Parkway will stop operating inpatient and emergency department services on March 31, 2015. Next fall, Hillview Clinic will be relocated to South Fulton, TN, where a new facility is being built for primary care, diagnostic services as well as a convenient care clinic.
According to figures provided by the hospital, the decline in community population and changes in inpatient admission guidelines have caused a 50 percent drop in patients admitted 1400 in 2010 to about 700 this year. Emergency room visits have declined as well, from a high of 6,000 in 2012 to about 5,300 this year.
John Ballard, Parkway's chief executive officer said, “These are challenging times for all hospitals and we must evolve and adjust to new realities. Maintaining a full-service hospital for the current demand from acute and emergency patients is not sustainable.”
Hospital officials said work will be done to retain as many employees as possible and to redeploy others to positions at Volunteer Community Hospital in Martin, TN or other regional hospitals.
