CHARLESTON, W.Va – Vandalia Health and Charleston Area Medical Center continue to expand services in the Kanawha Valley, breaking ground on the upcoming Vandalia Health Neuroscience Institute in downtown Charleston.
Dr. David Lardizabal leads CAMC’s Department of Neurology and delivered remarks as part of the ceremony, saying that the institute will serve as a place for both treatment and innovation.
“There will be compassion, every test and every visit grounded in dignity and understanding, and there will be discovery, new insights that will shape how we prevent, diagnose, and treat neurological diseases for decades to come,” he said.
CAMC has become the referral hub for neurological cases in much of central and southern West Virginia. Chief Administrator Heidi Edwards believes that opening a dedicated building for neurological care will make Charleston an even bigger destination for treatment.
“We have an incredible team of providers here at CAMC, and so this really now lays the groundwork to expand those services not only just within our state but really the region and perhaps even the country,” she said.
The opening of the new facility will bring all of CAMC’s neuroscience operations into a single space, just across the street from the general hospital. Lardizabal said this will make the quality of care even better.
“We are building a community of care—one where innovation meets empathy and where stroke patients, an epilepsy warrior, or a child with a rare disorder can find not just a treatment but hope,” he said.
Construction on the institute is on track to begin in the spring, with officials hoping to open the doors in late 2027. In planning the new facility, Edwards said the neurology team at CAMC took on a significant role.
“They participated with us on all of our planning, participated on site visits, really thoughtful about how do we want to provide the services, how do we build this institute in a way that makes it very easy from an access perspective,” she said.
The new Vandalia Health Neuroscience Institute will be located across from the main entrance to CAMC General Hospital on Morris Street in downtown Charleston.