Better Cancer Care Coming To Western North Carolina

Press release provided by Mission Hospital:

Mission Hospital and UNC Health Care Forge Agreement for Cancer Care and Research

ASHEVILLE AND CHAPEL HILL, NC – Mission Hospital and UNC Health Care announced

today that they have signed an affiliation agreement for cancer care and research, with the overall

goal of enhancing the quality of care for cancer patients in western North Carolina, including

providing access to new therapies and innovative research programs under development at UNC

Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the NC Cancer Hospital.

Both partners say that the affiliation is intended to be a long-term agreement, designed to adapt over

time to the needs of the patient population in the areas that Mission serves. Initial programs under

the agreement include improving community screening for earlier diagnosis and prevention of lung

cancer through the efforts of oncology nurse navigators, participation in UNC’s statewide cancer

telemedicine network, and offering access to research projects and new treatments developed at

UNC Lineberger.

“We are very excited about what this expanded relationship with UNC Lineberger means to the

patients and physicians of western North Carolina,” said Joseph F. Damore, President & CEO of

Mission Health System and Mission Hospital.

“Cancer afflicts people of all ages, and we want to provide them with care that incorporates cutting

edge research close to home. Our relationship with UNC Lineberger allows us to do that,” said Dale

Fell, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Mission Hospital.

“This affiliation will enhance our ability to carry out the mandate we have received from the NC

General Assembly under the University Cancer Research Fund, particularly in disseminating new

knowledge and improving cancer care, screening, and prevention across the state,” said Bill Roper,

MD, MPH, dean of the UNC School of Medicine.

Under the agreement, oncology nurse navigators will work to assess communities’ needs for

screening and prevention of lung cancer, an important priority in a region where more adults use

tobacco.

Through UNC’s newly-enhanced telemedicine capabilities, doctors in Mission’s facilities will be able

to collaborate in real-time conferences with UNC in ways that focus on creating individualized

treatment plans for patients – no matter where they are initially seen.

Finally, patients at Mission’s facilities will have access to research trials that will provide new

treatments developed at UNC Lineberger without having to travel to Chapel Hill.

“Partnering with an exceptional organization like Mission is not only good for both institutions but

will be good for patients and their families- it's a superb opportunity for North Carolina,” said

Shelley Earp, MD, director of UNC Lineberger.

ABOUT MISSION HOSPITAL

Mission Health System, Inc., based in Asheville, NC, is the tertiary care regional referral center for

western North Carolina and the state’s sixth largest health system. It is a not-for-profit, independent

community hospital system accredited by The Joint Commission and the American College of

Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Mission’s member hospitals are governed by volunteer boards of

directors representing the communities they serve.

The main hospital in the system, Mission Hospital, is licensed for 730 beds on its two adjoining

campuses in Asheville, Memorial, and St. Joseph. The medical staff has more than 700 physicians

representing most specialties and subspecialties. There are more than 6,000 employees and nearly

700 volunteers. It is the busiest surgical hospital in N.C. and has been recognized for outstanding

quality care in cardiology and cardiac surgery, the treatment of strokes, orthopedics, and

endocrinology.

Mission Health System also includes Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, which serves Mitchell and

Yancey Counties; McDowell Hospital, which serves McDowell County; Asheville Specialty Hospital,

the region’s long-term acute care hospital; and Mission Children’s Hospital, providing specialty

pediatric inpatient and outpatient care from two locations in Asheville.

ABOUT UNC LINEBERGER COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER AND UNC

HEALTH CARE

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only public comprehensive cancer center for

the State and the people of North Carolina. Our mission is to reduce cancer occurrence and death

in North Carolina and across the nation through research, treatment, training, and outreach. Our

clinical home is the N.C. Cancer Hospital – part of UNC Health Care.

The UNC Health Care System is a not-for-profit integrated health care system owned by the state of

North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University

of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care. UNC Health Care is comprised of

UNC Hospitals; the UNC School of Medicine; community practices; home health and hospice

services in seven central North Carolina counties; Rex Healthcare and its provider network in Wake

County; and Chatham Hospital in Siler City, N.C. Nationally, UNC Hospitals is ranked among the

top 100 for community value by Cleverley & Associates, 3rd among academic medical centers for

patient satisfaction by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider Systems, among

the top 50 in several specialties by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals issue, 2nd in Family

Medicine, and 20th in research in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Medical Schools issue.