JELLICO, Tenn. — According to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Jellico Regional Hospital was found to be in immediate jeopardy and will close at 7 a.m. on March 9.
Jellico City Attorney Elizabeth Burrell said that a closure plan is currently being drafted by the relevant stakeholders. The current patients are being diverted "effective immediately" due to the impending closure.
According to CMS, the main points of immediate jeopardy are noncompliance and its likelihood of creating serious harm or death to patients with the immediate action being a response to stop injuries from occurring or recurring.
CMS has created a template for surveyors to adhere to in order to properly assess risk levels within the hospitals. This template includes things such as abuse, quality of care and infection control.
Burrell said that the nearest emergency rooms to Jellico Regional Hospital are Baptist Health in Kentucky or Lafollette Medical Center.
The hospital had previously closed down in 2021 after the city council voted to kick out the operator, Rennova Health. In response to the closing in 2021, hospital employees said the company was routinely late making payroll and allowed hospital supplies to dwindle to dangerous levels.
The city of Jellico will once again have to travel at least 30 minutes to the nearest emergency room.