The state’s top health agency is working to gather more information regarding the death of a Mission Hospital patient in an emergency department bathroom after staff did not quickly respond to his call for help.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would not provide Asheville Watchdog specific information about any potential investigations but said it is consulting with CMS about the Feb. 10 death.
“First, it is critical that every person in North Carolina can get the care they need from providers and local hospitals,” NCDHHS spokesperson Summer Tonizzo said Wednesday. “One of our priorities is making sure every North Carolinian can access the care they need at the right time and in the right place.
“We are aware of the tragic death that occurred in the ED last week at Mission Hospital and while we can’t comment on possible investigations, we are working to ensure patient safety. All complaints we receive are confidential and are being reviewed by NCDHHS. The team is working to gather more information to determine next steps in consultation with CMS.”
A CMS spokesperson said the agency does not comment on ongoing or potential investigations.
Mission Health spokesperson Nancy Lindell did not answer questions about whether any investigators had visited the hospital and if leadership had made changes in staffing or training following the death. “We don’t have anything further for you,” she said.
On the evening of Feb. 10, a patient arrived by ambulance at the emergency department with a respiratory complaint or chest pain and was sent to an internal processing area.
Medical staff ordered an electrocardiogram, or EKG, for the man, but before the procedure, he needed to go to the bathroom. While inside, he pulled a call bell, but no one responded for 12-15 minutes, multiple nurses said, until a triage nurse checked the bathroom and found him dead. The Watchdog was the first to report the death on Feb. 20.
Following death, hospital fires one employee
Lindell told The Watchdog thatday thatMission was investigating the incident and had fired one employee.
“Our investigation indicates that certain staff who had been trained did not follow hospital protocols,” Lindell said at the time. “We have terminated one individual and have reported to the appropriate agencies.”
Nurses told The Watchdog that they thought staffing levels were inadequate that evening and led to the man’s call not receiving an immediate response.
NCDHHS and CMS have previously investigated the hospital, focusing primarily on the emergency department. After a late 2023 investigation, they determined that 18 people were harmed, four of whom died, because of violations of federal standards of care in the emergency department.
Several emergency department nurses who spoke to The Watchdog said conditionshad improved shortly after the immediate jeopardy finding. The hospital hired more staff and worked with nurses to develop emergency department management strategies, among other improvements.
But conditions declined when Mission went back to pre-2024 procedures, contracts for traveler nurses expired, nurses quit and staffing in the emergency department grew sparse again.
Nurses said they are often overwhelmed by crowded nights in the emergency department and not enough staff to immediately work with patients.
Even after the Feb. 10 death, the department is strained, according to nurses The Watchdog spoke to Wednesday.
“I was there last night,” said Alyssa Aradia, an ER nurse, discussing her Tuesday night shift. “We had 130 in the department when I got there. We never got below 95. So that’s a lot of patients. We had patients in the waiting room that were already admitted, just waiting for beds. They never even made it to an ED room. We had high acuity patients in the express pods [contained parts of the waiting area].
“The express pods turned into holding pods, and nurses had to come down from step-down units or wherever to watch them while we did stuff out of the waiting room. Some people were waiting 9, 10, 11 hours in the waiting room for a bed upstairs that were already admitted by the time I left.”
Ashley Bunting, an ER nurse who worked all day Wednesday, said there were 70 patients in the emergency department when she started at 7 a.m. and about 140 patients at max. Patients were lining the halls, Bunting said, adding that it felt like the most intense day since Tropical Storm Helene.
Bunting said it has been mostly “radio silence” from administration following the death.
Training on call bell response
Aradia said that since the death, nurses were required to complete call bell response training and now there is an “increased demand for nurses to be responsive on the radio.”
She explained this means that even if she was preparing a blood pressure medicine “to make sure somebody stays alive, and somebody wants a blanket, and I don’t answer on the radio about the fact that I heard them say that they want a blanket, I can get written up for it.”
Bunting said she saw nurses drilling for how to respond to call bells like the one the patient rang.
Nurses are demanding HCA Healthcare, Mission’s owner, staff the hospital better. For years they have contended that inadequate staffing could lead to harm and death.
A National Nurses United flyer includes an announcement about nurses’ plans ton hold a protest on March 6.
“A patient may have recently died at Mission Hospital due to dangerously low staffing levels,” a National Nurses United flyer obtained by The Watchdog reads. “Nurses have been warning for months that this could happen if HCA refused to take immediate action to ensure safe staffing.”
Union nurses plan to hold a public demonstration March 6 at the hospital campus. According to the flyer, their demands include improved contracts, break relief, more staff, no more hallway beds, and additional pay for picking up extra shifts.
They also are supporting the efforts of Reclaim Healthcare WNC, a coalition of elected officials, doctors, advocates, clergy, and health care workers seeking to replace HCA with a nonprofit owner.
In response to the Feb. 10 death, the group has scheduled a news conference Friday morning during which it will “call for Mission to increase staffing levels at the hospital and provide more information about recent deaths at the hospital,” according to a news release it issued earlier this week.
Many nurses feel as though nothing has changed, despite regulatory action and community outcry.
“It just somehow feels even worse, not better,” Aradia said.
Bunting echoed her concern.
“It feels very much like our cries for help are going unanswered,” Bunting said. 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 arjones@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s local 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/.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-28 12:56:00
(The Center Square) – Persistent dry and windy conditions, along with downed trees from Hurricane Helene six months ago, remain troublesome for wildfires in the Carolinas.
The Table Rock Fire, largest of several, has crossed from Pickens County in South Carolina to Transylvania County in North Carolina.
In an update from the South Carolina Forestry Commission on Thursday evening, the Tabe Rock fire grew significantly during the day and the Persimmon Ridge fire only modestly. The Table Rock fire is estimated 8,679 acres and the Persimmon Ridge fire 1,992 acres.
Three counties are home to four other significant size fires in the Tarheel State: Deep Woods and Black Cove in Polk County, Alarka in Swain County, and Rattlesnake Branch in Haywood County.
“Excessive storm debris and timber damage from Hurricane Helene has created many challenges for firefighting efforts,” a release from the North Carolina Forest Service said Friday morning. “One factor is the loss of tree canopy. More ground cover is receiving direct sunlight, accelerating the rate in which fuels dry out.”
The Black Cove fire that originated March 19 is 3,288 acres in size and 17% contained, the Forest Service says. It is approximately 2 miles northeast of Saluda in the Green River Gorge.
The Deep Woods fire, also a March 19 start, is 3,373 acres in size and 30% contained, the Forest Service says. It is about 5 miles northwest of Columbus in the Green River Gorge and the adjacent Holbert Cove community.
The Fish Hook fire that began March 20 is 199 acres in size and 95% contained, the Forest Service says. This fire is about 5 miles northwest of Mill Spring near Lake Adger.
Other fires of size are burning near Sylva and Leicester.
Burning bans are in effect throughout North and South Carolina.
SUMMARY: A wildfire in Western North Carolina has become the highest priority in the U.S. The Black Cove Complex fire near Saluda has burned over 6,500 acres, with over 500 firefighters working to contain it. Authorities warn residents in mountain communities, like Buncombe County, to prepare evacuation bags in case orders are issued. The fire has triggered statewide concerns, with varying levels of fire danger across the state. A statewide burn ban is in effect, and officials are hopeful that rain expected this weekend will help control the blaze. Aircraft are being used to drop water and fire retardant to assist firefighting efforts.
More firefighters are arriving in Western North Carolina now that the Fire Service says a fire burning there is now the highest priority in the U.S.
SUMMARY: In late March 1963, Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller *The Birds* premiered, and in honor of its anniversary, Scott Mason revisits Elm City’s own bird phenomenon. Every afternoon, flocks of hundreds of thousands of starlings and blackbirds gather, creating a stunning, synchronized spectacle. The birds swarm the same fields at the same time, a behavior observed for over 20 years. Local residents are captivated by the sight, though some remain curious about the birds’ nature. Experts believe the birds flock for food and protection. This “bird ballet” continues to awe those lucky enough to witness it each day.
It was around this time in March 1963 when the movie “The Birds” premiered. The Tar Heel Traveler revisits Elm City’s very own thrilling version of the birds.
