Buncombe County Sends Convoluted Letter Neither Opposing Nor Supporting Mission Hospital Upgrade
Last Tuesday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners sent a letter to state regulators responding to a request for their perspective on Mission Hospital’s plan to upgrade to a Level One Trauma unit.
Background: Level One Trauma units provide the highest level of trauma care, and currently, there is no facility that provides this care in Western North Carolina. If someone needs the top level of care, they would need to be transported to Charlotte or Winston-Salem. Mission Hospital is the only facility in the region that is a level two facility, which is a viable option to be upgraded to Level One.
According to the America Trauma Society, “A Level One Trauma Center is a comprehensive regional resource that is a tertiary care facility central to the trauma system. A Level One Trauma Center is capable of providing total care for every aspect of injury– from prevention through rehabilitation.” While a Level Two Trauma Center is able to initiate definitive care for all injured patients, it sometimes has to refer cases to a Level One Trauma Center.
Given the benefit to the region, the Mission spokesperson said, “Mission Hospital is actively undergoing the process to become an American College of Surgeons (ACS)-verified Level I Trauma Center. Our multi-year journey toward this important step reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring patients in our region have access to the highest level of trauma care—right here at home. The significant resources that HCA Healthcare has invested in our trauma and physician residency programs have allowed Mission Hospital to further strengthen this vital care to pursue this accreditation. We look forward to continuing to provide exceptional care, recruiting additional skilled medical professionals that a Level I trauma center can draw, and advancing our role as a trusted regional resource for trauma services.”
Enter the Buncombe County Commission Focused On Placating Activists
Being certified as a Level One Trauma Center is a complicated regulatory process, and state regulators are looking for input from a variety of stakeholders and reached out to the Buncombe County Commission. Instead of expressing support for this healthcare infrastructure upgrade that would benefit the entire region, the Commission voted to send a letter neither to support nor oppose the program.
A story from the left-leaning Asheville Watchdog reveals that the County Commissioners relied on an activist group to provide content for their letter. During the meeting, it became apparent that this was not a priority for the Buncombe County Commission, as they had missed the original deadline for comments to state regulators and had to call to find the correct person to address the letter to.
But it is a priority for activist groups, who seem to have pressured the Commission into sending a letter using their talking points.
Tim’s Take: This incident highlights the misaligned priorities of the Buncombe County Commission. They would rather appease activist groups rather than focus on good policy for the region. This pattern of poor governance explains why Buncombe County fails to prioritize good policy, such as flood evacuation plans, which proved deadly during Hurricane Helene. They would rather play politics and appease radicals than focus on policies that support all of Buncombe County’s residents.
