russell said.
EMS coordination and staffing
In preparation for the expanded operations, the medical center hired 15 additional emergency department staffers. Hospital officials said doctors and clinicians helped shape the design of the new space.
For approximately a year, Tennova ER nurses have been riding along with AMR ambulance crews to better understand EMS workflow and improve triage and patient handoffs at the door.
Daniel Wesley Brookshire with AMR said the coordination has already produced results.
“We have noticed a large decrease in that wait time, and we’re really excited about it, and we hope it continues to progress so we can serve the citizens of Knoxville,” Brookshire said.
Russell said faster patient handoffs also allow ambulance crews to return to service more quickly.
“The wait times on their stretchers depends like how fast we can get them in, depends on how fast we can let them go back out and get into service so they can help the community more. So there’s less wait times with EMS, there’s less wait times here. It’s going to be a lot better,” Russell said.
The expanded coordination with local EMS agencies is described by hospital officials as a key component of the medical center’s Level III trauma designation.
Patients can check current wait times and access online scheduling by clicking here.
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