Mission Health is getting an infusion from HCA Healthcare to expand its hospital in Marion, N.C., according to an Aug. 13 news release shared with Mountain Xpress.
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare will contribute $20 million to the project, which aims to expand Mission Hospital McDowell's inpatient capacity. A new two-story tower will add 11 beds to the hospital, increasing its capacity by 35 percent.
The expansion comes as HCA faces allegations surrounding its 2019 purchase of Asheville, N.C.-based Mission. On Aug. 10, a group of Western North Carolina residents filed a class-action antitrust lawsuit alleging that HCA Healthcare has engaged in anticompetitive tactics that resulted in higher prices and lower quality care for patients.
HCA said it will respond to the lawsuit through the legal process, adding it is "committed to caring for Western North Carolina as demonstrated through more than $330 million in Charity Care and uninsured discounts we provided in 2020, expansion of hospital services including the opening of the North Tower, a new Pediatric ER, and securing land for a new 120-bed behavioral health hospital."