Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital
Erlanger Health System[1]
Geography
LocationMurphy, Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States
Organization
FundingNon-profit hospital
TypeGeneral
Services
Emergency departmentYes
Beds57
HelipadYes
History
Opened1979
Links
Websitehttp://www.erlanger.org/murphymedical
ListsHospitals in North Carolina

Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital is a hospital located in Murphy, North Carolina certified by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It is the only hospital in the state west of Bryson City and Franklin. The hospital is licensed for 191 beds. Of the 191 beds, 120 are nursing home beds, 57 are general beds, and 14 are beds for patients with Alzheimer's disease.[2][3]

It is affiliated with Erlanger Health System, based in Chattanooga, TN. After acquiring the hospital in 2018, Erlanger renamed the facility from its original name "Murphy Medical Center" to "Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital."

Quality ratings

Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital near Murphy, N.C.

Much hospital quality information exists in the HealthGrades website concerning this hospital. HealthGrades shows twelve quality indicators; these are rated as one star, three stars and five stars. This hospital scored as follows:

  • one star - one rating
  • three stars - nine ratings
  • five stars - one rating.

The hospital was rated on nine patient-safety indicators. Murphy Medical Center received the following ratings:

  • worse than average - three ratings
  • average - five ratings
  • better than average - one rating.[4]

The Nursing Home Rating website has quality information about the nursing home part of Erlanger Murphy Medical Center. Its overall rating was four of five possible stars, with five stars being the best possible rating. This information was generated in 2013.[5]

History

The hospital was founded in 1979 as Murphy Medical Center. In the 1990s, MMC went from being a county-supported not-for-profit hospital to becoming a private not-for-profit medical facility, which allowed it to fundraise to secure financing.[6] From 1990 through 2017 Murphy Medical Center held an annual 5K run at the hospital campus to raise money. The race was called “Two Hours From Anywhere.”[7]

The hospital opened an urgent care center near downtown Murphy by 2013, treating approximately 12,000 walk-in patients per year. As of 2013, the emergency department at the Peachtree campus treated approximately 15,000 patients per year.[8]

Murphy Medical began losing money as uncompensated care grew to $13 million in 2013.[8] Erlanger Health System acquired the hospital in January 2018 and changed its name in January 2019. The medical center closed its labor and delivery unit in December 2019.[9]

As of 2018, the hospital had approximately 450 employees.[10] In 2023, Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital served as incident command post during the 5,000-acre Collett Ridge Fire.[11]

Chief executives

  1. J. Michael Stevenson (1989–2018)[12]
  2. Mark Kimball (2018–2020)[13][14]
  3. Stephanie Boynton (2020–present)[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Erlanger agrees to take over North Carolina hospital". Timesfreepress.com. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Murphy Medical Center Services". Archived from the original on 2012-06-10. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
  3. ↑ "Murphy Medical Center Urgent Care - Urgent Care in Murphy, NC 28906-6845". Archived from the original on 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
  4. ↑ "North Carolina (NC) Hospitals - City Directory". Healthgrades.com. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  5. ↑ "Murphy Medical Center Rating and Report. Murphy, NC". Nursinghomerating.org. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  6. ↑ Hoban, Rose (2018-01-18). "Keeping a Hospital Afloat in Far Western Murphy". NC Health News.
  7. ↑ "Two Hours From Anywhere 5K, Heart Walk and Kids Fun Run". Facebook. 2017-09-16. Accessed January 14, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Murphy Medical Center Community Health Needs Assessment (PDF). Murphy Medical Center. 2013-05-28. Accessed January 14, 2024.
  9. ↑ Knoepp, Lilly (2019-11-26). "Erlanger CEO Explains Why Murphy Labor And Delivery Is Closing". Blue Ridge Public Radio.
  10. ↑ Fite, Elizabeth (2018-04-03). "Erlanger Murphy Medical Center opens doors". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Chattanooga Publishing Company.
  11. ↑ Foster, Randy (2023-11-16). "Fire continues for third week". Clay County Progress. Hayesville, N.C.: Community Newspapers, Inc. p. A1.
  12. ↑ Flessner, Dave (2018-01-16). "Erlanger agrees to take over North Carolina hospital". Chattanooga Times Free Press.
  13. ↑ Martin, Brittany (2018-05-22). "New Murphy, N.C. hospital CEO specializes in rural healthcare". Fox Chattanooga. Accessed January 14, 2024.
  14. ↑ Cotiaux, Neil (2020-06-26). "Slow start to pandemic in SW NC counties, but future of hospitals uncertain". Carolina Public Press. Durham, NC. Accessed January 14, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital Leadership". Erlanger.

35°04′22″N 83°58′00″W / 35.0728°N 83.9667°W / 35.0728; -83.9667


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