ONEIDA, Tenn. — The Big South Fork Medical Center in Oneida is telling ambulance drivers to bring patients to other hospitals, the mayor of Scott County confirmed to 10News.
The hospital has had issues with staffing and payroll in recent months. In a 10News investigation Tuesday night, the hospital’s former lab manager said staff was asked to work 24-hour shifts without pay and the hospital routinely ran out of supplies for critical lab tests.
“It’s the only thing we’ve got at this point,” Mayor Jeff Tibbles said of the county’s only hospital. “Keep your fingers crossed it gets back up and running.”
Tibbles said EMS staff told him Tuesday morning the hospital was “on diversion,” sending ambulances at least an hour away to hospitals as far as Knoxville.
10News has repeatedly asked for comment from Rennova, the financially-troubled company that runs the hospital, and Hal Leftwich, its local administrator. There has been no response. Tibbles said Leftwich has been personally driving patients’ lab samples to the company’s other hospital in Jellico for testing.
Rennova also owns the Jellico Community Hospital and now-closed Jamestown Regional Medical Center.