High-Quality Health Care on the Mountain

PHOTO BY MARIE FREEMAN This aerial photo shows Appalachian State University’s Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences. Located in Boone’s medical district, the academic facility opened in 2018. High-Quality Health Care on the Mountain

Boone is the health care center of the High Country, and the medical district anchored by the Watauga Medical Center continues to expand and add new state-of-the-art facilities. 2020 was a big year for Watauga Medical Center, a 117bed regional referral medical complex, offering both primary and secondary acute and specialty care. The hospital campus also includes outpatient clinics and a diagnostics center.

The hospital received a fivestar rating, the highest achievement level possible, from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The ratings are based on federally mandated hospital data, which includes more than 50 different quality measurements, such as mortality, re-admission, patient experience, effectiveness of care, timeliness of care and effective use of medical imaging.

WMC is one of 407 hospitals

in the United States and one of 13 in North Carolina to receive a five-star quality rating.

“I am extremely proud of our hospital’s achievement,” stated Kim Bianca, president of Watauga Medical Center. “The five-star rating underscores our team’s commitment to providing top quality patient care.”

In summer 2020, the new Heart & Vascular Center opened at Watauga Medical

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A rendering depicts the future four-story expansion at Watauga Medical Center in Boone. IMAGE SUBMITTED

HEALTH

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Center. Formerly known as the Cardiology Center, the 8,000-square-foot facility is housed in a new heart care wing at the hospital, providing more efficient and convenient access for patients by integrating outpatient heart care with diagnostic services in the same convenient location.

The hospital now performs cardiac catheterizations 24/7. This expanded service ensures patients experiencing a cardiac emergency receive a prompt diagnosis and expedited treatment in Boone. Cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, emergency department providers and emergency first responders can partner to diagnose problems with blood flow, blood pressure and valve function, which can save lives and reduce the chances of long-term damage.

The heart and vascular team at Watauga Medical Center have received multiple recognitions, including advanced certification the Joint Commission and 5-star ratings from Healthgrades and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

And in August, the hospital received zoning approval for a new two-story central energy plant and a four-story hospital expansion — an estimated $72.9 million

A HEALTHY

COMMUNITY

Whether it’s the access to quality health care or other factors, Watauga County is consistently recognized among the healthiest of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

In the 2020 annual County Health Rankings, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Watauga County ranked: • 10th for overall health outcomes • 3rd for length of life • 12th for overall health factors • 24th for health behaviors • 24th for clinical care • 7th for social & economic factors

project. The new wing will house new surgical areas, new patient rooms and other facilities, allowing existing patient rooms to be repurposed for other uses.

Watauga Medical Center is part of the Boone-based Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, which also includes Cannon Memorial Hospital in nearby Linville. Cannon Memorial is in the midst of an expansion of its behavioral health unit, which when completed, will provide 37 behavioral health beds.

ARHS also features more than a dozen medical practices, the Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center, The Rehabilitation Center, The Breast Center and the Paul H. Broyhill Wellness Center. Many of the practices began offering telehealth appointments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with plans to continue the option in the future.

Located just across the street from Watauga Medical Center is the 203,000-square-foot Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences, Appalachian State University’s newest academic building. The state-of-the-art facility, which opened in 2018, will give ASU students hands-on experience as part of their coursework with the Beaver College of Health Sciences.

Perched on 68 acres just south of Boone is the Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge, which opened in 2016 and is now part of Liberty Healthcare & Rehabilitation Services. The Foley Center provides shortterm rehabilitation services, skilled nursing and assisted living care. Other nursing and assisted living facilities in the Boone area include Glenbridge Health & Rehabilitation and Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living.

Community health options for uninsured and under-insured patients include AppHealthCare (formerly Appalachian District Health Department), High Country Community Health and the Community Care Clinic, which provide affordable primary care, behavioral health and dental services.