HURRICANE, W.Va. — The Ascend West Virginia program is expanding to attract healthcare professionals to the Mountain State.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced a $2.4 million grant to the Ascend WV program to support three programs: Ascend WV Healthcare, First Ascent Healthcare, and a new program that will serve beyond the 23-county Ascend WV and First Ascent footprint. The grant is the latest from the state’s Rural Healthcare Transformation Program (RHTP), which is set to distribute nearly $200 million in grants in West Virginia to help support healthcare in underserved communities.
During a news conference Wednesday at Valley Park in Hurricane, Morrisey touted the strong economic investments under his administration, but noted that healthcare is an important need to address when new employers come calling.
“When you’re bringing all these new job opportunities into the state, the key thing is we have to fill them with really good people,” Morrisey said. “That means growing the hometown crowd up, keeping people here in West Virginia, but it also means increasing net migration to try to convince other people to move to the great state of West Virginia.”
Morrisey was joined at the announcement by WVU President Michael Benson and Marshall University First Lady Alys Smith. Smith and her husband, Marshall University President Brad Smith, financed Ascend West Virginia when it was developed several years ago.
“This is about ‘Team West Virginia,’ you win as a team,” Morrisey said. “When you have the universities and the state, and the federal delegation coming together to solve one of the most important problems we have; that’s a big win for the state.”
The Ascend program continues to grow, including May’s expansion with Ascend Heroes, specifically for military personnel. The governor reported that Ascend Heroes has seen more than 100 applicants in its first four months. Additionally, Teachers Ascend has developed out of the Ascend idea. Morrisey said that the healthcare initiative will emulate the prior success from other Ascend programs.
“Here, for Ascend Healthcare, we think in the first year, we have the ability to bring 125 new healthcare workers into the state,” Morrisey said. “That’s certainly a good start, and I hope to say that it’s a start; that we can actually get even more aggressive into the future to get those numbers going up and up.”
Smith said this is a game-changer for rural healthcare in West Virginia. She added that it’s the latest example of how powerful the Ascend program can be.
“Brad and I are thrilled to see how one idea has grown into so much more,” Smith said. “Because at their heart, all these programs are about the same thing: bringing great people to West Virginia, giving our people a reason to stay, building communities where people want to live, work, and raise their families, and build a future.”
Benson said he’s “never seen anything like” how West Virginia people care for each other. Healthcare is one of those priorities, Benson said, in showcasing what the Mountain State has to offer.
“When we give people a reason to be here, they want to stay here,” Benson said. “We see this so often and across the board. Finally, by applying the proven Ascend West Virginia model to healthcare, we’ll welcome professionals into open positions, immerse them in our unique culture and give them every reason to put down roots, while providing personalized care to the people they serve.”
Last week, Morrisey announced the first three grants through the RHTP. Spotted Owl and Chesapeake Healthcare Center are receiving $1.17 million, while CAMC/Vandalia and the Cabell Huntington Foundation will each get $612,000. The RHTP will grant $199 million to rural health initiatives in total.
Morrisey said the financial investment for Ascend Healthcare is significant.
“This is exciting, this is $2.4 million, and it’s going to make a real big difference in helping lure many more people right here to West Virginia,” Morrisey said.