BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — The newest small-format hospital from Mon Health/Vandalia Health Care in Harrison County could be operational by 2026, according to Vandalia Executive Vice President David Goldberg.
The facility will be located in the community of Charles Pointe in Bridgeport not far from Interstate 79.
Final approvals from the state have been received, March-Weston has been selected as the prime contractor, and now final planning is underway with hopes for construction to start in the fall. The facility is expected to cost in the $30 million range.
“If all goes well and all of the issues are resolved between the bond holder and Genesis Partners, we’ll break ground this fall,” Goldberg said. “We’ll be built by 2025 and operational by 2026.”
Harrison County Commissioner Patsy Trecost said the addition of the hospital is activity in a new economic sector that will bring with it stable jobs. Improving the quality of life with a second major hospital in the county is also a major building block for community growth, Trecost said.
“It’s absolutely dynamite, because much like the Menards, this hospital is going to be another draw to a new part of our county,” Trecost said.
This facility will be similar to the Mon Health Marion Neighborhood Hospital located in White Hall. The facility will have an emergency department, in-patient beds, and offer a variety of specialty and outpatient services and procedures. The facility will be added to the hub and spoke system, where patients can be evaluated at the neighborhood hospital via telemedicine and have the option to be treated at a higher-level hospital in Morgantown if needed.
“We have to start from scratch; we’re building a brand new building and tapping into the infrastructure the city, county, and Genesis Partners have invested in that site, so it’s a little more expensive,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg said they will be a full-time staff in the area and continue working with area colleges to provide learning opportunities and career options after graduation.
“Between employee doctors, nurses, and people that service and support the facility between 50 and 100 people when we first open—very comparable to the Mon Health Marion Neighborhood Hospital,” Goldberg said.
The Charles Pointe development has residential, retail, light industrial, and health care, with the opportunity for more future growth. Trecost believes growth along the I-79 corridor will require three lanes in each direction in the relatively near future.
“We want to be able to recruit people from other states to come to West Virginia, where they can lay their roots,” Trecost said. “We don’t want to just make it so the ones that are here now can get educated and stay; we want to invite people in; we don’t want our population to keep decreasing.”