photo by: Gage Vota

WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital CEO Douglass Harrison cuts the ribbon marking the grand opening of WVU Medicine’s new rapid care center located in Martins Ferry. From left to right, Unified Bank Senior Commercial Banking Executive Micheal Goclan, WVU Medicine Rapid Care Center Manager of Ambulatory Services Nichole Maltese, WVU Medicine Rapid Care Center Medical Director Dr. Tim Knierim, Harrison, Martins Ferry Councilwoman Suzanne Armstrong, WVU Medicine Director of Primary Care Leanne Goddard and WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital President and CEO Tony Martinelli.

MARTINS FERRY — When East Ohio Regional Hospital closed its doors this past March, WVU Medicine saw an opportunity to fill the void EORH left in the Martins Ferry community.

On Friday morning, WVU Medicine celebrated its new rapid care center in Martins Ferry.

WVU Medicine North Region President Douglass Harrison said that once EORH closed its doors for good, his team quickly reacted.

“This community needs expanded service. So we said, let’s open rapid care, let’s do extended hours, let’s get lab and imaging services back into the community,” Harrison said. “We offer pediatric services here, but urgent care is what we’re celebrating today.”

He added that the response from the community has been extremely positive.

“We are here to meet community needs, and we consider Martins Ferry part of our community and part of the WVU Medicine family,” Harrison said. “We’re eager to bring the service locally and provide comprehensive service to this community.”

The rapid care facility is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. and is located at 222 N. Fifth St., the former Romano Building. It offers a lab and radiology services and anyone with an order from any provider can be seen for those radiology services. There are four exam rooms with Dr. Tim Knierim and nurse practitioner Angela Carr regularly treating patients.

Leanne Goddard, director of primary care services, said that when EORH closed, there was a need in the community for a rapid care center.

“We knew that these patients needed somewhere to go for quick care, and so we thought we’d give it a go,” she said.

Goddard said since opening on Sept. 2, the center has seen roughly 20 to 40 patients a day.

“The team did a remarkable job. I just want to thank our team and thank the community for its response and our welcome here,” Harrison said. “We’ve been in this building for several years, and I’m very happy to keep expanding services and meet the needs of the community.”

He added that he believes it was record timing that WVU Medicine was able to get the rapid care facility up and running to serve that community.

The rapid care center isn’t the only facility to operate in the former Romano Building; family doctor Dr. Alfred Dunn, pediatrician Dr. Beth Canter, and podiatrist Dr. Crystal-Dawn Bradshaw all share the building.

Harrison said that he believes that the new facility is a great addition to the WVU Medicine family as it continues to grow.