Perinatal Regionalization

Tennessee's Perinatal Regionalization Program provides for the diagnosis and treatment of certain life-threatening conditions of pregnant women and newborn infants. The five Regional Perinatal Centers in Tennessee make specialized care available to health care providers for the consultation and referral of these high-risk patients.

About Perinatal Regionalization 

Mission: To improve birth outcomes and reduce infant mortality.

The Perinatal Regionalization Program was established to ensure that pregnant women and newborns with life-threatening conditions have access to specialized care. Tennessee has five Regional Perinatal Centers that provide:

  • Consultation and referral for high-risk patients
  • Patient transport, when necessary
  • Specialized staff skilled in high-risk perinatal care
  • Post-graduate education for physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel
  • Site visits to local hospitals to support quality improvement

The regionalization system has been in place since the early 1970s. Created by state statute, it provides the statewide infrastructure needed for high-risk perinatal care. This system continues to play a vital role in improving birth outcomes and reducing infant mortality across Tennessee.

Regional Perinatal Centers

Services are coordinated between medical providers and the Regional Perinatal Centers to ensure high-quality care for mothers and newborns across Tennessee.

Each of Tennessee’s five Regional Perinatal Centers provides advanced Level III or Level IV obstetric and neonatal care, offering specialized services for high-risk pregnancies and critically ill newborns. These centers work closely with local hospitals, clinics, and healthcare providers to support timely referrals, patient transfers, and ongoing care coordination.

Below is a map of the Regional Perinatal Center locations, along with contact information for each center:

Map of Tennessee showing the five perinatal regions—West, Middle, Southeast, East, and Northeast—and the locations of the state’s perinatal centers in Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Johnson City.
This image shows a color-coded map of Tennessee divided into five perinatal regions: West, Middle, Southeast, East, and Northeast. Each county is labeled, and a blue star marks the location of each designated Perinatal Center. The centers include: • Regional One Health in Memphis (West Region) • Vanderbilt University Medical Center/Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Nashville (Middle Region) • Erlanger Health System/T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga (Southeast Region) • The University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville (East Region) • Johnson City Medical Center Hospital in Johnson City (Northeast Region) These centers provide specialized care for pregnant individuals and newborns throughout Tennessee.

East Tennessee Regional Perinatal Center – The University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee

  • Labor & Delivery (L&D): Call (865) 305-9830
  • Maternal Referrals: Call 1-800-422-9301 or 865-305-9300
  • Neonatal Consult/Transport: 1-800-732-7295 or 865-305-9834
  • NICU: 865-305-9834

Middle Tennessee Regional Perinatal Center – Vanderbilt University Medical Center/Monroe Carell, Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

Nashville, Tennessee

  • L&D: 615-322-2555
  • OB Consults/Referrals: 1-888-636-8863 or 615-343-0976
  • Neonatal Consult/Transport: 1-800-288-8111
  • NICU: 615-322-0963

Northeast Tennessee Regional Perinatal Center – Johnson City Medical Center Hospital

Johnson City, Tennessee

  • Perinatal Center Office: Call (423) 431-6640
  • Labor & Delivery (L&D): Call (423) 431-6437
  • Referrals: Call 1-800-365-5262
  • Neonatal Consult/Transport: Call (423) 431-6671
  • NICU: Call (423) 431-6671

Southeast Tennessee Regional Perinatal Center – Erlanger Health System / T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital

Chattanooga, Tennessee

  • Labor & Delivery (L&D): Call (423) 778-7956
  • OB Consults / Referrals: Call (423) 778-8100 or 1-866-4HI-RISK
  • Neonatal Consult/Transport: Call (423) 778-6438
  • NICU: Call (423) 778-6438

West Tennessee Regional Perinatal Center – Regional Medical Center at Regional One Health

Memphis, Tennessee

  • Labor & Delivery (L&D): Call (901) 545-7345
  • OB Inpatient Transport: Call (901) 545-8181
  • Neonatal Consult/Transport: Call (901) 545-7366
  • NICU: Call (901) 545-7366

Perinatal Advisory Committee

The Perinatal Advisory Committee is composed of 21 members, including Center directors, experts in perinatal medicine, hospital administrators, nurses, and physicians. It provides advice and direction to the Department of Health and works to improve maternal and infant health outcomes across Tennessee by reviewing data, identifying challenges, and recommending best practices and policies. Meetings are open to the public in accordance with Sunshine laws, and you can view their recordings, agendas, and notices below.

Perinatal Advisory Committee Meeting Recordings

Perinatal Advisory Committee Meeting Agendas

Sunshine Notices

Perinatal Advisory Committee (PAC) Workgroup

Recordings

Agendas

Sunshine Notices

Additional Resources

Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC)

TIPQC seeks to improve health outcomes for mothers and infants in Tennessee by engaging key stakeholders in a perinatal quality collaborative that will identify opportunities to optimize birth outcomes and implement data-driven provider- and community-based performance improvement initiatives. To learn more, visit the TIPQC website.

Reports and Publications

The Department of Health collects data on births, pregnancies, and deaths through the Vital Records system. These data (numbers and rates) are located on the Department’s Vital Statistics website. The information includes pregnancies and births by county, by race, and by various ages, infant deaths by county and by race, and low-weight births by county and by race.

Tennessee Perinatal Regionalization System Guidelines 

Archives 

Tennessee Perinatal Regionalization System Guidelines

Other Publications

Perinatal Regionalization Fact Sheets

This Page Last Updated: March 30, 2026 at 2:49 PM