KNOXVILLE, Tenn.(WOKI / WVLT) — Tennova Turkey Creek Medical Center has completed a $3 million expansion of its emergency department, increasing treatment capacity and adding new resources designed to improve patient care and reduce wait times.
Hospital officials celebrated the completion of the project Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the expanded facility. The new emergency department space is expected to become fully operational in mid-July.
Emergency Department Grows from 12 to 20 Rooms
The expansion adds more than 3,000 square feet of dedicated emergency care space and increases the number of patient treatment rooms from 12 to 20.
The project includes eight new treatment rooms equipped with full trauma-care capabilities, increasing the hospital’s total number of trauma bays to three. A new fast-track treatment area has also been added to help patients with less serious conditions receive care and be discharged more quickly.
Hospital leaders said the expansion was necessary to keep up with increasing demand for emergency services across Knoxville and surrounding communities.
In 2025, Tennova Turkey Creek Medical Center treated more than 22,000 emergency department patients, including over 1,500 trauma patients requiring specialized care.
Hospital Expects Reduced Wait Times
Charge Nurse Haley Russell said the additional treatment rooms will allow the emergency department to care for more patients at one time and improve overall efficiency.
“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 said the additional space will also benefit patients who travel from rural East Tennessee communities where healthcare resources may be limited.
“Having this space means that we can help them too,” Russell said.
Additional Staffing Added
To support the expanded emergency department, the medical center has hired 15 new emergency department employees.
Hospital officials said physicians, nurses and other clinicians played a direct role in designing the expanded space to ensure patient care and workflow were prioritized.
Partnership with EMS Improves Patient Care
Hospital leaders say collaboration with local emergency medical services has become a key component of improving patient outcomes.
For roughly the past year, Tennova emergency department nurses have accompanied AMR ambulance crews to gain a better understanding of EMS operations, patient transport challenges and hospital handoff procedures.
Daniel Wesley Brookshire with AMR said the partnership has already led to noticeable improvements.
“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 transfers help emergency responders return to service more quickly and remain available for the community.
“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.
Supporting Trauma Care in East Tennessee
Hospital officials said the expanded emergency department and increased coordination with EMS agencies support Tennova Turkey Creek’s role as a Level III Trauma Center.
The improvements are expected to enhance emergency care capacity for both Knox County residents and patients from surrounding rural areas as the region continues to grow.
