Ohio County Schools, WVU Medicine Now “Partners in Education”

Joselyn King

WHEELING - WVU Medicine is now "partners in education" with Ohio County Schools - a move that should mean additional educational and career opportunities for students in health care, according to school district officials.

Douglas Harrison, CEO of both WVU Medicine's Wheeling Hospital and Reynolds Memorial locations, was present for the announcement - which took place during Monday night's Ohio County Board of Education meeting at Triadelphia Middle School.

Ohio County Schools Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones said the agreement had been in the works "for at least a couple of months." He said he has been meeting with both hospital administration and doctors, and called them "fabulous people."

"They really wanted to partner with us as much as we wanted to partner with them," Jones continued.

"We used to have a really good Saturday morning therapy session for (student-athletes) throughout the year, and we're going to bring that back so we can help them get more streamlined and fast treatment. We'll have the right connections to get those kids seen."

He said the school district also hopes to work with WVU Hospitals in the future to bring an increased presence of athletic trainers to their sporting events.

"We will have a more direct flow for our pediatric screenings, our audiology screenings and our mental health screenings at the hospital here," Jones added.

The school district's state champion robotics teams were honored at Monday night's board meeting, and Jones suggested they might be interested in observing how robotics are used in surgical treatment at the hospital.

"They could see that this is something they could be doing in the future," Jones said.

Wheeling Park High School Principal Meredith Dailer said the partnership would be especially beneficial to students in upper-level science classes with a focus on health-related learning.

"It's a great opportunity for doctors to come into the classroom, and even for our students to visit the hospitals," she said. "They might be able to visit a cadaver lab, or maybe do some dissection."

An employment pipeline from the high school to WVU Medicine facilities also might be established, Dailer continued. Students could be exposed to the variety of careers there are at hospitals - from maintenance to administration.

"There's this huge gamut within their space that our students would get to understand and see themselves - regardless of where they're moving post-graduation," she said. "It could be very beneficial."

Harrison said his staff has indicated interest in working with local youths.

"My team will tell you on a day-to-day basis I focus on three things, but first and foremost quality," he explained. "Everything we do within our walls and in our clinics is focused on quality."

Number two is community, with a eye on the bottom line being third, Harrison continued.

"I know when I took over four years ago, Wheeling Hospital had a black eye," he said. "Rebuilding the community trust has been ongoing.

"This is an example of a partnership that means a lot to us. I believe if we do that, the financial aspect will follow," he said. "We are making great strides on the financial aspects of our organizations."

He said he was impressed by the robotics team members at the meeting, and he can see them working in a hospital in the future.

"Who knows, maybe they'll invent the next health care robot to streamline patient care," Harrison said. "Certainly, giving them an opportunity to be a part of the team that supports those (surgical) robots would give them an opportunity to come over and learn what we do in a healthcare setting in the robotics field."