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Mid-Ohio Valley Foundations – Health: WVU Medicine Camden Clark still expanding access, services

PARKERSBURG -- WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center is continuing to expand access to care and bringing new services to the local community.

With the recent opening of the new Southgate Medical Complex in south Parkersburg as well as adding additional doctors for a variety of services, hospital officials said they are looking at meeting the needs of the community.

The new facility opened in September and had an official ribbon-cutting ceremony in early February. The complex is at the Southgate Shopping Center in the space where the former Big Lots store was located.

Services include primary care, diagnostic services, lab services, podiatry, pediatrics and more, as well as Rapid Care for both adults and children, said Camden Clark Chief of Operations Sean Smith. The hospital consolidated a primary care clinic on Division Street and a clinic at Patriot Point. There are two pediatricians practicing at the new site.

"We will continue to expand services and access on southside," Smith said. "We are particularly proud of this project as it allows us to combine and expand existing operations."

At the ribbon-cutting, Camden Clark President and CEO Steve Altmiller said the new facility will serve a significant portion of the population of Parkersburg.

"A third of the population of Parkersburg lives in south Parkersburg," he said. "We are here to provide access to south Parkersburg, improve care and have an impact on health care in West Virginia. "This is our investment in south Parkersburg. This is the first phase of our investment."

The second phase at Southgate will expand more of the diagnostic and service areas like podiatry, occupational medicine and other services, officials said.

In addition to Southgate, Smith said the plan is to expand services across the whole medical center.

"Our focus in 2024 is to continue to expand access by developing depth in our specialty services," he said.

The hospital brought in its first neurosurgeon in 2023 and is working to recruit another.

"We will want to grow our neurosurgical market," Smith said of the physicians who diagnose and treat conditions that affect people's nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and nerves.

The medical center is also working on inpatient capacity as their inpatient volume continues to grow and demand increases.

"We need to make sure we are accommodating that," Smith said.

The medical center is expanding cardiology services, both medical and surgical, Smith said of their continuing partnership with Parkersburg Cardiology Associates.

They will also continue to work with the Heart and Vascular Institute in Morgantown. Smith said Camden has plans to expand vascular service as they had brought in their first vascular surgeon in 2023 and are looking to add another in 2024.

They also brought in two urologists who are trained in robotic surgery.

"Robotics is becoming the standard of care in urology, general surgery, OBGYN and other fields," Smith said.

"It is less invasive and allows an easier recovery for the patient," added MarJean Kennedy, vice president of marketing, development and strategic initiatives.

Camden is continuing to grow its outpatient surgical services.

"A lot of orthopedic procedures are now being done same-day," Smith said. "We are focusing on growing that market."

They have seen an increase in the need for gastroenterology dealing with the normal function and diseases of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and liver.

The medical center recently brought in its second gastroenterologist and is planning to add two more this year, with one who is trained to do advanced procedures, Smith said.

Camden also brought in an infectious disease physician in 2023.

The hospital will be restarting its outpatient therapy services in March after 15 years, including speech therapy and physical therapy.

Cynthia Kern, vice president of quality and patient safety, said a lot of effort has been put into performance improvement.

"Every year we get better and better as it relates to our outcomes as a hospital," she said.

Over the last year, they have retained their spot on the Top 250 Hospitals list put out by Healthgrades, a company that provides information about physicians, hospitals and health care providers.

Healthgrades also gave Camden Clark a five-star rating for the last seven years in its heart failure treatment and a five-star rating for the last two years in its heart attack treatments. Camden was also recognized by U.S. News and World Report for its heart services in cooperation with Parkersburg Cardiology Associates.

"They are a big part of our success to provide great inpatient and follow-up care in their offices," Kern said.

Camden Clark received the HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence from the American College of Cardiology for providing world-class patient care four years in a row.

They have also received awards in orthopedics and more. They have been recognized by the American College of Cardiology, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and others.

"We are being recognized more and more across a number of service lines," Kern said. "We are just tickled to be recognized as a leader."

Over the last year, Camden Clark has worked with West Virginia University at Parkersburg on the WVU Medicine Aspiring Nurse Program. The program gives financial assistance to nursing students in exchange for an employment commitment at the hospital after they graduate, working in the nursing field.

"We were so fortunate to be one of the first organizations in the WVU Medicine system to be able to offer this," said Carol Grove, Camden Clark chief nursing officer. "This has been a game changer for some of our community members to be able to go to nursing school."

Prior to the program, many students were one minor problem away from not being able to go, she said, referencing unexpected expenses and other challenges.

"It really does make a difference," Grove said. "It will be a benefit to the community, and we look forward to continuing to grow it.

"It is really meeting a great need for us."

They are also offering nursing students entering their final semester the chance to come to the hospital and work with a registered nurse.

"They can shadow, spend time with and participate in nursing activities with a registered nurse," Grove said. "When they graduate and take their boards, they will have a great idea of what it is like to be a nurse.

"It has led to an increase in recruitment and hiring."

The past year was the fifth year the hospital was profitable, said Chief Financial Officer Kyle Pierson.

The medical center acquired the Ohio Valley Nursing Home last year. It is a 60-bed long-term care and skilled nursing care facility which is being utilized to help people be able to get out of the hospital sooner and back home.

"We think that will have a lot of benefits for our community," he said.

Profitability has allowed the medical center to invest back into the organization and the employees, Kennedy said.

"It has allowed us to provide more high quality state-of-the-art care through new equipment and more," she said.

All of the growth has allowed many in the community to get the care they need locally as opposed to having to travel somewhere else, Grove said.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com