Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina University Athletics and Harris Regional Hospital/Swain Community Hospital today announced the expansion and extension of its longstanding partnership. This renewed alliance enhances the hospital's continued commitment to supporting the health and well-being of WCU's student-athletes through providing orthopaedic and sports medicine care and expanded access to other essential healthcare services.
 
As part of this expanded relationship, the women's soccer, men's basketball, and women's basketball teams will include Harris Regional Hospital's logo on team jerseys starting this upcoming season. Additionally, Harris Regional Hospital's logo will be included on the playing surface of Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium, home of Catamount football.
 
The partnership between Western Carolina and Harris Regional has long been a cornerstone of community collaboration, emphasizing the region's shared values of health, wellness, and excellence. Harris Regional Hospital/Swain Community Hospital will continue to serve as the exclusive healthcare partner for Catamount Athletics, providing essential medical support and resources to ensure that student-athletes can perform at their best, both on and off the field.
 
The four-year renewal agreement was officially celebrated with a signing event on Tuesday, July 28, in the Peele, Westmoreland-Suhre, Hartshorn Hospitality Room on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, with members of the leadership teams of Harris Regional and WCU Athletics in attendance. Western Carolina Chancellor Dr. Kelli R. Brown and Director of Athletics Kyle Pifer both took part in the signing, with Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital CEO Ashley Hindman signing on behalf of the hospital.
 
"We're proud to continue our longstanding partnership with Western Carolina University and renew our commitment as the exclusive healthcare partner of Catamount Athletics," said Hindman. "This partnership reflects our shared commitment to supporting WCU's student-athletes, and we're grateful for the opportunity to expand our collaboration in ways that strengthen the health and well-being of the university and the communities we serve."

While formally established in 2015 with the Ascent Partnership, the agreement includes a decades-long legacy of support for essential health services for student-athletes both on the sidelines and on the field, including physician-led game and injury coverage and physical therapy and sports medicine services. Additionally, student-athletes receive access to important general health services through Harris Regional Hospital, including primary care, imaging, lab services, emergency care, and other specialty care. WCU's emergency services team works closely with Harris Regional to help students access timely emergency care and stabilizing treatment when needed, further ensuring that students have access to local care.

"This is a new chapter in the relationship between Harris Regional Hospital/Swain Community Hospital and WCU," said Pifer. "I'm honored to be a part of this partnership that will last for many years to come. The new elements that you will see on our field and uniforms represent how well we work together. I view the team doctors and other medical professionals as a part of our team in Athletics. Their support is a vital part of the student-athlete experience at WCU."
   
Harris Regional Hospital is proud to offer orthopaedic and sports medicine care through Harris Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, a practice comprised of highly skilled providers Lawrence Supik, MD, Doug Gates, MD, Ryan Slechta, MD, Joshua Patton, DO, John Songer, MD, Jarod Schoeberl, MPA, PA-C, Paul Ulrich, DO, Colby Finch, PA-C, and Alexis Parker, PA-C. Harris Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine specializes in both injury prevention and intervention, helping all patients, including athletes, to achieve optimal health and return to their activities as safely and quickly as possible.
 
Harris Regional Hospital has officially been a proud partner of WCU Athletics since 2015. The renewed agreement reaffirms the hospital's commitment to making communities healthier, working hand-in-hand with the university to support the next generation of athletes and leaders.
 
A member of The Southern Conference since 1976, Western Carolina Athletics supports 16 NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports for over 350 student-athletes.
 

 
 
About Harris Regional Hospital & Swain Community Hospital
Harris Regional Hospital, established in 1925, is an 86-bed acute and specialty care facility serving western North Carolina with more than 100 physicians practicing in locations throughout a multi-county region, including Harris Regional Hospital Medical Park of Franklin, an outpatient facility in Macon County. Swain Community Hospital, established in 1950, is a 48-bed Critical Access Hospital serving a multi-county region with primary care, emergency medicine and subspecialty care including a pain clinic and a transitional care unit. Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital began an affiliation in 1997 and joined Duke LifePoint Healthcare in 2014.
 
About Western Carolina University
Founded in 1889, Western Carolina University is a regional comprehensive institution serving as the westernmost school in the University of North Carolina System. WCU attracts students from around the globe for its nationally ranked programs, affordability through NC Promise, and exceptional student support. Nestled in a valley of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains and widely recognized as a top adventure college, WCU students can explore the region's vast natural diversity through unrivaled experiential learning and recreational activities. The institution offers residential, hybrid, and online programs for undergraduate and graduate degrees at our main campus in Cullowhee, WCU in Asheville located at Biltmore Park, and wherever students are through distance learning.