Have you been considering relocating to the Asheville area or somewhere in the western North Carolina region? Perhaps you've looked at communities like The Ramble, Biltmore Lake, Robinson Creek - all in Asheville or The Settings of Black Mountain just east of Asheville or Kenmure in Hendersonville, which is 20 minutes south of Asheville.
If part of your mission when searching for a retirement or second home is to ensure access to premier health care, then mark "mission accomplished" if you decide to live in the Asheville, North Carolina area. Whether it's the very latest treatment for cancer or the newest form of yoga, you'll find it at one of the five hospitals that comprise the Mission Health network in western North Carolina. And that's not just our opinion; it's backed by the string of national accolades it's been receiving in recent years - including medicine's version of the Oscar.
In 2012, the not-for-profit Mission Health system - based in Asheville, NC - was named one of the nation's Top 15 Health Systems by the prestigious Thomson Reuters - a rating that came after extensive analysis of every facet of its services. To put that in perspective, Mission Health was the only health system in North Carolina to received the honor. When you consider that North Carolina's also home to Duke, University of North Carolina and other internationally known medical schools, that's quite an honor.
Earlier in 2012, US News - citing statistics from the American Hospital Association - said Mission "performed nearly at the level of nationally ranked U.S. News Best Hospitals in 9 adult specialties." And in January 2013, Mission Health received its eighth consecutive Consumer Choice Award from the National Research Corporation. Also, the prestigious Becker's Hospital Review's 2012 List of "100 Hospital and Health System CMOs to Know" includes executives from such acclaimed medical centers as Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Scripps Health in San Diego, Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, and (you guessed it) Mission Health.
But
Mission Health hasn't rested on its accolades. In recent years, it has
added new treatment centers, expanded its diagnostic capabilities, and
even new hospitals to its network. In addition to Mission Hospital in
Asheville, there's Angel Medical Center in Franklin, Blue Ridge Regional
Hospital in Spruce Pine, McDowell Hospital in Marion and Transylvania
Regional Hospital in Brevard. And in January 2013, the Rutherford (NC)
Regional Health System took the first step toward joining Mission
Health. Like officials at McDowell Hospital, board members of
Rutherford Health signed on because, by design, Mission Health allows
member facilities to "maintain a strong, long-term voice in the
strategic direction of the health system," according to the agreement
they signed. Mission's own "mission" statement states that member
hospitals must be "governed by volunteer boards of directors
representing the communities they serve." Mission Health has even moved
many Asheville administrative offices to satellite locations to make
room for more new treatments and new services.Although it calls the mountains home, we're not talking "hillbilly health" here. In addition to the more traditional cancer, neurosciences, cardiac, trauma and other modalities, at Mission Health you'll find a wide range of new services, such as physicians working alongside musical therapists or acupuncturists. And you'll find classes on weight management and diabetes control as well as massage, yoga and tai chi instructors. It's all part of the new effort to integrate alternative medicine into Mission's -- er, mission. Mission explains it this way: "We bring together the best practices of complementary and Western medicine to maximize the body's innate potential for self-healing for the whole person; Body, mind and spirit... We see firsthand how therapies such as healing touch can help patients recover faster and feel better when experiencing potentially stressful procedures such ... undergoing intensive chemotherapy." Mission also works with "Paws On A Mission," which offers weekly visits to patients by trained volunteer teams (human and canine).
Another new Mission Health offering is its Adult Medicine practice, which specializes in adult and geriatric care. At its new facility, which opened in November 2012, physicians are "able to diagnose, treat and manage diseases and conditions that require a special approach for older adults," according to a Mission press release. “Our philosophy is that age is not defined by the number of years you have lived but rather defined as to the age at which you function – mind, body and spirit,” said Ellen Marie Kaczmarek, a physician at Mission Adult Medicine. “It is critical to provide services specialized to adults and even more important that we engage them earlier in their own health so that they may live long and healthy lives.”
And, perhaps under the category of "If you can't come to us, we'll come to you"... another new service is making "science fiction" science fact: In January 2013, Mission Health's TeleStroke program conducted its 100th remote consultation. Using a robot in Angel Medical Center in Franklin, NC, a neurologist was able to successfully treat a stroke patient 70 miles away. Here's how it works: A robot wheels itself to a patient's bedside, then its video screen lets the patient and physician to talk in real time. The robot then displays test images so the doctor and the patient can review results simultaneously and collaborate with local staff on a recommended treatment plan. Dr. Alex Schneider, medical director of the Mission Hospital Stroke Program, said that, "By using the TeleStroke program, we are typically saving one hour of brain time for these patients, which ultimately improves their long-term prognoses."
Also in January, another new service called "Telehealth" successfully performed its first remote genetic screening. Via 2-way audio/video conferencing, two patients at Rutherford Regional Medical Center were connected to specialists at Mission's Fullerton Genetics Center, some 60 miles distant. Jamie Ingraham, Rutherford's cancer outreach program manager, said, “We have a great need for genetic counseling in our community as we often screen for hereditary cancers, such as breast and ovarian cancers. The Telehealth service is very convenient for patients, allowing them to experience face-to-face meetings with a genetic counselor without having to travel.”
Mission Health Systems is unique in North Carolina in many ways, but one that surprises many people is that it operates the only hospital in the Asheville, NC, region. That's because the state legislature approved what's called a Certificate of Public Advantage - provided Mission doesn't stray from its mission of remaining a not-for-profit network, that it's overseen by local residents, and that it is scrutinized yearly by the state, and by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Mission Hospital is also obligated to financially support a myriad of outreach programs, including the local school nurse program and school-based clinics in both Asheville and Buncombe County schools, as well as pediatric dental care for low-income children in the region, and community-based medical clinics.
In addition to Mission Hospital and Mission Children's Hospital, others in the network offer a full range of medical services:
- Transylvania Regional Hospital, located between Brevard, NC, and Pisgah National Forest, is a 84-bed facility with more than 120 active, consulting and courtesy physicians representing a full spectrum of specialties. It joined the network in 2010.
- McDowell Hospital, which is in Marikon, NC, is licensed for 65 beds, and has nearly 450 employees, including 120 registered nurses.
- Blue Ridge Regional Hospital served the needs of many High Country residents; located in Spruce Pine, its combination of technology and roots serves Mitchell, Yancey, lower Avery and upper McDowell counties in North Carolina.
- Angel Medical Center in Franklin, NC, is a full service, nonprofit, critical access hospital with an 80-member medical staff. Its newest service is a digital mammography system allowing us to more readily spot abnormalities and diagnose breast cancer in its earliest stages.
