NASHVILLE -- Titans offensive linemen Jack Conklin, Jamil Douglas, Dennis Kelly, Adam Pankey, David Quessenberry, Rodger Saffold and Aaron Stinnie visited heart and orthopaedic patients, kicking off Titans Tuesdays at Saint Thomas West Hospital this week.

"The partnership between Saint Thomas and the Titans goes back over 20 years, but the reality is we've been in Nashville for the last 100 years," said Harrison Kiser, Chief Operating Officer, Saint Thomas West Hospital. "The relationship we have with the Titans is so important to the patients and to the medical staff. We really enjoy having the them come around! The work we do here can be spread through our relationship with the Titans and promoted throughout middle Tennessee and the surrounding areas."

"It gives you a great overwhelming, warm feeling to talk to the patients, see them light up and know you are making their day brighter," said Saffold. "The conversations we have are awesome and fun. We laugh a lot!"

Saint Thomas Health's long tradition of excellent cardiac care is one of the nation's most innovative and comprehensive heart programs.

As home to Tennessee's first heart transplant program -- opened in 1985 -- and the region's most advanced Aortic Center, they offer a full spectrum of quality heart care services meeting patient's individual needs.

The dedicated joint replacement surgeons of the Saint Thomas Joint Replacement Institute proudly perform more than twice as many joint-related procedures than all other hospitals in Middle Tennessee. The final result brings Middle Tennessee patients a personalized experience and nationally recognized care.

"We really promote two types of care," said Kiser. "There is the medical care that the doctors diagnose and the nurses who help treat the patients, but there is a holistic side that helps to build a spirit and is always a benefit to the patient in helping them to recover from the illness they are experiencing to get back home. Having the Titans come around and visit with some of the patients is an uplifting experience and a great time for all! Hopefully, it will help our patients feel better and get back to their normal life."

Saint Thomas West Hospital is a member of Saint Thomas Health, which is comprised of nine hospitals in the Nashville area and part of Ascension, the largest non-profit health care system and largest Catholic health care system in the country. The hospital was founded in 1898 by the Daughters of Charity, and today it is administered by the Daughters of Charity. It has more than 3500 employees and 700 physicians on staff and is located a short distance from downtown Nashville.

Saint Thomas West Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and has been named one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation. The Saint Thomas Heart Institute is known as the premier provider of cardiovascular services in a 70 county area covering all of middle Tennessee and reaching into southern Kentucky and northern Alabama. The Saint Thomas Heart Institute has been rated the #1 Heart Hospital in Tennessee and in the nation's top five percent for heart surgery and overall cardiac services.

The hospital is committed to serving all persons with special attention to the poor and vulnerable. This Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually centered, holistic care that sustains and improves the health of individuals and communities. This ministry and its staff are advocates for a compassionate and just society through actions and words.

ABOUT ASCENSION SAINT THOMAS HEALTH

In Tennessee, Ascension's Saint Thomas Health operates nine hospitals in addition to a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities that cover a 68-county area and employ more than 8,000 associates. Across the state, Saint Thomas Health provided more than $127 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2018. Serving Tennessee for 15 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world's largest Catholic health system, operating more than 2,600 sites of care – including 151 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.sthealth.com.