The Erlanger Health System (often referred to as Erlanger Hospital or Erlanger), incorporated as the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority, a non-profit, public benefit corporation registered in the State of Tennessee, is a system of hospitals, physicians, and medical services based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Erlanger's main location, Erlanger Baroness Hospital, is a tertiary referral hospital and Level I Trauma Center serving a ( radius) region of East Tennessee, North Georgia, North Alabama, and western North Carolina. The system provides critical care services to patients within a radius through six Life Force air ambulance helicopters, which are equipped to perform in-flight surgical procedures and transfusions.
Academic affiliation
Erlanger is the primary teaching hospital for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center's College of Medicine Chattanooga. UTHSC College of Medicine Chattanooga trains physicians enrolled annually in the medical college's residency and fellowship programs. Enrollment for the 2020–2021 academic year included 193 residents and fellows. Medical students from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis may also elect a variety of clinical rotations at Erlanger. Nursing students, paramedic students, and many other allied health students also train at Erlanger in conjunction with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), Chattanooga State Technical Community College (CSTCC), and other regional colleges.
Level I Trauma Center
Erlanger Baroness Hospital is a Level I trauma center and meets state and national criteria to serve as a comprehensive regional resource for adult and pediatric patients with major traumatic injuries. Erlanger is one of six Level 1 trauma centers in Tennessee.
Erlanger is an essential safety net hospital for the region, providing care for under served and uninsured populations. The system provided $85 million in uncompensated care during fiscal year 2014–2015.