From a Mission Health press release:
Mission Palliative Care created for new services
Asheville, N.C. (March 10, 2015) – Mission Health is pleased to announce the implementation of Mission Palliative Care, located at Mission Hospital. Joining Mission Palliative Care are David Farley, MD, Kristin Forner, MD, Caroline K. Knox, MD, David Troxler, MD, Jeffrey A. Walker, MD, Sandra N. Whitlock, MD, and physician assistants Dawn M. Garwood and Belinda Ordonez. John Morris, MD will serve as Medical Director.
“It is truly exciting for us to be introducing the new Mission Palliative Care team,” said Angie Wills, Vice President, Clinical Programs, Mission Health, and Interim Vice President, Mission Medical Associates Operations. “This medical specialty team focuses on the quality of life for those with serious and chronic illnesses, as well as having the assured continuum of care needed.”
The Mission Palliative Care team is also comprised of dedicated nurses and social work staff, and works collaboratively with Mission Hospital chaplains. Palliative care is a specialized form of care for those with serious illnesses. This specific care focuses on reducing pain and other stressful symptoms to improve quality of life for the patient and the family.
“Palliative care provides an additional layer of support to help with sharing information and offering guidance regarding complex medical decisions. This care can be provided at the same time as other curative treatment,” said Dr. Morris, Medical Director, Mission Palliative Care. “Our Palliative Care team collaborates with Mission Hospital chaplains to provide spiritual support to our patients and families to help them with the stress often associated with a serious illness.”
Mission Hospital and the Mission Palliative Care team are located at 509 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801. To request a consult with the Mission Palliative Care team for a patient admitted to Mission Hospital, call (828) 213-4642.
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, long-term acute care provider Asheville Specialty Hospital 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.
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