Cumberland Medical Center

Cumberland Medical Center ("Cumberland"), an acute-care hospital located on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee, has served the Cumberland community since 1950 and joined Covenant Health in 2014.SERVICECumberland offers specialized services not usually found in more rural areas, making health care resources more accessible to local residents. Currently licensed for 189 beds, Cumberland has more than 200 affiliated physicians working with nearly 700 employees and about 125 dedicated volunteers who deliver quality care to patients. Physician specialties include anesthesiology, cardiology, neurology, obstetrics, ophthalmology, oncology, orthopedics, pediatrics, radiology, radiation oncology and urology services.Cumberland served 125,108 patients in 2022. Of these, 120,904 were outpatients and 4,204 were inpatients with an average length-of-stay of 4.73 days.PUTTING PATIENTS FIRSTAdvanced medical and surgical care is provided at Cumberland, including telemetry-monitored beds and an intensive care unit. Additionally, Cumberland offers an outpatient diagnostics center, same-day surgery unit, cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs, a sleep disorders center, a breast center offering 3D mammography, a cancer center, and hyperbaric and wound care. The hospital also has a 12-bed maternity suite for labor and delivery. As a member of Covenant Health, Cumberland is part of the region's only stroke hospital network, which links Covenant Health's member hospitals in providing access to rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke. Cumberland holds Advanced Primary Stroke Center certification from The Joint Commission. Cumberland has an in-house cardiac catheterization lab, inpatient dialysis services and an inpatient rehabilitation unit. A full-service laboratory, medical imaging department, physical therapy and cardiopulmonary services department are also available. Cumberland's surgery department includes six main operating rooms, four of which are equipped with high-definition endoscopic video equipment. Cumberland is accredited by The Joint Commission. It has also earned the Commission on Cancer's Accredited Cancer Program designation and is accredited by the American College of Radiology in Radiation Oncology, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging and Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. IMPROVING THE COMMUNITY'S QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH BETTER HEALTHEmergency physicians are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while general and specialty surgeons provide around-the-clock coverage and treatment. A new emergency department was opened in 2016 that has allowed Cumberland to better serve patients with updated equipment and technology, new patient care rooms, and specialty cardiac and trauma rooms.In 2022, the hospital welcomed 24/7 interventional cardiology coverage, making it possible to provide emergent cardiac care "close to home" for those on the Cumberland Plateau. Outreach programs were adapted to support social distancing to reduce potential spread of COVID-19 in 2022; however, the following milestones were accomplished: - With patients' consent, Cumberland shared a variety of patient testimonial stories with the community on topics and education related to breast health, diabetes, stroke, active lifestyles, etc., moving more, etc. - Supported a "Hike for Health" 12-week series of walks on local one-mile paved trails - Held health fairs in Fairfield Glade and with Uplands Village - Provided free childbirth education classes - Partnered with the Cumberland County Health Department for a "Community Baby Shower" in support of safe sleep and breastfeeding awareness - Provided free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screenings in support of a new Men's Health Awareness benefit golf tournament - Held a Breast Cancer Awareness luncheon and Breast Center open houses in both Fairfield Glade as well as the hospital in Crossville COVENANT HEALTH Cumberland is a member of Covenant Health. Covenant Health is a comprehensive, community-owned health system dedicated to improving the health of the people it serves. Established in 1996 by the consolidation of Fort Sanders Health System, Knoxville, Tennessee, and MMC HealthCare System in Oak Ridge, Covenant Health is governed by a voluntary board of directors comprised of community leaders and medical professionals. With more than 11,000 employees, affiliated physicians and volunteers, Covenant Health is the Knoxville area's largest employer and has been named a Best Employer by Forbes. Covenant Health includes nine acute care hospitals in East Tennessee: Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville, Fort Loudoun Medical Center in Lenoir City, LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville, Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System in Morristown, Roane Medical Center in Harriman, Claiborne Medical Center in Tazewell and Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville. It also includes Peninsula, a division of Parkwest Medical Center, a behavioral health hospital in Blount County, Tennessee. The health system also includes Covenant Medical Group, which includes more than 200 physicians and advanced practice clinicians in office locations throughout East Tennessee.Affiliated organizations include Thompson Cancer Survival Center, Thompson Oncology Group, Fortress Corporation and Subsidiaries, Covenant HomeCare, and Fort Sanders Perinatal Center. Philanthropic organizations include Fort Sanders Foundation and the Thompson Cancer Survival Center Foundation in Knoxville, Methodist Medical Center Foundation in Oak Ridge, Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation in Sevierville, and Morristown-Hamblen Hospital Foundation in Morristown. Funds raised by the foundations provide services, equipment and other resources for excellence in patient care.Cumberland, as a member of the Covenant Health system, benefits from the collaboration among all affiliated organizations to promote quality improvement, patient safety and efficient delivery of care for the communities served.IMPACT OF COVID-19In March 2020, the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19") was declared a public health emergency by the Department of Health and Human Services and declared a national pandemic by the World Health Organization. The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the operations of all hospitals and affiliates included within the Covenant Health System. Three years later, although the overall number of hospital admissions due to the virus is significantly lower than the prior two years, COVID-19 continues to be a long-term problem.The stresses on the System which began in 2020 continue to have long-term and far-reaching implications, creating new challenges for every hospital in the System. The rapid rise in costs for supplies and equipment, unprecedented staffing shortages, and lower patient volumes continue to result in financial stress. Elective surgeries and diagnostic procedures have not yet returned to pre-COVID levels. Government subsidies in 2020 and 2021 helped offset the financial losses caused by significant declines in volumes due to cancelled and postponed procedures. In 2021 and 2022, Federal and state grants continued to be used to subsidize the rising costs of retaining staff and providing quality care. These federal and state grants were helpful but the financial pressures of rising costs across the System are ongoing.Early results from our focus groups for the Community Health Needs Assessments indicate that community problems such as substance abuse, mental illness, asthma and other respiratory diseases, and access to health care have gotten worse since COVID-19, thus stressing the health care System even more than usual.Covenant Health has put in place a number of changes to address these challenges. We are aggressively pursuing cost reductions in supplies across our hospitals and with our vendors. Covenant has increased nurse pay and implemented retention bonuses and other incentives to help reduce staff fatigue and turnover. A number of innovations, including a growing use of Tele-health capabilities, have assured that we continue to reach and serve patients in the community. Patient care continues to be our top priority despite the economic pressures.