Gov. Patrick Morrisey talks about rural improvement and accessible health care for rural communities during an open discussion at the Roane County Courthouse on Monday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

SPENCER — Gov. Patrick Morrisey visited the Roane and Ritchie County courthouses to speak one-on-one with the community about topics that impact statewide rural communities on Monday.

Morrisey’s first stop was at the Roane County Courthouse in Spencer where county commissioners, members of city council, executive directors and residents gathered to discuss the future of rural communities like Spencer.

Morrisey said he wanted to hear from the community about what they needed in order to bring economic development back to rural areas.

“It’s a thrilling time in West Virginia,” he said. “We’re trying to do things that use what we have.”

There were a variety of topics covered from health care to broadband to bringing small-town logging companies back into business and how economic development would lead to population growth over time.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey responds to questions and concerns from residents of Roane County at the Roane County Courthouse in Spencer on Monday afternoon. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

“The Trump administration’s Big Beautiful Bill, whatever you think about it, I will say this is the first time they’ve invested significant amounts of money in rural health,” Morrisey said.

He said the state has submitted a grant application to access some of the $50 billion that’s available. He said access to health care due to transportation or financial strain is a common issue throughout the state.

He said advances in broadband in the state will open more doors for telehealth which could alleviate the transportation factor.

He shared with the audience that the state is working on two health care projects which would bring in more health care jobs and would also provide more health care access for residents.

“I want to make sure that no community gets left behind and I’m here to help,” he said. “It’s about generational jobs and investing into those technical skills.”

Gov. Patrick Morrisey answers questions from the audience at the Roane County Courthouse in Spencer on Monday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Morrisey answered a variety of questions and concerns from attendees in the crowd. A few city officials commended him for his efforts since taking office in January.

“I know one of your priorities has been health, not necessarily health care…I just wanted to thank you for prioritizing that,” said Roane General Hospital Chief Executive Officer Doug Bentz.

Morrisey said if the grant through the Big Beautiful Bill is approved, they’re hoping to continue funding more rural health services such as Roane General Hospital.

A few of the residents who attended the gathering shared personal accounts about how Roane General Hospital has improved their quality of living. More funding for health services would equate to more healthy communities.

Spencer City Council member David Holland said the city would support the grant or other programs that would continue improving the hospital.

“We’re so glad you’re here and I know the county feels the same way,” said Holland.

Morrisey told the attendees at the courthouse the state has received a lot of support from the federal delegation and from both the House and the Senate regarding rural improvement initiatives.

“Let’s focus on what we can do to get people healthier now to get more people into the workforce, which then in turn increases the workforce participation rate, when then in turn increases productivity, which then in turn brings more money back into the system, which once again helps get people healthier,” he said. “This creates a good cycle.”

He said they’re working within the legislature to figure out what laws needed changed and what laws needed to be implemented in order to achieve the goals he discussed in terms of improving rural health and economics.

Roane County Commissioner Caleb Greathouse said the issues the county has faced with accessible health care and job opportunities are some of the reasons why so many people have left the area. Greathouse asked the governor what the office plans to do to make what they discussed into a reality.

“We need more population and more jobs and more people to come into the area,” said Morrisey. “Workforce numbers in the county are not where they need to be…it doesn’t address the immediate situation right now but we have to be very aggressive on this.”

Morrisey said workforce participation is the number one problem and now that it’s been addressed, the state knows what they need to work on to implement solutions.

Concerns about education in rural areas were brought up since a few schools near Spencer had recently been closed and sold. Morrisey said to address the issue he will be selecting his first school board pick for the West Virginia Board of Education and said he will choose wisely.

“We have to make sure we’re addressing those root core issues,” he said. “We can’t deteriorate economically or population wise and then expect everything to stay the same.”

After his discussion in Spencer, Morrisey ended the afternoon with similar topic discussions at the Ritchie County Courthouse in Harrisville.

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com