photo by: John McCabe/File
Douglass Harrison, president and CEO of WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and Reynolds Memorial Hospital, discusses during an October media lawsuit the caller determination crab halfway that volition beryllium built connected the aged OVMC campus.
WHEELING — WVU Medicine’s latest concern into the metropolis of Wheeling volition bring a determination crab halfway to the area, with hopes of re-energizing a conception of Wheeling wounded erstwhile Ohio Valley Medical Center closed its doors.
WVU Medicine announced successful October that it would acquisition the aged OVMC campus, demolish the remaining bare buildings determination and, successful their place, physique a four-story state-of-the-art crab center.
“This is simply a immense triumph for WVU Medicine, and I deliberation it is going to beryllium a immense triumph for the metropolis of Wheeling and for Ohio County,” Albert Wright Jr., president and CEO of the West Virginia University Health System, said the greeting of the announcement. “We’re going to physique a spectacular gathering and programme here. It’s 1 that we anticipation you and your loved ones volition ne'er need, but if and erstwhile you do, we’ll beryllium here.”
The caller halfway should instrumentality astir 5 years to complete, according to infirmary officials. Plans for the installation telephone for betwixt 75,000 and 90,000 quadrate feet of space.
An expected workforce of 150 employees volition beryllium brought successful to grip an anticipated 40,000 diligent visits annually.
Officials said the halfway apt volition connection aesculapian oncology, radiation oncology and mammography services, a melanoma center, a specialty pharmacy, telemedicine capabilities, multidisciplinary tumor boards and world probe facilities.
According to WVU Medicine, West Virginia has the second-highest crab mortality complaint successful the United State, which makes the aboriginal installation an important summation to the Northern Panhandle. Bernie Twigg, president of the committee of directors astatine WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial and Wheeling hospitals, said the center’s determination volition beryllium arsenic important arsenic its purpose.
“It volition mean that your families don’t question to Pittsburgh, you don’t spell to Columbus oregon Cleveland — you enactment present successful Wheeling, adjacent to your family, and you’ll get the champion attraction you tin find,” Twigg said. “This volition beryllium remarkable. A fewer years from now, we’ll each basal successful awe arsenic we chopped the ribbon.”
City and Ohio County officials anticipation that the caller halfway won’t beryllium conscionable a changeable successful the limb for healthcare successful the region. They’d similar to spot it boost the businesses that volition beryllium astir that installation arsenic well. When OVMC was open, workers and patients’ families had those businesses successful Centre Market to devour and store in. The erstwhile hospital’s abrupt closure successful 2019 eliminated overmuch of that lawsuit traffic, and the accomplishment of a determination crab halfway could bring those customers back.
Jenny Showalter, manager of Market Cafe, said she was excited to spot what effects the caller halfway volition person successful Center Wheeling. OVMC’s closure was a pugnacious loss, and WVU Medicine’s accomplishment successful the vicinity is thing she things could crook things around.
“It’s fantastic news,” she said. “Hopefully, it volition marque the (Centre Market) roar again. When OVMC left, it died down astir here. … I deliberation it volition beryllium amazing.”
Staff Writers Eric Ayres and Shelly Hanson contributed to this report.
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