Reclaim Healthcare WNC

05/05/2026

Dear Reclaim Supporter,

We are excited to announce this event at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, which is free and open to the public!

People Behind the Care: Honoring Mission Health employees past and present!
Location: Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801
Time and Date: June 16th, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Since Nashville won’t, Asheville will!

Join Reclaim Healthcare WNC and National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC)/ National Nurses United (NNU) as we honor retired and current Mission Health employees for their dedicated service to our community – their tireless work hasn’t been recognized by HCA. The staff at Mission do their best day in and day out to provide quality patient care in spite of the conditions surrounding them.

Enjoy live music, and CELEBRATE with us, as we honor those who care for us all – the hardworking staff at Mission! (Cash bar. Grey Eagle Taqueria will be open for food.)

Thank you,
Reclaim Healthcare WNC

04/29/2026

Dear Reclaim Supporter,

t’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.

Thank you,
Reclaim Healthcare WNC

Western North Carolina Deserves Better Healthcare 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 th...

04/25/2026

“If Mr. Hazen regularly visits (Western North Carolina) then we look forward to sitting down with him,” Reclaim spokesperson Aaron Sarver said in a text message.

“Surely he wants to meet with a coalition of nurses, physicians and staff who want to improve conditions at Mission.”

NC Sen. Julie Mayfield didn't expect her call for HCA report on problems at Mission Hospital to pass. But it did draw attention to concerns.

04/02/2026

The Land of Sky Regional Council, which is a coalition of municipal and county governments in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties, passed a resolution last week urging HCA Healthcare CEO Sam Hazen to come to Western North Carolina to speak with elected officials about their concerns regarding Mission.

“HCA has failed to provide sufficient resources and support for its staff, has failed to act on recommendations from nurses, and has created a culture in which doctors, nurses and staff are hesitant to raise quality of care concerns with management,” one section of the resolution read.

Federal regulators have repeatedly placed Mission Hospital on "Immediate Jeopardy" status, leading to concern that a new approach is needed.

04/01/2026

Big news regarding oversight of Mission Hospital.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards plans to introduce legislation allowing CMS to fine and potentially take over hospitals failing to fix immediate jeopardy citations.

03/19/2026

"Mayfield’s proposal would require HCA to disclose information including the number of physician departures post-acquisition; a comparison of pre- and post-acquisition patient satisfaction ratings; a comparison of the number of staff per occupied beds pre- and post-acquisition; and an overview of the community’s perception of the acquisition."

In advance of its annual shareholders meeting on April 23, HCA Healthcare’s board of directors once again is urging voters to reject a proposal by state Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, that would require HCA to report on the health consequences of its acquisitions over the past 10 years, includin...

03/15/2026

Asked by The Watchdog if it was normal for a hospital to remain in potential noncompliance for the same issues over multiple years, Coyne’s answer was succinct: “No.”

Since 2024, Affiliated Monitors has been tasked with overseeing whether HCA Healthcare is complying with the asset purchase agreement it made when it bought Mission Hospital. But limited enforcement powers, the agreement’s vagueness and a struggle to obtain records have been roadblocks in the inde...

03/05/2026

"A federal agency has lifted the latest finding of Immediate Jeopardy at Mission Hospital, but the facility remains “out of compliance” with several conditions needed to continue its participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs, Asheville Watchdog has confirmed."

A federal agency has lifted the latest finding of Immediate Jeopardy at Mission Hospital, but the facility remains “out of compliance” with several conditions needed to continue its participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs, Asheville Watchdog has confirmed. The Centers for Medicare and Me...

02/22/2026

Please attend and speak out!

"Dogwood Health Trust and Affiliated Monitors, Inc. announce details and dates for upcoming community meetings with the Independent Monitor (IM) in March. The meetings will share updates about the IM’s work and information about where community members can raise concerns and feedback about HCA Mission Health System (HCA)."

Full details at:

Meetings will provide reporting updates, review findings from the 2024 reporting year and share details about the current process for the 2025 reporting year Asheville, N.C. – Dogwood Health Trust and Affiliated Monitors, Inc. announce details and dates for upcoming community meetings with the Ind...

02/20/2026

"But nurses at Mission say that Zenker’s termination, along with the recent suspensions of two other nurses, appears to be less about discipline, and more about sending a message."

The stickers are hard to miss. Pinned to the scrubs of nurses at Mission Hospital is the smiling face of one of their own: Molly Zenker.  The “sticker up action” began Sunday after Zenker, who has worked at Mission since 2017, was suspended. On Thursday, just hours before a nurses’ rally in f...

02/19/2026

A new op-ed from Senator Mayfield about HCA/Mission.

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/opinion/2026/02/18/mission-hospital-new-immediate-jeopardy-finding-ceo-needs-to-answer/88625349007/?

Mission Hospital, owned by HCA, faces its fourth 'Immediate Jeopardy' finding in five years from CMS due to patient harm and deaths.