Opinion: HCA immediate jeopardy incidents could be disaster for WNC health care

Rev. Missy Harris | Guest Opinion

Rev. Missy Harris

The following letter appeared as an op-ed in the Asheville Citizen Times on Feb 4th, 2024

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We, the undersigned clergy, take seriously the allegations set forth in the Asheville Watchdog article released on Friday, January 12 regarding conditions at Mission Health. These allegations put HCA in immediate jeopardy in multiple instances. It also places our healthcare system at risk of losing Medicare and Medicaid funding if corrective actions are not undertaken. This could be a healthcare disaster for our entire region. 

As faith leaders, we see our local hospitals as sacred spaces. Within the walls of this critical place in our community, we regularly accompany congregational members, friends, and family with spiritual care and love. We are present at the beginning and end of life, as well as in crucial moments in between. We understand the vital role of our healthcare system. Therefore, we are compelled to speak out on behalf of the people we serve.  

We express our on-going support for current employees of Mission Health. The medical and support staff are the heart and soul of Mission. They hold together the seams of this broken system on behalf of all of us. Unfortunately, the conditions of immediate jeopardy are written in such a way that it places the onus of responsibility upon individual medical staff involved in each case. Physicians and nurses will likely become scapegoats. Yet HCA must bear responsibility for creating the conditions that have led to dangerous situations that are only now becoming public. 

We cannot be silent while dedicated medical staff are expected to bear the burden of the failures of HCA executives. We have lost hundreds of medical personnel since HCA took over at Mission Health, some from within our own congregations. It will take years for our community to recover from the large exodus of physicians and nurses from Mission Health. 

We are deeply concerned that after five years of HCA’s ownership of Mission Health they have not fulfilled significant portions of the purchase agreement. What will be ignored in the next five years? How can we trust HCA to do the right thing in ten years? 

We ask that the agencies tasked with holding HCA accountable for the initial commitments continue to closely monitor the conditions that have been named by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We pray that they will, if necessary, enforce the appropriate consequences if conditions of immediate jeopardy are not corrected. 

Our community deserves to have accessible, quality, patient-centered healthcare. At present HCA is not providing such care in a reliable way. HCA is not meeting the commitments that they made to this entire region when they purchased Mission Health.

We invite clergy across our region to join us in responding to the critical situation. We will continue to advocate for quality and safe healthcare that all the people of our region deserve.

In hope,

• Rev. Missy Harris, Co-Pastor, Circle of Mercy Congregation

• Rev. Sara Wilcox, Land of the Sky UCC

• Rev. Veranita Alvord, Lead Pastor, Brevard First United Methodist Church

• Mack Dennis, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Asheville

• Reverend Mary Katherine Robinson, Pastor and Head of Staff, Black Mountain Presbyterian Church 

• Rev. Dr. Pamela C. Holder, Pastor

• Rev. Dr. Marcia W. Mount Shoop, Pastor/Head of Staff, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church

• Rev. Dr. J.William Lindeman

• Rev. Stan Wilson, Co-Pastor, Circle of Mercy Congregation

• Rev. Esta Jarrett, Canton Presbyterian Church

• The Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward, Episcopal Priest and Theologian

• The Rev. Anne Gilson, PhD, Retired

• The Reverend Judith A. Davis, PhD, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Brevard,  NC

• Rev. Jacqueline Jenkins 

• Brian Combs, Founding Pastor, Haywood Street Congregation

• Rev. Karla Miller, Pastor, First Congregational UCC, Hendersonville

• Rev. Dr. Stuart Lamkin, Pastor, First Baptist Church Weaverville

• Rev. Spencer L. Jones

• The Rev. Kenneth Albright, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd

• Guy Sayles, Retired Pastor, First Baptist Church of Asheville

• Rev. David McNair, Priest at St. John's Episcopal, Asheville

• Rev. Dr. Aileen Mitchell Lawrimore, Ecclesia Baptist

• The Rev. Judith Whelchel, St. James Episcopal Church, Black Mountain

• Dr. Mahan Siler, Retired Pastor, Member of Circle of Mercy Congregation

• Rev. Sara Scruggs, Pastor, Andrews United Methodist Church

• Nancy Hastings Sehested, Retired Pastor, Circle of Mercy Congregation

• Rev. Allyn Maxfield-Steele, Highlander Research and Education Center

• Rev. Amy Cantrell, BeLoved Asheville 

• Rabbi Mitchell Levine, Congregation Beth Israel 

• Rev. Erin Maxfield-Steele, St John's Episcopal Church, Sylva

• Rabbi Batsheva H. Meiri

• Rev. Ken Sehested, Founding Co-Pastor, Circle of Mercy Congregation

• Rev. Tamara Puffer, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Circle of Mercy Congregation

• Rev. Dr. Brian Ammons, Spiritual Director, Circle of Mercy Congregation and The Porch Community

• Marc S. Mullinax, Ph.D. - Circle of Mercy Congregation

• Rev. Melody Pajak, Land of the Sky UCC

• Chaplain Laurel Wells (retired from Mission Health)

• Rev. Dr. John Hobbs, Retired Pastor, United Church of Christ

• Rev. Stan Dotson, Circle of Mercy Congregation and Ecclesia Baptist

• Rev Kim Christman, Circle of Mercy Congregation and Ecclesia Baptist

• Rev. Sarah Seivard Colvin, member Land of the Sky United Church of Christ

• Rev. James Colvin, member Land of Sky United Church of Christ
  Bill Petz

• Reverend Dorri Sherrill, Retired Chaplain, Mission Health
  Rev. Kathryn Cartledge

• Rev. Mark Snyder, Retired Chaplain (34 yrs) Mission Health

• Rev. Bill Buchanan  

• Deck Guess, Member of the Presbytery of Western NC

• The Rev. S. F. James Abbott, St. James Episcopal Church, Black Mountain, NC

• Rev. Mary Caldwell, Retired Chaplain and Clinical Ethicist

• Rev. Linda Stransky, Retired Minister

• Rev. Scott Hardin-Nieri, Director of Bethany Congregations Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

• Rev. Dr. Nancy J. Ramsay Worshiping with First Presbyterian Church Asheville

• Rev. Luke Harkema, Associate Minister, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church

• The Rev. Alexandra S. Lusak, Faith 4 Justice

• Nancy Harrison, Former Chaplain, Mission Health

• Rev. Joe Hoffman, Retired Pastor, (St. James Episcopal, Black Mountain)

• Rev. Claudia Jimenez

• Rev. Susan Verbrugge

• Rev. J. Whit Malone  Pastor, Banner Elk Presbyterian Church

• Rev. Dr. Laurey H. Harrell, Member of PWC

• Rev, Caroline Craig Proctor

• Dwight Christenbury, Associate Pastor, Trinity Presbyterian Church (Hendersonville, N.C.)

• Rev. Merriam Alexander

• Rev. David Nash, Presbyterian Church (USA)

• Reverend Casey Callahan

• Reverend Kelly Belcher, First Baptist Church of Asheville