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Wlaf1450Total impact exceeded $70 million in 2025
LAFOLLETTE, TN (SPECIAL TO WLAF)– At more than 92,000 patient encounters last year, Tennova La Follette Medical Center (LMC) delivered on its commitment to provide quality healthcare for the communities it serves. The health system’s 2025 Community Benefit Report shows care extended well beyond the hospital and clinics, contributing more than $70 million to the region through charity/uncompensated care provided, capital dollars reinvested in services and facilities, employee payroll, charitable projects and payment of more than $10 million in taxes that support area schools and civic infrastructure.
“Campbell County is home for many of our team members and this makes taking care of our patients an even greater privilege,” said Mark Cain, Chief Executive Officer of LMC. “Our team chose to work in healthcare to have a positive impact on the lives we touch every day. It’s about caring for people close to home. That’s the bottom line for us.”
The health system used its resources to increase access and strengthen services through more than $4 million in projects. The hospital expanded specialty service lines including orthopedics, cardiology and surgery. A new mini C-arm gives orthopedic surgeons high-resolution images and immediate visual feedback during knee replacement procedures. The LMC cardiology program added advanced diagnostic capabilities including Transesophageal Echocardiograms (TEE), updated echo equipment and a stress test treadmill.
Keeping patients safe remains a priority at LMC, and this focus was recognized by the Tennessee Hospital Association for achieving Zero Harm in Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI), Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI), Clostridioides Difficile Infections (CDI), and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a medication resistant bacteria.
Emergency medicine is a critical service, with more than 15,000 visits to the emergency room at LMC. Life-saving, medically necessary care was provided to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, through more than $19 million in charity and uncompensated care in 2025.
The health system and its employees also support local organizations that make a difference, especially those addressing social determinants of health. Through service projects such as an annual Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive and “Socktober” drive, LMC donated more than 1,400 jars of peanut butter to the Open Arms Ministry Food Bank and Food Life Services, and nearly 3,500 pairs of socks to local schools throughout Campbell County. Staff extended care beyond hospital walls by providing free flu shots at fall community events.
Payroll of more than $29 million supports the delivery of around-the-clock care by a team of physicians, nurses and support staff, all passionate about serving patients. Their compassion and skills make a difference in the lives of neighbors, friends and the larger community.
“Recently, an older patient came up to me in the lobby and gave me a big hug and said: ‘Most of my life, I have had to go somewhere else to have someone take care of me, now I have professionals to do that right in my hometown,’” said Cain. “It’s stories like these that motivate us to care for this community with an unwavering commitment to patient safety and clinical excellence.”
Support for the future healthcare workforce includes training the next generation of medical professionals. LMC is supporting the next generation of healthcare professionals with hands-on clinical experiences as a core clinical training site for the Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM). Through this relationship, medical students complete rotations in general and vascular surgery, emergency medicine, family practice, internal medicine, cardiology, pediatrics, and psychiatry. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-03/26/2026-6AM-PHOTO COURTESY OF WLAF’S CHARLIE HUTSON)