Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital (EWCH) is a hospital located in Murphy, North Carolina certified by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It is the only hospital in the state west of Bryson City and Franklin. The hospital is licensed for 191 beds. Of the 191 beds, 120 are nursing home beds, 57 are general beds, and 14 are beds for patients with Alzheimer's disease.[2][3]
It is affiliated with Erlanger Health System, based in Chattanooga, TN. After acquiring the hospital in 2018, Erlanger renamed the facility from its original name "Murphy Medical Center" to "Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital."
Quality ratings
Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital near Murphy, N.C.
Much hospital quality information exists in the HealthGrades website concerning this hospital. HealthGrades shows twelve quality indicators; these are rated as one star, three stars and five stars. This hospital scored as follows:
one star - one rating
three stars - nine ratings
five stars - one rating.
The hospital was rated on nine patient-safety indicators. Murphy Medical Center received the following ratings:
The Nursing Home Rating website has quality information about the nursing home part of EWCH. Its overall rating was four of five possible stars, with five stars being the best possible rating. This information was generated in 2013.[5]
History
Cherokee County’s first medical institution was Petrie Hospital, founded in November 1933 by Dr. R.W. Petrie, an eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist. The hospital was a two-story white brick building atop a hill on Peachtree Street in downtown Murphy. It started with four registered nurses and a capacity of 21 patients.[6] The Sisters of Providence of Holyoke came to Murphy in 1956 to manage Petrie Hospital and renamed it Providence Hospital.[7] The 22-bed Murphy General Hospital was built by Dr. F. V. Taylor in 1941 and closed in July 1969 due to insufficient staff and property.[8][9] In 1956, a 30-bed non-profit regional hospital named District Memorial Hospital was constructed in nearby Andrews.[10][8] Citing uncollected payments, District Memorial declared bankruptcy in 2000.[11] Murphy Medical acquired District Memorial's assets in 2002 before District Memorial closed in June 2003, and was demolished in late 2008.[12][13]
In January 1974 the Murphy Town Council approved spending $4,000 on a study to see whether constructing a new hospital was feasible.[14] Mountain Health Services of Blairsville, Georgia, recommended the construction of a new $5.5 million medical center. Following this study, Providence Hospital closed in 1978 and Murphy Medical Center was founded in 1979.[15] In January 1982, Charlotte-based SunHealth took over management of the hospital.[16] After the FAA halted helicopter landings near the hospital due to unsafe conditions, the medical center built and opened a dedicated heliport in September 1985.[17] In October 1985, Atlanta-based Health Southeast took over management of the hospital from SunHealth and Jerry Hummel was appointed as administrator.[16]
In the 1990s, MMC went from being a county-supported not-for-profit hospital to becoming a private not-for-profit medical facility, which allowed it to fundraise to secure financing.[18] From 1990 through 2017 Murphy Medical Center held an annual 5K run at the hospital campus to raise money. The race was called “Two Hours From Anywhere.”[19] The medical center opened Mountain Regional Cancer Center around 2000.[20] The hospital opened an urgent care center in a Murphy shopping center in 1998. The urgent care center moved to its current location in 2009 and treats approximately 12,000 walk-in patients per year. As of 2013, the emergency department at the Peachtree campus treated approximately 15,000 patients per year.[21] Murphy Medical began losing money as uncompensated care grew to $13 million in 2013.[21] In 2015, involuntarily committed behavioral health patients were flooding the emergency department, so the hospital closed its Alzheimer's Unit to create a holding area.[22]
Erlanger Health System acquired Murphy Medical Center in January 2018 and changed its name in January 2019. The hospital closed its labor and delivery unit in December 2019.[23] As of 2018, the hospital had approximately 450 employees.[24] In 2023, Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital served as incident command post during the 5,000-acre Collett Ridge Fire.[25] In late 2024, the hospital opened a nature garden for staff and patients in a trapped space between buildings.[26]
On June 30, 2025, a fatal shooting occurred at a nearby orthopedics office affiliated with the hospital. A federal inmate shot a Cherokee County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) detention officer with his own gun and injured another. The officer that was shot was taken into the main hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The inmate stole a vehicle, fled, and was arrested in Macon County, near Franklin. He was arrested on a first-degree murder charge and was taken to the Buncombe County Detention Center. The inmate had a virtual court appearance in Swain County. The hospital and the nearby Tri-County Community College were on lockdown. The inmate had previously been arrested on robbery charges and had previously escaped from CCSO's custody in 2024.[27][28][29]
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