Health and wellness reporting

Mission nurses advocate for PPE, training

Under the watchful eye of Mission Hospital security, several nurses involved with the push to unionize their colleagues demonstrated during the 6 p.m. shift change on April 9. Their signs and conversations with other staff members questioned the availability of personal protective equipment and training to deal with the COVID-19 threat — and how a union might increase their safety. “The biggest thing we’re pushing right now is that we want the highest level of PPE,” including N95 masks (which f

Dogwood CEO weighs grant allocations for COVID-19 fight

For the past couple of weeks, the authoritative word on the local coronavirus situation has come from state and county government officials. By contrast, Antony Chiang’s perspective as CEO of the $1.5 billion Dogwood Health Trust is nongovernmental and regional, encompassing the 18 counties of Western North Carolina and the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Chiang spoke to local news media by teleconference on March 25, providing insight into how Dogwood is responding to

Unusual virus pattern shapes early flu season in WNC

This year’s season for the flu and influenzalike illnesses is packing a wallop, according to Dr. William Hathaway, Mission Health’s chief medical officer. “Across the board, we’ve been hit heavily. We typically see an escalation of influenzalike illnesses, many of which are flu, hit a crescendo and a peak, and then drop off over a six- to eight-week time period. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Flu signs and symptoms usually come on suddenly. People who are sick

Collaborative community effort tackles rising health inequities

“Around the world, infant mortality rates are seen as a key measure of how healthy a community is, because we know that so much more goes into this than just prenatal care,” Hannah Legerton of the Mountain Area Health Education Center told the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in an update on the county’s Community Health Improvement Process on Dec. 3. Since 2010, Legerton said, the county’s white infant death rate has dropped from 4.7 to 3.8 deaths for every 1,000 live births, putting Bun

Dogwood Health Trust CEO Antony Chiang talks philanthropy

Antony Chiang is a pretty sought-after guy. Less than a month into his new job leading the Dogwood Health Trust — which is poised to spend $50 million to $75 million a year to dramatically improve health outcomes and health equity in 18 Western North Carolina counties and on the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians — Chiang, 51, spoke to Xpress in an exclusive conversation for this fall’s nonprofit special issue. Before we dive into what’s on the horizon for you and Dogwood H