While change over time is inevitable, one thing that hasn’t changed for a long time is that Harris Regional Hospital is the leading provider of women’s and children’s services in Jackson, Swain, Graham and Macon counties. Harris has achieved this distinction because, through the years, we have had a dedicated group of providers, nurses and support staff who have been committed to serving patients locally with the highest quality care and service.  

Today, we are more excited than ever about our ability to serve patients locally due to unprecedented access to services provided by our OB-GYNs and pediatricians coupled with more than $1 million in investment over the past two years in new equipment, technology and facilities. Going forward we will continue to improve access through the recruitment of additional providers that will allow us to take our services closer to those traveling to us from outside Jackson County. We will invest heavily in facilities and equipment so that we have a state-of-the-art environment to match the skill and expertise of our physicians and nurses. 

The overwhelming majority of families in our region choose Harris for women’s and children’s services and we are committed to creating access to services and an environment that perpetuates this reality for generations to come.  

The concept of competition in health care and its inherent value has been threaded through the recent media coverage related to this topic. The physicians and staff of Harris have pursued and will continue to pursue excellence regardless of the competitive environment in our region. We will choose partners who demonstrate an interest in integrating services locally as we pursue our mission of “Making the Communities We Serve Healthier.” Competitors will come and go and we will remain committed to that mission.

It is our privilege to serve you.

(Heatherly is Chief Executive Officer of Harris Regional Hospital/Swain County Hospital.)