NEWSCHANNEL5

Cumberland River Hospital in Celina has closed its doors for good, leaving residents in one Tennessee county with no emergency room. It’s just one hospital that’s part of a troubling state-wide trend.

Back in January, the owners of Cumberland River Hospital in Celina told the community there they’d be closing. It’s part of a disturbing, sometimes deadly trend that is happening from Memphis to Johnson city.

First responders took a moment to thank the staff there Friday.

A total of 140 people in Clay County lost their jobs in the shutdown. Cumberland River Hospital had 25 beds in it.

While it was not a very large hospital, it was a lifeline for residents in that rural community. Now when there’s an emergency the closest ER is about 20 miles away.

The City of Cookeville actually owns the facility. It’s a subsidiary of Cookeville Regional. On the phone Friday, the mayor there called this a worst case scenario. And he is incredibly worried about what this will mean for some of his sickest residents.

State wide, in the last few years, nearly nine hospital have suffered the same fate as Cumberland River.

Several lawmakers have called on Governor Lee to do something to help these struggling rural hospitals. So far, he hasn’t responded to the requests.