Driving Our Economy Forward: Baroness Erlanger
It’s a hospital that’s been in the Chattanooga area for more than 120 years.
Tonight, we look at the history and how Erlanger Medical Center has continued to Drive Our Economy Forward with the latest treatments for injury and disease.
Jill Steelman, Sr Dir Organizational and Workforce Development, Erlanger Hospital says, “Erlanger was founded in the late 1800s when a railroad baron uh realized that his railroad workers did not have access to health care. So, when people were injured, they couldn’t be treated locally. So, he helped build uh Erlanger Hospital. At that time for his railroad workers and then that just continued to grow over time as we’ve grown to care for our community. We have um a variety of services here probably best known for our level one Trauma Center. Um, and that does include air ambulance services that can bring patients in from the region to our level one Trauma Center. We’re also a comprehensive stroke center so the air ambulance is bringing in stroke patients as well. We’re a regional children’s hospital um and provide really full services for adults, children from neonates to end of life. Erlanger has always uh been a training facility. We had a school of nursing here at Erlanger where the nursing students actually lived here at the hospital. We had a dormitory, and they would come here to do their clinical training. Later in oh the 1980s those diploma type programs uh closed down across the country. And so, our nursing program transitioned to a partnership with Chattanooga State who has continued to grow and build a very strong nursing program there.
Laura Hamoui, Clinical Nurse Manager Cardiac Short Stay Unit, Erlanger Hospital says, “I went to Chattanooga State and I graduated from the Register Nurse program back in 2016. I learned tremendous amount of information while I was there. Um it was very challenging, but it was exactly what we needed to succeed in the nursing career. I um did most of my clinicals here, so it was very um easy to get my foot in the door to Erlanger. And kind of already knew what to expect and the values of Erlanger.”
Ronnie Sandoval, Surgical Technician at Erlanger Hospital says, “I do work on the heart team. And it’s kind of the deep end for surgical technicians. There’s a lot to learn a lot to keep up with, with the surgeon. Erlanger has opened their arms to us as students to allow us to uh, you know do clinicals here and learn. really so uh I think that opportunity it was it was good.”
Jill Steelman finished by saying, “Erlanger is dedicated to developing and preparing those future health care workers. And so, our partnership with Chattanooga State is very significant. They have one of the. largest nursing programs here locally. So, we see over 100 students from that program alone here at Erlanger. When you add that in with all of the other local, academic institutions we have literally over a thousand students that come here each year to do training. So, this just provides a continual pipeline for nurses in the area, and we are proud to be part of their training um as we continue to serve the community. ”
