Mission Health closes on land purchase in Haywood County

Here’s the press release from Mission Health:

Future facility will bring enhanced services to Haywood and adjacent counties
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 15, 2014) – As part of Mission Health’s long-standing commitment to serving patients close to home, the health system today closed on the purchase of a 23-acre parcel of land located at 368 Hospital Drive in Clyde adjacent to Mission’s existing building and next to Tuscola High School.

Mission Health conducted an extensive study of primary care and specialty physician access in the 18-county region that it serves, and found a clear need for expanded care in Haywood County, a community that many Mission Health staff have lived in and supported for decades.  In addition, Mission Health also appreciates the strong preference that many Haywood County residents have for Mission Health’s care.  As the region’s only locally owned, locally governed non-profit healthcare system and one of the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals and Top 15 Health Systems – Mission Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality, most effective care close to where people live and work.

The site will be home to Mission Health’s fourth My Care Plus location and the first in Haywood County, and will include a significant expansion of primary care providers as well as specialty and ancillary services.

“Mission Health is developing extensive capabilities to improve the health of the population of western North Carolina,” said Ronald A. Paulus, MD, President and CEO of Mission Health. “The nearly 60,000 residents of Haywood County already understand Mission’s unrelenting commitment to quality and our focus on local access, but we know that not all patients who desire Mission care can access it easily there.  Our new, state-of-the-art facility will be readily accessible and build upon strong traditional clinical care with an added focus on health and wellness.  The site will include dedicated physicians and clinical staff, as well as, significant telemedicine capabilities that will help avoid the need to travel to Asheville for even some of the most complex care.”

Mission Health has had a small outpatient center in Haywood County for several years, led by David Mulholland, MD, currently offering primary care, and limited imaging, lab and specialty care services.  Dr. Mulholland, who was recently recognized by the community as the Best Doctor in Haywood County, will be moving to the new site.  “It’s wonderful to see the next stage of evolution for primary and specialty care in Haywood County with this announcement,” said Dr. Mulholland, of Haywood Family Medicine. “Mission Health has a proven winner with its My Care Plus outpatient care model, and I’m delighted that expanded services will soon be available in a convenient location right here in Haywood.”

Plans for the newly acquired land include construction of a new medical office building that will house expanded primary care, expanded specialty care, expanded imaging and lab services along with new virtual care capabilities in an approximately 30,000-square-foot building located in a beautiful, healing setting, with convenient access for local residents.  The project will create important jobs for the Haywood County community, both via the construction project and for ongoing clinical services.

About Mission Health

Mission Health, based in Asheville, North Carolina, 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. Mission Health has been recognized as one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems 2012-2014 by Truven Health Analytics, formerly Thomson Reuters. Mission Health is the only medium-sized health system to receive this recognition three years in a row, and the only health system in North Carolina to achieve that distinction.

Mission Health, which traces its roots in the region back to 1885, operates six hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, post-acute care provider CarePartners, and the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. Its medical staff consists of more than 1,000 physicians and is certified in more than 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 795 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, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital in Highlands, McDowell Hospital in Marion and Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard. With approximately 10,600 employees and 2,000 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 or @MissionHealthNC.