As bond election approaches, hospital leaders say new facility will directly impact local access to specialty care
As the May 2025 bond election for a new Huntsville Memorial Hospital (HMH) approaches, a growing conversation is emerging around how a modern healthcare facility will directly impact the hospital’s ability to recruit and retain specialists and physicians in Walker County.
Lane Aiena, MD, a local physician and member of the Walker County Hospital District Board of Managers, has experienced the challenge firsthand. “Recruiting physicians to an aging facility has been incredibly difficult,” Dr. Aiena said. “Many talented doctors come to town, fall in love with our community and its history—but once they see our nearly 50-year-old facility, they’re no longer interested. The building becomes a deal breaker.”
That struggle to attract new providers has limited growth in specialty care. HMH CEO Patrick Shannon pointed to the hospital’s ongoing five-year effort to recruit an additional OB/GYN—a role that remains unfilled. “We’ve talked to many excellent candidates,” said Shannon. “But physicians know that mothers want to deliver in a newer, sleeker, more comfortable facility. As long as patients are traveling south for care, it can be difficult for specialists to build a practice here. While some would enjoy a small town way of life, the time it would take to build a practice with an aging facility is a game changer.”
The consequences reach beyond OB/GYN. Without updated facilities, it becomes more difficult to expand access to other essential services like cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, and advanced imaging—forcing residents to drive elsewhere for treatment that should be available close to home.
When asked whether building a new hospital would truly help with recruitment, Shannon pointed to recent local success: “When the medical office complex behind the hospital—what many refer to as the ‘copper tops’—was built, our average daily census was between 15 and 18 patients. Today, that number is 50 to 60 patients daily. That kind of growth proves that when you invest in modern infrastructure, providers come, patients stay, and care improves for everyone.”
Shannon said that a new facility will not only help recruit physicians but will also provide the kind of modern, functional environment that supports higher quality outcomes, better patient experiences, and increased financial sustainability through local care delivery.
The HMH bond election will take place on Saturday, May 3, 2025, with early voting running from April 22–29 (closed on weekend). Voters are being asked to consider a bond that would fund the construction of a new hospital to replace the current aging facility, originally built in the 1970s.
For full details about the bond proposal and future plans, visit huntsvillememorial.com.
Additional updates and opportunities to get involved are available at yournewhospital.com, the site managed by TORCH Alliance for Rural Healthcare – Huntsville, a citizen-led PAC chaired by former county judge Danny and Cindy Pierce, with Bill Green, former Huntsville mayor and retired economics professor, serving as treasurer.
