Among a handful of city recreation sites updated with 2016 bond money, Murphy-Oakley Park’s playground relaunched in late June with an adaptive design and equipment that’s accessible to residents of all abilities.
Mission CEO Chad Patrick out in ‘restructuring’ effort, replaced by HCA North Carolina president Greg Lowe
The move comes just months after the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services found Mission Hospital to be in immediate jeopardy, the most serious sanction a hospital can receive.
Animal bites should be treated ‘like a car accident,’ says health department
Experts share the procedure for getting post-exposure prophylaxis after an animal bite, indicators that an animal might have rabies and what to know about bats in your house.
From CPP: Nurses strike vote passes at Mission Hospital with 97% in favor
This vote has the potential to give the union much more leverage in its negotiations with HCA, the Tennessee-based for-profit hospital chain that acquired the hospital’s parent company, Mission Health, in 2019.
Human donor milk program expands to Sylva
Pasteurized human donor milk can help bridge the gap until a mother’s milk supply comes in and promote longer breastfeeding.
Life lessons from creatives on navigating disappointments
Asheville-area artists hear “no” on a regular basis, yet develop the grit and determination to keep going.
WNC grapples with Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Since January of this year, Buncombe County has received 104 reports of Lyme, says Buncombe County spokesperson Stacey Wood. Of those, 19 have been confirmed cases, five met the definition for suspect or probable cases and 23 are currently under investigation.
Hundreds rally at to support nurses in contract battle
The rally was part of a push from the union to pressure HCA, a for-profit that purchased Mission in 2019, for better working conditions. The event was the latest in a long line of actions by local and state officials against the company.
New independent monitor finds HCA in potential noncompliance with Mission asset purchase agreement
The 32-page report from Boston-based Affiliated Monitors Inc. detailed three areas where in 2023 HCA potentially did not honor commitments it made five years ago as part of the Asset Purchase Agreement.
Lack of swimming lesson options leaves Asheville parents frustrated
Many Asheville parents say they have trouble finding swimming lessons for their children, especially in the winter months.
The Porchlight Project offers safe haven for abuse survivors
“The reason that we ask businesses to be involved is because [going to these places] is sometimes the only opportunity that people have to speak at all about what’s happening at home,” says Caitrin Doyle of Helpmate.
From CPP: Transylvania health care woes. Leaders voice frustration with HCA hospital management in NC mountain community.
A new independent monitor, selected by Dogwood Health Trust to gauge the communities’ opinions of HCA and the company’s ongoing compliance with the terms of its acquisition of the Asheville-based Mission Health chain, is already losing the trust of Brevard’s leadership.
The many tells of problem gambling
Josh Hampton spoke with Xpress about the symptoms of problem gambling, new legislation in North Carolina legalizing mobile sports betting and a new Gamblers Anonymous support group beginning soon in Asheville.
AdventHealth, Novant Health, Mission again vie for hospital bed expansion
A public hearing will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 19 in the Ferguson Auditorium of AB-Tech Community College, 340 Victoria Road in Asheville.
Veterans find healing by working with horses
The equine-human bond underpins U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jake LaRue’s own healing journey. Working with horses and other veterans “is what keeps me sane,” he says.
From CPP: Future of Mission Health could hinge on what happens over the next month
The deadline for Dogwood Health Trust to deliver its opinion to the N.C. Attorney General’s office about whether HCA breached its Asset Purchase Agreement is fast approaching. And just one week remains until the contract expiration date of Mission Health’s nurses.
Longer growing seasons mean more allergy issues for WNC
Asheville-area health professionals are seeing itchy, sniffling allergy sufferers up to nine months of the year.
Panel discussion addresses history of harm reduction in Asheville
“I was brought to a room at one point as a county employee, with major county and city staff, and basically told to shut up,” Amy Upham, who worked as opioid response coordinator for Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services (BCDHHS) from 2019-21, told an audience at Pack Memorial Library last week.
Wellness roundup: Whooping cough cases rise in Buncombe County
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a bacterial infection that affects the respiratory tract. Symptoms begin with a mild cough that worsens into severe coughing fits, which can lead to vomiting in young children.
Report, conference address Buncombe’s aging population
By 2041, it is predicted that adults ages 65 and older will comprise one-quarter of Buncombe County’s population.
Mission’s urology services loses physicians; Asheville Urological Associates gives up privileges there
Mission Hospital faces an exodus of urologists, and five physicians from a local urology group refuse to practice at the HCA Healthcare-owned hospital, potentially reducing the number of specialists in the system to two by summer.