A plan by Hutcheson Medical Center officials to lease the hospital to Erlanger Health System has fallen through. Now officials say the North Georgia hospital will invite partnerships with other hospital systems.There was a round of applause June 27 when Chattanooga-based Erlanger Health System trustees announced their intention to lease Hutcheson Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe for 10 years, with two 10-year extensions.
The proposed lease died quietly Friday night — the deadline for the deal to be signed.
At 5 p.m., a handful of Hutcheson officials met for about an hour behind closed doors at the Fort Oglethorpe hospital.
Just after midnight Saturday, Waterhouse Public Relations, which was hired by Hutcheson, issued a three-sentence news release stating that Hutcheson will seek bids from others entities to run the hospital, which is owned by Catoosa, Walker and Dade counties.
Waterhouse spokeswoman Nathalie Strickland wouldn’t say Saturday afternoon exactly what killed the deal.