Veteran Journalist Joins Mission Health

Mission Health today announced the appointment of Jon Ostendorff as regional communications and advocacy manager.  He comes to the healthcare system from WLOS News 13, where he was an investigative reporter.

“Jon’s experience telling complex stories about western North Carolina fairly and accurately, combined with his knowledge of regional politics and government, make him a great addition to our staff,” said Rowena Buffett Timms, Senior Vice President for Government and Community Relations.

His duties at Mission Health, which begin on July 11, include working with the news media and local governments across the region.

Ostendorff’s journalism career started at the Asheville Citizen-Times in 1999.  At the newspaper, he covered politics, criminal justice, environmental issues and government. 

He was also the North Carolina correspondent for USA Today and has received awards from the Associated Press and N.C. Press Association, including a Public Service Award in 2009. 

Ostendorff spent months as an embedded reporter inside Mission Health for a special report that published last year. The series explored the impact of the Affordable Care Act and population health management on hospitals, specialists, primary care physicians and patients.  His work was cited in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2016.

“My passion for journalism comes from a desire to help my community,” Ostendorff said. “I am excited about this new role in serving the people of western North Carolina in this time of rapid change in health care.”

Ostendorff is a graduate of Brevard College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication.  A native of Greenville, S.C., he currently lives in Waynesville with his wife, Becky Johnson, and two children, Josie and Alex.

About Mission Health

Mission Health, based in Asheville, North Carolina, is the state’s sixth-largest health system and was recognized as one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems from 2012-2015 by Truven Health Analytics, formerly Thomson Reuters, becoming the only health system in North Carolina to achieve this recognition.  Mission Health operates six hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, post-acute care provider CarePartners, long-term acute care provider Asheville Specialty Hospital, and the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center.  With approximately 10,700 employees and 2,000 volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina. For more information, please visit mission-health.org or @MissionHealthNC.

###