🌱 HCA & Mission Health Sued By Providers + Warning On Rock Stacks

Hey, Asheville! Rose Mendez here with your Wednesday edition of the Asheville Patch newsletter, filled with all the things you need to know about what's happening locally.

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Now, your local weather:

• Wednesday: Some rain and a thunderstorm. High: 69 Low: 64.
• Thursday: Cloudy with a t-storm or two. High: 72 Low: 61.

Here are the top three stories in Asheville today:

1. An unsealed lawsuit against HCA Healthcare - the organization which owns the Mission Hospital system, alleges the implementation of a performance improvement system that was "humiliating" for providers and harmful to patients. The lawsuit alleges that HCA and HCA staffing agency TeamHealth systematically overbilled patients by incentivizing staff to run superfluous tests, and intentionally overloaded the Mission Health Asheville ER with patients transferred from other facilities. The lawsuit has been brought by current and former Mission Health doctors Scott Ramming and Allen Lalor under the False Claims Act of June 2022. (Subscription: Citizen Times)
2. While the local mountains are a continuing draw for tourists and locals alike, environmental experts and local national park employees are issuing a warning surrounding a common hiking past-time: rock-stacking. A single tower or cairn of rocks may seem harmless according to those in the know, but when large groups of people are building stacks throughout trail areas and nature preserves, the stacks may disrupt animal habitats or even impair animals during breeding season. This is why N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission continues to emphasize the message of "leave no trace." (WLOS)
3. Buncombe and Henderson County schools have been selected as part of a state-funded digital learning grant program to improve the resources necessary to impart information technology and STEM skills to students ahead of their entry into the workforce or the beginning of their post-secondary education. According to Catherine Truitt, the North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction, these grants play a vital role in equipping North Carolina students with the necessary skills to thrive in future careers that will demand even greater technical and computer-based proficiencies compared to the present job market. (Asheville.com)

Today and tomorrow in Asheville:

Wednesday, June 21

• North Asheville Family Bird Walk At The North Asheville Library (9:00 AM)
• Preschool Story Time At Pack Memorial Library (3:30 PM)
• EcoExplore Herpetology At The West Asheville Library (4:00 PM)

Thursday, June 22

• The Goodnight Song Story Time With Musician Bronwyn Cronin At Pack Memorial Library (10:30 AM)

From my notebook:

• The Asheville Humane Society is spotlighting a dog in need of adoption - Skyler! This pup is known to enjoy the simple things in life. Photos are at the link! (Asheville Humane Society via Facebook)
• The IC Imagine School of Asheville extends its thanks and honors again to the class of 2023's graduates, who the Imagine School hosted last week at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium! (IC Imagine Public Charter School-Asheville, NC via Facebook)
• UNC Asheville believes in the power of sports to bring families, neighbors and communities together and seeks to increase investments in the university and the Asheville community to continue to attract student talent! (UNC Asheville via Facebook)

You're officially in the loop for today! I'll catch up with you bright and early soon with another update.

— Rose Mendez

About me: Rose Mendez is a freelance writer. She is studying English Literature at Hunter College. She loves reading, walking around the city, and coffee!