Mission Hospital wins CON approval to build new emergency room in Candler

Will Hofmann, Asheville Citizen Times
Updated ·3 min read
An exam room in the emergency department of Mission Hospital.
An exam room in the emergency department of Mission Hospital.

ASHEVILLE - After facing a monopoly complaint earlier this year, Mission Hospital's application for a $29 million standing emergency room near Candler was approved by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services for its certificate of need, according to a Sept. 25 news release from Mission.

This is the second time a CON for the Candler ER has been approved ― the first CON for the project had been reversed earlier this year.

Mission, owned by Tennessee-based, for-profit HCA Healthcare, sought the CON for a 12-bed "Smokey Park ER" it said will "enable EMS teams coming from this direction to get back on the road faster and serve more patients," according to a Mission Health news release.

Mission Health filed for the second CON application in May and projected a completion date of July 2025, according to a state Health and Human Services news release.

A separate application for a freestanding ER in Arden had been reversed by an administrative law judge June 22, which was appealed by the NCDHHS July 21.

Both developments had been approved prior to their reversals, where the Candler and Arden CON's had both been reversed due to the lack of public hearing prior to approval.

More: Mission Health’s 2022, fraught with resistance, was shaped by these 10 groups, people

More: Judge reverses Mission's certification for Arden ER; NC health department appeals

AdventHealth, a Florida-based nonprofit that operates the former Park Ridge Hospital in Henderson County, had opposed the development, citing a lawsuit, alleging that Mission "has acted in restraint of trade and that it has unlawfully monopolized the provision of inpatient general acute care services in the region," as reason to reverse state certification.

"While Mission has every right to be heard and to have its 'day in court,' the cacophony of voices seeking the help for employees, patients, physicians and facilities in the region simply cannot be ignored," AdventHealth's comments submitted to DHHS said.

Ambulances are parked at Mission Hospital’s emergency room July 19, 2023.
Ambulances are parked at Mission Hospital’s emergency room July 19, 2023.

AdventHealth's plans for a 67-bed hospital was approved for a CON earlier this year, but plans were delayed after Mission Hospital and HCA appealed the decision.

"AdventHealth is reviewing the details of today’s announcement regarding the free-standing emergency department application and will make a decision on any actions once the review is completed," AdventHealth spokesperson Victoria Dunkle told the Citizen Times in a statement regarding the decision to approve the certificate of need.

Earlier this year, the Citizen Times reported that due to hospital capacity issues patients arriving at Mission Hospital in ambulances wait for extended periods before being admitted to the Emergency Department. Mission Hospital workers and local emergency service leaders attributed the capacity issues to staffing challenges at the hospital, which restrict patient flow issues, leading to the backlog and the long waits.

"It is exciting for us and our community that we will have this additional access to exceptional emergency care for our region. We are pleased that the CON Section has once again given its approval and we can move forward in providing emergency care closer to home for this community," Chad Patrick, CEO of Mission Hospital, said in the news release.

County Commission chairman Brownie Newman sent a letter to the leader of NCDHHS CON chief Michaela Mitchell, supporting a provider other than Mission Health to own the 67-bed acute care hospital proposed in Arden, though county leaders disagreed on who should own the freestanding emergency department.

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More: HCA's $15.9 billion in 2nd quarter revenue: What does that mean for Asheville's Mission?

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Mission Hospital HCA Healthcare approval to build new emergency room