As a land-grant institution, West Virginia University’s purpose is to help people when it matters most. And nothing our university does has a more powerful and direct impact on people than the lifesaving care our health care professionals provide.
When I first became president of West Virginia University in the 1980s, we had very talented health care providers and researchers on our team, but we did not have the world-class resources we have today. Many citizens had to leave their communities and travel to Morgantown for treatment, and those seeking advanced care often had to leave the state. Even in Morgantown, the old hospital building urgently needed repairs, and the medical school was at risk of relocation.
To begin changing that, we secured legislative approval for a new hospital and a new funding structure as a public, not-for-profit corporation; this provided the flexibility for future growth. Along with David Fine, then president of WVU Hospitals, I approached George Farmer, who chaired the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust. He talked to Mrs. McQuain, who donated $8.5 million to build J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, the flagship of what is now WVU Medicine’s health care enterprise.
Today the J.W. Ruby Memorial complex is the hub of our health system and home to more than half the hospital beds in West Virginia. That hospital has grown into one of the top tertiary-care facilities in the country.
Our statewide reach began to grow in 1996 when the WVU Health System formed. At that time, Bridgeport’s United Hospital Center was the only other member. Over the past decade, I have traveled the state, welcoming hospital after hospital to our health system.
Now, under the WVU Medicine flag, it is a state-wide endeavor, serving citizens in our 55 counties and parts of surrounding states. We have eliminated the need for patients to leave their region for care. With 24 hospitals, WVU Medicine is the state’s largest health system and largest private employer.
When you see the Flying WV on a hospital or doctor’s office, you have our promise that you will be treated by world-class experts, cared for with respect and compassion, and that everyone you see inside is a true gold and blue Mountaineer.
WVU Medicine ties all our talented people and quality health services together. It is a promise to everyone: No matter where you see that sign, you will find the very best in health care.
One of our newest hospitals is especially close to my heart: WVU Medicine Children’s. As a father and grandfather, I understand the importance of having a world-class children’s hospital nearby. When your child is sick or injured, time stops, and all other concerns vanish. Seeing your child recover is all that matters.
That is why we opened a nine-story, 150-bed state-of-the-art facility featuring a cardiac intensive care unit, an epilepsy monitoring unit, an obstetrical unit, and the state’s only Level Four neonatal intensive care unit. This brightly colored home to children’s health care delivers the greatest gift we can bring to West Virginia families: hope. Its talented providers, faculty and staff, provide top-notch pediatric care and conduct research to find the best medical techniques, treatments and cures.
We also have five institutes in Morgantown for people who need cutting-edge specialty care.
These include the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, where we have recruited top cardiac experts to serve a state population with high rates of heart disease. Launching West Virginia’s first heart transplant program in 2019 was an incredible milestone. Having received care at the Heart and Vascular Institute myself, I can personally attest to the quality of our cardiac team and the confidence that comes from knowing high-caliber care is available.
The opioid epidemic has taken a heavy toll on West Virginia. That is why I am so proud of the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, headquartered on our campus, which launched a first-in-the-U.S. clinical trial using deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant opioid use disorder. We recruited Dr. Ali Rezai to lead RNI in 2018, and his team has been elevating West Virginia University’s research stature and demonstrating our land-grant commitment to improving lives.
And like most people, I have watched loved ones struggle with cancer. This disease takes a devastating toll on West Virginia, which has one of the nation’s highest mortality rates. That is why the WVU Cancer Institute has been taking the fight against cancer into every corner of West Virginia over the past decade.
Our efforts to reimagine and expand cancer care received a $50 million boost recently as Gov. Jim Justice pledged state surplus funding that will support investment to attain National Cancer Institute Designation — a first for West Virginia.
Our goal is to place the WVU Cancer Institute in the top 2% of cancer centers nationwide, which will improve the health and wellness of the people in our state, particularly in southern West Virginia, by reducing cancer occurrence rates and increasing cancer survival.
And this spring, the special relationship sparked decades earlier, came full circle with a transformational gift of $50 million from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust to the WVU Cancer Institute. The gift will be the catalyst for a new, comprehensive cancer hospital that is part of the WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital complex in Morgantown.
I am proud of the accomplishments we have made to build a strong foundation for future leaders to expand our health system and health research even further because improving health is the foundation for improving life in West Virginia.