Cumberland River Hospital in Celina, Tennessee, closed March 1, 2019, after owners could not find a buyer to keep it open. It has since been purchased and closed again.
Sixteen hospitals have closed in Tennessee since 2010, and the majority of them have been in rural parts of the state. While state Democrats blame the closures on Tennessee declining to expand Medicaid, WPLN healthcare reporter Blake Farmer says the reasons for the closures go beyond that.
“These hospitals were in pretty big trouble already,” Farmer said. “They’re facing the same challenges that rural communities are facing.”
Farmer joined This Is Nashville host Khalil Ekulona on Monday to explain why these closures still matter, despite them happening for years, and to share what’s next for rural counties without hospitals.
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