$50M annual grant swaying public favor toward HCA-Mission Health deal, North Carolina official says

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, who can block Franklin Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare's acquisition of Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health, has received far more letters supporting the deal than opposing it, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Nearly 70 percent of the 94 letters provided to the Citizen-Times by Mr. Stein's office are in favor of the $1.5 billion transaction. This is largely due to the creation of the Dogwood Health Trust, which would provide $50 million in annual grants to address the social determinants of health in western North Carolina, according to the Citizen-Times. Many of the supportive letters have come from local government, business, and nonprofit leaders.

"Dogwood Health Trust could be transformational for our community," Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer wrote in an Oct. 30 letter. "Targeting all its resources, strategically and thoughtfully, to address the social determinants of health, it has the potential to be a changemaker for Asheville, Buncombe County and Western North Carolina."

However, not all everyone is confident the Dogwood Health Trust will benefit the community. Mission Health is a nonprofit entity, and its sale to a for-profit company has worried some constituents.

"I do not believe this sale will operate to the benefit of the people of Western North Carolina," Steve Legeay wrote to Mr. Stein's office. "It will substitute profit maximization for HCA shareholders for community direction and operation. Control will effectively pass from our region to a removed set of corporate directors."

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