Ballad Health announced they will rebuild the Unicoi County Hospital, outside Johnson City, Tennessee, that was flooded in 2024 during Hurricane Helene. During a dramatic rescue, a helicopter crew with Virginia State Police worked alongside the Tennessee National Guard. They saved over 50 people from the roof of the hospital, as floodwaters rose.
At a press conference Wednesday, Ballad Health Chief Operating Officer Eric Deaton recalled what it was like. “We really didn’t know what was going to happen to our team members,” Deaton said. “And so emotionally this means a lot. We’re very, very excited about this, we can rebuild this hospital. It meant so much to the community there.”
The former Unicoi hospital building will be demolished, and a nearly identical hospital will be built several miles away in the town of Unicoi.
The project will cost about $44 million, some of which will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Deaton said construction will begin next month and they hope to have the new hospital completed by the end of 2027.
