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WVU, Jackson County, Wetzel County hospitals join together

RIPLEY — WVU Hospitals is expanding its health care network with management agreements in place with two Mid-Ohio Valley hospitals.

An agreement with Jackson General Hospital in Ripley went into effect Sept. 1, with hospital President and CEO Stephanie McCoy becoming an employee of the West Virginia University system.

“Our mission is ‘Saving lives, changing lives with quality health care, one family at a time,’ and we believe that we will be able to better provide the highest quality health care to the families of Jackson County and the surrounding areas by entering into this relationship with WVU Hospitals,” McCoy said in a press release announcing the agreement.

On Thursday, WVU Hospitals announced a management agreement with Wetzel County Hospital in New Martinsville would take effect Oct. 1. Wetzel CEO Brian Felici will become a northern regional consultant to WVU Hospitals, while Dr. David Hess, president and CEO of WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale, also will be the new CEO at Wetzel County.

“It has been my honor and privilege to serve as the CEO of Wetzel County Hospital, and I am looking forward to working with WVU Hospitals to (ensure) that the people of Wetzel, Tyler and Marshall counties have continued access to high-quality health care,” Felici said in the release. “The hospital will be in good hands under Dr. Hess’ leadership, and I will be here to help whenever I am needed.”

Jackson General is a 25-bed, nonprofit, critical access hospital, offering inpatient, outpatient and emergency care and specialty services that include opthalmology, orthopedics, general surgery, urology and physical and respiratory therapy.

“It’s a very viable hospital serving their community,” WVU Health System President and CEO Albert L. Wright Jr. said in an interview.

Wright praised the hospital board as “forward-thinking” and said they recognized the need for a partner to continue to prosper in the future. Hospital leadership visited Morgantown, and WVU Hospitals sent a delegation to Ripley as part of the year-long process that resulted in the agreement.

“We both realized we had the same values,” Wright said.

Jackson General employs more than 300 people, and Wright said he doesn’t anticipate any employment changes right now. In fact, when WVU Hospitals begins working with an institution, the number of employees tends to increase rather than decrease, he said.

Being a part of the WVU system will increase the number of physician subspecialties available to the community served by Jackson General. While it might be difficult for a small rural hospital to engage the services of, for example, a cardiologist who may only be needed three days a month, the larger system can provide such physicians when needed.

“If we can do it in Jackson County, we want to do it in Jackson County,” Wright said.

Some services will need to be provided at regional hubs, the closest of which to Jackson is WVU Medicine’s Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg. That will add to the “critical mass” of patients served there, which Wright said will contribute to the long-term success of Camden Clark.

Eventually, Wright said he expects Jackson General to become a full member of the health care system.

“That’s the path we’re on right now,” he said.

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