McDowell Hospital names new Volunteers and Services Excellence Director

Press release

From Mission Health

MARION, N.C. (September 19, 2013) – McDowell Hospital is pleased to announce Philip Long as its new Volunteers and Service Excellence Director. He has most recently served McDowell Hospital as Volunteer and Chaplaincy Coordinator.

“With Philip’s experience and commitment to providing the highest quality service to McDowell Hospital patients and their families, we are thrilled to promote him in this role” said Karen Moore, Vice President of Marketing and Community Relations for McDowell Hospital. “He has already implemented and developed several programs with local chaplains and volunteers that have increased our patient satisfaction and experience at McDowell Hospital.”

Prior to Mission Hospital, Long was an Associate Pastor at Burkemont Baptist Church, Morganton N.C., in the ministry areas of music and outreach. He has more than 27 years of working with volunteers as well as ministering in hospitals.

Originally from Tennessee, Long is a graduate of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas.

About McDowell Hospital
McDowell Hospital is a Joint Commission-accredited, not-for-profit hospital located in Marion, N.C. Established in 1908, the hospital is licensed for 65 beds and has about 440 employees, including 120 RNs. The hospital is supported by practice service lines that include: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Urology and Obstetrics & Gynecology. Currently five of its primary care practices have been recognized by CMS as Rural Health Clinics, and McDowell Hospital is developing an expanded primary care network for western North Carolina. McDowell Hospital is part of Mission Health, named in 2012 and 2013 as one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems by Thomson Reuters and Truven Health Analytics, respectively. Mission Health the only health system in North Carolina to receive this recognition. For more information, please visit mcdowellhospital.org.

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. 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.