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Health Facilities Commission approves Cookeville opiate treatment center despite local opposition
Summary
The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission approved Cedar Recovery’s application to establish a nonresidential substitution-based opiate addiction treatment center in Cookeville by a 6-2 vote after opposition from local officials, including county and state leaders.
The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission approved an application from Cedar Recovery of Middle Tennessee, LLC to establish a nonresidential substitution-based treatment center for opiate addiction in Cookeville (Putnam County) after a contested hearing on Aug. 28.
The commission voted 6-2 to grant the Certificate of Need (CN2405-014). Commissioners voting to approve were Johnny Lai, Tim Evans, Melanie Keller, Barbara Brennan, Lauren Legate and Jeremy Biggs; Nicole Sweitzer and James Wright voted to deny. The motion to approve was moved by Melanie Keller and seconded by Johnny Lai.
The application proposed a clinic site in Putnam County with a primary service area that included 12 Upper Cumberland counties. Speaking for the applicant were Jerry Taylor, Paul Trivette and Stephen Loyd, who presented the application materials to the commission. Opposition to the application was recorded from multiple local officials and residents; the transcript lists Senator Paul Bailey, Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter, District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, Putnam County Commissioner Ken Hall, Sheriff Eddie Farris and Putnam County Clerk Wayne Nabors among those opposing the proposal. Speaking on behalf of the opposition at the meeting were Randy Porter, Bryant Dunaway and Eddie Farris.
The record provided to the commission indicates estimated project cost of $2,505,702 and named the proposed clinic address as 1805 Burgess Falls Road, Cookeville. Commissioners discussed the application and public comment before taking the roll call vote. The transcript does not record verbatim quotes of the speakers’ testimony; the meeting minutes note the presence of organized local opposition but do not specify the precise grounds in the minutes beyond their opposition.
Under a change highlighted earlier in the meeting, Deputy Director Phillip Earhart explained that Public Chapter 557 amended TCA § 68-11-1616 so that detailed written factual and legal findings are required only when the commission denies an application; approvals may be recorded by motion. As a result, the commission’s approval of CN2405-014 was entered without a written findings narrative in the minutes.
The commission’s approval clears the applicant to proceed with state-level CON authorization; any additional licenses, local approvals or state regulatory steps required to open the clinic were not detailed in the meeting record. The meeting adjourned after the remaining agenda items were completed.
