Erlanger has announced plans for a major expansion and renovation of Erlanger East Hospital, a project leaders say will increase access to advanced healthcare services for residents across Southeast Tennessee.
The centerpiece of the project is a three-story, 52,000-square-foot medical building that will add 22 patient beds to the hospital and create room for future growth.
Erlanger East currently operates with 112 patient beds, and the new building has been designed to support a future vertical expansion that could add another 24 to 26 beds.
The expansion also includes the addition of new cardiac catheterization, electrophysiology and interventional radiology labs. Hospital leaders say the specialized facilities will bring advanced cardiac and interventional services closer to residents in East Chattanooga while reducing the need for patients to travel elsewhere for care.
Construction is expected to begin this summer and conclude in fall 2028.
In addition to new clinical space, the project will renovate approximately 35,000 square feet of the existing hospital and add new amenities designed to improve the patient and family experience.
Plans call for expanded dining facilities, additional preoperative space, a larger postanesthesia care unit recovery area and more surface parking. The hospital’s emergency department will also undergo a full renovation.
In total, the project will add or renovate roughly 87,000 square feet of hospital space.
Hospital officials say the project is part of Erlanger’s long-term strategy to expand healthcare infrastructure in rapidly growing areas east and north of Chattanooga.
The expansion is also expected to create more than 100 new jobs at Erlanger East. Erlanger is already one of the region’s largest employers.
Erlanger East is part of Erlanger’s regional healthcare system and provides emergency, surgical, imaging, women’s and specialty care services to patients throughout Chattanooga, Hamilton County and surrounding communities.
Hospital officials say additional details about the project will be released as planning and construction move forward.
Source: Erlanger