CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Ascension Saint Thomas has named Jake Golich the first president and CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas Clarksville Hospital and established an inaugural Community Advisory Board to help guide development of the new hospital and integrated health campus.
Together, Golich and the board will help shape the $148.5 million project as AST expands access to care in Montgomery County. The advisory board will provide community input and leadership throughout the development of the hospital and health campus, helping ensure the new campus reflects the needs and priorities of the people it will serve, according to a news release.
“This hospital is being built for Clarksville, and it is important that the community has a meaningful voice in how it takes shape,” said Fahad Tahir, president and CEO of AST, in the release. “Jake brings the experience and leadership needed to build and lead a strong community hospital, and our advisory board brings perspectives from leaders who know Clarksville-Montgomery County and are deeply invested in its future. Together, they will help us build a hospital that is ready to serve this community from day one and grow with it for generations.”
Golich returns to Ascension after almost 20 years
Golich brings nearly two decades of healthcare leadership experience in hospital operations, growth strategy, physician recruitment, community relationships and capital development. Most recently, he served in executive and regional leadership roles with HCA Healthcare’s TriStar Division, including as CEO of Pinewood Springs Mental Health and Wellness in Columbia, Tennessee.
He also has experience planning, licensing, designing and constructing new and renovated healthcare facilities in growing communities. The appointment marks a return to Ascension for Golich, who began his healthcare leadership career at Ascension St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital.
Golich said he considers his return to Ascesion a full-circle moment, and he and his wife have already spent the past four weeks being Clarksvillians.
“To come back in this role and in this capacity, and to see what Ascension Saint Thomas is doing not just in the Clarksville community but across Middle Tennessee, that’s pretty important,” Golich told Clarksville Now. “And it ties all of those pieces of our mission and vision into one, both personally and professionally. That’s very meaningful at this point in my career.”
Goal of local high-quality care, collaboration with sister hospitals
Golich said that his goal is to provide high-quality care at a local level.
“Now, we also know that we aren’t going to be able to be everything to everyone on day one, but luckily, we have those partnerships with our sister hospitals at Midtown and West (in Nashville) that we’re going to be able to collaborate with, and with our community as well,” he said. “So, in the event we don’t have something, we’ll be able to bring that to our local facility in some capacity, or we’ll be able to get that patient in place at one of our other hospitals.”
Golich also said that AST wants to be a top corporate citizen locally, but more than just from a healthcare standpoint. “It is unique to be in a CEO role without a hospital. For someone in my position, you don’t often get to see something from the ground up like this,” he said. “We’re so excited to be a part of Clarksville, to be an expansion of the community and its growth,” he said.
As for first impressions, Golich said while Clarksville is growing rapidly, it still has that small-town feel. “We have been welcomed with open arms by everyone we’ve have met,” he said. “That’s pretty special, and it doesn’t happen everywhere. That’s a testament to the community.”
Community Advisory Board members named
The AST Community Advisory Board includes a range of perspectives and experiences across Clarksville-Montgomery County. Members will serve as community advisors as plans for the hospital and health campus advance, providing insight on local needs, opportunities, and priorities. Many members are expected to transition to serve on the hospital’s inaugural Board of Directors when it opens.
The inaugural board includes:
- Board Chair: Wes Golden, Montgomery County Mayor
- Honorary Co-Chair: Jack Turner, Founder, Jack B. Turner & Associates
- Tommy Bates, CEO, Legends Bank
- Jeff Bibb, Owner, JV Bibb Consulting
- Rosalind Kurita, Executive Director, Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation
- Ben Kimbrough Jr., Retired
- Leo Millan, Owner, Millan Enterprises
- Dr. Mark Muiznieks, Emergency Medicine Physician
- Rob Salome, President, Solutions 21
- Ralph Schulz, Principal Consultant, Thrivence
“Clarksville-Montgomery County is growing quickly, and decisions being made today will shape how our community accesses healthcare for generations to come,” Golden said. “This board gives local leaders an opportunity to bring the community’s perspective directly into that work.”
What’s coming for AST Clarksville campus
AST broke ground in June on the new hospital and integrated health campus on 96 acres near the intersection of Highway 76 and Interstate 24. The hospital will initially open with 44 inpatient beds and is designed to expand to 132 beds as needs grow. It’s expected to open in 2028.
The campus will offer emergency care, inpatient surgery, cardiology, neurosciences, women’s health, neonatal intensive care, oncology and orthopedics. Plans also include outpatient surgery, advanced imaging, specialty ambulatory care and an inpatient rehabilitation hospital.
There will also be restaurants and retail to support the patients, employees and visitors. To make the project happen, AST will build a public connector road from Mulberry Place at the north to Little Hope Church Road at the east, according to previous reports, along with an expanded water main.
The project is expected to create approximately 250 hospital jobs and generate an estimated annual economic impact of $316 million while supporting over 1,300 direct and indirect jobs throughout the region.
| PREVIOUSLY:
- Groundbreaking held for 96-acre Ascension campus | PHOTOS
- Economic impact plan for Ascension campus approved
- City Council OKs 99-acre annexation for Ascension campus
- Lifepoint Rehabilitation hospital approved to join Ascension campus
- AST and TriStar both approved to build hospitals in Clarksville
- Montgomery County plans EMS station for future Ascension campus
- Ascension campus to include Tennessee Oncology, Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance
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