ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A 30-second advertisement celebrating the work of Mission Health employees in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene is drawing controversy over the inclusion of one individual.
To mark the six-month anniversary of the storm that devastated Western North Carolina — leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless — HCA Healthcare produced a five-minute video to honor the efforts of Mission Health staff across the region.
Mission Health officials said the video was so well-received among staff that HCA officials decided to make a 30-second cut for a TV ad.
However, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer’s appearance in that ad has created a stir.
“This emergency response situation completely depended on everybody and every entity in our community being able to do what they do to the best of their ability and HCA did that. They were incredibly resourceful,” Manheimer said in the 30-second clip that began airing this week.
“Having HCA Healthcare continue to treat everybody who walked through their door was fundamental to not losing more lives in our community.”
Manheimer said an event like Helene highlighted the need for the community to work together.
“You’re all on the same team, and you’re partners in an effort to serve the people. And that was critical that we all had strong partners, and HCA Healthcare was that strong partner doing their part to help all the people of Western North Carolina,” the mayor said in the ad.
The mayor said Thursday she participated in the five-minute HCA “documentary” because it was important to recognize the work and sacrifice that Mission Health employees made in the days and weeks following the storm.
“They truly went above and beyond, and, in this dispute between HCA and the city, county and state (all three of which are suing HCA), I worry that the employees suffer as collateral damage and don’t get the recognition they deserve for their work,” Manheimer said.
The mayor said she had no idea the video was going to be made into an ad.
“I am disappointed that HCA would leverage our devastating experience with Helene to run advertisements. HCA gave me a heads-up last week that they are using footage of me in a promotional video. They advised me that they have the rights to the footage because it was taken from a documentary about Helene that I, along with many other people, consented to be interviewed for,” Manheimer said.
“I assume HCA gave me a heads up about this ad because I am on record as harshly criticizing HCA Healthcare and, among other instances, giving them a wakeup call last year when I called on HCA, which is an enormous for-profit hospital company, to put patient safety first or sell Mission Health System to a nonprofit entity.”
Some in the Asheville area took to social media to criticize the mayor, while others defended her.
“She didn’t deliberately make the ad for them,” one person argued.
While another said, “That’s pretty tone deaf w the hijinks HCA and Mission are doing!”
The mayor said only one person had emailed her about the spot.