Jeniffer Graham/For the Dominion Post Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced a $3.4 million rural health funding opportunity from Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital in Kingwood on Monday morning. From left are Preston County Commissioner Hunter Thomas; Commissioner Samantha Stone; Morrisey; Jeff Sandene, President and CEO of Vandalia Health; Melissa Lockwood, PMH Chief Administrative Officer; and Robbie Baylor, Director of the Preston County Economic Development Authority.

KINGWOOD – West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey spent Monday morning at Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital in Kingwood speaking about community-based health. He was joined by local representatives, members of the Preston County Commission, state officials, local community partners and hospital officials.

The purpose of his visit was to announce a $3.4 million statewide funding opportunity through West Virginia’s Rural Health Transformation Program. He said the program is designed to address some of West Virginia’s most pressing health challenges.

“West Virginia is doubling down on prevention,” Morrisey said. “This investment puts communities at the center of improving health outcomes by supporting innovative, evidence-based approaches that help people make healthier choices, reduce the long-term impact of chronic disease, and stay healthy enough to participate in the workforce and live productive lives.”

Morrisey said the program will allow West Virginia to receive up to $100 million a year for 5 years. He said investing in people’s health will, in the long run, remove health barriers that currently keep people out of the workforce.

Morrisey said the funding for the program was made possible by President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which provides sustained resources over five years, positioning West Virginia as a national leader in rural health care. The funding will support activities based on the Personal Health Accelerator, designed to help West Virginians lead healthier lives.

Also speaking about the program was Melissa Lockwood, Chief Administration Officer at Preston Memorial Hospital; Dr. Jeff Sandene, President and CEO of Vandalia Health; Jeff Goode, Executive Vice President of Vandalia Health; and Dr. Arvin Singh, state Secretary of Health.

“Preventing chronic disease requires sustained, community-based action,” Singh said. “Through the Personal Health Accelerator, we are investing in scalable, evidence-based solutions that address the root causes of poor health outcomes and support healthier lives for West Virginians.”

According to the state Department of Health webpage, in order to accomplish the health care goal, “the state will tackle the foundational health barriers that hold back workforce participation (including addiction recovery, treatment for behavioral health and chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, COPD, asthma), make West Virginia a national hub for rural health innovation, and modernize care delivery and payment systems to ensure long-term sustainability.”

Applications for funding can be found at wvoasis.gov.