BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. — A new $40 million skilled nursing facility is coming to Cabell County to improve the region’s rural healthcare capabilities.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey, House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw, and other state and local leaders attended the groundbreaking of the 60,000 square foot CommuniCare facility Thursday. The facility is expected to bring 150 jobs to Cabell County, with 124 beds inside the building.
CommuniCare’s Long Term Care Division President Ronald Wilheim said West Virginia’s state leadership really impressed him with their commitment to healthcare. He said that Morrisey invited leaders to the governor’s mansion in Charleston to discuss rural healthcare issues.
Not only did Morrisey host those conversations, Wilheim said, but the governor followed through. He said the Mountain State stands out with its people.
“I have the privilege of doing business in several states across the country and I can honestly say there is nothing quite like West Virginia,” Wilheim said. “Here, families take care of families. Neighbors take care of neighbors. The compassion and commitment I see every day are rooted in a genuine love for the people who call this state home.”
Wilheim said there was a tremendous need in Cabell County for this type of facility.
“Remarkably, this will be the first newly constructed, skilled nursing facility in this area since Cabell Healthcare Center opened in 2011,” Wilheim said. “Before that, there had been virtually no new development of this kind for decades. The need is clear; the timing is right.”
Morrisey commended CommuniCare for their commitment to helping West Virginians. He said the facility is all about improving outcomes for people in the region and in the state.
“We have leaders in this area and people who are willing to invest in West Virginia, who not only care about the bottom line in terms of finances, but who care about the quality of the care that’s delivered,” Morrisey said.
The governor said his administration is dedicating its attention to improving health outcomes in the state. Morrisey said those preventative actions, or “needle movement,” are key.
“If you just move the workforce participation rate up just two percent, think about what that would mean for economic development in West Virginia,” Morrisey said. “So, we’ve worked hard on a vision to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, and I think that rural health application is going to do that.”
Hanshaw said Thursday’s announcement signals that state leadership wants to care for the elderly in West Virginia.
“If the measure of our economy, and the measure of our economic future, is in job announcements and investment, then certainly the measure of our humanity must be measured in how we treat the most vulnerable among us; how we treat our most vulnerable citizens who need our care,” Hanshaw said. “That’s what today is really about to me.”
Construction on the CommuniCare facility is expected to take 18 months.