Ballad Health breaks ground on new Unicoi County Hospital

Ballad Health held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for the new Unicoi County Hospital in Unicoi, Tennessee. The project aims to restore high-quality inpatient care to the area nearly two years after Hurricane Helene destroyed the community’s previous hospital through catastrophic flooding.

The new facility will be built on a 15-acre plot in the Town of Unicoi and is expected to open in 2028. The ceremony was attended by local, regional, and state leaders, including Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and members of the Tennessee General Assembly.

Ballad Health officials stated that replacing the hospital has been a priority since the original facility was evacuated due to the hurricane. The project is described as a collaborative effort between community partners, local officials, and state leadership to ensure residents have access to essential medical services close to home.