Western North Carolina
Deserves Better Healthcare

It’s hard to be shocked by much these days, but our team at Reclaim was genuinely floored when we learned of the decision by DHHS to grant 95 new beds to Mission Hospital. Like many of you, we assumed that given the Immediate Jeopardy sanctions and the ongoing patient care problems at Mission, that they had zero chance of being awarded more beds in the 2025 Certificate of Need process.  

Before we get into next steps and how we’re fighting this decision, let me recap the CON process and where things currently stand. This article captures all the moving parts in one place.

For 2025, 129 acute care beds were up for grabs with four hospital systems putting in proposals – AdventHealth, Novant, UNC Health and HCA all applied. HCA was granted 95 beds and Novant received its requested 34 beds for a small hospital near the Asheville airport. (Novant’s proposal was only for 34 beds.)

While Advent is shut out, for now, from this round of beds, they have previously been approved for 93 beds and have just broken ground on that hospital in Weaverville. We also know that 92 more beds will become available through another application and approval process taking place this summer and fall.

So how do we take action regarding this outrageous decision by DHHS? 

How a hospital can have received four citations for Immediate Jeopardy, and still be under an enforcement action, and be awarded beds is incomprehensible. It cannot be allowed to happen again.

1) Email DHHS Sec. Dev Sangvai and at dev.sangvai@dhhs.nc.gov and let him know this decision is unacceptable.

Our inside sources tell us that Sec. Sangvai did not play a role in or know of this decision in advance. Regardless, the buck stops with him. We now need him to work with the legislature to change the factors used in deciding how the beds are awarded to expressly include quality of care provided, enforcement history, and  whether there is a need for increased competition. Ask Sec. Sangvai to ensure that the CON process is amended so that our community is not failed once again.

2) Advent has begun a legal appeal of this decision. We will keep you up to speed on these developments. 

Thank you for being part of Reclaim and taking action today. Please support our growing efforts to hold HCA accountable by making a tax-deductible gift to Reclaim today.

 ABOUT RECLAIM

We are RECLAIM HEALTHCARE WNC, a coalition of physicians, nurses, elected officials, clergy, attorneys, business leaders, and community members. We are committed to unwavering support for staff at Mission Health and holding HCA accountable through the empowerment of our community.

Vision statement: WNC residents can trust that they will receive quality care at Mission Hospital.

In January of 2026, Mission Hospital once was again placed in “Immediate Jeopardy” status by federal regulators. This is the third “Immediate Jeopardy” finding in less than two years!

Immediate Jeopardy citations of WNC hospitals owned by HCA:

• Mission Hospital (Asheville) - 2021, 2024, 2025, 2026

• Blue Ridge Regional Hospital (Spruce Pine) - 2023

• Mission Hospital McDowell (Marion) - 2021

Reclaim Healthcare WNC has two goals:  

1. Holding HCA leadership accountable to provide consistently excellent patient care and patient experiences. While many patients receive excellent care and have positive experiences at Mission, thanks to the dedicated staff, it is also true that patient care and experiences are inconsistent. We shine a continuous spotlight on these issues in order to drive change.

2. Empowering WNC residents to be their own best healthcare advocates. We want to build an army of advocates who know what to expect and demand when they or a loved one are in the hospital.