Temporarily, no visitors aged 11 and under are permitted. This year's dominant flu virus is a mutated flu A virus that appears to make children and teens sicker than the typical flu. We are restricting visitors aged 11 and under because young children often can carry and transmit viral infections with no symptoms, especially early in the infection. As always, visitors should not come to the hospital if they have respiratory viral symptoms or nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Effective 1/1/26, all UNC Health Appalachian (UNCHA) teammates (including providers and staff) will be required to wear masks when they are around other people indoors.
Patients and visitors will also be encouraged but not required to wear a mask when they are around other people (e.g., in the hallway, in the waiting room, in the exam room being seen). This applies to all UNCHA hospitals, outpatient facilities, and offices.

Published on November 21, 2024

Watauga Medical Center receives national recognition for patient safety

Watauga Medical Center earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog focused on patient safety. Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.

“We are consistently working to ensure all who enter our facilities are safe from harm. Once again, it is great to have Watauga Medical Center recognized with an A from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. I commend our staff on their outstanding work to keep patients safe, while maintaining exemplary care,” stated Chuck Mantooth, President and CEO of UNC Health Appalachian.

“Achieving an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade is a significant accomplishment for Watauga Medical Center,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It reflects enormous dedication to your patients and their families, and your whole community should be proud. I extend my congratulations to Watauga Medical Center, its leadership, clinicians, staff and volunteers for their tireless efforts to put patients first.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program focused solely on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients daily in the United States. This program is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

To explore Watauga Medical Center’s full grade details and to find valuable tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

About Watauga Medical Center

Watauga Medical Center, a member of UNC Health Appalachian, is licensed as a 117-bed regional referral medical complex, offering both primary and secondary acute and specialty care. Services include laboratory, imaging, radiology, physical and occupational rehabilitation therapy, respiratory therapy, surgical services, cancer treatment, heart and vascular services, sleep services, pain management, and emergency services. The medical center is certified by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center and earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Chest Pain Certification in 2018. The Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center, located on the campus of Watauga Medical Center is recognized as an approved community cancer care center by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. In July 2022, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System entered into a long-term Management Services Agreement (MSA) with UNC Health. This affiliation enables transformational change in primary care to improve lives in the High Country region of North Carolina. For more information, visit apprhs.org/wataugamedical.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. For more, follow them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram and sign up for their newsletter.