Ascend WV To Target Healthcare Pros

More than 700 people have moved to West Virginia in recent years through the Ascend WV program, according to recent reporting. Now, the program wants to encourage healthcare professionals to move to rural communities.  

The Ascend WV program will receive $2.4 million to recruit and retain healthcare professionals. The money is coming from the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). 

Ascend WV is expected to implement a statewide recruitment and relocation program. The program’s goal is to recruit at least 125 licensed healthcare professionals to rural areas of West Virginia during the first year. 

Funded under the Mountain State Care Force section of the RHTP, the investment is intended to help more residents access high-quality care closer to home.  

“We are moving quickly to put these historic resources to work improving healthcare outcomes for West Virginians,” Gov. Patrick Morrisey said. “That starts with making sure our communities have the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals they need. By strengthening our healthcare workforce, we can improve access to care, help West Virginians live healthier lives, and get more people healthy and back to work.”  

Like the original Ascend model, the program plans to support newly recruited professionals with wrap around services as they become active, long-term members of the communities they serve. 

“We are excited to partner with Ascend WV to bring this critical initiative to life,” Secretary of Health Dr. Arvin Singh said. “Ascend WV’s expertise in relocation and workforce integration makes them an ideal partner to help healthcare professionals and their families establish roots in West Virginia communities. Through this initiative, we aim to build a stronger, more resilient healthcare workforce across the state.”  

West Virginia received $199 million in the first year of the five-year Rural Health Transformation Program to identify ways to improve health outcomes and shore up rural care. It is intended to offset nearly a billion dollars in cuts to Medicare in the One Big Beautiful Act. That lost revenue is expected to hit small, rural hospitals the hardest.