Press release

ARDEN, N.C. (Nov. 9, 2012) – Mission Health is pleased to announce the addition of Javier Licon, PA, to its primary care network. Licon joins Mission Health after serving as a primary care provider for adolescent and adult patients in Wilson, N.C. He will join Mission Health’s six Arden-based physicians located at 2585 Hendersonville Road.

Licon completed the physician assistant program and a masters of health sciences at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. He received his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona.

“The addition of a physician assistant, especially with Javier’s outstanding credentials, reflects a direct response to our underserved region’s needs,” said Marc B. Westle, DO, FACP, Mission Health’s senior vice president of innovation. “From the diverse experiences of our world-class providers, we know the addition of a physician assistant will only enhance the continuum of care already offered by our physicians, nurses and clinical pharmacist.”

“It is exciting to join an outstanding team of dedicated caregivers,” said Licon. “As a provider of quality care close to home, we must work together with our patients to achieve the common goal of maintaining or returning to good health. I look forward to guiding my patients’ understanding of their condition so together we can make decisions to improve their well-being”

Having begun his career as a primary care provider in eastern North Carolina, Licon has special professional interests in adult and adolescent medicine, including working with Spanish-speaking families.

For more information about Licon, visit http://missionmd.org/primarycare or call (828) 687-8647.

About Mission Health

Mission Health, based in Asheville, N.C., is the state’s sixth-largest health system and the region’s only not-for-profit, independent community hospital system governed and managed exclusively in western North Carolina. In 2012 Mission Health was named one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems by Thomson Reuters – the only health system in North Carolina to receive this recognition.

Mission Health, which traces its roots in the region back to 1885, operates five hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, and the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. Its medical staff consists of more than 1,000 physicians and is certified in over 50 medical specialties and sub-specialties. Mission Health has seven Centers of Excellence: Cancer, Heart, Mission Children’s Hospital, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Trauma and Women’s Health. Mission Hospital, located in Asheville, is the system’s flagship hospital and is licensed for 730 beds. It is the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care and is the busiest surgical hospital in North Carolina. It also includes Mission Children’s Hospital– the region’s only children’s hospital. Other Mission Health member hospitals include Angel Medical Center in Franklin, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, McDowell Hospital in Marion and Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard. With approximately 8,800 employees and 700 volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina.