Residents weigh in on hospitals efforts to come to Bradley County being denied

Two hospitals were hoping to build new facilities in Bradley County.

Residents I spoke with are hoping to find out more about why the two hospitals were denied.

Most of them are travelling further away for routine check ups and in times of medical emergencies.

Erlanger and Tennova presented their case for new medical facilities in Bradley County.

Erlanger was hoping to place an ER, Trauma center and cath lab in the area. However, they were denied with Tennova at the Certificate of Need hearing in Nashville.

Savannah Cabrera says, “I want a better hospital.”

Cabrera says with her heart conditions she’s had to make the trip to Chattanooga more often than she would like.

That’s why she says she is making a plea for the board to re-evaluate their decision after spending time in the community.

Cabrera believes, “If I have one of my heart issues that I have and I have to drive 30 minutes away, I might as well just drive into a tree.”

Tennova officials say “Though disappointed in the outcome, we respect the decision of Health Services Development Agency’s board.

Amanda Waldron, a mother in Bradley County says she’s also had to make the 30 minute trip to other hospitals when time was not on their side.

Waldron says, “It’s just very stressful going to this hospital up here. Everybody has their own story of why they were unsatisfied with service. Stories of you not getting proper care.I recently had an experience with my son where his heart was really elevated… 250 bpm and my instinct was to automatically drive to Chattanooga and it’s a very long distance so it would be very comforting to know we had a choice in this area so that we can go to more than one.”

Choices that many we spoke with believe are limited right now.

“We have a voice too. It’s not just the state, it’s not the board, it’s everybody in Bradley County. We all have a voice. We want to be heard.”

Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis says “Each facility presented their case… Their proposals were heard and carefully considered. I accept this decision and look forward to working with any hospital to continue to improve our community from within.”

Cabrera expressed problems with Tennova saying, “I’ve been makes diagnosed about two or three times.”

She says, “Something minor I will not go. I will go to Erlanger quicker than I will up here to Tennova or Die Ridge” and “I want better doctors that will actually sit down to all the symptoms that you have.”

Tennova’s full statement from Coleman Foss, CEO Tennova Healthcare Cleveland read, “Though disappointed in the outcome, we respect the decision of Health Services Development Agency’s board. We have a long-standing history of providing quality care to our community and will always to work to be the provider of choice for local residents. We will continue to focus on the development of access points to ensure the community has convenient access to care through the development of urgent care centers or other provider locations. We are proud to serve our growing community, and we remain committed to providing high quality healthcare close to home.”