ALERT (03/07/2024): Due to a lightning strike, WVPB TV will be off the air in the Bethany/Wheeling area until new parts arrive. Thank you for your patience.
Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roane General Hospital Gets An Expansion and A New Vision for Community Wellness
Share this Article
A community hospital in Spencer, West Virginia has received a multi-million-dollar facelift with an eye on changing the health culture of the region.
Roane General Hospital dedicated on Tuesday an expansion and renovation of its facilities. The hospital noted that the $28 million project that was “as much about promotion of good health as it is on health care.”
The updates encompass about 40,000 square feet of new space. The new Center for Health and Wellness is two stories. On top are 26 exam rooms, two waiting areas and eight nursing stations. Below, on the ground level, are new spaces for physical therapy, cardiac and pulmonary rehab, as well as rooms for fitness education and also classes. There’s also a new cafe with an eye on offering healthy food choices.
The hospital, which is the area’s largest private employer, is also offering a Prescription For Your Health program aimed at connecting patients and their primary care doctors with a wellness contract. That offering is free and includes a medical plan, an education plan — with nutrition education — and a medical fitness plan.
All of it circles the wagon on a new vision for the region and a focus on community health. “Prior to the expansion, we didn’t have the space or the vision for that,” said CEO Doug Bentz in a news release. “The vision came out of our goal of focusing on health and wellness, and it drove much of the redevelopment of the hospital.”
Other renovations in the project are focused on the front of the building, giving it a new look for visitors. That includes a sculpture created by artist-blacksmith Jeff Fetty. It features a large, colorful vase filled with flowers. Named “Rising Spirits,” the work honors hospital employees and those who have lost loved ones during the pandemic.
The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development as well as hospital contributions.
Mental health providers and substance use disorder counselors are coming together to share information between those who may work with veterans in the community.
A county commissioner has joined a chorus of healthcare professionals asking Gov. Jim Justice to veto a bill that would eliminate vaccine requirements for certain students in West Virginia.
On this West Virginia Morning, political analysts say the two Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate in the upcoming May primary election give voters some particular, and troubling, food for thought. The candidates themselves say voters need to focus on the positives, not the negatives.
Shortly after the first COVID-19 case hit West Virginia four years ago, our way of day-to-day living drastically changed. Many of those alterations dealt with how we went shopping.