Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West in Nashville has launched a $120 million renovation of its 51-year-old campus. The project adds a new Heart and Kidney Transplant Center and a Thoracic Surgery and Chest and Lung Center, along with modernized operating rooms. Work began in June 2026.
Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West has begun a construction program valued at more than $120 million, marking the largest capital investment at the Nashville campus in over five decades of operation. Hospital leadership indicated that the initiative will touch nearly every function of the facility, spanning clinical care, outpatient services and physician office space. Construction crews mobilized in June 2026, with the multi-year renovation phased to keep existing departments operational throughout the build.
Health systems across the country have increasingly directed capital toward existing campuses rather than greenfield construction, as aging facilities built decades ago require modernization to accommodate current clinical technology and patient volume. Hospitals originally designed in the 1970s often lack the infrastructure needed for contemporary imaging equipment, minimally invasive surgical suites and expanded outpatient models, prompting large scale renovation programs similar to the one underway in Nashville.
At Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West, the scope includes new operating rooms, cardiac catheterization labs and procedural suites. A Heart and Kidney Transplant Center is planned with its own dedicated entrance, alongside a new Thoracic Surgery and Chest and Lung Center intended to expand pulmonary care access. Diagnostic imaging capacity will also grow under the plan.
Security upgrades form a distinct component of the program, including additional interior and exterior camera coverage, emergency notification systems and electronic access controls throughout the campus.
According to Ascension Saint Thomas, the renovation began in June 2026 and is expected to reach completion within 24 months. The hospital first opened more than 51 years ago and serves as a regional site for cardiac, thoracic and transplant care in Middle Tennessee.