Carter County Moves Forward With Ballad Resolution Despite Threats
Image Credit: Carter County / YouTube
Tennessee Stands / Tri-Cities Coalition –
Sparks flew at the heated October 3rd Carter County Commission meeting where the Health and Welfare (HEW) committee discussed a resolution regarding the Ballad Healthcare Monopoly.
Sycamore Shoals, a Ballad hospital located in Carter County, recently lost their Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to financial decisions from the healthcare system, they had already lost the Progressive Care Unit (PCU).
One of the reasons the legislature gave necessitating the initial merger of the healthcare systems was so rural hospitals would not close, and yet they are closing piece by piece under the monopoly regardless.
Eight Commissioners from Carter County went to the Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) hearing to testify that they were given no notice they would be losing their ICU.
Commissioner Odom said “our birthing center was already taken away in 2012, you think we would’ve heard something about that.”
Odom said CEO Alan Levine visited their Commission meeting In April and did not mention a word of it, they heard about the closure on the news. She said “we were lied to in our town, we were never given a voice.”
Citizens went to thank the Commission at the September 18th commission meeting. Danielle Goodrich from Johnson City Freedom/Tennessee Stands asked them to take their bravery the next step and issue a vote of no confidence in the system or draft a resolution to the legislature asking for help.
Ashley Barnes, who had worked with Mountain States Health Alliance, said she began to have anxieties after Ballad Health took over in 2018.
She talked about how Ballad pays more for travel nurses than a “local experienced nurse,” and how hospitals are understaffed, which has increased wait times for patients. Barnes worked at Franklin Woods Hospital in Johnson City until 2021.
“It was always about the numbers looking good to them, even though they were not,” Barnes said.
She said she would travel 2-3 hours for health care rather than go to a Ballad facility.
Commissioners Angie Odom and Nancy Brown made a motion to have the county attorney draft a resolution to send to Nashville regarding Ballad Health issues.
The commission voted unanimously at the September meeting to draft a resolution.
Commissioner Nick Holder invited the citizens back to the HEW committee on October, 3rd to further discuss the resolution.
During the October 3rd meeting, Commissioner Holder expressed concern stating, “they were almost ready to take an ambulance from this county, because of that one meeting, it made them mad, luckily they changed, and that’s just one meeting, if we push this resolution through to Nashville, then what’s to keep them from making this a skeleton.”
Referring to the September 18th committee meeting, Holder suggested Ballad could retaliate against the commission’s unanimous vote with threats to revoke their ambulance grant. And that the next step would be to further downgrade the hospital.
Goodrich said, “The state would have to approve that, ” answering Holder’s concern about Ballad making a skeleton crew.
Holder said, “Look how powerful Ballad is,” suggesting they could convince the state to do it.
Goodrich in her public comment referred to the commission purportedly being called “radicals” for taking a stand against Ballad. Goodrich said “it isn’t radical to do what’s right, it is slavish and absurd not to.” Referencing the Tennessee Constitution Article 1 Section 2.
She reiterated that refusing to do what is right out of fear as Holder suggested was “slavish and absurd.”
In her statement she also referenced rumors that Holder was going to be abstaining from the vote, and she encouraged him not to.
Dani Cook, long time advocate against the Ballad monopoly, came and spoke listing statistics on the deplorable health of Carter County suggesting Ballad hasn’t done them any favors.
When Holder brought up that the county had been threatened, Cook responded that it is illegal for an entity to threaten the commission and that the threats should be investigated.
Holder reiterated the fear that they would close the hospital just leaving an ER. Holder suggested the resolution would do nothing of benefit.
Goodrich countered they have three options:
1. Have the surrounding commissions go to the FTC and discuss how the FTCs concerns on the merger have been realized and at what point will they unwind the monopoly.
2. Have the surrounding commissions meet with TN Health Commissioner Alvarado and explore what the wind out process would look like and openly discuss options.
3. Have the legislature meet with Alvarado and explore what the wind out process would look like or show that there is now support for immediate repeal of Certificate of Need which would restore choice to the market suggesting you can’t have free people without a free market.
Several legislators like Representative John B. Holsclaw, Representative Timothy Hill and Representative Bud Hulsey already issued their support of the commission in emails and letters. While others, like Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, instead commiserated with Ballad’s statement regarding nursing shortages.
Dani Cook said it isn’t like it was before where people were warning of the harms of a monopoly. She said these concerns have been realized now and it is time to make it right.
Commissioner Odom reprimanded Chair Holder for debating with the audience and called the meeting back to order.
Commissioner Odom suggested that they can’t be afraid, they need to do what is right. She said, ”this is that moment.”
Odom brought up the fact they already lost the birthing center and how sad is it that babies aren’t being born in Carter County anymore. That their healthcare was getting worse, not better. That it was moving backwards, not forwards.
Odom said to Holder, “bringing up the ambulance, when you do work for EMS, right? As Chair that is improper, that is inappropriate to bring up, and to negotiate with the audience.”
CEO Alan Levine made a statement, “Odom has never spoken with Ballad Health, and has never taken an interest in learning the facts.”
Odom said she has met with Ballad including Dwayne Taylor CEO of Sycamore Shoals, Eric Deaton and Lisa Carter.
Despite Holder’s concerns and vote to abstain, the rest of the HEW committee moved forward with the resolution.
The full Commission will vote on whether to send the resolution to the state on October 23rd at 6pm. The commission is asking for as many Tennesseans as possible in the Ballad areas to pack out that meeting and show their support of these efforts.
The testimony on the COPA hearing can be read HERE.
Carter County Committee Advances Resolution Critical of Ballad Health
Holder mentions the ambulance and talks to the audience roughly at the 38 minute mark in the video below:
Why in the world did the politicians approve a Ballad Health Care Monopoly in the first place ?
Common sense tells you that when you allow monopolies to rule you stifle best practices and encourage corruption because there is less competition . Less choice means less freedom . Duh !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was Approved because Rusty Crowe was getting paid by out tax dollars and Ballad health conflict of interest corruption.