Memphis, Tenn.-based Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation is struggling to receive approval for a $10 million emergency department in Arlington, Tenn., according to a Memphis Daily News report.
In August, Tennessee state officials denied the health system's application for a full-service, 24/7 satellite ED. This request was denied after the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency rejected a similar request by Baptist in April.
Baptist planned for the standalone facility to include eight treatment rooms and provide emergency diagnostic and treatment services. The proposal intended for the Arlington ED to take pressure off Baptist's main ED at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis, citing several recent hospital closures in the area as evidence to build a new facility.
Earlier this year, a resolution by Arlington's mayor and aldermen supported Baptist's proposal, noting Arlington's location in the northeast corner of Shelby County, Tenn., makes it more isolated in relation to established medical facilities.
Sen. Dolores Gresham, R-Tenn., drafted a letter in opposition to Baptist's plan, where she expressed concern that the proposed Arlington ED may cause confusion in her district. Patients "might go to [Baptist's ED in Arlington] when [they] really need to be in a hospital ED," Ms. Gresham wrote. "On the other hand, when they could be treated in a doctor's office, they might be tempted to go to the [Baptist ED] and incur hundreds of dollars in additional co-pays with no additional benefits."
State officials will hear an appeal filed by Baptist for the denied ED application in late summer.