Luke Bryan helps break ground at Williamson Medical Center's $200 million expansion

Country music superstar Luke Bryan, his wife Caroline Bryan and NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip joined hospital administrators and elected officials to break ground on Williamson Medical Center's $200 million expansion Monday. The project will be the largest renovation to date for the hospital, which has been at its current home on Carothers Parkway since 1986.

"In order for us to be the preferred provider for this area, like our vision statement says, we really need to match the physical plans and the services with the DNA of this incredible staff we have," Williamson Medical Center CEO Phil Mazzuca said. "We have the DNA already here. I don't have to find it. We've got the compassionate care. 'We don't have to make it happen.'"

Williamson County is expected to double in population from 250,000 residents to 500,000 by 2040, and Williamson Medical Center's multiphase expansion is intended to help the hospital keep up with that staggering growth. The project will boost ER capacity, renovate rooms throughout the hospital and expand the hospital's West Tower with new floors and a new north wing.

The Williamson County Commission approved $150 million in bonds to help fund the project in October. That money will be repaid over the next 20 years, Mazzuca said.

Hospital renovation funding: Williamson Medical Center to begin major renovation in 2022 with help from county

The remaining $50 million will be raised in part by a capital campaign spearheaded by Luke Bryan and his wife, Caroline Bryan. Caroline Bryan, who serves as co-chair of the capital campaign, said her family settled on moving to Franklin when they realized how close their potential new home would be to Williamson Medical Center.

"This is where our children were born. This is where their doctors are. This is where my doctors are," Caroline Bryan said. "Anything from a routine visit to the ER visits, everybody is just fantastic, and watching this getting ready to expand is so needed. It's time. It's exciting."

She joked that, as the parent of two rambunctious boys, she's appreciated the hospital's personal care and attention. Luke Bryan said he's excited to help the hospital provide that same level of service to other patients.

"We get to have a voice to make sure this is the best health care you could ever dream of," Luke Bryan said.

At the groundbreaking, Darrell Waltrip Automotive Group was unveiled as the campaign's first corporate partner. Waltrip, a NASCAR Hall of Fame member, operates a car dealership across the street.

"When I built my dealership here, they said, 'Hey, you're on the wrong side of the interstate,'" Waltrip said. "And then they built a hospital, and it took off from there. I'm proud of what they've done with this hospital, where it's going, their vision."

Cole Villena covers Williamson County at The Tennessean, part of the USA Today Network — Tennessee. Reach Cole at cvillena@tennessean.com or 615-925-0493. Follow Cole on Twitter at @ColeVillena and on Instagram at @CVinTennessee.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Luke Bryan and wife Caroline break ground at Williamson Medical Center