Specialized Care for Rural Areas

As a child growing up in rural Northwest Tennessee, Le Bonheur Hospitalist Sarah Camper, DO, saw firsthand how limited options could be for pediatric health care.

“We had to go to the health department to get our shots because no one kept kid shots,” Camper said. “When me or my sister got sick, we had to go to Nashville. That was definitely a hardship on our parents.”

For many families in rural areas, access to specialized pediatric care has only grown more scarce. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, pediatric inpatient beds in rural areas have decreased by 26%, and 25% of children have seen an increase in the distance to their closest pediatric inpatient unit.

Camper, who also serves as medical director of Le Bonheur’s 21-bed inpatient pediatric unit at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, has also seen firsthand the benefits of having greater pediatric care in Jackson. “My sister’s children were admitted to the NICU here,” she said. “That kept them from having to go to Nashville or Memphis. They got to be here, and all of our families got to see the babies and help give support.”

In response to this need for rural care, Le Bonheur has expanded its rural health programs and partnered closely with West Tennessee Healthcare to provide specialized pediatric services to children.

With Le Bonheur’s expanding presence through an outpatient center, inpatient unit, mobile health services, and as the provider of care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), families across suburban small towns and rural West Tennessee now have access to expert pediatric general care and specialty care.

Le Bonheur to Jackson — The Outpatient Center

In 2018, Le Bonheur expanded its commitment to West Tennessee kids, opening a $9.5 million, 30,000-square-foot, 20-room outpatient center. Its location right off the interstate makes it quick and accessible for patient families throughout the region.

The idea was to expand on the existing clinic in the city and provide more access to specialized pediatric care for the children of West Tennessee. That center now offers allergy and immunology, cardiology, otolaryngology, neuroscience, surgery, nephrology and more.

For these specialties, the center is outfitted with a full roster of diagnostic tools like an electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (EKG), ultrasound and more.

Jared Hogan, MD, a pediatric pulmonologist at Le Bonheur in Jackson, said giving expert care to the patient population throughout West Tennessee, “means the world to me.”

“As a physician, especially one in a pediatric subspecialty, access is extremely important and having such a robust group of strong physicians in the area helps provide the support for the children of West Tennessee that are between two major metropolitan areas,” Hogan said. “It’s like a little diamond in the rough for our families.”

“Our outpatient clinic location is very approachable and accessible for our patients, and we can provide lots of services in-house. From the inpatient setting, we are also expanding our skill sets and opportunities to provide even more services, which should further decrease the pain and logistics of travel.”

Pediatric Inpatient Care

In 2022, Le Bonheur and West Tennessee Healthcare deepened their collaboration to provide care for kids by developing a pediatric inpatient unit licensed to Le Bonheur inside Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. The 21-bed unit is staffed by pediatric experts from Le Bonheur.

Vernessa Davis-Tharpe, MD, a pediatric hospitalist and recently retired medical director of Le Bonheur’s inpatient unit at Jackson-Madison, has practiced in Jackson for 30 years. She described the transition as a “joining of hands.” The partnership has brought good things for the staff and their patients, she said.

“Before, it was just us,” Davis-Tharpe said. “We could call somewhere if we needed help. But we didn’t have an established relationship with a whole library of resources, which is what we have now with Le Bonheur. Now, there’s one number I call and request whatever specialist I need.”

“There’s so much more that we can do. The more layers of support we are offered, the more progress we are going to make.”

This expansion reflects our shared mission with West Tennessee Healthcare to bring specialized care to children and families in this region. By bringing Le Bonheur’s expertise directly into the NICU, we’re helping ensure that babies born in West Tennessee have the best possible start in life.

The NICU

Le Bonheur is further deepening its relationship at the hospital, too. The hospital recently expanded its partnership with West Tennessee Healthcare by becoming the new provider of care for the hospital’s NICU, beginning December 2025.

Le Bonheur’s providers, including neonatologists, nurse practitioners, cardiologists, neurologists, ophthalmologists, pulmonologists and other pediatric specialists, now staff the hospital’s 42-bed, Level III NICU, where the region’s most vulnerable newborns receive the highest level of care. Neonatologist Josefina Go, MD, an established provider at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, will serve as the NICU’s medical director.

“This expansion reflects our shared mission with West Tennessee Healthcare to bring specialized care to children and families in this region,” said Le Bonheur President Trey Eubanks, MD. “By bringing Le Bonheur’s expertise directly into the NICU, we’re helping ensure that babies born in West Tennessee have the best possible start in life.”

When more complex care is needed, Le Bonheur providers can coordinate with West Tennessee Healthcare to provide neonates a higher level of care in Le Bonheur’s Level IV NICU in Memphis.

Care Even Closer

Camper and Davis-Tharpe said Le Bonheur’s care for kids in West Tennessee covers a huge area, from Dyersburg, Union City, Martin, Savannah, Camden and more. Le Bonheur wants to get even closer, with pediatric care delivered to children right at their school.

An enormous, colorful box truck brings Le Bonheur care throughout Memphis and West Tennessee. The Le Bonheur on the Move Mobile Medical Unit provides care for kids not under the care of a primary care provider. The mobile unit care is given by Le Bonheur at no cost to families.

The Le Bonheur on the Move program provides comprehensive well-child exams, acute care, sports physicals, developmental/behavioral assessments, and medical/social service referrals. The program also helps provide transportation when children are referred to see specialists at Le Bonheur in Memphis and Jackson.