Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital Adds High-Tech CT Scanner

October 8, 2019
By:

Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital is pleased to announce this month’s installation of a new computerized tomography (CT) scanner built to provide high-quality images quickly and to reduce the need for patient transfer from Smithville to surrounding cities.

CT scans play an important role in patient care. They are crucial to the diagnosis of many cancers, the detection of various internal injuries, the evaluation of many infections, and the pre-procedural planning for some surgeries. Replacing a scanner that is more than 15 years old, the new GE Healthcare 16 slice Gold Optima CT scanner will require less down time than its predecessor and will improve patient wait times.

DeKalb’s considerable investment in this technology is a product of its increasing commitment to providing options for stroke patients. The new model can provide early diagnosis of hemorrhagic stroke, enabling intervention methods like the administration of “clot busting” medications to patients experiencing acute stroke.

“This new scanner will allow Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital to improve service to our community by providing us with images much faster,” said Bradley Mullinax, Chief Administrative Officer, Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital. “With this new equipment, we can serve more people at a greater speed.”

Scanner maintenance and servicing will take place in-house at Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital, allowing for near-continuous use.

ABOUT ASCENSION SAINT THOMAS HEALTH

In Tennessee, Ascension’s Saint Thomas Health operates nine hospitals in addition to a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities that cover a 68-county area and employ more than 8,000 associates.  Across the state, Saint Thomas Health provided more than $127 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2018.  Serving Tennessee for 15 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable.  Ascension is the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, operating more than 2,600 sites of care – including 151 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.sthealth.com.

October 8, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

 When the Smithville Aldermen updated the city’s zoning ordinance earlier this year they did not include regulations for billboard signs.

The ordinance merely defined what a Billboard is “Any sign over 120 square feet in size, generally used for off-premises advertising”.

Since then no new billboards have been erected in the city.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, Mayor Josh Miller, acting on a request from an interested party, asked the aldermen to adopt an ordinance regulating the use of billboards in Smithville. Applicants would have to obtain a building permit and meet with the approval of the city’s building codes inspector.

The proposed ordinance reads as follows:

“Billboards shall only be permitted on Broad Street (US-70) and Congress Boulevard (State Route 56). All Billboards must be located at least 25 feet from all rights-of-ways. The maximum size for a billboard shall be 400 square feet and the maximum height shall be 25 feet. No billboard shall be located within 1,500 linear feet of another billboard on the same side of the street or within 500 feet radius of any other billboard. Digital billboards will only be allowed if displayed messages have no flashing or twinkling lights and if all messages remain displayed for at least six seconds”.

The aldermen gave first reading approval to the new ordinance Monday night and will act on second and final reading at a later meeting.

In other business, the aldermen also accepted a bid from Copeland DRP, LLC of Cookeville for street paving at $89.85 per ton. It was the lowest of the three bids submitted. The other bids were from Tinsley Asphalt, LLC of Tullahoma at $89.96 per ton and Rogers Group, Incorporated of Cookeville for $99.50 per ton.

October 8, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The City of Smithville is embarking on a plan to eventually build new sidewalks and improve pedestrian crossings and is hoping to obtain a grant of up to almost $1 million to help make it happen.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the aldermen adopted a resolution to authorize the submission of an application to the Tennessee Department of Transportation for a Multi-Modal Access Grant.

This program is a 95/5% match for construction of up to $1 million. If fully funded, the city would receive $950,000 in grant funding with a $50,000 local match requirement for construction of new sidewalk and crosswalk improvements along the State Route 26 (Highway 70) and State Route 56 (Congress Boulevard) corridors and intersections.

Ragan-Smith Associates of Nashville will design the project at a cost of up to $5,000.

The grant application will be filed and if approved be administered on behalf of the City by the Upper Cumberland Development District.

UCDD representative Virginia Alexander addressed the mayor and aldermen Monday night.

“In June we applied for the letter of intent for the Multi- Modal Access Grant for a project that would be on Highway 70 for intersections at Highway 70 & 56 and Highway 70 and Short Mountain Road and for sidewalks up to the Industrial Park on Highway 70. TDOT asked that we put in a full application so that is what this resolution is addressing and we can request up to $950,000 with a $50,000 match. It’s a 95/5% project which is very rare to find especially with road projects,” said Alexander.

“We are working with Ragan-Smith to come up with the design for this project and we will have to do a request for qualifications for engineers when the grant is awarded. For their services they  (Ragan-Smith)are asking for no more than $5,000 depending on the scope of work. They will be coming up to look at the project and drawing some preliminary sketches and work on the budget for us,” Alexander continued.

It may be at least January before its known if the City will be awarded the grant.

“They will take the winter time to review the applications and probably announce in January. Contracting takes from four to six months depending on TDOT’s schedule. You probably would not have to spend any funds until the 2020-21 fiscal year,” added Alexander.

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