Loan, grant applications submitted to reopen only Cuthbert hospital

CUTHBERT, Ga. (WTVM) - Multiple loan and grant applications have been submitted to reopen the one and only hospital in Randolph County. Financial trouble caused Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center to close its doors when the pandemic hit.

Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff has played a key role in helping provide critical care to the rural community of Cuthbert. Senator Ossoff’s office has applied for 25 million dollars of congressional funding. The Randolph County Hospital Authority has also applied for USDA grants and loans.

The group plans to demolish the old hospital building, adding a new emergency room and 5-bed hospital in its place. Chairman of the Randolph County Hospital Authority, Steve Whatley, says the entire project will cost anywhere from 22 to 23 million dollars.

“It’s been devastating. There’s no doubt about that. And it’s put tremendous pressure on our emergency room response team -- our EMS -- because they have to transport everybody,” said Whatley. “Every case that they have transport is now an out of town case and it’s either to Blakely, Eufaula, Columbus or Albany.”

Whatley says they may receive a response to their application for congressional funds sometime this month. He says if the Hospital Authority receives funding they need, the new hospital could be built within a year.

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