RIPLEY, W.Va. – Officials from WVU Medicine Jackson General Hospital (JGH) and the West Virginia University Health System today (Aug. 19) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new two-story hospital wing.
“This is such an exciting time for our community, region, and state,” Stephanie McCoy, president and CEO of Jackson General Hospital, said. “It truly is a historical event that has come together through the vision and perseverance of the JGH team, the talent and support of our WVU Medicine partners, and the skill and experience of a great team of architects, engineers, designers, and construction folks. This project embodies the local and System-wide commitment to improving the health of the people we so proudly serve through excellence in patient care, research, and education.”
The new Emergency Room with 14 private rooms, including two triage rooms, two trauma rooms, a decontamination room, and a mental health room, will be on the first floor. The first floor will also include the new Surgical Department with 12 pre-/post-anesthesia bays, two large operating suites, and two procedure rooms.
The second floor will be the inpatient/swing-bed floor with 18 private rooms, a three-chair infusion area, and a rehabilitation room. Four of the inpatient rooms can be converted to critical care rooms.
A smaller third floor will be the mechanical penthouse.
The $30 million project will be funded through a combination of cash reserves and bond financing. Construction will take 16-20 months but will be dependent on materials/labor.
“When we began our relationship with Jackson General Hospital, we made a pledge to the employees of the hospital and the residents of Jackson County and the surrounding region that we would strengthen and build upon JGH’s strong legacy of caring for its patients. The construction of this new hospital addition is a big part of that process,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said. “Not only do we want to bring the care that people need here to Jackson County where they need it, but we want to make sure we’re delivering that care in a safe, high-quality environment.”
JGH, which was founded in 1964, is a non-profit critical access hospital that employs more than 300 people. It provides inpatient, outpatient, primary, surgical, and emergency care; specialty services, including ophthalmology, orthopedics, general surgery, podiatry, and gynecology; infusion, occupational, physical, and respiratory therapies; and imaging and laboratory services. The hospital became a full member of the WVU Health System in 2019. Last year, JGH entered into a program affiliation with WVU Medicine Children’s to provide pediatric care.
In addition to McCoy and Wright, today’s groundbreaking ceremony also included remarks from Rob Fisher, chair of the JGH Board of Directors; Carl Overmiller, M.D., general surgeon and chief of the JGH medical staff; and Del. Steve Westfall.
For more information on Jackson General Hospital, visit WVUMedicine.org/Jackson-General-Hospital.
