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ELKINS -- Several of Elkins' and Randolph County's top officials agree that the new $37 million facility that WVU Medicine United Hospital Center is bringing to Elkins will be beneficial to the community.
Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco said he's been in negotiations with WVU for some time about bringing the facility to Elkins and feels it will provide much-needed services to local residents.
"They are going to bring services to Elkins that we currently don't have, so anytime we can fill voids that we are lacking it's a good day," Marco told The Inter-Mountain. "I think some of the services they are going to offer are much-needed, and I'm very excited to see the new facility get up and running. They are going to offer some stuff that we don't have right now, which means our citizens don't have to drive out of town to get those services, so that's a big thing for us."
Marco added that coexistence between the WVU facility and Davis Medical Center will be a positive for the local area.
"Competition can be a good thing, it makes both parties step up their game," Marco said. "There is going to be some overlap in services with the current hospital that we have, but WVU will have some things we don't have. Right now there are certain tests that people need and they have to drive to Clarksburg or Morgantown to get those. With the new WVU facility, they will be able to get that here. And with gas prices where they are right now and stuff like that, it's going to be nice to have something they need right here in our own neighborhood."
Marco said the new facility will aid in local economic development.
"From a growth standpoint, the new facility is going to be a plus for us as well," Marco said. "When you're trying to draw other businesses in to complement the business we already have, something like this is big. The more services we can have the better."
Randolph County Commissioner David Kesling said the new hospital will be a positive addition.
"It's an awesome investment that WVU is making to Randolph County," Kesling told The Inter-Mountain. "For them to put a facility like that here in Elkins, is a win-win for everyone. It will benefit all of our residents, as well as the businesses in the area, because it's going to bring a lot of people into the county from neighboring communities -- it's a great project."
Randolph County Development Authority Director Robbie Morris said he is delighted that WVU chose Elkins for its new 38-square-foot multi-specialty ambulatory facility, which will be located at the former Teter Motors property on North Randolph Avenue/U.S. Route 219, next to the state Division of Motor Vehicles building.
"The RCDA appreciates the investment by WVU Medicine and their new facility," Morris told The Inter-Mountain. "Elkins is a regional economic hub for a lot of different reasons, and healthcare is one of the main reasons.
"To have a presence like WVU is going to have, as well as the presence that Vandalia has with the Davis Medical Center, it's going to be great for patients, and great for this region. People in contiguous counties won't have to go to Clarksburg, Morgantown or Charleston for services. They will be able to come to Elkins for those services."
Local businesses in Elkins will benefit from the facilities' presence, he said.
"Usually when people from out of town go somewhere for healthcare, they also have lunch, do some shopping, or things like that," said Morris. "So from a regional economy standpoint, we're excited about the growth."
Once operational, the facility is expected to offer walk-in family medicine and urgent care; cardiology; orthopaedics; oncology and infusion services; ear, nose, and throat; urology; infectious diseases; pain management; pulmonology; rheumatology; and lab and imaging (mobile CT and MRI), among other services.
WVU officials said construction for the planned facility is expected to begin in June, with hopes for an opening date by the end of 2025.