On June 14, 2025, a Knoxville-area assisted living facility experienced an unexpected disruption in care. Approximately 5 to 10 residents might have needed placement at other facilities, making it important to quickly identify available beds.
The Knox/East Tennessee Healthcare Coalition (KETHC) sent a regional alert through ReadyOp to long-term care and assisted living partners. Facilities received the request by text, voice, and email and were asked to report potential bed availability through an electronic form.
Within hours, multiple facilities responded with possible capacity. KETHC also coordinated with partners through the Healthcare Resource Tracking System (HRTS) and stayed in contact with the requesting facility, emergency management, and regional partners as the situation developed.
The facility ultimately resolved the immediate situation without relocating residents, and KETHC sent a stand-down notification to participating partners. The response showed that coalition members were ready to help if placements became necessary.
The event also identified ways to strengthen future responses, including more timely bed availability reporting, better geographic targeting of urgent requests, and continued outreach and training with long-term care and assisted living partners. It was a practical example of how an established regional network can act quickly to support vulnerable residents.