Sevierville, TN – LeConte Medical Center, a member of Covenant Health, celebrated the hospital’s 10th anniversary on Feb. 27. The facility opened Feb. 14, 2010, continuing the legacy of Fort Sanders Sevier Hospital (previously Sevier County hospital) which had served the community for more than 40 years.
Gaye Jolly
Gaye Jolly, president and chief administrative officer of LeConte Medical Center, shared the accomplishments of the hospital over the past decade and thanked the community for its support. “Together, our community and Covenant Health built this magnificent state-of-the-art facility with medical services and advanced technology that are rarely seen in cities our size,” Jolly said.
History
Covenant Health constructed LeConte Medical to meet the medical needs of the growing Sevier County area, particularly in terms of technology, said president/CEO Jim VanderSteeg. Covenant pledged more than $100 million to the project and the community launched a capital campaign, led by the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation, that raised $10 million.
LeConte was the first Covenant Health facility to receive such a large donation from a community-led campaign. Jolly said the first two checks came from hospital volunteers and hospital employees, “a testament to our community’s pride in bringing the best medical care to the people we serve.”
LeConte is a 79-bed medical center offering an array of specialties including a birthing center, emergency care, surgical services, diagnostic services and an affiliated nursing home. Rehabilitation services, medical offices and Thompson Cancer Survival Center – Sevierville are located on the campus.
Recognitions
LeConte Medical Center has been a named:
- An Advanced Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission
- Among “100 Great Community Hospitals” in the U.S. by Becker’s Hospital Review, and
- One of just 18 hospitals in the state by Tennessee Hospital Association as a 2019 ‘BEST for Babies’ hospitals.
Community
Larry Waters
Mayor Larry Waters said LeConte Medical is prospering because of the medical care provided to citizens. “I am very confident that this hospital is going to be here for a long time.”
Over the past decade, LeConte Medical Center has admitted nearly 50,000 patients, has helped deliver more than 10,000 babies in the Dolly Parton birthing unit and has treated more than half a million patients in the emergency department. LeConte Medical Center’s emergency department is one of the busiest in the Covenant Health system, caring for both local residents and tourists from around the United States and even internationally.
LeConte Medical has approximately 550 employees and more than 100 volunteers.
Emergency department physician Jerry Bradley, MD, began working at the former hospital as an orderly in 1970 when he was a high school student. After medical school he returned to Sevier County and now speaks with pride about the care patients receive.
As part of the celebration Jolly unveiled a new logo for LeConte Medical Center which uses color and visual design to identify the hospital as a member of Covenant Health. The event concluded with a video message from Dolly Parton congratulating the hospital for celebrating 10 years of excellent service and thanking the doctors, nurses and staff for caring for her community.
Krissy Patterson, marketing manager for LeConte Medical Center, contributed information for this report.