Sequatchie County officials are working to ensure that residents won’t experience any gap in emergency coverage following news that the county’s only emergency department will become an urgent care clinic at the end of August.
“Our community can’t go on without a 24-hour ER,” said County Executive Michael Hudson on Thursday. “We are working around the clock to replace that ER care that we’re losing. … We have roughly six weeks to get someone in there.”
Sequatchie County leaders already met this week with Erlanger hospital officials about the possibility of Erlanger taking over the lease for the North Valley Medical Plaza in Dunlap, Tenn., and continuing emergency services at the facility.
The facility, a stand-alone emergency department with some outpatient services and an air medical helipad, is currently operated by Grandview Medical Center in Jasper. Grandview has leased the building from Sequatchie County, which owns the building, for about 15 years.
If it closes, the nearest emergency department for Sequatchie County residents would be Grandview’s in Jasper or Erlanger Bledsoe’s in Pikeville.