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Camden Clark Medical Center cuts ribbon on new emergency department

By Brett Dunlap 4 min read

PARKERSBURG -- The WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center unveiled its new emergency department to the community Monday.

Dignitaries, elected officials, hospital staff and others gathered outside the new South Tower entrance to dedicate the 44-bed emergency department, which will officially open to the public Nov. 7.

''Today we are here to deliver to the Mid-Ohio Valley the newest addition to the Camden Clark Medical Center,'' Camden Clark President and CEO David McClure said. ''It is to show our continued commitment to provide innovative health care to our community.''

The new emergency department will have a split-flow model where the most seriously ill patients will be cared for at the entrances for the ambulances. The emergency department will have three new trauma rooms, a decontamination room, a walk-in section for the high acuity patients and an ambulatory section.

On the floor above, the hospital will have a 30-bed inpatient unit that will connect to the South Tower so patients can be moved quickly to the nearby operating rooms if they require immediate surgery.

The $25 million project will encompass around 63,000 square feet.

Speakers brought up Sen. Johnson Newlon Camden, whose wife, Ann, donated their mansion upon her death in 1918, which is where the hospital now sits; and Dr. Andrew Clark who in 1902 left $10,000 to the city for medical care which grew to $50,612 over two decades and was used to establish the Clark Annex to the City Hospital. On April 16, 1920, the combined entities were first identified as Camden Clark.

McClure and others spoke about how both men could never imagine what they were able to accomplish.

''The expansion to the South Tower will continue to improve health care for the Mid-Ohio Valley, our community and the patients we serve,'' McClure said. ''Our goal is to serve our community, treating you and your family members with the highest level of care.''

The emergency department sees more than 50,000 patients every year.

''This new facility will only increase our ability to see them in a timely and efficient manner,'' McClure said. ''We stand here ready to deliver that care.

''The new state-of-the-art emergency department shows our commitment to improving the emergency department experience and minimizing the wait times, adding faster specialized treatment for those patients who are in need.

''Camden Clark puts our patients first.''

Dr. Terry Capel, Chairman of the Board of Directors for WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center, said over the years the hospital has seen many expansions, including the North Tower, the St. Joseph's Hospital merger and the construction of the South Tower.

''Our vision for Camden Clark Medical Center is it will be a leading regional medical center known for high-quality, comprehensive, state-of-the-art care, which in building this facility we would recognize this exemplifies,'' he said. ''The future belongs to those who invest today and have hope for tomorrow.''

Albert Wright, president/CEO West Virginia University Health System, said hospitals belong to the community.

WVU Medicine is working to recruit the best doctors and provide the best facilities across the state so no state resident would ever have to leave the state to receive the best care possible.

''Here we are making significant investments that will serve the community for years and years to come,'' he said.

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant issued a proclamation from the state commending what the hospital has done and in recognition for providing medical care to the area.

West Virginia Secretary of Commerce Keith Burdette said going to the hospital is not something anyone wants to do.

''When you need to go, what you want is exceptional," he said. ''You want access to the best and the brightest.

''That is what makes this facility so important to this community. When your family needs help you want to make sure the right people are there to provide it … and they have the right tools to take care of them. That is what this building is about, the right tools and the right environment.''

Parkersburg Mayor Jimmy Colombo praised the people who make up the hospital and provide the care.

''The real glue of this hospital in not underneath the floors or behind the wallpaper,'' he said. ''This addition is nothing more than concrete, mortar, block, bricks, metal, conduits and wires.''

Where the care provided will really come from is the people who work there, he said.

''It is from all of you,'' the mayor said. ''This hospital is a reflection on the staff that works here.

''Your hands reaching out and touching those who come to this hospital makes this hospital special.''

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