Cumberland River Hospital closed in March 2019 due to financial challenges. About five months later, Johnny Presley, a physician assistant, acquired the rural hospital. He reopened the facility April 18 after buying new equipment and supplies and securing a Medicare provider number.
Mr. Presley said reopening the hospital was not an easy process. “It’s been like swimming up river the whole time,” he told the Herald-Citizen.
Now that the hospital is open, there are more challenges to overcome.
“Staffing is always a concern, especially in rural areas,” Mr. Presley told the Herald-Citizen. “As we ramp up and start having more and more patients, we’re going to have to hire more and more staff.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven the cost of certain supplies much higher, which is a major concern for Mr. Presley.
“The cost of supplies have gone up tenfold,” he told the Herald-Citizen. “Unless the government steps in and bails out hospitals in general, I don’t see how any facility overcomes this.”
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