MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Monongalia County Commission has finalized the details for the move of the Monongalia County Health Department.
The health department will move to White Birch Towers off Pineview Drive in phases between now and July 1, 2027.
The current location and 2.25 acres near the new WVU Eye Institute have been sold to WVU Hospitals for $6 million.
The new location will offer more space than the current facility and be located close to both hospitals. Commissioner Jeff Arnett said the new location isn’t far from the current site.
“It’s located off of Pineview Drive; it’s the higher of the two Birch Towers above the WVU Eye Center, and it’s going to afford the Monongalia County Health Department over 55,000 square feet,” Arnett said.
Arnett said the health department will occupy the space with the county WIC office for the first time since their February 2025 move. The location also meets the requirement to be located near the Mountain Line Transit Authority route and be centrally located to the two current hospitals.
“WIC is currently leasing a space in that property, so it’s a great opportunity within a short distance of both hospitals as they rely heavily on volunteers from both hospitals for their operations,” Arnett said.
The health department will have ample space in the new facility for their full slate of services, with room for the future. Arnett said the building has additional space that could be used to expand current programs.
“We’ll have a full dental clinic and medical exam rooms, as well as all of the other services offered by the health department for all these years,” Arnett said. “It leaves a lot of room for expansion and economic opportunities—there are some current tenants in the building they’ll be able to collect rent from.”
Bringing all of the services back under one roof will help the community and save the expense off an additional rental property. The county WIC program moved to the facility in February 2025.
“It actually allows the health department to locate all their services in one building and not have to rent an additional facility,” Sikora said. “Thank you, Commissioner Arnett, for all your work.”
The health department is scheduled to open to the public in White Birch Towers at their new location on July 1, 2027. Commissioner Sean Sikora said the move will be done in phases with the goal of opening July 1, 2027.
“We’ll work through that whole plan as we go along,” Sikora said. “There will be phased moves, but parts of it might be moved as we go along.”