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Brevard council joins regional push asking HCA CEO to address repeated Mission Hospital failures
Summary
Citing four CMS 'immediate jeopardy' findings since 2021, Brevard’s mayor led council in adopting a resolution asking HCA CEO Sam Hazen to meet with Western North Carolina elected officials and stakeholders to seek a durable fix to systemic problems at Mission Hospital.
The Brevard City Council on April 20 passed a resolution asking HCA Chief Executive Officer Sam Hazen to meet with regional elected officials and stakeholders to address repeated regulatory failures at Mission Hospital.
Mayor Moren Kopalof said Mission Hospital — the region’s only Level I trauma center — has been cited by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) with immediate‑jeopardy findings in 2021, 2024, 2025 and 2026. "Immediate jeopardy is the most severe finding CMS can issue," Kopalof said, adding that repeated findings for similar systemic problems indicate earlier corrective plans have not resolved root causes. She urged HCA to come to Western North Carolina and work with local leaders to find a durable solution.
Council members described limited federal and CMS options for compelling change in a rural health‑care monopoly. Councilman Erin Baker said CMS has fewer practical enforcement choices in regions with only one provider and explained why standard CMS measures (such as withholding reimbursement) are impractical in Western North Carolina. "CMS doesn't have teeth in this situation because patients can't simply go to another hospital nearby," Baker said.
The council’s resolution mirrors a unanimous regional resolution passed by the Land of Sky Council of Governments and asks that municipal and county bodies join in requesting HCA corporate engagement. The measure passed by voice vote; councilmembers stressed the need for additional steps if corporate engagement proves insufficient.
What happens next: Brevard will join other local governments in delivering the regional resolution to HCA leadership and invite CEO Sam Hazen to meet with officials and stakeholders to discuss corrective measures and timelines.
