Decatur County, Tenn.—The only hospital in Decatur County will be closing its doors in the next few months.
The Decatur County Commissioners voted 12-6 Tuesday night in favor of closing the hospital.
The commissioners met in special session that was called by Decatur County Mayor Mike Creasy, who told commissioners the hospital is costing the county some $200,000 a month to stay open. Creasy told the county commission that estimates for the next fiscal year show the hospital losses over $2.3 million.
Creasy has posted a video on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mike.creasy.3/videos/1689378784417090/. In the video, he explains the county’s dilemma and encourages the community to ask him questions about the hospital situation.
Decatur County now joins a growing list of rural Tennessee hospitals which are closing. It will be the 10th hospital in the state to close since 2012.
Decatur County commissioners said the community still will have EMS, but the ambulance workers workload will now double.
County officials have not set a timeline for closure of the hospital. The closest hospitals are in Benton and Henderson Counties.
