Mission-HCA Deal

The groundbreaking on a new Angel Medical Center in Franklin has some local leaders applauding HCA for following through on a promise it made when it purchased Mission Health.

Macon County Commissioner Gary Shields was among the crowd for the groundbreaking on a windy afternoon in Franklin.

“When you enhance your health services you help everybody – and that’s what we are looking for,” said Shields.

Dogwood Health Trust, the foundation created to disburse the profits of the sale of Mission Health, is required to host an annual public meeting. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic the meeting was hosted via Zoom this week.  

About 600 people virtually attended Dogwood Health Trust's first annual public meeting. 

Janice Brumit, chair of the Dogwood board, reports the foundation has given out about $40 million in total across the 18-county region it covers including the Qualla Boundary.

  The closure of several labor and delivery units at hospitals across Western North Carolina means more mothers and their doctors are planning births differently.  

Dr. Suzanne Dixon has been an OBGYN with the Mountain Area Health Education Center for about 8 years. Most of the time she works in Asheville but she spends 2 days a week in Franklin at Mission Women’s Care. 

 “I’ve been the only one doing the women’s work at that practice,” says Dixon. 

  The sale of the Mission Health System means more than $1-billion in proceeds would be awarded to groups in Western North Carolina through grants.  The first grant applications are now being accepted by one legacy foundation of its hospitals. BPR attended one of the workshops for the grant in Cashier.