As cases of COVID-19 continue to increase in Tennessee, Clay and Fentress county residents are still without a hospital.

Celina’s Cumberland River Hospital closed in March 2019, following years of declining revenue. New owner Johnny Presley said he had hoped to reopen the facility by the end of 2019, but has run into slow response from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for getting a Medicare certification number and red tape that has prevented Cumberland River from reopening.

Presley has tried to reach out to state legislators about reopening the facility to expand Tennessee’s hospital bed capacity.

“I’ve been reaching out to the State to see what we can do about opening this up. We have most of the equipment we would need. I’ve suggested transferring medically stable patients, that have tested negative for COVID-19, to Cumberland River Hospital,” Presley said.

“The big problem is funding. I’ve been to three different banks, and all three have turned us down for USDA funds. Basically, due to rural hospital closures, they’re saying the hospital is not financially stable enough, and we can’t get funding,” he said.

COVID-19 cases have continued to rise in Tennessee, reaching 784 cases as of March 25, with three deaths and 53 hospitalizations. Clay and Fentress counties have yet to have a confirmed case, but Presley worries it could be too late.

“I’m worried we already have cases embedded, but don’t have the testing capacity,” Presley said. “It could be saturated in every county.”

Presley owns clinics in the Jamestown area and made an offer to purchase Jamestown Regional Medical Center from its current ownership group after buying Cumberland River Hospital. JRMC closed in May following a lack of supplies and loss of Medicaid and Medicare funding.

During a press conference two weeks ago, Dr. Lisa Piercey said there is a tiered approach that state officials are taking as to expanding bed capacity of hospitals in the event of an overflow, and that closed hospitals in rural areas could become an option.