CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – TriStar Health says it has collected and submitted to the state over 20,000 signatures on its petition for a new hospital in Clarksville, along with over 1,500 letters of support.
TriStar and Ascension Saint Thomas have both announced plans to build full-service hospitals with ERs in Clarksville, pending the approval of state Certificates of Need (CON) by the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission in a hearing on Wednesday, July 23.
Ascension Saint Thomas (AST) didn’t provide a count for their letters, but they provided the state with 210 pages of letters of support, which they said represents only some of what’s been collected. “We have been humbled by the overwhelming support we have received from the Clarksville-Montgomery County community,” Sherri McKinney, AST spokesperson, told Clarksville Now.
Letters of support, opposition to hospitals
Among those sending letters was Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who backed both the AST and TriStar proposals. “Tennova Healthcare has been the only hospital in Montgomery County for years. I believe that the addition of Ascension St. Thomas and Tri Star Health would be great competition for Tennova while providing options and more healthcare choices for the residents of Montgomery County,” McNally wrote…