Fairview residents will no longer face a 40-minute drive for emergency care once a new freestanding ER opens in fall 2027.

Ascension Saint Thomas and city officials broke ground on the 11,000-square-foot facility at 1866 Fairview Blvd. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, the Williamson Herald reported. More than 100 people attended the ceremony.

The project will cost about $21 million. It will operate as a partnership between Ascension Saint Thomas West Hospital in Nashville and Dickson Medical Associates.

Four years in the making, the facility will include 11 patient rooms, a trauma room and a laboratory. Dr. Dan Sherwood of Dickson Medical Associates said the ER is being built alongside a new 16,000-square-foot DMA facility offering primary care, specialist care, mental health and express care services.

"When a true emergency occurs, minutes matter," Sherwood said.

A personal stake for the mayor

The project carries personal weight for Fairview Mayor Lisa Anderson. She said she thought she would die during a drive to Saint Thomas West Hospital in Nashville during a bout of kidney stones in early October.

"I told my kids goodbye in the car because I didn't know if I was going to make it," Anderson said. She said she was almost septic and that a local ER could have stabilized her before transferring her to Saint Thomas West.

Anderson said bringing emergency medicine to Fairview was one of two goals she set when she took office. The other was rebuilding the playground at Bowie Park.

Ascension President and CEO Fahad Tahir praised Anderson and other city officials for advocating on behalf of the community. He said the project happened because residents stepped up and demanded the healthcare access they deserved.

Two ERs coming to Fairview

The Ascension facility will not be alone. A second freestanding ER, built by TriStar Horizon, is already under construction at 2273 Fairview Blvd., about three miles away. TriStar held its groundbreaking in June.

Together, the two ERs will end the need for Fairview residents to drive 40 minutes or more to Nashville or Williamson Health in Franklin for critical care.

The Ascension ER is scheduled to open in fall 2027.