COPPERHILL, Tenn. — A management change at the Copper Basin Medical Center expected to take place Dec. 1 has been delayed to January because it must be approved by the Tennessee Attorney General’s office, officials said.
But interim associate administrator Davie Hyatt said the delay should not affect hospital operations.
Brim Healthcare of Brentwood, Tenn., is scheduled to take over management of the 25-bed critical care facility in Copperhill.
“Everything is in place and we are just waiting on the state,” Mr. Hyatt said. He said a 2006 law requires the attorney general to approve transfers so companies cannot simply acquire a hospital and liquidate it.
The hospital has been suffering from credit problems but the Polk County Commission and the cities of Ducktown and Copperhill recently approved a $1.4 million line of credit. That money will allow the hospital pay past-due bills and move forward in other areas, Mr. Hyatt said.
It also will help the hospital get purchasing discounts and will provide matching funds for a grant to opening an outpatient surgery center, as well as working capital.
Brim Vice President Ray Ford said the three-month contract with the management company will turn into a five-year agreement once bank funding is approved.
“Immediately we will place an interim chief executive officer at the hospital and we have an individual in mind with both financial and administrative experience,” Mr. Ford said. The company will recruit a new CEO and chief financial officer.
Brim spent 30 days earlier this year going over financial records of the hospital. Mr. Ford said Brim believes it can bring the hospital out of debt and that it can survive and thrive. He said one of the first moves will be to get a surgery center area operational.
Mr. Hyatt said the hospital’s 125 employees seem to have a positive attitude toward the changes.
“There is a passion for this hospital to succeed,” Mr. Hyatt said. “It was built from contributions from this area. Established in 1953, the hospital is controlled by a district board.
For years, the hospital has been under lease to Copper Basin Hospital Inc., but that contract will end with the new management.
Polk County Mayor Mike Stinnett said the hospital’s success is paramount for the Copper Basin.
“They need that hospital,” Mr. Stinnett said. “I’m not seeing any huge problems with this, and we don’t need layoffs of 100 people in that area.”