Raleigh, N.C. – Republican gubernatorial candidate Justice Bob Orr today 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.”

Click Here for Justice Orr’s Health Care Policy

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