Sonya Greck, RN, Appointed Senior Vice President of Operations for Mission Health

ASHEVILLE, N.C., Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Mission Health announced the appointment of Sonya B. Greck, RN, as Senior Vice President of Operations. In this capacity, Greck will be responsible for integrating Mission Health's patient care activities and other operational matters on a systemwide basis.

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Ms. Greck has previously served in numerous leadership roles within Mission Health, most recently as Mission Hospital's Interim Vice President of Cancer Services. She first joined Mission Health in 1994, and in 1996, she was appointed Vice President of Operations for Mission Hospital. Greck then served in a number of other executive capacities within Mission Health, including Chief Executive Officer for McDowell Hospital from 2004 to 2006. At McDowell Hospital, she launched a re-engineering of existing operations, guided the hospital to a position of financial stability, and oversaw a multi-million dollar expansion that included a new facility and staff development. After a three-year stint with other hospitals in Alabama and North Carolina, she returned to Mission Health in 2009 to hold additional leadership positions.

"Sonya has extensive experience in integrating operations at an array of hospitals in western North Carolina and throughout the Southeast," said Ronald A. Paulus, MD, President and CEO of Mission Health. "Her knowledge of western North Carolina, paired with her clinical background and goal-oriented approach to addressing integration and growth, makes Sonya a tremendous asset to our leadership team."

"I'm delighted to be joining Mission Health in pursuit of its BIG(GER) Aim: getting each patient to the desired outcome, first without harm, also without waste and with an exceptional experience for the patient and family," said Ms. Greck. "Being part of a senior leadership team focused first and foremost on the patient with a relentless effort to improve quality and safety is as good as it gets."

In her new role, Greck will provide operational oversight for system activities, including facilities, fiscal management, physician relationships and compliance, and clinical management measures. She will also lead strategic operational plans for the SECU Cancer Center and its cancer services. In conjunction with Jill Hoggard Green, PhD, RN, Kathy Guyette, RN, Dale Fell, MD, William Hathaway, MD, William Maples, MD, and Marc Westle, DO, FACP, Sonya joins a significant and growing group of clinical leaders on the Mission Health executive team.

Greck graduated from Clemson University in Clemson, S.C., with a bachelor of science in nursing, and she received her master's degree in nursing administration from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. She is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives and is the Board Chair for Eblen Charities. Greck's volunteer experience includes the United Way and the Western North Carolina AIDS Project.

About Mission Health

Mission Health, based in Asheville, N.C., is the state's sixth-largest health system and the region's only not-for-profit, independent community hospital system governed and managed exclusively in western North Carolina. In 2012 Mission Health was named one of the nation's Top 15 Health Systems by Thomson Reuters – the only health system in North Carolina to receive this recognition.

Mission Health, which traces its roots in the region back to 1885, operates five hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, and the region's only dedicated Level II trauma center. Its medical staff consists of more than 1,000 physicians and is certified in over 50 medical specialties and sub-specialties. Mission Health has seven Centers of Excellence: Cancer, Heart, Mission Children's Hospital, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Trauma and Women's Health. Mission Hospital, located in Asheville, is the system's flagship hospital and is licensed for 730 beds. It is the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care and is the busiest surgical hospital in North Carolina. It also includes Mission Children's Hospital– the region's only children's hospital. Other Mission Health member hospitals include Angel Medical Center in Franklin, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, McDowell Hospital in Marion and Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard. With approximately 8,800 employees and 700 volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina.

SOURCE Mission Health