Rathbun Center
to Join Mission Health
Asheville, N.C. – The Rathbun Center, a
hospitality house for the families of patients receiving medical care in
Asheville, has agreed to join Mission Health in 2013. The
announcement was made jointly by Adelaide Key, founder of The Rathbun
Center and Ronald A. Paulus, MD, president and CEO of Mission Health.
“The Rathbun Center has been a driving force in my life for
over twenty years,” said Ms. Key. “I am very proud of its operation – and I
know that The Rathbun Center will be in good hands with Mission Health.”
The agreement calls for Mission to operate The Rathbun
Center, employ its staff and merge its volunteers into the Mission Volunteer
program. The physical facilities will be contributed to the Mission Foundation.
“As the only locally owned and governed health system in our
region, Mission Health exists solely to serve the residents of western North
Carolina,” said Dr. Paulus. “The Rathbun Center is the embodiment of that
purpose, and we are happy that Mission Health will play a role in the
continuation of such a wonderful facility.”
Since its opening in 1994, The Rathbun Center has been
offering overnight and short-term accommodations to people from throughout
western North Carolina who have loved ones receiving care in Asheville-based
medical facilities, including CarePartners, the Charles George VA Medical
Center and Mission Hospital.
That service will continue.
“Having known Adelaide since the inception of The Rathbun Center,
I know how passionate she is about keeping Rathbun a strong first class
facility for everyone in western North Carolina,” said Bruce Thorsen, president
and CEO, Mission Foundation. “Adelaide’s legacy is a precious gift to this region and we are honored that Mission can play a
role in sustaining her vision.”
Mission will continue The Rathbun Center policy of not
charging for the accommodations, but relying on donations to help defray the
costs of operating the 36-bedroom facility that is much like a big comfortable
home versus a hotel. Mission Foundation will assume the fundraising
responsibilities for the center and is establishing The Rathbun House Fund so donors can be
assured their contributions will go directly to support the center.
About The Rathbun Center
The Rathbun Center is a
non-profit corporation that provides lodging and other supportive services in a
home-like environment, free of charge, for patients and their caregivers coming
into Asheville, North Carolina for medical treatment. Nestled in the mountains
of western North Carolina, The Rathbun Center awaits as a house of
comfort, hope, support and love. For more information, please visit rathbuncenter.org.
About Mission Foundation
The Mission Foundation is a
28-year-old 501(c)(3) public charity governed by a 29-member board of Trustees.
It is the only locally-based charity to have earned national accreditation by
the Better Business Bureau-CharityWise Alliance, one of only 280 such charities
in the United States to have this accreditation.
About Mission Health
Mission Health, based in
Asheville, N.C., is the state’s sixth-largest health system and the region’s
only not-for-profit, independent community hospital system governed and managed
exclusively in western North Carolina. In 2012 Mission Health was named one of
the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems by Thomson Reuters – the only health system
in North Carolina to receive this recognition.
Mission Health, which traces its
roots in the region back to 1885, operates five hospitals, numerous outpatient
and surgery centers, and the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center.
Its medical staff consists of more than 1,000 physicians and is certified in
over 50 medical specialties and sub-specialties. Mission Health has seven
Centers of Excellence: Cancer, Heart, Mission Children’s Hospital,
Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Trauma and Women’s Health. Mission Hospital,
located in Asheville, is the system’s flagship hospital and is licensed for 730
beds. It is the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care and
is the busiest surgical hospital in North Carolina. It also includes Mission
Children’s Hospital– the region’s only children’s hospital. Other Mission
Health member hospitals include Angel Medical Center in Franklin, Blue Ridge
Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, McDowell Hospital in Marion and Transylvania
Regional Hospital in Brevard. With approximately 8,800 employees and 700
volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of
the people of western North Carolina. For more information, please visit mission-health.org.
