The CEO of Ballad Health is endorsing Tennessee's plan to reopen the state in phases, saying the health system is ready to manage an expected surge in COVID-19 cases as restrictions are lifted, according to an April 21 article from WJHL.
Alan Levine, CEO of Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health, said the health system does expect an increase in COVID-19 cases as Gov. Bill Lee begins reopening the economy in the last week of April. Mr. Levine said Ballad has enough resources to handle an impending surge.
"I think he's trusting Tennesseans to make good, responsible decisions for their health and the health of the people around them," Mr. Levine told WJHL. "At the same time, he's saying that the economic health of our state is relevant. We do think it's reasonable to conclude that we're going to see a surge in volume and we're going to have to manage that."
Mr. Levine said if the surge does become overwhelming for Ballad, the health system will be transparent about resource strains.