28-03-2025
Ballad commits to build new Unicoi Co. Hospital
ERWIN, Tenn. (WJHL) – Sept. 27, 2024, was a fateful day that Unicoi County will never forget.
Hurricane Helene swept up the East Coast, depositing about 30 inches of rain in southern Appalachia that flooded many portions of Northeast Tennessee.
The floodwaters made their way to the town of Erwin and Ballad Health's Unicoi County Hospital.
Ballad Health Southern Region President Lisa Carter said it's a day that she'll never forget.
'For many of us, that was the hardest day of our health care career,' Carter said.
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The rushing and rising water forced dozens of patients and staff to make their way to the hospital's roof. This is where they'd remain stranded for hours.
Thankfully, every person stranded would be rescued by the help of the Tennessee National Guard, Virginia State Police, and others.
Six months on, the floodwaters are gone, but the remnants of what was the Unicoi County Hospital remain. Carter said the wheels are in motion to build a new hospital.
'Ballad Health is committed to that community,' Carter said. 'We're committed to rural health, and that is a very key piece of what we do in that community.'
Carter explained that Ballad is working to find the right location for a new hospital in the county. It's a project that's expected to cost roughly $50 million, but about a fifth of that has already been secured in state and federal dollars.
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No equipment from the former facility is salvageable. Demolition is the most likely fate of the facility, but Carter said that finding a new spot for a new hospital and building it is the top priority.
The Unicoi County Hospital was one of the newer facilities in the Ballad system. Carter said the plan is to provide the county with the absolute best.
'We want to make sure that we replicate that,' Carter said.
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