CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – TriStar Health says it has collected and submitted to the state over 20,000 signatures on its petition for a new hospital in Clarksville, along with over 1,500 letters of support.
TriStar and Ascension Saint Thomas have both announced plans to build full-service hospitals with ERs in Clarksville, pending the approval of state Certificates of Need (CON) by the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission in a hearing on Wednesday, July 23.
Ascension Saint Thomas (AST) didn’t provide a count for their letters, but they provided the state with 210 pages of letters of support, which they said represents only some of what’s been collected. “We have been humbled by the overwhelming support we have received from the Clarksville-Montgomery County community,” Sherri McKinney, AST spokesperson, told Clarksville Now.
Letters of support, opposition to hospitals
Among those sending letters was Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who backed both the AST and TriStar proposals. “Tennova Healthcare has been the only hospital in Montgomery County for years. I believe that the addition of Ascension St. Thomas and Tri Star Health would be great competition for Tennova while providing options and more healthcare choices for the residents of Montgomery County,” McNally wrote.
Tennova Healthcare-Clarksville submitted letters of objection to both hospital proposals, claiming that the hospitals are not needed, won’t stem “outmigration,” will increase costs to consumers, and will hinder Tennova’s efforts to hire and retain quality staff.
Other than Tennova, only one letter of opposition was filed with the state, from the National Nurses Organizing Committee. They filed a 1 1/2-page letter objecting to the AST proposal, claiming that “Ascension is a poor steward of growing communities. Time and again, Ascension hides behind its Catholic, non-profit status while providing substandard care,” the group said. Clarksville Now has reached out to AST for a response.
There were no letters of opposition to the TriStar proposal, other than from Tennova.
To get involved
The CON hearing will be on Wednesday, July 23, at 9 a.m. at 425 N. Representative John Lewis Way, Senate Hearing Room I, Cordell Hull State Legislative Building, Nashville. The meeting is open to the public, and decisions are expected during the meeting. Both TriStar and AST have announced transportation plans for those wishing to attend in support of the applications. The meeting will also be livestreamed at this site.
PREVIOUSLY:
- State records show arguments surrounding TriStar, Ascension Saint Thomas proposals
- Hospitals line up transportation to Nashville meeting, Tennova listed on agenda as ‘opposition’
- Tennova sends letters to state opposing Ascension Saint Thomas, TriStar hospitals in Clarksville
- How we got to Tennova: Clarksville’s hospital ownership history | ANALYSIS
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