LOCAL

Asheville hotel rooms open for healthcare workers who come in contact with COVID-19

Brian Gordon
Asheville Citizen Times

ASHEVILLE As hotel usage remains a matter of local debate, dozens will now be able to self-isolate in Asheville hotels for free if they come in contact with COVID-19 while on the job. 

On April 27, the Dogwood Health Trust announced a $54,000 grant to cover half the bill for 30 hotel rooms over 60 days. The rooms are reserved for healthcare workers, first responders and anyone who works directly to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. Those who receive this lodging will continue to report to work on their regular schedules. 

Virtelle Hospitality - which operates several local hotels including a Holiday Inn in West Asheville, the Quality Inn in East Asheville and a Comfort Suites - will provide the rooms and the workers' employers will cover the remaining lodging costs.  

Hotel usage has sparked local debate during COVID-19.

“Our healthcare professionals and first responders have been working around the clock, putting their lives on the line to tackle this crisis and keep our community safe,” said Antony Chiang, chief executive officer at Dogwood Health Trust, in an April 27 press release. Dogwood is the $1.5 billion community fund created out of HCA’s 2019 purchase of Mission Health. 

As of April 27, Buncombe County reported 57 lab-confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 and  three deaths. The same day, Mission Health confirmed fewer than 25 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 across their system.

Dogwood, Buncombe County, and Virtelle leaders say the program will be a boon for both public health as well as the struggling local hospitality sector, which reported 15% occupancy by the end of March.

“Not only are we glad to provide a safe place for our community members in this time of need, but also grateful for the opportunity to help get some of our furloughed employees back to work,” “said Himanshu Karvir, president of Virtelle Hospitality, in the press release. Virtelle operates several local hotels, including a Holiday Inn in West Asheville, the Quality Inn in East Asheville and a Comfort Suites.

Dogwood spokeswoman Erica Allison said guest access, room cleaning, and meal deliveries will be monitored to promote social distancing and proper personal protective equipment use.

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Hotels for the homeless community

Since state and county officials first declared Stay Home ordinances, many have clamored for local leaders to open hotel rooms for the homeless community. 

In March, a cohort of Asheville-area non-profits - including Homeward Bound, BeLoved Asheville, and Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry - asked Buncombe County officials to utilize hundreds of vacant hotel rooms to support the unsheltered, who are particularly vulnerable to the virus. At the April 14 City Council meeting, 13 of 14 prerecorded callers addressed the need to provide hotel rooms to the homeless or other people left vulnerable during the health and economic crisis.

Aquiel Warner of the Dale Fell Commnity Health Center practices social distancing while assisting client at Room at the Inn, a local women's shelter to home program.

Absent hotel access, 50 individuals have found temporary shelter in Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville.

Dogwood's Allison said officials are aware of the support for matching hotels with the homeless community.  

“Dogwood and the County recognize that there are others within the community who would benefit from such a partnership, including confirmed cases who require safe isolation and community members who lack secure housing,” Allison stated in the April 27 press release. “They hope that this partnership can serve as a model for future public/private collaborations to address those needs.”

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Dogwood won't disclose all investments

While Dogwood has contributed $10 million to regional COVID-19 emergency funds , the nonprofit fund declined requests from the Citizen Times to reveal all their individual recipients. 

“The Dogwood team decided early on to stay adaptive and strategic, and is not disclosing all investments at this time since the strategies and tactics have continuously changed and we want to avoid as best as possible potential confusion,” Chiang said.

Antony Chiang, the new CEO of Dogwood Health Trust.

The Dogwood CEO did divulge several of its broader distributions to lessen COVID-19's impact in 18 regional counties and the Qualla Boundary. These funds include millions for testing kits, personal protective equipment, as well as $300,000 to purchase cellular Wi-Fi hotspots for rural areas and thousands more to provide meals to seniors. Dogwood has also given $125,000 to the WNC Community Foundation Emergency Response Fund, which lists all its individual grant recipients.

Brian Gordon is the education and social issues reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. He has won awards for covering schools and guinea pigs. Reach him on Twitter at reached @briansamuel92. 

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