SMYRNA – The Primary Care and Hope Clinic has broken ground on a $6.6 million health care clinic to be located at 500 Spc Neal Mitchell Place across from the Nissan Assembly plant. The 20,000 square foot two-story building will feature 24 exam rooms, 4 behavioral health rooms, and a pharmacy, Primary Care and Hope Clinic CEO Lisa Terry announced Thursday.

“Our current Smyrna location has seen phenomenal growth and is near capacity. The people of Smyrna are calling us daily seeking services. We need additional space to meet the health care needs of the people in the community,” Terry said.

The new Smyrna campus will expand access to health care services by offering additional primary care providers, additional behavioral health services, nutrition and diabetes self-management counseling, Vaccines for Children, interpreter services, and an on-site pharmacy.  These services are provided at the health center’s Hope Way location in Murfreesboro but have not always been available in Smyrna due to facility limitations.    

Funding for the new building has come from local businesses, local health care organizations, private donors and foundations, and a $2 million contribution from the Christy-Houston Foundation. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2022.  

“This marks an exciting new chapter for the Primary Care and Hope Clinic. We appreciate all our donors who have helped make this project a reality and we especially want to thank the Christy-Houston Foundation for their investment and the trust they have placed in us over the years. Next year will be the 30th anniversary of our organization, and I can’t think of a more exciting way to celebrate than the opening of this new facility,” Terry continued. 

Founded with a mission to provide high-quality health care for the most vulnerable, the Primary Care and Hope Clinic has become the primary resource for medical care to the uninsured and under-insured in Rutherford County and is an anchor for the community health safety net. The clinic provides care to all patients, regardless of financial or insurance status, serving people on Medicare, TennCare, and private insurance as well as an income-based sliding fee to those with no health insurance.   In the past decade, the Primary Care & Hope Clinic has provided over $35 million in unreimbursed charity care and prescription savings.  

“Many of our residents in Smyrna and LaVergne who receive their care for the Primary Care and Hope Clinic are having to drive past the Smyrna site and travel to Murfreesboro because the current location is at capacity. This new building will allow more of our residents to get the care they need right here in their community. This helps make our community healthier and businesses more productive,” Smyrna Mayor Mary Esther Reed said.

The Primary Care and Hope Clinic is a non-profit community health center providing medical, behavioral, and pharmaceutical services to the community. Last year, more than 12,000 patients sought care at the health center’s four locations in Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and Shelbyville.  Fundraising will continue throughout the project. For more information, people can visit www.hopeclnc.org.