Another Financial Hit for Linden

LINDEN — On the heels of losing the T-Bone Walker Blues Fest to Longview, the town of Linden is now taking another hit. It’s losing its hospital and its local drug store. The hospital is owned by Good Shepherd Health System and has been struggling to stay afloat since the company took over operations in 2006. It’ll close Wednesday, leaving its clinic in the dust. Town fathers managed to negotiate to keep that open. Linden Mayor Clarence Burns tells the Longview News-Journal that he feels the clinic is viable and makes money for Good Shepherd, and is badly needed in the community. The nearest emergency room and rehabilitation clinic is now a 15-minute drive into Atlanta.