Community members will have the chance to voice their concerns about HCA Healthcare’s stewardship of Mission Hospital next month at two listening sessions hosted by an independent monitor.
The meetings, hosted by Dogwood Health Trust and Affiliated Monitors, Inc., come after federal authorities again placed Mission Hospital in “immediate jeopardy,” the most serious sanction a hospital can face.
Dogwood Health Trust CEO Susan Mims said feedback from community members “is essential to evaluating HCA’s compliance” with the commitments the health care giant made when it purchased the previously nonprofit Mission Health System in 2019.
“We are grateful for the community’s engagement throughout the year and to those who plan to attend the meetings in March,” Mims said in a statement Tuesday.
The Dogwood Health Trust is a foundation that was created when Nashville-based HCA purchased Mission Health System for $1.5 billion. The foundation hires an independent monitor that produces an annual report on HCA’s compliance with the terms of the purchase agreement.
The most recent report, released in July, highlighted ongoing issues with emergency and cancer care at Mission Hospital, among other problems.
Last month marked the third time in two years that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services placed Mission in “immediate jeopardy” status, which could lead it to lose vital federal funding if patient safety concerns aren’t addressed.
In an interview Tuesday, State Sen. Julie Mayfield said she welcomes the news of the meetings but added that the issues at Mission have become so dire that she thinks HCA CEO Sam Hazen should visit Asheville to hear from community members directly.
“We’re not just inviting him here to be yelled at, right?” Mayfield said. “We firmly believe we need his leadership and support for a collaborative effort that will improve things at the hospital.”
Mayfield is one of the leaders of Reclaim Healthcare WNC, a coalition that’s been urging HCA to sell the hospital to a nonprofit. The group has drawn attention to problems at Mission including alleged understaffing and deficiencies in the hospital’s discharge process. Ultimately, she said, patients’ lives are at stake.
“These are real people,” she told BPR. “I mean, these are real people who have families and children and spouses.”
An HCA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BPR.
Details on next month’s listening sessions are below:
Monday, March 9 (5:30 to 7 p.m.)
Transylvania County Library
Rogow Family Community Room
212 Gaston St., Brevard, NC 28712
Members of the public can click here to register to attend.
Tuesday, March 10 (5:30 to 7 p.m.)
Western Carolina University at Biltmore Park (livestreamed)
Room 346, 28 Schenck Pkwy., Asheville, NC 28803
Members of the public can click here to register to attend in-person and here to register to watch the livestream online.
The independent monitor is also scheduling one-on-one and small-group meetings to hear about community members’ experiences with HCA and the Mission Health System. Those interested can email Mission@AffiliatedMonitors.com for more details.
