Asheville, NC, Helps Residents Stay in Good Health
Asheville's health care offerings are not one-size-fits-all, and residents have access to a variety of health care options.
Asheville residents are fortunate that they can choose from a variety of high-quality options when it comes to their health care.
Mission Hospital has been Western North Carolina’s trusted health provider and leader in advanced health care and specialized services since 1885.
Hospital Expansion & Renovation
The facility is licensed for 815 beds and houses the area’s only Level II trauma center, a comprehensive stroke center, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, and the Mission Children’s Hospital. In addition, the recently opened Pediatric Emergency Room, near the main emergency area in the North Tower, is designed to meet the specific needs of patients 21 and younger.
On the horizon is the expansion of hospital services, as ground was broken this past spring on a new 120-bed mental health facility in Buncombe County that is slated to open in early 2023. In addition, renovations are underway in the Women’s Tower, along with updates and improvements at CarePartners Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital.
Addressing Nurse Shortages
The region’s largest employer, Mission Health, also recently announced the opening of an Asheville campus of the Galen College of Nursing and has a longtime partnership with the Mountain Area Health Education Center in growing residency and fellowship programs.
Mission Hospital is also a Magnet-designated hospital for nursing excellence. Plus, it was recently named a Healthgrades Top 50 Hospital in the country and received a Grade A for quality and safety from The Leapfrog Group. Additionally, the facility has been recognized as a Top 50 Cardio program and received a three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
Direct Primary Care
Asheville residents can find a selection of innovative direct primary care practices for the entire family, with a focus on whole-patient health and wellness; strong physician and patient relationships; set, affordable membership fees; longer appointments; and easy access — usually same or next day — to providers via in-person, phone, text or video calls, and home visits in some cases. In addition, they do not bill insurance companies and offer lower-priced lab work, prescriptions and procedures.
Integrative Family Medicine of Asheville, One Health Direct Primary Care, Ashewell Medical Group and Lantern Health are four local direct primary care medical offices.
Integrative Family Medicine of Asheville provides health care that is empowering and comprehensive. Health coaching and nutrition counseling are also available.
“Integrative primary care supports long-term wellness by addressing the whole person and teaching our patients skills to stay healthier,” says Dr. Chad Krisel, board-certified family medicine and holistic/integrative medicine physician. “When treating illness, our medical providers look for the most effective, least invasive options first. We prescribe pharmaceuticals responsibly when necessary and recommend complementary therapies to support treatment.”
A talented team of family physicians, nurses, health coaches and a certified nurse-midwife work together at Lantern Health to provide an affordable and personal primary care experience.
Wellness and physical assessments, acute visits, health coaching in behavioral health, exercise and nutrition, chronic disease management, common lab tests and basic X-rays are available. Also offered are women’s basic health services and pregnancy care — prenatal, birth and postpartum.
Meanwhile, Ashewell Medical Group offers same-day and highly personalized care. Among its long list of services is relaxed visits, which allow patients more time with their doctor.
Dr. Elsie Osei-Nkansah is a board-certified family practice physician and has been practicing medicine in the area for more than 10 years. She is the physician/owner of One Health Direct Primary Care and is skilled in treating pediatric (from age 1), adult and geriatric populations, including Medicare recipients.
“I love managing the health of my patients with my patients’ involvement,” says Osei-Nkansah.
One Health’s website also offers a helpful blog on many health topics.
Located close to downtown Asheville, WellSpring Wellness Center is a peaceful sanctuary offering personal development services that promote physical, mental and spiritual growth.
Want to know more?
If you’d like to learn more about the Asheville area, check out the latest edition of Livability Asheville, North Carolina.