WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) — The Ohio Valley volition soon payment from a new, comprehensive, determination crab halfway that the WVU Health System and the WV Cancer Institute program to physique connected the tract of the erstwhile Ohio Valley Medical Center successful Center Wheeling.
The project, made imaginable by a concern among the Health System, the City of Wheeling, and the Ohio County Commission, volition instrumentality up to 5 years to implicit and is taxable to definite authorities approvals.
“Our ngo is to guarantee radical person convenient entree to our web of care, particularly crab care, and the specialists and subspecialists who are the backbone of that network,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the West Virginia University Health System, said. “This task volition heighten that entree portion besides serving arsenic a large catalyst for further economical maturation and improvement successful the City of Wheeling.”
With the second-highest crab mortality complaint successful the United States, West Virginia’s astir communal crab diagnoses are pistillate bosom cancer, prostate cancer, lung and bronchus cancer, and colon and rectum cancer. The WV Cancer Institute typically diagnoses astir 1,200 crab cases each twelvemonth successful the Wheeling region.
“The needs are legendary,” Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, M.D., surgical oncologist and manager of the WV Cancer Institute, said. “This caller halfway volition go a captious portion of the WV Cancer Institute’s integrated web of crab attraction crossed the authorities and portion and volition beryllium connected to a broader squad of crab specialists and subspecialists for consultations and adept opinions.”
With cancer-specific tumor boards, the WVU Cancer Institute takes a multi-disciplinary squad attack to each crab lawsuit that a squad of experts reviews. Although inactive precise aboriginal successful the readying stages, the halfway volition apt connection aesculapian oncology, radiation oncology, and mammography services; a melanoma center; a specialty pharmacy; telemedicine capabilities; multi-disciplinary tumor boards; and world probe facilities.
“This caller halfway volition beryllium a game-changer for the portion and the metropolis of Wheeling some successful presumption of the transportation of crab attraction and economical development,” Douglass E. Harrison, president, and CEO of WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and Reynolds Memorial Hospital, said. “This is much than a caller crab center; it is simply a committedness to the metropolis and the surrounding portion that WVU Medicine and the WVU Cancer Institute volition beryllium astir for galore years to beryllium your healthcare partners.”
Wright, Harrison, and Hazard-Jenkins envision a four-story installation that is determination betwixt 75,000 and 90,000 quadrate feet successful Wheeling with an expected workforce of 150 employees.
The caller halfway volition employment crab doctors, precocious signifier providers, nurses, aesculapian assistants, schedulers, dietitians, societal workers, and installation professionals. It is estimated that the installation volition make 40,000 diligent visits per year.
The City of Wheeling, the proprietor of the erstwhile Ohio Valley Medical Center (OVMC), volition beryllium a captious spouse successful the project. The WV Health System volition raze the buildings astatine the OVMC site, and the City volition donate each of the shovel-ready parcels to the System.
Both the City of Wheeling and Ohio County volition money the bulk of the erstwhile hospital’s demolition.
“This task is going to beryllium transformational: not lone volition it alteration the transportation of crab attraction successful our region, but it volition besides alteration the economical scenery of the Centre Market area, downtown Wheeling, and the metropolis arsenic a whole,” Robert Herron, the City of Wheeling’s metropolis manager, said. “I would similar to convey the enactment of WVU Medicine for their imaginativeness and committedness to the well-being of our citizens and for initiating specified a worthwhile endeavor.”
The Ohio County Commissioners are pleased to beryllium a portion of the project.
“The operation of a state-of-the-art crab halfway astatine the erstwhile OVMC determination volition not lone alteration that portion of municipality but volition positively interaction diligent attraction for residents successful Ohio County and successful the region,” Commission President Randy Wharton said. “In addition, the installation volition bring galore employment opportunities to our country and volition person a precise important economical impact. It has been a pleasance moving with the City of Wheeling and WU Medicine connected this project. This is simply a large illustration of what tin hap erstwhile entities successful the assemblage stock imaginativeness and commitment.”
Members of the Wheeling City Council are thankful for the concern of the 3 entities.
“The closure of OVMC was a travesty for our assemblage and, since then, the City has worked tirelessly to bring healthcare backmost to our area. Thankfully, the City has been capable to spouse with different section and determination leaders successful reshaping our healthcare for the betterment of our residents with the instauration of a cutting-edge determination crab center. The operation of a brand-new, state-of-the-art determination crab halfway by Wheeling Hospital and the WU Health System astatine the shuttered OVMC spot is simply a location tally for not lone the residents of Wheeling but the full Ohio Valley,” Ward 4 Councilor Jerry Sklavounakis said.
“Executing the Letter of Intent is the archetypal measurement successful the process of revitalizing Center Wheeling and providing much-needed crab attraction for our neighbors, friends, and family. This task is simply a important endeavor that cannot hap without the effort, vision, and collaboration of assorted entities. I would similar to widen my gratitude to the Ohio County Commission, the metropolis manager and chap members of Council, and the WV Health System for undertaking this exceptional project.”
Ward 6 Councilor Dave Palmer said, “I americium ecstatic with WU Medicine for their continued concern successful the City of Wheeling. While it saddens maine to accidental goodbye to the ‘OV’ arsenic we knew It, this volition beryllium the dawn of a caller epoch for Center Wheeling. A installation of this benignant volition amended our healthcare successful this area, truthful our citizens volition not person to question to different regions to get the attraction they need. I couldn’t beryllium much grateful to our metropolis unit and region commissioners for their assistance successful making this task a reality.”
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