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Commissioners raise concerns about Prisma signage; mayor says Blount Memorial name will appear on future signs
Summary
Several commissioners asked the mayor about temporary and billboard signage carrying the Prisma Health name. The mayor said future signs that include Prisma will also include Blount Memorial Hospital's logo, and staff had discussed the matter with hospital leadership.
Several commissioners raised concerns about recently installed signage that uses the Prisma Health brand in the county, and sought assurance that Blount Memorial Hospital's name would continue to appear on local signage.
Commissioner Aykred said constituents had asked why some new signs read "Prisma Health" without including Blount Memorial Hospital, noting prior commitments that the Blount Memorial name would remain on local signage. The mayor replied that the sign at East Tennessee Medical Center was a temporary sign and that he had discussed sign language with Jonathan Smith at Blount Memorial Hospital.
"He has assured me that, on any location where . . . there's any Prisma name, the partnership still shows that it is Prisma and Blount Memorial that will be identified on the signs," Mayor Jonathan Smith said. The mayor said staff requested that any permanent signage including Prisma also include the Blount Memorial logo going forward.
Commissioner Bledsoe noted a highway billboard reading "Blount Memorial Hospital is now part of Prisma Health" and said the phrasing gave the wrong impression about which organization was primary in the local arrangement. The mayor acknowledged the concern and said county officials had requested that the Blount Memorial name be paired with Prisma on signage.
No formal action was taken; the mayor described the issue as settled by a verbal assurance that future permanent signs will include Blount Memorial Hospital identification.
