AdventHealth, a nonprofit health care system based in Altamonte Springs, Fla, announced April 21 that it is planning to submit a certificate of need application with the state to fill 67 beds in Buncombe County

In addition, Nashville-based, for-profit HCA Healthcare, which now owns Mission Health Care serving Asheville and surrounding Buncombe County, also is planning to submit a certificate of need application to fill 67 beds in Buncombe, Greenville, S.C.-based WMYA My TV 40 reported April 21.

“The county needs that many beds by 2024, according to the 2022 North Carolina State Medical Facilities plan,” Becker’s Hospital Review reported.

AdventHealth’s website said its application will be submitted June 15. Its facility would have 67 patient rooms, labor and delivery care with a cesarean section operating room, surgery services, an emergency department, diagnostic imaging and lab services.

“A new AdventHealth hospital in the Asheville area would mean additional access and choice for high-quality healthcare close to home,” AdventHealth Hendersonville said in an April 20 Facebook post.

HCA, which owns Mission Hospital  (licensed for 763 beds) in Asheville, also confirmed its plan to submit an application to MY40.

Mission Health, based in Asheville, is the state’s sixth-largest health system, serving much of Western North Carolina. It is WNC’s largest employer. Mission Health operates six acute care 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. Mission Health has approximately 12,000 employees.

“The need for additional beds in this region was created by the demand for Mission Hospital’s advanced services and our region’s projected growth,” Nancy Lindell, division director of public and media relations for HCA and Mission Health, was quoted as saying by WMYA.

In an April 22 telephone interview with the Daily Planet, Victoria Dunkle, communications and public relations director at AdventHealth Henderonville, said, “This is one of the most exciting times for AdventHealth. We do health care differently.”

When pressed by the Daily Planet on whether AdventHealth has a specific location in mind for a new AdventHealth hospital in Asheville or surrounding Buncombe, Dunkle laughed and said, “We’re (only) in the early phases of the application process.... The final location will be in the application.” She then reiterated that “June 15 is the deadline for filing it.”

If approved, the new AdventHealth hospital in the Asheville area would nclude labor.delivery, C-section (Cesarean delivery), emergency department and other services, Dunkle told the Daily Planet.

She added, “We’re going to need (many) skilled service-providers... At this point in time, we don’t have a set number. We’re excited, though.”

Dunkle then asserted, “Competition is what we’ve been hearing from people. This is what they want.” She said AdventHealth officials have had many conversations with Asheville-area residents about needing to open up health care to competition within the city. 

“Specifically, people in the Asheville and Buncombe County area — they want the opportunity to have more control of the health care outcomes....They just want more competition....”

If and when the state approves AdventHealth’s certificate of need application to serve the Asheville area with a new hospital, Dunkle said, “The Hendersonville location (of AdventHealth, with its hospital facility) — and the nearly 40 AdventHealth locations across Western North Carolina — won’t change... We’re just expanding that access of not-for-profit health care — to deliver whole-person care,” referring to body, mind and spirit.

So, given AdventHealth’s Christian orientiation will health care and employment be available to non-Christians? the Daily Planet asked.

“We have people coming to us for care (and jobs) from all types of backgrounds — religious and non-religious,” Dunkle replied. “The fact is that we have a healing ministry for Christ. You can look at the historical account of what Jesus did for people on earth. We healed — and He helped and He loved people.

“We’ve had great response to the announcement (of AdventHealth’s application for a certificate of need to build and open an Asheville-area hospital) from people who are patients and from those who are the hospital there.”

Dunkle reiterated that “AdventHealth is known for providing that ‘whole-person’ care. We have an incredible ‘team-member promise’ ... of feeling whole in the workplace and in their personal lives.”

After a pause, she added, “I work for an incredible company that values people.”

Further, Dunkle asserted, “As a non-forprofit hospital, we still earn money. The difference is how we use the money. We have the opportunity to reinvest that (surplus revenue) in the community. Last year alone, we donated more $37 million to community benefits in Western North Carolina.

“As for how AdventHealth announced it, we shared this announcement on our social media (posted on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linked-in) on April 20.

“To be honest, it’s very early in this and we know we won’t be the only one to apply for this.

“Nobody else has applied to our knowledge had applied, based on reports that I heard yesterday from other media sources.”

How does she see Mission as a competitor? the Daily Planet asked.

Instead of addressing the issue of Mission Hospital as a competitor issue, Dunkle extolled the virtues of care at AdventHealth. “This opportunity to expand to the whole person care — it allows us to have an enhanced opportunity for providing enhanced care to the commuity,” she noted.

“It expands the opportunity for the people who say they want to have choices.

“We’re talking about better health care resources and better health care access.”

Meanwhile, the Asheville Citizen Times reported on April 21 that “HCA’s revenue in 2021 was more than $58.7 billion, according to company reports, which included profits of nearly $7 billion.

“The AdventHealth system, a non-profit, made $14.9 billion in revenue in 2021, according to financial reports, including $1.5 billion in profits. The company’s revenue was up 17.9 percent from 2020.”

For those with more questions on — or seeking more inforation about — AdventHealth’s plans to building a hospital in the Asheville area, she recommended visiting (online) the website www.wemovemountainsnc.com.

AdventHealth’s official announcement on plan to build an Asheville hospital 

From Staff Reports

EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is the text of AdventHealth Health’s April 20 announcement — on its plans to build a hospital in Asheville — on social media:

“AdventHealth plans to submit an application to build a new hospital in the Asheville area that will bring more health care choice to the people of Buncombe County and other surrounding communities. 

“AdventHealth has been delivering high quality, compassionate care to the Asheville and Buncombe County communities for more than 100 years. We are nationally recognized for outstanding patient care and safety year after year. A new AdventHealth hospital in the Asheville area would mean additional access and choice for high-quality health care close to home.

“We encourage you to visit https://bddy.me/3L3PxPu to learn more about AdventHealth and our plan to increase access to whole-person care for more people in the communities we call home.”