Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital’s ripple effect since Lebanon campus acquisition

• Epilepsy monitoring unit the latest service added by Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center changing Lebanon hospital camps since 2019 takeover.

A new epilepsy monitoring unit is the latest service Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital has debuted at its Lebanon campus, part of continuing efforts to treat patients in the county.

The new epilepsy monitoring unit will have four beds and will incorporate video technology to allow neurologists to record seizures to help determine treatment options.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center acquired the hospital in 2019 from Tennova Healthcare.

“When we bought this hospital it was to provide care here, not to stabilize patients and ship them out,” Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital President Scott McCarver said. “It was to provide world class care right here in Wilson County. So we’ve been adding services to be able to do that.”

Other services Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital has added since its acquisition include:

• The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Wilson County offers diagnostic assessments, medical oncology and radiation oncology among specialized services on West Baddour Parkway in Lebanon.

• The hospital became a provisional Level 3 trauma designation earlier this year, allowing for faster and higher levels of critical care by trauma-trained surgeons and anesthesiologists.

• Interventional cardiology brought online, inpatient neurology. Also, expanded women’s health and cancer care are part of Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital.

Official: If you build it, others will also come

Wilson County has also increased its presence as part of the Nashville area medical hub that has led to additional investments, Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto said. Examples include Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics, which is building a new 20,000 square foot facility. Summit Medical Center, meanwhile, is creating an outpatient surgery center.

Both businesses will be in Lebanon.

HCA Health Services of Tennessee has purchased 26.63 acres on Beckwith Road in Mt. Juliet next to the TriStar Mt. Juliet ER emergency room. HCA has not announced its intent for the property.

“We are also seeing more prominent brands and technology coming in. Tritium is a great example,” Lebanon Economic Development Director Sarah Haston said about the company that builds DC chargers for electric vehicles that has opened in the city.

“We’ve neven seen it with our residential growth. Our price points are all increasing and a higher end product is hitting the market.”

Last fiscal year, Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital had an average of approximately 100 patients per day — compared to about 30 in 2019. The hospital also reported approximately 30,000 patients received urgent care, while more than 4,000 surgeries were performed with 55,000 outpatient visits.

The hospital employees nearly 1,000 people, including approximately 280 physicians on its active staff — covering 35 specialties. and 970 employees.

Epilepsy monitoring unit

More about Wilson County's newest epilepsy monitoring unit

Dr. Junaid Humayun and Dr. Jonah Fox lead the epilepsy monitoring unit, which evaluates and diagnoses patients who experience epileptic and non-epileptic seizures. A typical patient stay is around five days, though that can vary.

Humayun expects roughly 200 patients per year, allowing Wilson County residents who previously traveled to Nashville — where they often encountered long wait times — to receive treatment and care near their Wilson County residences.

“I want to take this beyond diagnosis and explain what that diagnosis really means and what the road map is,” Humayun said.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @ AndyHumbles.