Clay County finalized the purchase of the former Walgreens building, clearing a major hurdle in efforts to establish a local emergency room or urgent care facility.
Clay County Mayor Greg Brannon said the county completed the purchase this week using a $1 million donation from Sumner County resident Randy Smith. Officials are now pursuing rural health grants to purchase medical equipment while seeking an established hospital to operate the facility.
“There’s a lot of rural health grants out there right now,” Brannon said, “And we’re kind of getting in the game early as far as the stand-alone emergency rooms that are out in the counties, so I think we can, we’ll probably get something accomplished with this grant deal.”
Brannon said the county learned Thursday of a potential grant opportunity that could help purchase expensive diagnostic equipment, including X-ray and CAT scan machines. Officials have not determined how much funding might be available or whether a county match would be required.
Brannon said discussions with Livingston Regional Hospital remain active, although Brannon said administrators are consulting with officials within the hospital’s larger network about the financial feasibility of the project. Renovation and equipment costs remain the primary obstacles to reaching an agreement.
“They think once we get it open, the money’s there and it’d be feasible to do it,” Brannon said. “But until we’re able to figure out what the finances are going to be on the, getting the interior of the building established the way it needs to be for a medical center and figuring out what the cost of the equipment in there and after that, then I think the ball will start rolling a little faster.”
Brannon said securing a hospital partnership would allow the county to work with an established provider on facility design, equipment needs and Medicare and Medicaid licensing. He said several healthcare professionals who live in Clay County but work elsewhere have already expressed interest in working at the proposed facility.
Brannon said restoring local healthcare access could also strengthen economic development efforts and attract retirees interested in living near Dale Hollow Lake.
“Without the healthcare facility, we can’t recruit industry to come here,” Brannon said. “We can’t recruit people that are retired that want to maybe move around Dale Hollow Lake; you know, they they may be a little reserved to move here if there’s no healthcare.”
Brannon said Smith unexpectedly offered to fund the purchase during a meeting with county officials and Livingston Regional representatives. Smith, who owns farmland in Clay County, required that the county purchase the former Walgreens property, retain ownership and use it for healthcare purposes.
Brannon also credited former Clay County Mayor Dale Reagan with beginning efforts to address the county’s healthcare needs before leaving office. Discussions about expanding medical services and establishing a hospital partnership began during Reagan’s administration.