Public Invited To Give Input On Proposed Hospital Merger

NASHVILLE –  The Tennessee Department of Health will hold three public hearings in Northeast Tennessee as part of the Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) process for the proposed merger of Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System.

“These hearings are an opportunity for Tennesseans to weigh in on the future of health care in our state,” Dreyzehner said. “A proposed merger of systems in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia is precedent setting and is a big decision for our state.  It’s the department’s responsibility by law to ensure the proposal would meet a clear and convincing standard to provide a public benefit to the citizens of this region and ultimately all of Tennessee.”

The public hearing schedule includes meetings in Kingsport, Nashville, Bristol and Johnson City:

Thursday, September 1

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. EDT

Kingsport Renaissance Center, Room 310

1200 East Center Street

Kingsport, TN 37660

 

Thursday, September 29

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. CDT

William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower, Tennessee Room

312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue

Nashville, TN 37243

 

Thursday, October 6

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. EDT

Slater Center Auditorium

325 McDowell Street

Bristol, TN 37620

The public hearing in Johnson City will be held after the COPA application is deemed complete to fulfill state law.  That date is currently to be determined. For citizens who are not able to attend any of the hearings but want to give input on the proposed merger, they can do so online by visiting http://tn.gov/health/article/certificate-of-public-advantage-how-to-comment.

The department is currently working with Mountain States and Wellmont along with the attorney general’s office to acquire all of the necessary information as required by law to complete the COPA application for review and evaluation.  Also as part of the COPA process, the department is determining what a detailed index should look like in providing the preventative approach and healthier outcomes the COPA will require.

“This COPA process is important for the citizens of Tennessee, and the department is working diligently to fulfill its responsibilities in a timely manner and to be responsive and transparent throughout this complex process,” Dreyzehner continued. 

In the spring of 2015, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation that amended Tennessee’s COPA law to allow hospital mergers, which included establishing the department’s role of evaluating and acting on the COPA application as well as establishing the benchmarks the new entity would have to meet to establish clear and convincing evidence of public benefit to the citizens of the region. 

A timeline of the process to date is available on TDH’s website at http://tn.gov/health/article/certificate-of-public-advantage-application-proceedings.  

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. TDH has facilities in all 95 counties and provides direct services for more than one in five Tennesseans annually as well as indirect services for everyone in the state, including emergency response to health threats, licensure of health professionals, regulation of health care facilities and inspection of food service establishments. Learn more about TDH services and programs at www.tn.gov/health.