Scott County Hospital in Oneida, Tenn., is slated to close next week since local officials declined a 60-day lease extension with Naples, Fla.-based Health Management Associates, according to a Knoxville News Sentinel report.
The county-owned hospital has been looking for a strategic partner or buyer since its former operator, Mercy Health Partners, announced in 2010 it would terminate its contract May 24. Health Management acquired Mercy Health Partners last October but still honored the lease termination.
Unable to find a partner, county officials said the only way to save the 25-bed hospital would be through a 37-cent property tax increase. The proposal did not sit well with Scott County residents, 17 percent of whom are unemployed —the highest rate in the state.
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The county-owned hospital has been looking for a strategic partner or buyer since its former operator, Mercy Health Partners, announced in 2010 it would terminate its contract May 24. Health Management acquired Mercy Health Partners last October but still honored the lease termination.
Unable to find a partner, county officials said the only way to save the 25-bed hospital would be through a 37-cent property tax increase. The proposal did not sit well with Scott County residents, 17 percent of whom are unemployed —the highest rate in the state.
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