Dr. John Short and Casey Johnson have returned to the Hancock County medical community with the opening of Hancock County Family Medicine.

The hospital and community hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on July 11 and the practice has been open since June 26. Officials from the community and Wellmont Health Systems attended the ribbon cutting to welcome the two medical professionals.

The practice is located inside Wellmont Hospital, which has been a fixture in Hancock County for more than a decade. Hancock County Family Medicine will be a fixture of the hospital itself but will be managed by Wellmont Medical Associates.

Short has had a 21-year medical career, during which he served as the hospitals medical director and most recently practiced medicine at Lakeway Family Medicine in Morristown. He graduated from the University Of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis and completed his internship and residency in family medicine at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Johnson was a paramedic at Hancock County Hospital and Hancock County Ambulance Service. He has also volunteered for Hancock County Rescue Squad. He has an associates degree in public safety as a paramedic from Walters State Community College, a bachelors degree in biology from Lincoln Memorial University and a masters degree from LMUs Debusk College of Medicine.

It is such an important day in the expansion of our continuum care and delivery of services provided by Hancock County Hospital, Rebecca Beck, president of Hancock County Hospital, said. Our hospital currently provides 24/7 emergency care, in-patient hospitalization, radiology, respiratory and cardiac services. The addition of primary care today now helps us to ensure the patients of our community receive care in the most appropriate of settings.

The patients of Hancock County Family Medicine will have access to tests and treatments typically found in a family medical setting, but they will also have the option of accessing outpatient services in the hospital. The patients will have the option to obtain X-rays and laboratory testing on site.

This is a great day for Hancock County and Hancock County Hospital. It is something that is an addition to what we already have, Ken Smith, chairman of the hospitals board of directors, said. Quality care has been a key component of this hospital since its beginnings. We have one of the best rural hospitals in the state of Tennessee and it is recognized nationally along with the state. You can have a beautiful facility, but without caring people, you do not have quality healthcare. We have that here.

In establishing this family practice, we are going to see a broad spectrum of patients from pediatrics to geriatrics, he continued. They dont have to go across the mountain and they dont have to go somewhere else to get their laboratory tests or X-rays. This is so important because all too often, we would hear of people having to go across the mountain to get tests or X-rays done. We love the convenience that this is going to give everyone.

Hancock County Hospital has been nationally recognized for its quality of rural care. In 2015, the National Rural Health Association selected the hospital as one of the 20 critical access hospitals in the country. Beckers Hospital Review, a national publication, has chosen the family for the past two years as one of the Critical Access Hospitals to Know. The hospital also scored 94 out of 100 points in the national Pediatric Readiness Assessment.

This community has been blessed to have access to such a wonderful facility, Mike Gibson, chairman of the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, said. We all remember years ago when our hospital closed. Standing here today, this is such a contrast. We are certainly blessed.

Jim Wozniak, media relations director for Wellmont Health System, said when the hospital reopened, it was the result of a partnership within the community and county.

Thomas Harrison, Hancock County Mayor, recognized the value the hospital brings to the community, especially with the current call center building project, which will add 150 new jobs to Hancock County.

Hancock County Hospital has been a key player in our delivery of superior care with compassion in our rural communities, Eric Deaton, Wellmont Health Systems chief operating officer, said. The physicians and other medical professionals have repeatedly demonstrated to the community how patients can receive tremendous care for a broad range of medical conditions. Were now grateful for the opportunity to expand our scope with the addition of our family medicine practice.

The hospital is located at 1519 Main Street in Sneedville. For more information about Hancock County Family Medicine, visit http://www.welmontphysicians.org. Appointments are available by calling 423-733-5070.

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Hancock Family Medicine opens in Wellmont Hospital - Citizentribune