Last week it was announced that the Northwest Regional Hospital in Rome would be closing, displacing about 700 employees.  Concern has been expressed about the number of patients with mental illness that might be displaced as well. 

State Representative Barbara Massey Reece along with other lawmakers from Floyd County met with Governor Nathan Deal on Thursday to discuss the hospital closure.

Representative Reece said, "The Floyd County delegation met with the Governor today. It still appears that plans to close Northwest Regional Hospital will proceed, but the closure may be delayed to fall. Also, the Gov assured us that it would not close until adequate community services were open for patients. A variety of state resources such as Dept of Economic Development, Community Affairs, and Labor will be assisting employees with job placement."