FAIRMONT, W.Va. — The state Health Care Authority has approved a certificate of need from Mon Health Systems to build a new $20 million hospital in Fairmont.
Mon Health’s CON is for Marion Neighborhood Hospital Inc. A project that was announced after Alecto announced plans to close Fairmont Regional Medical Center earlier this year.
Marion Neighborhood Hospital will offer inpatient and outpatient services, in addition to emergency procedures. Mon Health Systems President and CEO David Goldberg said his company already owns land at Landing Lane in Pleasant Valley where the hospital will be built.
“Our planning begins with development, construction planning-all the type of planning you do to build a new building and program,” Goldberg said Monday. “Now the clock starts ticking and we’re excited.”
He said construction could begin later this year.
“We expect to have a ground breaking within the next few months,” Goldberg said. “We have to chose development personnel and colleagues to be able to build it, all the bidding processes.”
Goldberg has called Mon Health’s plan a perfect solution to the crisis created with Alecto’s decision to skip down.
“Peoples’ trust is important to me and when we say we’re going to do something we do it,” Goldberg said. “I want to make sure the community hears loud and clear-our sole goal is to make sure hospital-based services are made available for those who need it close to home.”
Goldberg said wherever possible local and community workers, services and products will be used.
“We’re going to use West Virginia providers to help us build our building. We’re going to put out RFPs for everything we need to do to keep the economic development from local providers here in West Virginia,” he said.
Goldberg added the certificate of need was received slightly ahead of schedule and thanked Gov. Jim Justice and state Health Care Authority members who quickly acted on their request.
“It’ll have 10 medical beds and a full service emergency room, cat scanner, other radiology services and lab services,” Goldberg said. “Everything you would find in a medical hospital you’ll find on this site.”
The estimated time for construction is 14 to 16 months.
WVU Medicine has also applied for a CON to operate a new facility in Fairmont. It’s scheduled to begin offering services in Fairmont Regional building later this year.