Healthcare Failures in Haywood County

Haywood Regional Medical Center's difficulties dramatically points out the need to increase the number of nurses in North Carolina.

March 5, 2008

HAYWOOD COUNTY NC NEWS -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Justice Bob Orr said that the healthcare crisis in Haywood County caused by the Haywood Regional Medical Center's difficulties dramatically points out the need to increase the number of nurses in North Carolina. Haywood Regional Medical Center has had its Medicare and Medicaid funding coverage suspended by the federal government due to serious healthcare failures at the Medical Center. As a result several major insurance providers have refused to cover patients using the Center.

"As I have been saying for several months now, the long term well being of our citizens is dependent on having an adequate supply of healthcare professionals," Orr said. "Today's Asheville Citizen reported that the healthcare issues that precipitated this crisis were products of the Medical Center's nursing staff being stretched too thin and the troublesome larger workload on nurses."

The story reported that the Medical Center had contracted with "traveling nurses" to fill nursing shortages at the Medical Center. However, a long time Medical Center employee was quoted in the story as saying, "What happened is the bedside nurse was stretched and stretched and stretched. A traveling nurse may be a good nurse but they don't know the system."

"We must begin addressing these types of healthcare personnel shortages by increasing our commitment to greater educational opportunities in nursing and other allied health professions," said Orr. "This effort is critical for our smaller communities and rural areas all across the state," he added. "As we see in Haywood County the devastating impact of a failure to address this issue can only lead to higher healthcare costs and less access to needed medical care."

Justice Bob Orr, Republican candidate for governor responded yesterday to State Treasurer Richard Moore's comments as quoted in the Raleigh News and Observer's Under the Dome Blog. "Richard's hope that we don't spend a lot of time throwing stones on this' shows the panicked mindset of Democrats to ignore the failures of state government," Orr said. "The simple fact," Orr continued, "is that according to the News and Observer, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted in this failed reform. Is Richard suggesting that we just forget about that?"

The Republican candidate for governor, a former NC Supreme Court Justice, Orr, went on to respond to State Treasurer Richard Moore's comments as quoted in the Raleigh News and Observer's Under the Dome Blog. "Richard's hope that 'we don't spend a lot of time throwing stones on this' shows the panicked mindset of Democrats to ignore the failures of state government," Orr said.

"The simple fact," Orr continued, "is that according to the News and Observer, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted in this failed reform. Is Richard suggesting that we just forget about that?"

Orr added that "Richard is right, we do need to 'get about the business of getting [mental health] back on its feet,' which is why I released a detailed plan today to do just that. I wonder when we are going to see a similar proposal from Richard's or Bev Perdue's campaigns?"

"Despite Democrat concerns to the contrary, however," Orr concluded, we have to get to bottom of this mess, and today I have also called for the Attorney General of NC and the US Attorney for the Eastern District of NC to investigate the exploitation of the so-called mental health reform. We don't need to be throwing stones, we need to get a backhoe in here and start turning them over."

Finally, County NC News reminds Haywood County and North Carolina citizens not to forget the recent State Audits involving the State Treasure and Lt. Governor's offices misuse of North Carolina state resources.