Hospital Closure May Hinder Economic Development

The closing of Celina’s Cumberland River Hospital may hinder economic development in Clay County.

That according to Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kevin Donaldson.

“We have had a good local hospital for well over a good half century now,” Donaldson said. “And that is part of any pitch that we might make in terms of attracting both people or businesses and industries. So it will be doubly difficult to do that without a good local hospital.”

Donaldson said the local healthcare helped bring in retirees and employers.

“In terms of retirees, it could make a difference. You know, one of the biggest concerns among retirees, obviously, is access to good healthcare, which we have had here for that half century,” Donaldson said. “We hate to think that we might lose some folks as a result of that but I don’t think we can rule it out.”

The county experienced a record-breaking year for tourism in 2018. Donaldson said they may not know the exact effect the hospital will make on tourism this year.

“I’m not really sure what effect it may have on tourism. I don’t know if we can measure that yet,” Donaldson said. “But in various conversations with folks here, we have come to the conclusion that the hospital closure will affect us in ways that we haven’t really even thought about yet.”

Donaldson said he and other members of the community hope to find resolutions to combat possible economic effects of the hospital closing.

Cumberland River Hospital permanently closed its doors on March 1, due to insufficient revenue and financial losses.

The Cookeville Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees will hold a special called meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Cumberland River Hospital.