seeweed,
It was the "not for profit" hospital that lawyered up and tried to prevent the new hospital from being built. Meanwhile, the "for profit" entitity is paying taxes to the local government, and operating in the black, while trying to build something that will benefit the whole community. When the whole thing started RegionalCare attempted to buy HKH and form a single entity that would be a regional healthcare center built on the TVA property. They offered HKH about $35M more than the total debt on the hospital, so the community would have seen a $35M profit and the hospital built on the south side of the river. Instead HKH and the BoD went to bed with HH and took a $10M line of credit and gave HH first right of refusal if they decided to sale. They continue to fight a battle to keep ECM from building a new hospital north of the river to replace the 60 year old facility (even if it is licensed for 350 beds and now approved for 280). The current suit is to prevent ANY hospital from being built if you read the court documents. Now they have filed a suit against a local doctor who moved his practice after his contract was up.
It is not a challenge of the 280 beds, it is a challenge to everything. I used to support HKH's endeavors, but this is total lunacy, and I hope it falls flat on its face.
The people of Colbert county deserve better than what they are getting and what being told. There was much more to the proposed composition of the the two (three when you count Shoals Hospital) entities but it is not worth getting into it here.
Needless to say if the City of Sheffield can spend money putting a lighted sign on the river, and support attempting to stop the building of the hospital, they have plenty of money to go around. hell, put up three or four more signs, it's just money