West Tennessee Healthcare advances new Bolivar hospital design; council approves rezoning first reading for hospital site

Representatives of West Tennessee Healthcare told the Bolivar City Council they are advancing a design for a new, smaller‑footprint hospital in Bolivar and that officials hope to submit plans to the state by June for approval in July. The council approved a first reading to rezone a likely hospital parcel at 550 Ville Road from B‑1 (business) to H‑1 (hospital) and set a public hearing on the ordinance for the next meeting.

Why it matters: council members and the presenter said the new facility is intended to concentrate outpatient services and expand emergency‑department capacity while reducing the maintenance costs of the older facility. That combination matters locally because the emergency department is the hospital’s busiest area and because the community has long sought a modernized hospital building.

Project details: the presenter said the design reduces the overall footprint compared with the old hospital while reorganizing services so patients can access outpatient care — radiology, lab, cardiac rehab, physical therapy and pharmacy — without passing through the inpatient areas. "It is smaller in…