WESTON, W.Va. — The state Supreme Court has ruled Mon Health/Vandalia Health will require a Certificate of Need to build a new Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston.
President and CEO of Mon Health David Goldberg, who is a proponent of the Certificate of Need (CON) process, said they plan to move forward with their plans to provide a new facility for the residents of Lewis County. According to Goldberg, the CON is an important way to keep health care delivery markets viable and prevent oversaturation.
“We’ll go through the process and identify what we have to do next, whether it’s on that land or other property we’re looking at,” Goldberg said on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.” “We’re still now deciphering what came back from the Supreme Court and we want to make sure we make the right decision for the long term.”
The opinion, authored by Chief Justice Bill Wooton, said both the West Virginia Health Care Authority and the state Intermediate Court of Appeals erred when it ruled a CON was not needed.
The proposed facility has been opposed by WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital in nearby Buckhannon.
Wooton said it’s clear Mon Health plans to construct a new building for the hospital and that requires a CON.
The proposed new $56 million facility would replace the current hospital that began operation in 1972. Goldberg said Lewis County residents should have access to high-quality care in a modern, efficient facility that supports the current standards of care.
“We want to balance the decisions for access, timeliness, quality of care, good service, and also be appropriate in how we invest our dollars,” Goldberg said. “Because at the end of the day someone is paying for it, whether you’re billing insurance or paying out-of-pocket.”
Advances in all procedures across the board have reduced the average duration of a hospital stay and facility requirements. A new facility or renovation would eliminate wasted space and promote more efficient cost operations.
“Moms just a few years ago came to the hospital to deliver a baby, and they stayed up to six days to deliver a baby, and that’s not the case for many today,” Goldberg said.
The 1972 facility has operating rooms that are no longer compatible with modern technologies or procedures. The rooms in the existing facility are semi-private and do not meet the current expectations for quality care, according to Goldberg.
“We want to make sure in the future we have operating rooms that fit the technology, devices, and robotics,” Goldberg said. “We want to make sure when a mom comes to any of our facilities, the rooms are appropriate for today’s expected delivery of care, and that’s what we have to do.”
Goldberg said they will continue to pursue the project and are willing to do what it takes to satisfy the legal requirements to do it properly.
“Vandalia Health is absolutely committed to making sure that hospital maintains itself and grows within Lewis County,” Goldberg said. “We are recruiting doctors, we have new surgeons coming into the community, we have new orthopedic doctors coming to the community, and we have obstetricians.”