The Hutcheson Medical Center building in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.
Hospital employees gather holding signs in the lobby of Hutcheson Medical Center Tuesday morning as CEO Farrell Hayes speaks at a press conference concerning the closing of the hospital.Hutcheson Medical Center employees and dozens of North Georgia residents have formed Save Hutcheson, a community initiative designed to prevent the foreclosure of Hutcheson by the Erlanger Health System.
The group is encouraging members of the community to keep the hospital open by circulating petitions, going door-to-door, making phone calls, writing letters to the editor and emailing members of Erlanger's board of directors.
Hutcheson has struggled to pay its debts in recent years as physicians and patients have shifted to other hospitals.
Erlanger previously moved to revive Hutcheson with a $20 million loan and new management.
But Hutcheson terminated its management contract with Erlanger, and still owes more than $20 million on its loan, and another $40 million to other lenders.
Talks with Erlanger officials fell apart in June, leading to foreclosure proceedings.
Hutcheson serves more than 87,000 patients in the North Georgia area, according to a news release, and provides 900 local jobs.
"Besides eliminating quality local healthcare and critical daily emergency care for North Georgia citizens, Hutcheson's closing will terminate thousands of jobs and reap a devastating impact on our local economy," said Bebe Heiskell, Walker County's sole commissioner.
The three counties that own Hutcheson and secured the debt declined an Erlanger offer in June to waive a foreclosure requirement for debt recovery, Erlanger attorney Karen Bragman said in a 26-page court filing.
"Erlanger made plain it had no burning inclination to proceed with foreclosure," Bragman said. "Unfortunately, neither the counties nor (Hutcheson hospital) have signaled an inclination to accept Erlanger's offer."
Save Hutcheson is encouraging its members to attend three public hearings in support of the hospital, the first of which will be held on Nov. 11 at the Catoosa County Civic Center Auditorium.
"We've treated thousands of emergency patients whose lives were literally slipping away. If they had been forced to drive to a Chattanooga area hospital, they would not have survived," said Dr. Tim Ashburn, critical care pulmonologist at Hutcheson Medical Center. "If a local North Georgia resident needs urgent emergency care, Hutcheson is their quickest option and the best bet to save their life."
Stay with the Times Free Press for more on this developing story.