Physician – Otolaryngology

AdventHealth Weaverville breaks ground after CON delay. April 8, 2026 On March 26, construction began on AdventHealth Weaverville, a 67-bed hospital in Madison County, expected to create over 1,300 jobs in Madison and Yancey counties. The hospital received approval through North Carolina's Certificate of Need (CON) process in 2022, a regulatory system requiring state permission before opening or expanding health care facilities. But an extended appeals process delayed their ability to break ground until now. "Wherever people get sick in North Carolina, they deserve to be able to get to a good, nearby hospital," Gov. Josh Stein said in a press release announcing the groundbreaking. "This new hospital in Weaverville is an investment in the health and economic future of western North Carolina. It will create good-paying jobs, reduce transport times for first responders, and expand access to care for families across the region." The project is partially supported by federal funding, after the state was awarded a $213 million under the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) in December. The funding is from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through a $50 billion initiative that allocates funds to all 50 states for rural health care services under RHTP. "This is a meaningful moment for our region," said Mike Thompson, president of AdventHealth's Southeast Region. "The vision for AdventHealth Weaverville starts to take physical shape today. And we see the opportunity for this investment to grow to a $1 billion entity for this very site to serve as a tertiary and trauma response for the region. Our goal is not just to build a hospital, but to be a part of a bigger collective vision that brings healing, wholeness and hope to Western North Carolina." But the Certificate of Need (CON) process and subsequent appeals have impacted the timeline for Adventhealth Weaverville, according to Victoria Dunkle, a spokesperson for Adventhealth. The state first approved the 67-bed CON for the facility in 2022, but then a rival sought to block their project. HCA/Mission appealed that decision, and the state administrative judge upheld the state's approval of AdventHealth's application. HCA/Mission's additional efforts to appeal through the State Court of Appeals and NC Supreme Court were also unsuccessful. The legal process delayed ability to begin construction on the hospital until this year. "What's absurd is that AdventHealth had to first get permission from the state - due to North Carolina's Certificate Need laws - before breaking ground," Brian Balfour, vice president of research at the John Locke Foundation, said in an interview with the Carolina Journal. "This approval process held up construction, delaying much-needed access to care for area residents for months or possibly years. The assistance provided by the federal government grant underscores how intertwined government at all levels is with our health care system that is unaffordable for far too many." HCA/Mission is also opposing AdventHealth's CON for adding 26 other beds to the Weaverville facility, in a decision that AdventHealth told CJ would come in the coming weeks. In 2025, AdventHealth applied for another CON, to add 129 beds "to provide a new choice for tertiary care including trauma, advanced cancer and cardiac care and a Level II NICU at AdventHealth Weaverville." The NCDHHS rejected this CON in late March. In response to the decision, AdventHealth provided a statement to CJ: AdventHealth's commitment to serving Western North Carolina remains unchanged... Based on the recent health care access and quality concerns in our region, we do not believe the decision is in the best interest of our community and will have profound impacts. We are currently evaluating appeal options that honor the community's needs and voice. Phase one of AdventHealth Weaverville is currently under construction. Additional phases of inpatient beds are vital to the vision of offering advanced trauma and tertiary care to our community closer to home. Policy analysts, like Balfour, agree, noting that regulatory and government involvement can affect the cost and accessibility of health care services. "The more involved the government has become, the less affordable and less accessible health care is," said Balfour. "Unpacking countless layers of government interference and bureaucracy would go a long way toward making health care more affordable and available for people in need." The March hospital groundbreaking coincides with the third anniversary of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, under which able-bodied adults ages 19-64 with incomes up to roughly 138% of the federal poverty level became eligible for coverage beginning Dec. 1, 2023. Since then, enrollment in the expansion population has grown, adding 720,000 residents to the state's Medicaid rolls that serve more than 3 million people.

The American fund Advent is betting on the premium segment of body care. * Nicolas Desaje Premium body care products are now attracting private equity investment. Advent has just announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in the American brand Salt & Stone. In less than a decade, this body care brand born on the California coast has managed to establish itself on the shelves of Sephora and on Amazon. Deodorants, signature fragrances, and a loyal community: Salt & Stone quickly found its place in the premium body care market. The brand is now also attracting investor attention. In a press release, the American fund announced it had signed "a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Salt & Stone." The transaction is expected to close in April. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Founded in 2017 in Los Angeles by former professional snowboarder Nima Jalali, Salt & Stone quickly established itself in the premium body care segment. The brand was created to meet a market need, offering products that support an active lifestyle without compromising on ingredients, fragrance, or design. A rapidly growing brand. According to the press release, the brand has expanded into several distribution channels, including premium retail and marketplaces (Amazon). Its deodorant is a top seller in both of these channels, Advent points out. Salt & Stone, which recorded over $165 million in revenue in 2025, also relies on direct-to-consumer sales, which account for 40% of its sales in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The brand is currently available in Sephora stores worldwide and at several specialty retailers, with recent expansion into Sephora Europe and Space NK.

Bringing tomorrow's treatments closer to home. AdventHealth's Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Peter Nagele, aims to accelerate clinical trials and strengthen whole-person research - expanding access to leading-edge care. Published date: April 06, 2026 | Estimated read time: 4 minutes | * Jodie Mailman ORLANDO, Fla. - When patients and families are facing difficult or lifechanging diagnoses, they want options - care that's compassionate, thoughtful and rooted in the latest advances in medicine. Creating that balance - by bringing research and discovery directly into the care experience - is where Dr. Peter Nagele believes medicine can make its greatest impact. As the recently named chief scientific officer for AdventHealth's Central Florida Division, Dr. Nagele will help advance whole-person research that expands care options for patients and families. "The best care goes beyond a diagnosis, it's about understanding what someone is going through and giving them real options," said Dr. Nagele. "That's only possible when research and medicine move forward together." For Dr. Nagele, the purpose of research has always been deeply personal. As a teenager in Austria, he volunteered as a paramedic with the Austrian Red Cross, responding to emergency calls while still in high school. Caring for patients and witnessing the uncertainty families face during their most vulnerable moments left a lasting impression and helped shape how he approaches medicine and research. "When you're exposed to that level of suffering - illness, trauma and loss - it changes your perspective," he said. "You see how fragile life can be. I knew I wanted to help patients and do everything possible to improve care." Dr. Nagele comes to AdventHealth from the University of Chicago, where he is a tenured professor of anesthesia and critical care and professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience. Over the course of his career, he has brought a patient-centered perspective to nationally recognized research programs focused on translating scientific discovery into meaningful advances in care. He is an NIH funded clinical and translational scientist whose work spans cardiovascular medicine, genomics, perioperative science and mental health. He also serves as an editor of ANESTHESIOLOGY, the field's leading peer-reviewed journal and as president of the FAER Academy of Research Mentors in Anesthesiology. "Research is a core part of improving patient care. When it's done with intention, it helps ensure patients and families don't have to leave home to find hope." Through that work, Dr. Nagele says one truth has become increasingly clear: medicine advances only when clinicians are willing to question what they think they know. "Many treatments we once believed in wholeheartedly turned out to be ineffective, or even harmful," he explained. "That's why rigorous, unbiased research is so important. It helps us understand what truly benefits patients." Dr. Nagele has seen firsthand how rapidly scientific discovery can change the course of disease. He recalls caring for a physician with aggressive leukemia who had exhausted traditional treatment options. Through genetic analysis of the cancer - a relatively new approach at the time - researchers identified mutations that could be targeted with existing therapies, leading to remission. "That was only possible because of research," he said. "It gave someone a chance they wouldn't have had otherwise." Today, similar breakthroughs are happening across health care - from cancer therapies and cardiac treatments to diabetes, obesity and mental health - often based on research conducted just years earlier. "For patients, research isn't something happening far away in a lab," Nagele said. "It directly influences the care they receive." As chief scientific officer, Dr. Nagele is especially drawn to AdventHealth's commitment to caring for the whole person - body, mind and spirit. "Sometimes medicine has focused too narrowly on physical symptoms," he said. "We can't forget the importance of mental and emotional health. Addressing the full person leads to better outcomes." His own research reflects that belief. Dr. Nagele has studied the effects of nitrous oxide - commonly known as laughing gas - on patients with severe, treatment resistant depression. In collaboration with psychiatrists, his team observed rapid improvements, sometimes within hours, offering renewed hope for patients who had struggled for years. "Seeing those changes in patients is incredibly powerful," he said. "That's why we do research, to help people in ways we didn't previously think were possible." Looking ahead, Dr. Nagele's vision at AdventHealth centers on growth that directly benefits patients and families across Central Florida and beyond. A key focus is expanding clinical trials and strengthening collaborative research networks so more people can access emerging therapies where they already receive care. "Research is a core part of improving patient care," he said. "When it's done with intention, it helps ensure patients and families don't have to leave home to find hope." To learn more about research and clinical trials at AdventHealth - including opportunities to participate - visit AdventHealth's Translational Research Institute. 12 items. 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