Coronavirus / COVID-19 Check here for the latest information, visitor restrictions & FAQs.
About Coronavirus Disease 2019
Schedule COVID-19 testing online
Just select “COVID-related visit” and follow the steps to find a testing location near you.
Or call 833-822-5523 to be screened. This Ballad Health Nurse Connect line is active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can also use this Coronavirus Screening Tool to help determine if you or a loved one need to seek medical care.
New visitation guidelines are being implemented at all Ballad Health hospitals, ERs, long-term care, outpatient clinics and other facilities to help contain COVID-19 and protect our patients and team members.
Also, when visiting a Ballad Health facility where visitation is allowed, please wear a mask or face covering. Read more here.
COVID-19 scorecard
The COVID-19 daily scorecard shows several key data measures for Ballad Health’s 21-county service area, such as:
Read the COVID-19 scorecard for the Appalachian Highlands [PDF] region.
Physical distancing scorecard
Ballad Health is now producing a regular report on the effectiveness of physical distancing efforts in the Appalachian Highlands.
Learn more about the physical distancing scorecard.
Following Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s address to the people of Tennessee, Ballad Health has issued a statement:
“With coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases reaching deadly highs in the Appalachian Highlands, Ballad Health applauds the governor for communicating the gravity of the situation for Tennessee families, and for taking steps that have been shown to help mitigate the spread of what is a deadly and harmful virus.
Effective Monday, Dec. 7, Ballad Health will postpone all elective and non-emergent surgeries, including already-scheduled procedures.
This is a necessary move to preserve much-needed space and staffing due to the high volume of COVID-19 inpatients currently being treated and even higher inpatient volumes anticipated by year end if the current pandemic trend continues.
To determine which procedures are classified as non-emergent, we will follow the Elective Surgery Acuity Scale (ESAS), which was developed by St. Louis University and is recommended by the American College of Surgeons as hospitals and health systems respond to challenges posed by COVID-19.
Elective procedures will be paused for at least the next 30 days. At that point, we will reassess the pandemic’s spread and our staffing and resource capacity.
As of Friday, Oct. 23, 22 team members and six patients have tested positive for COVID-19. Positive team members are in isolation at their homes, and the affected patients have been isolated in a designated, closed COVID-19 unit within the facility. To date, the cases have been contained to a single progressive care unit at the hospital.
Alan Levine, Ballad Health’s chairman and CEO, said caution is especially warranted now, during vacation season and as the Fourth of July holiday approaches. More than half of the new COVID-19 cases at Ballad Health have been related to travel, and popular vacation spots such as Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Florida are reporting enormous spikes in COVID-19 cases.
Large gatherings, including family events, parties and community functions, have an inherently higher risk of COVID-19 transmission. Ballad Health leaders emphasize an increased need for masking, hand hygiene and physical distancing in these instances. Read more about these continued COVID-19 risks.
Ballad Health has created a public service announcement (PSA)-style campaign materials for rural, not-for-profit and non-profit hospitals and health systems to download and customize – at no charge.
Read more about the campaign here. Or request the materials for download.
You can find more regional COVID-19 updates here.
Find COVID-19 resources from the CDC, the states of Tennessee and Virginia, and other sources for more information.