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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Ballad Health say to the patient? You're in good hands, we've got a healthy grip.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ballad Health
FormerlyWellmont Health Systems/Mountain States Health Alliance
IndustryHealth care
Founded2018
Headquarters408 N State of Franklin Rd., Johnson City, Tennessee,
United States
Area served
Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky
Number of employees
13,800[1]
Websitewww.balladhealth.org

Ballad Health is a chain of hospitals headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee.[2] It includes 20 hospitals, including Niswonger Children's Hospital and Woodridge Psychiatric Hospital, and numerous outpatient facilities in Tennessee and Virginia including urgent care centers and primary care locations.[3] They operate a blood bank named Marsh Regional Blood Center.[4] The healthcare system's website states that its service area includes 29 counties, some of which are in Kentucky and North Carolina.[5]

In 2018 Ballad was formed through a Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) by the State of Tennessee (and a Cooperative Agreement in Virginia) which allowed for the merger of Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System.[6] The Federal Trade Commission opposed the merger.[7]

Under the COPA, Ballad has closed or converted several rural facilities with approval from the Tennessee and Virginia departments of health.[8] Some community members and local officials have expressed concerns about the consolidation of facilities.[9] In December 2025, S&P Global revised Ballad Health's credit outlook to positive.[10]

History

[edit]

Ballad Health was created in 2018 when Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health Systems agreed to merge together through the issuance of a certificate of public advantage (COPA) in Tennessee and a cooperative agreement in Virginia.[11]

Lee County Community Hospital, which had closed in 2013, was reopened by Ballad Health in July 2021.[12]

Dennis Barry, a monitor for the Southwest Virginia Health Authority, stated that the Ballad merger may have prevented many Virginians from losing health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

In 2022, Ballad Health launched a virtual urgent care option.[14]

Ballad Health reported a $40 million net operating loss for discal year 2023, its first annual operating loss since the merger.[15]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Miller, Nic (February 18, 2022). "Ballad Health announces many initiatives to keep employees after vaccine mandate". www.elizabethton.com.
  2. ↑ Floyd, David (April 25, 2021). "Ballad Health keeps eyes on mission during pandemic". Johnson City Press. Retrieved December 20, 2021. 303 Med Tech Parkway - The address is in Johnson City.
  3. ↑ Porter-Nichols, Stephanie (February 6, 2023). "Urgent care clinic at Marion hospital reopens". SWVA Today. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  4. ↑ Smith, Josh (August 17, 2018). "Ballad chooses Marsh Regional Blood Center as exclusive blood supplier". WJHL. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  5. ↑ "About Us". Ballad Health. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  6. ↑ "COPA & Cooperative Agreement | Ballad Health". www.balladhealth.org. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Tennessee Department of Health Certificate of Public Advantage". www.tn.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  8. ↑ Writer, Eugenia Estes Staff (March 20, 2021). "New Strong Futures Program To Be Housed On Greeneville West Campus". Greeneville Publishing Company. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  9. ↑ Kelman, Brett (December 6, 2024). "Six years into an Appalachia hospital monopoly, patients are fearful and furious". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  10. ↑ jmazur@sixriversmedia.com, JOY MAZUR (December 9, 2025). "S&P rates Ballad Health credit outlook positively". Johnson City Press. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  11. ↑ "COPA & Cooperative Agreement | Ballad Health". www.balladhealth.org. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  12. ↑ Keeling, Jeff (March 12, 2021). "Consultant to Va. oversight board: Without merger savings, Lee Co. Community Hospital may not have reopened". WJHL. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  13. ↑ Rife, Luanne (March 11, 2021). "Without Ballad merger, monitor says Virginians could have lost health care when they needed it most". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  14. ↑ Keeling, Jeff (November 16, 2022). "Get 'seen' from home: Ballad rolls out virtual urgent care option". WJHL. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Ballad operating loss $40 million for fiscal year '23". WJHL. August 16, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ballad_Health&oldid=1373902288"