Ahava Healthcare

About 200 Ballad staff were offered Ahava jobs with comparable pay and service credit for PTO, short-term disability, and FMLA. Kingsport’s cost of living runs about 14% below the national level, Tennessee takes no state income tax, and it is a compact-license state. Citywide commutes average around 16 minutes; many nurses live downtown, in Bloomingdale or Colonial Heights, or drive about 20–25 minutes to Johnson City or Bristol when they want a wider social scene. The harder part of the picture is culture and retention. Former staff across Tennessee and Alabama Ahava sites have described hostile or toxic culture, admin gossip, and little backup for coworkers or residents. Glassdoor sits near 2.4/5 with roughly 13% willing to recommend, and work-life and pay scores are weak. A Clarksville Ahava facility showed about 54% total staff turnover and 50% RN turnover. That is the tradeoff you are actually deciding on.