July 2, 2020–5:49 a.m.
STAFF REPORTS
The Georgia Department of Community Health has again denied a bid from Floyd Medical Center to offer open-heart surgery.
Floyd President and CEO Kurt Stuenkel issued a statement Wednesday in response to the decision.
It read:
“We are disappointed by the ruling made by the Commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Community Health. We believe in the merits of our application for a Certificate of Need. Disparities of care exist and Floyd showed them. There remain avenues for appeal so we will consider our next steps in this process. In the meantime, we will continue to build upon the programs we already have in place to serve everyone in our community, particularly those who experience the disparities we identified.”
Redmond Regional Medical Center has been the sole provider of open heart surgery in Rome for over 30 years.
Redmond CEO John Quinlivan said of the DCH decision:
“We appreciate the thoughtful review by the Department of Community Health and believe this is the right decision for our community. We remain committed to offering a high-quality, accessible open-heart surgery program to all of Floyd County’s residents.”