It is extremely important that the people of the Ohio Valley, especially the children, have every opportunity to lead healthy lives. The region’s children ­– and their parents — will soon find that easier with the latest announcement from WVU Medicine.

The health system on Tuesday broke ground on the new Robert Sonneborn Family WVU Medicine Children’s Outpatient Center, which will sit on the campus of WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital. The center will serve as a “one-stop shop,” according to WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Amy Bush, for Ohio Valley children to be seen by top physicians within the WVU Medicine system and take advantage of a full catalog of medical services that they normally had to leave the area to receive.

“Our system is built on keeping care local,” WVU Medicine Northern Region President Douglass Harrison said. “And I think making this investment for our pediatric population speaks volumes about our commitment to keeping care local.”

This soon-to-open center not only reinforces WVU Medicine’s commitment to the Ohio Valley, but it also serves as another feather in the cap for Wheeling as a destination for premium healthcare. Our children are our greatest asset, and this center will help ensure that they will get an even better chance to grow up healthy.