CHARLESTON, W.Va. –The CAMC Foundation has received a transformational gift to support Vandalia Health’s new neuroscience institute.
Foundation leaders, along with Vandalia Health officials and community members, gathered Thursday afternoon to announce a $5 million philanthropic gift from the Elliot Family Foundation, a nonprofit established in 2009 that distributes funds to established charities rather than accepting grant applications.
The gift will be a major investment in the new facility while also directly supporting research, diagnosis, and treatment for neurological disorders.
According to health officials, about 10% of the population is affected by some form of neurological disorder, including Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis, and others.
Bryan Cummings, president of the CAMC Foundation, said the gift will make a difference for the community.
“This is a huge step, the CAMC Foundation celebrates our 50th anniversary this year, and this is our largest and most significant gift that we have received to date, the impacts that the Elliot’s have made with their generosity will be felt for generations to come,” Cummings said.
The foundation also received $5 million from then-Gov. Jim Justice in January 2025, along with $15 million in federal funding secured by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito for the project.
The new 30,000-square-foot facility will be located on Morris Street adjacent to the main entrance of CAMC General Hospital. In honor of the Elliot Family Foundation’s gift, the facility will be named the Vandalia Health Elliot Neuroscience Institute.
John Elliot and his wife, Fonda Elliot, also attended the announcement.
John Elliot said contributing to the project was an easy decision for his family. He said they own nursing homes across the state, and while they provide strong clinical care -including doctors, nurses, and social services – mental health services remain limited.
“When we first heard what they were planning here, it was probably the easiest sell job they’ve ever did, because for 41 years we lived it with our patients and this is going to make a big difference in the future for young people, old people, anybody who has an issue other than their health (physical),” John said.
The facility will feature two floors dedicated to neurology and neurosurgery clinics, as well as infusion and diagnostic space. It will also include a third floor reserved for future development.
Vandalia Health CEO and President David Ramsey said the gift is significant because of the lasting impact it will have on the people it serves.
“It’s just a wonderful thing, but the building is just real estate, it’s what will happen in the building that really matters,” he said.
A key emphasis of the new facility is the ability to treat patients in the community locally, rather than requiring them to travel elsewhere to receive the care they need.
“One of the important aspects of care here at Vandalia Health is that we keep access close to home and this gift helps allow to do this so patients don’t have to travel any farther than they really need to, their families aren’t put in a burden to travel as far either, this goes a long way to impact the delivery of care close to home here in our community,” Cummings said.
John agreed, saying he wants residents to know they have a local facility where they can receive the care, they need closer to home.
“Better mental healthcare, affordable at home, not having to go out of state to get it, again we believe very strongly that you want to take care of your own as close as you can to home,” he said.
Another thing with the facility, Ramsey also said the facility has helped recruit out-of-state physicians to provide care to the community, again emphasizing the goal of keeping treatment close to home.
“Most of these physicians that will work in this building, they’re not from here, we recruited them here to provide patient care to people with neurological diseases that they can’t get anywhere else without traveling hours away,” he said.
The new facility is currently under construction and is expected to open in the Fall of 2027.