Ballad Health announced the opening of a 24-hour Advanced Urgent Care clinic in Erwin, Tennessee, to address access issues after flooding overtook a local hospital during Hurricane Helene, according to WJHL. On September 27, more than 50 workers and patients fled to the roof of Unicoi County Hospital for an emergency evaluation where first-responder rescue helicopters transported everyone to safety as flood waters encroached on the building. Since then, the hospital has been closed indefinitely. Staffing at the new urgent care includes clinicians from the Unicoi County Hospital, according to updates from Ballad Health.
Returning to service: Ballad hospitals in 3 other locations are fully operational, and another healthcare center that had suspended operations reopened last week. The system serves 29 counties in 4 states with 20 hospitals and more than 200 outpatient locations, mostly in rural Appalachian areas.