Western Carolina UniversityCollege of Health and Human Sciences

• Undergraduate and Graduate Programs:– Communication Sciences and

Disorders– Health Sciences– Nursing– Physical Therapy– Social Work

• Housed in 160,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art building:– Onsite learning labs– Practicum clinics

• Training thousands of healthcare professionals each year

Harris Regional HospitalSwain Community Hospital

• Became Duke LifePoint Hospitals in 2014

• Medical staff of more than 100 physicians in Jackson, Swain, Macon counties in 25 specialties

• Also serving Graham and other western counties

• Employ 900 people• 14 Duke LifePoint hospitals in

U.S./9 in NC• 65+ LifePoint hospitals in 21

states

The Ascent Partnership

• The Ascent Partnership is the formal collaboration between Western Carolina University, Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital focused on ensuring access to quality health care in North Carolina's westernmost counties.

• Partnership initiatives include training the next generation of health care workers and supporting educational and outreach activities that benefit the health of those living in the region.

Launched at LEAD: WNCOctober 2015

How it Began• Individuals from multiple university and hospital disciplines

began discussing identity in early 2015• The Ascent Partnership was officially named after a

decades-long relationship between the organizations featuring clinical training opportunities for students and hospital support for WCU's athletic teams and arts events

• The Ascent Partnership provides opportunity to publicly identify community benefits of the relationship

• Chose ‘Ascent’ to signify journey as opposed to destination

Key Partnership Elements• Training the next generation of

healthcare workers– Sports Medicine/Physical Therapy

Clinic for training rotations and community healthcare access

– Primary Care Clinic for training rotations and community healthcare access

– Full tuition support for three students enrolled in WCU nurse practitioner program in exchange for minimum three-year commitment to working at Harris/Swain Mary Curtis McCracken at Harris Sports Medicine

and Physical Therapy at WCU

Community Impact

• Three nurse practitioners each caring for 2,000-patient panel = 6,000 people

• Impacting 10% of western counties’ population

Dr. David Belcher with Patti Sparling, FNP graduate of WCU program

Other Benefits

• Community Education: Speaker series• Support for Catamount athletes through

athletic training and game coverage• Support for WCU events:– Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K– Friends of the Arts events

Brief Video and Questions