Wheeling Hospital Sees Bright Future
Historical Exhibit to Mark 170 Years
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WHEELING -- As Wheeling Hospital celebrates its 170th anniversary, CEO Douglass Harrison sees "a very bright future" for the medical institution.
"We're pretty excited about what our future holds," he said.
Harrison has been on the job since last June, when the hospital's board signed a management agreement with WVU Medicine.
With an ever-expanding campus at Medical Park and the opening of satellite facilities throughout the Upper Ohio Valley, the hospital has grown significantly since its founding in March 1850. The main campus, in the Oak Park-Clator area, is its fifth location within the city of Wheeling.
"It's absolutely remarkable what this hospital has accomplished to serve the community," the CEO said.
Looking ahead, a 25-bed behavioral health unit is planned for the seventh floor of the hospital's Tower 5.
Architectural drawings are being finalized and costs are being projected in order to file a request for a state certificate of need, Harrison said.
In another development, Acuity Specialty Hospital is going to consolidate its Wheeling and Bellaire long-term acute care operations and move to the second floor of Wheeling Hospital's former Bishop Hodges Continuous Care Center building at Medical Park, Harrison said. The first floor is likely to be used for additional physician office space.
Acuity plans a phased project, moving from Wheeling Hospital's sixth floor in late July and vacating its space at the former Belmont Community Hospital building in Bellaire in October, he said.
As for the sixth-floor space, "we need that for patient beds. We'll convert that back to patient beds," he said. Wheeling Hospital is trying to sell the former Belmont Community building, he added.
Wheeling Hospital has hired a new sleep specialist and has begun construction on a sleep center, to be located in the former Huntington Bank branch on National Road in Woodsdale, he said.
The hospital's new Ambulatory Surgery Center opened in Bridgeport two weeks ago. A walk-in clinic, at the Romano Building in Martins Ferry, will be "up and running" in a couple of weeks, Harrison said.
An urgent care facility is set to open in early April at the Stone Center in downtown Wheeling. Another urgent care facility is expected to open in late autumn at the Bellaire Health Center, located at 3300 Guernsey St.
Harrison Community Hospital -- a division of Wheeling Hospital in Cadiz -- has recruited more physicians and has seen an upswing in usage, he said.
In the first four months of fiscal 2020, Harrison Community Hospital has experienced a significant increase in its emergency room and inpatient volumes. Compared to the same period last year, its ER has seen a 15% increase, while the inpatient volume has jumped 53%.
"That little hospital will be critical for us as a feeder into Wheeling and to service that little market," he said.
Meanwhile, Wheeling Hospital has embarked upon a year of celebration to mark its 170-year tradition of care.
"We're very, very excited," Harrison said. "It's about creating enthusiasm. It goes a long way with our staff."
To launch the observance, Msgr. Eugene Ostrowski will bless a new historical exhibit in the hospital's main lobby at 1 p.m. today. The exhibit is curated in partnership with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Jon-Erik Gilot, diocesan archivist, will speak briefly during the ceremony.
Talks on historical topics will be offered throughout the year. Special events will honor employees, volunteers and auxiliary members.
A community birthday celebration will be staged July 15 for the Wheeling Waterfront Wednesday concert series at Heritage Port. The hospital will sponsor music by Hoard and Jones, a photo booth and sweet treats for concert-goers.
The Congregation of St. Joseph -- whose sisters have played a vital role in the hospital's operations since its early years -- will be recognized in August.
The sisters' continuing participation in mission integration helps "to maintain that Catholic heritage," Harrison said, adding, "Kudos to them, the pioneers leading the way in health care at the time."
The hospital was founded in 1850 in East Wheeling, where it occupied three different sites, before moving to North Wheeling in 1853. The complex continued to expand and remained in North Wheeling for 122 years, until the opening of the current hospital in June 1975.
In the present day, the closure of three area hospitals in 2019 demonstrates "how hard it is to provide high-quality health care in a region with declining population," Harrison said.
To fill the gaps created by those closures and to meet ongoing needs, Wheeling Hospital is taking action to enhance and expand its services.
"The partnership with WVU Medicine is critical for us to recruit and retain physicians to meet the needs moving forward," he said.
By serving as a specialty referral center, Wheeling Hospital can help other hospitals in the region.
"The stronger that Wheeling Hospital gets in attracting specialty physicians, the stronger those others will be in primary health care," he said.