Wheeling Hospital to join WVU Medicine
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Wheeling Hospital, a 223-bed, acute-care, not-for-profit hospital affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston since its founding in 1850 by the first Bishop and a local physician, will become a full member of the West Virginia University Health System (WVUHS) under a Letter of Intent (LOI) that the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and WVUHS signed this week.
WVUHS has been managing Wheeling Hospital through a management services agreement since June 2019, with WVU Medicine senior executive Douglass E. Harrison serving as the Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer. Under the LOI, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston will enter into a 50-year long-term lease of Wheeling Hospital and its related facilities. The agreement also ensures Wheeling Hospital will maintain its Catholic identity as it becomes a full member of WVUHS.
As a full member of the health system, Wheeling Hospital will be part of a broad, integrated network of doctors, hospitals, clinics, and specialized institutes across West Virginia, Southwestern Pennsylvania, Western Maryland, and Ohio. Today, the WVU Health System, which operates under the brand “WVU Medicine,” has more than 20,000 employees; 2,815 providers; 22 member, managed, and affiliate hospitals; and more than 2.5 million patient visits annually.
The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, WVU Medicine Children’s, and WVU Emergency Medicine already operate programs at Wheeling Hospital. The WVU Heart and Vascular Institute will open a clinic at the hospital in the next few weeks. Upon joining WVUHS, Wheeling Hospital will become WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and be branded as part of the WVU Medicine family of hospitals and clinics.
“We are honored that Bishop Mark Brennan trusts us to continue Wheeling Hospital’s legacy and tradition of caring for the Wheeling and Upper Ohio Valley communities,” said Albert L. Wright, Jr., President and CEO of WVU Health System. “As a full member of our health system, Wheeling Hospital will remain true to its mission, traditions, Catholic identity, and practice of medicine, while benefitting from being part of a larger, integrated network. Together we will offer excellent healthcare to the people of the greater Wheeling area.”
Over the next several months, WVUHS, Wheeling Hospital and the Diocese will work through a variety of business and operational matters related to the transaction and Wheeling Hospital’s transition to WVUHS, including moving to the health system’s integrated electronic medical record and developing plans to transition Wheeling Hospital employees to the WVUHS benefits plan.
“I believe that this strengthened partnership between the Diocese and the WVU Health System will ensure the long-term viability of Wheeling Hospital and enable it to provide even better care to the sick and injured who come through its doors,” said Most Rev. Mark E. Brennan, Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. “I am also pleased that the full Catholic identity of the Hospital will be maintained. The Catholic Church has centuries of experience and wisdom about how to conduct good health care. It is encouraging that WVUHS recognizes that reality. I am confident that Mr. Wright, Mr. Harrison and the entire WVU Medicine team will be faithful stewards of this cherished community asset and will operate it in a manner that honors and continues its ministry of providing critical healthcare services to our community in the name of Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician. I trust that this partnership will ensure that Wheeling Hospital thrives for generations to come.”
The Diocese and WVUHS expect the Hospital to join WVUHS as a full member in March 2021, subject to all applicable board and governmental approvals.
The West Virginia University Health System, the state’s largest health system and largest private employer, is comprised of 12 hospitals – its flagship hospital, J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown and Fairmont Medical Center in Fairmont; Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg; Braxton County Memorial Hospital in Gassaway; Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg; Jackson General Hospital in Ripley; Jefferson Medical Center in Ranson; Potomac Valley Hospital in Keyser; Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale; St. Joseph’s Hospital in Buckhannon; Summersville Regional Medical Center in Summersville; United Hospital Center in Bridgeport; and Wetzel County Hospital in New Martinsville. It also provides management services to Barnesville Hospital in Barnesville, Ohio; Garrett Regional Medical Center in Oakland, Maryland; Harrison Community Hospital in Cadiz, Ohio; Highland-Clarksburg Hospital in Clarksburg; Uniontown Hospital in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and Wheeling Hospital in Wheeling. The WVU Health System also includes five institutes – the WVU Cancer Institute, the WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute, the WVU Eye Institute, the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, and the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. For more information, visit WVUMedicine.org.
For Media Inquiries:
Angela Jones-Knopf, WVU Health System Corporate Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs, 304-285-7259, knopfa@wvumedicine.org
Thea Gompers, Wheeling Hospital Director of Marketing and Public Relations, 304-243-3705, tgompers@wheelinghospital.org