photo by: Emma Delk

Project BEST leadership and Wheeling Hospital officials gathered at the main lobby of WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital for the check presentation on Tuesday. From left, Project BEST Co-Chair Doug Giffin, Associate Vice President of Foundation and Community Relations for Wheeling and Reynolds Hospitals Jessica Moore, WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital President and CEO Doug lass Harrison, Project BEST Executive Director Nathan Butts and Project BEST Co-Chair Justin Klempa.

Project BEST signed a $40,000 check on Thursday to help create the new Robert Sonneborn Family WVU Children’s Outpatient Center on WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital’s campus.

The donation was brought by the partnership between the nonprofit and WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital, as Project BEST is part of the hospital’s construction trade.

The donation was funded in part by local building trade members, with Project BEST Executive Director Nathan Butts noting WVU Medicine has been “very supportive” of the nonprofit organization’s contractors.

“We’re happy to support those who support our trades and our contractors,” Butts said. “That’s where this contribution comes from.”

Butts said Project BEST is a “joint effort” of the local building trades, including construction unions and the contractors that use those unions. He said half of the funding for Project BEST donations, including Thursday’s donation to the children’s outpatient center, is contributed by local building trades members. The contractors the trade members work with match their contributions to Project BEST funds.

Project BEST Co-Chair Justin Klempa said the nonprofit has always had a relationship with WVU Medicine and has made prior donations to WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital in Morgantown. Butts added he “hoped and anticipated” Project BEST contractors would “have a hand” in building the children’s outpatient center.

“We’re all local people,” Butts said. “I have four children myself, and I bring my kids here to WVU Medicine facilities, so it means a lot to me to have an up-to-date facility for them to visit. I’m sure everybody else in the trades feels the same about providing for the children in our community.”

Project BEST’s contribution added to the almost $5 million fundraised for the $11 million project, according to WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital President and CEO Douglass Harrison.

“All the funding has been from community support, so we’re very excited about it,” Harrison said. “Project BEST is part of our community and construction trade, so there’s a strong partnership there.”

Harrison said Project BEST’s donation would have a “significant impact” on children in the region. He said the donation would go toward general help to get the facility’s construction plan started, with construction set to begin this year.

“This will be a wonderful project for our community,” Harrison said. “It will give families with children access to high-quality care all in one location, so we’re really excited about it.”

The facility will combine all of WVU Medicine’s pediatric practices under one roof, and Morgantown-based pediatric specialists will be co-located there.

Harrison said a key feature of the facility will be an entrance designated for sick children and another entrance for wellness visits. Harris said the facility will also have imaging and lab capabilities “all under one roof.”

“Kids and families won’t have to traipse through the hospital to access care as everything will be in one location,” Harrison noted. “It will all be located right at our former continuous care building.”