PICKENS COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) – Pickens County Hospital is in the news again, two days before the largest town hall meeting since the hospital closed several years ago. Reopening the emergency room has been an ongoing battle ever since.
The town hall meeting will take place Thursday evening at 6 p.m. at the USDA Service Center. Carrolton Mayor Mickey Walker says more than 20 elected officials are expected to attend and that citizens from across Pickens County will have the opportunity to ask the tough questions.
The hospital closed in 2020 after funding dried up.
“We have to get this done. We will continue to push to get the emergency room open,” said Mayor Walker.
Open the door, because according to the mayor, at least ten people have died who he believes would have had a real chance of being alive today. One woman died last year in front of Carrolton City Hall, and just a few weeks ago another died a few steps from the front door.
Anyone currently in need of emergency care must either drive to Columbus, Mississippi, or Northport, which is 30 minutes away in either direction. Wasted trips, a waste of valuable time, said the mayor.
“We need to think about this because where we are now, we can’t get anything done. If we have to build a new facility, let’s build a new facility,” said Mayor Walker.
Mayor Walker says Thursday night’s town hall meeting will be an opportunity for people to ask some tough questions: Why is reopening the emergency room a huge struggle? What is the problem? What revenue streams are there to get the reopening done? The mayor has said all along that it would take at least $10 million.
“Go from beginning to end. We have informed the hospital administration…Shawn McDaniel. He will be there and give a Powerpoint presentation from the hospital closure to today,” said Mayor Walker.
Mayor Walker says federal lawmakers are expected to send representatives. Two weeks ago, Congresswoman Terri Sewell said this was an ongoing effort to get reopening.
“We are still working with the people of Pickens County to find ways to reopen the hospital or establish an emergency critical care center. It is a sad commentary to see rural hospitals closing across the state,” said Mayor Walker.
Reopening the emergency room is Mayor Mickey Walker’s top priority, no matter how long it takes.
This meeting also begins on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. The mayor wants it to be civilized, but encourages people to ask the difficult questions. He does not expect a solution to be found that evening.
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