Hospitals continue to close across Tennessee

Tennessee — As hospitals across the state continue to close, many are looking at their options for health care in rural communities.

In a conference call Thursday, three Tennesseans who are dealing with the effects of hospital closures across the state discussed what happened and where to go since those facilities locked their doors.

Natalie Boone, who works in East Tennessee, says fixing the problem isn’t as easy as just opening the doors again.

“We would have to have somebody that would be willing to come in here and construct an entirely new facility,” Boone said. “They would have to acquire the land, completely construct a new facility, and acquire a new certificate of need and licensure from the state.”

Just last year in West Tennessee, McKenzie Regional Hospital in Carroll County closed.