My name is Dr. Russell Landry, MD and I am one of the few board certified Emergency Medicine doctors that resides in Clarksville. My family and I have lived in Clarksville since 2020. We are proud to call Clarksville our home. I practice Emergency Medicine at several local hospitals in our area. It is rewarding to serve my community during their times of need. The future for Clarksville healthcare is going to be decided on July 23rd. The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission is making their decision on Tristar Health’s Certificate of Need (CON) to build a hospital in Clarksville. This is an issue that directly impacts every Clarksville citizen.

My experience in practicing Emergency Medicine is through both Tristar Health hospitals and non-Tristar Health hospitals. I see the need for having a Tristar Health hospital in Clarksville every day. There is a segment of the Clarksville population that needs direct access to their Tristar Health medical team. Clarksville patients that use Tristar Health have to travel great distances to receive exceptional medical care. Local Emergency Rooms have many Clarksville residents who need to be transferred to Tristar Health hospitals. Transferring patients from one hospital to another leads to delays in medical care. It also causes Emergency Rooms to be congested with patients. This leads to worse medical care overall for Clarksville residents. A Tristar Health hospital in Clarksville would help alleviate Clarksville residents’ frustration with an overburdened and inefficient hospital transfer system.

There are a number of Tristar Health doctors and nurses living in the local area. I have worked with these healthcare workers at nearby Tristar Health hospitals. We have discussed Tristar Health’s CON and are excited for the opportunity to work in Clarksville. Reducing commute time for these workers will improve their quality of life.

One exciting aspect of a full service Tristar Health hospital is the potential opportunity for it to become a trauma center hospital. Trauma center hospitals perform all the functions of a non-trauma center hospital. But trauma center hospitals are distinguished from other hospitals by being nationally recognized hospitals equipped and staffed to provide specialized care for patients with severe injuries resulting from accidents or violence. A Trauma specialist’s intervention significantly improves a patient’s chances of survival and recovery after critical traumatic injury. Currently, Clarksville has no direct access to a trauma center hospital. Tristar Health has a proven history for establishing this type of hospital. There are five Tristar Health trauma center hospitals in the Middle Tennessee region. This CON brings Tristar Health’s expertise in building trauma centers to Clarksville. The recent events of the Governor’s Square Mall shooting and the Montgomery County Fair shooting demonstrate the extreme need for our community to have a trauma center hospital. I can speak first hand to the difference between the current treatment of trauma patients in Clarksville hospitals compared to the Tristar Health trauma center hospital treatment. At a Tristar Health trauma center hospital, a specialized Trauma surgeon is immediately present upon patient arrival to the Emergency Room. This difference leads to expedited patient care for potentially life saving surgery.

Tristar Health patients and healthcare workers are living in our community. They all leave Clarksville for the Tristar Health medical experience. We need to bring a Tristar Health hospital to Clarksville for all residents. Community support for Tristar Clarksville Hospital is a must. Writing letters to the commission and most of all being present at the July 23rd Tennessee Health Facilities Commission meeting will make the difference for Tristar Health’s CON approval. The Clarksville community desperately needs Tristar Clarksville Hospital.

I ask that you please sign and share my petition to show support for Tristar Clarksville Hospital.