Press release

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 1, 2013) – Mission Children’s Sylva and Mission Children’s Bryson City opened today to provide comprehensive pediatric care to the westernmost counties of North Carolina. Formerly known as Sylva Pediatrics, the renamed practices in Sylva and Bryson City will now operate under the umbrella of Mission Children’s Hospital to deliver the same high quality pediatric care provided by the original physicians along with access to the specialized services of a world-class health system.

“This collaboration will enable us to enhance our continuum of care and integrate with a health system marked by quality and patient focus,” said Penny O’Neill, MD, Pediatrician at Mission Children’s Sylva. “With the support of Mission Health, we can now focus even more of our time, attention and resources on our patients and their loved ones. We will continue our focus on delivering the best possible pediatric care to our patients, close to home.”

Mission Health has been working with the former pediatric centers to make the transition smooth for its physicians and staff and to prevent any disruption in services to the patients. Mission Children’s Sylva and Mission Children’s Bryson City will operate at the same addresses and locations as the former Sylva Pediatrics centers in Sylva and Bryson City, which have served the region for more than 30 years.

“Our patients will continue to receive the same high quality healthcare they have come to know and expect from these dedicated physicians,” said Susan Mims, MD, Vice President and Medical Director of Mission Children’s Hospital. “They will also gain the support of specialties available only at a regional children’s hospital. Our physicians are subspecialists with advanced medical training in specific childhood diseases, disorders and conditions. They are committed to providing clinically excellent, personalized, family- centered care for newborns, infants, children and adolescents, and the families who love them. We are pleased to bring this specialized care to local, convenient settings right here in western North Carolina.”

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. For more information, please visit mission-health.org.