Submitted by Carolina Press, Written by Whitney L.J. Howell on November 9, 2015 in Education, Graham, Healthcare, Jackson, Macon, Region, Swain, Top News
Expanded, consistent health-care access could be around the corner for Western North Carolina if a formalized partnership between Western Carolina University and Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital succeeds.
Announced in mid-October, and known as the Ascent Partnership, the initiative is designed to train additional nurse practitioners and create opportunities to engage the surrounding communities about wellness.
According to Doug Keskula, dean of the WCU College of Health and Human Sciences, the overall goal is to ensure North Carolina’s westernmost countries receive quality health care. “We want to provide an exceptional educational experience for our students and future health-care professionals,” Keskula said. “We can’t do that without our partners."
Based on Mountain Area Health Education Center data, roughly 20 percent of North Carolinians — nearly 2.2 million people — live in rural counties with limited health-care access. Statewide, 42 counties have physician shortages, meaning they have too few providers to meet patient needs. The shortfall includes all of Western North Carolina’s counties.
To address this need through the Ascent Partnership, Harris Regional and Swain Community Hospitals, which are part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare, will pay the roughly $26,000 cost for three students each to complete WCU’s two-year family nurse practitioner (FNP) program.
The Ascent Partnership furthers a decades-long relationship, said Steve Heatherly, Harris Regional and Swain Community Hospitals’ chief executive officer. During that time, the WCU-hospital connection has spawned two university-based clinics that provide rehabilitation and primary-care services to area communities, as well as clinical training sites for WCU students.
Currently, Heatherly said, the counties immediately surrounding WCU — Jackson, Swain, Graham, and Macon — need six to eight primary-care practitioners. WCU’s nurse practitioner program graduates could fill those roles.
Announced in mid-October, and known as the Ascent Partnership, the initiative is designed to train additional nurse practitioners and create opportunities to engage the surrounding communities about wellness.
According to Doug Keskula, dean of the WCU College of Health and Human Sciences, the overall goal is to ensure North Carolina’s westernmost countries receive quality health care. “We want to provide an exceptional educational experience for our students and future health-care professionals,” Keskula said. “We can’t do that without our partners."
Based on Mountain Area Health Education Center data, roughly 20 percent of North Carolinians — nearly 2.2 million people — live in rural counties with limited health-care access. Statewide, 42 counties have physician shortages, meaning they have too few providers to meet patient needs. The shortfall includes all of Western North Carolina’s counties.
To address this need through the Ascent Partnership, Harris Regional and Swain Community Hospitals, which are part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare, will pay the roughly $26,000 cost for three students each to complete WCU’s two-year family nurse practitioner (FNP) program.
The Ascent Partnership furthers a decades-long relationship, said Steve Heatherly, Harris Regional and Swain Community Hospitals’ chief executive officer. During that time, the WCU-hospital connection has spawned two university-based clinics that provide rehabilitation and primary-care services to area communities, as well as clinical training sites for WCU students.
Currently, Heatherly said, the counties immediately surrounding WCU — Jackson, Swain, Graham, and Macon — need six to eight primary-care practitioners. WCU’s nurse practitioner program graduates could fill those roles.
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