Victoria Urological Associates joins Mission Health

Press release

From Mission Health

Victoria Urological Associates Joins Mission Health Family
Affiliation to Expand Care in Western North Carolina

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 1, 2012) – Mission Health is pleased to announce its affiliation with Victoria Urological Associates, a four-physician urology practice located in Asheville, N.C. This affiliation will expand the practice’s ability to provide high quality urological services to the broader universe of Mission Health patients. It will also provide Mission Health with more direct access to urology specialists and further its objective of providing a full range of high quality care to the people of western North Carolina.

The physicians comprising Victoria Urological Associates are Kenny L. Simpkins, MD, Karen R. Frye, MD, Scott M. Sech, MD and Brian L. Cohen, MD, MPH. All of these physicians are certified by the American Board of Urology. In addition to its physicians, Victoria Urological Associates has approximately 20 other staff that assist in the delivery of specialty urological services.

“Our affiliation with Mission Health will allow growth in new and improved programs to address all of the urological needs of our patients,” said Kenny L. Simpkins, MD. “In particular, this collaboration will provide additional resources for us to serve western North Carolina and expand with our growing patient base.”

“The physicians at Victoria Urological Associates take great pride in adhering to best practices and providing world-class healthcare to their patients,” said Trent Ibbotson, MHA, MBA and Vice President of Operations at Mission Health. “These values align directly with Mission Health’s vision to provide exceptional healthcare to the community of western North Carolina.”

As a specialty urology practice, Victoria Urological Associates treats medical and surgical conditions of the male and female urinary tract and the male reproductive system. These include benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), bladder issues, impotence, incontinence and urological malignancies (i.e. prostate, bladder and renal cell cancers). The physicians also perform vasectomies and a broad array of urological surgical procedures, including laparosopic and robotic surgery.

Victoria Urological Associates will continue to operate at its current office building located at 100 Victoria Road in Asheville. For more information about Victoria Urological Associates, visit www.victoriaurological.com.

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.