Written by Andrew R. Jones, Asheville Watchdog.
Mission Hospital CEO Greg Lowe has told employees the company wants to hire 200 employees over just more than three months beginning on Sept. 22, according to a document obtained by Asheville Watchdog.
“You asked, we listened,” Lowe said in a newsletter sent to staff and dated Aug. 21. “Starting Monday, we are going all-out on increasing our recruitment efforts with the goal of 200 hires in 100 days.”
Lowe said hires would include 100 registered nurses and 100 other positions, including specialty technicians in imaging, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, phlebotomy, environmental services and others.
“Our dedicated team of recruiters have planned an extensive campaign reaching qualified candidates within and well beyond WNC, which includes on-site and virtual hiring events,” Lowe said in the newsletter, going on to enlist staff members help for what may be one of the more aggressive hiring campaigns in recent years at the HCA Healthcare-owned facility.
“Here’s how you benefit and how you can help: our own colleagues are always our best recruiters, helping us bring in talent and add to our team,” Lowe said in the newsletter. “We are no stranger to referral bonuses, and you can continue to earn up to $8,000 for each employee you refer who joins Mission Health. Who is going to be our first recipient of this big check?”
Lowe said hospital administrators would release more details in the coming weeks.
Mission hospital spokespeople did not respond to a list of questions about the proposed hires.
Registered nurse and union member Hannah Drummond said nurses who already work at Mission are getting calls from recruiters who are offering $30,000 sign-on bonuses. Those calls are mistakes, but they offer a window into the hospital’s strategy, Drummond said.
“They’re just casting a wide net,” she said. “And you know what? If that brings folks in and through these incentives, people have better working conditions and stay? Like, great.”
As The Watchdog has reported, though Mission has hired numerous staff members in recent years, it’s also lost hundreds, including doctors and nurses. Many find pay at the hospital is not commensurate with cost of living and that jobs at other businesses and health care facilities in western North Carolina can better meet their needs.
Though Drummond, who has testified before congress on staffing issues at Mission and other HCA-owned hospitals, was apprehensive about whether the hires would happen, she said it was a move in the right direction.
“It’s refreshing to see them actually put their money where their mouth is and actually put in efforts to recruit,” she said. “We kind of get the same old song and dance, but no changes in behavior for HCA unless the union forces them. And so it’s just like a reminder of the power that we have collectively. When we keep pushing, we get results, and what that leads to, ultimately, is better patient care.”
Staff increases come as Mission Hospital works toward a Level I trauma center designation, the highest designation a healthcare facility can receive for caring for severely injured patients. According to the same newsletter, Mission already has all the elements in place to earn the designation.
Surveyors with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Emergency Management Services and the American College of Surgeons will visit Mission in late September to determine whether it meets the criteria for becoming a Level I trauma center.
“Next month, our teams will undergo a rigorous review process as part of this ongoing journey toward constant improvement,” the newsletter said.
Though the trauma center is part of emergency care, it is not one and the same as the emergency department, which has faced scrutiny in recent years mainly around staffing issues.
In February, a man receiving care there died in a bathroom after pulling a cord to call for help. According to inspection records, 29 minutes passed before a staff member found the man. Nurses said the emergency department was extremely busy and sparsely staffed that night.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Andrew R. Jones is a Watchdog investigative reporter. Email [email protected]. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.