Four days after Buncombe County missed a state-imposed deadline to provide feedback about Mission Hospital’s application to become a Level I trauma center, commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to send a letter detailing an array of concerns to North Carolina’s department of health.
“The decision on this application will have far-reaching consequences for patient safety, access, system reliability, and affordability in western North Carolina,” Board of Commissioners Chair Amanda Edwards wrote in the letter on behalf of the board. “At present, it appears that Mission Hospital has not demonstrated the staffing stability, operational reliability, or patient safety culture required for Level I trauma designation. Our purpose is not to oppose or endorse, but to ensure that OEMS [Office of Emergency Management Services] has all pertinent information to make a well-informed decision.”
The vote at the commission’s biweekly meeting came just hours after Asheville Watchdog reported that the hospital had applied to become a Level I trauma center, which would be the only one of its kind in western North Carolina. In its report, The Watchdog detailed how the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services had contacted County Manager Avril Pinder on July 15 and given the county until Aug. 15 to share any concerns it had about the hospital’s application, but it had not done so…