HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) -- Sumner County will be down a health clinic for the foreseeable future.
The county closed their Hendersonville office on Monday, citing a lack of air conditioning.
Sumner County officials said this sudden closure was done for the health and safety of patients and staff in this extreme summer heat. The plan now is to expedite the building of a new facility at its current location, using approved grant funding.
Going forward, patients of Hendersonville’s health center will have to go to Gallatin for services, roughly 10 miles away. While replacing the HVAC unit was considered, it was ultimately decided to be too costly, according to Sumner County Mayor John Isbell.
Isbell said the county is in the “final stages” of fully renovating the building, with demolition likely coming in the next four to five months.
“It is visited pretty frequently, so I do understand that it’s going to be an inconvenience for the citizens of Hendersonville and the surrounding areas,” Isbell told News 2 over the phone on Tuesday, July 9. “We’re doing our very best to get the project moving as quickly as possible, and I just couldn’t justify spending taxpayer dollars to upgrade that air, knowing that we’re going to be (demolishing) it here pretty soon.”
Isbell said he does not have any “grave concerns” about Hendersonville residents needing to travel to Gallatin for care. He added that the office is now fully equipped to handle patients from both communities.
According to Isbell. the next step of this rebuild project is approval from Hendersonville’s planning commission.