As part of an ongoing effort to meet growing medical demand in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, WVU Medicine unveiled a new plastic surgery center in Shepherdstown on Tuesday.
The new center offers a range of services including abdominoplasty, facial surgery, Botox injectables, skincare treatments, cosmetic procedures and more, according to a Tuesday press release.
The new facility represents a “long-term commitment to Jefferson County,” according to Mark O’Hern, CEO of WVU Hospitals East. “We’re investing in an already outstanding practice, expanding its reach, and making sure expert care is available close to home for the people we serve.”
WVU Medicine already operated a plastic surgery center in Martinsburg, which has transferred operations to the Shepherdstown location. The move aimed to bring the medical practice into a more modern and centrally located facility in the Eastern Panhandle, according to WVU Medicine.
“We’re proud to offer leading-edge care in a setting that’s easy to reach and deeply connected to the community,” plastic surgeon Jack Gelman, who leads the practice, said in Tuesday’s press release. “Whether someone is coming to us for cosmetic surgery or reconstruction, they’ll receive skilled, personalized care.”
WVU Medicine described the new, modernized facility as part of a “broader pattern of investment” in services for the Eastern Panhandle, which remains the fastest growing region of the state.
Between 2020 and 2024, the population of Jefferson County increased by roughly 35,000, according to the United States Census Bureau. Berkeley County grew by more than 13,500 people during the same time period, even as most counties in West Virginia saw population decline.
The region has been a site of major capital investment, including a $260 million expansion project announced in April for Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg and Jefferson Medical Center in Ranson. That same month, WVU Medicine opened a new operating room focused on cardiovascular care at Jefferson Medical.
WVU Medicine is not alone in investing in medical services for the Eastern Panhandle. In recent years, other health care providers like Valley Health and the Martinsburg VA Medical Center have expanded their facilities and services in light of local population growth and demand.
A media representative for WVU Medicine did not immediately return a request for comment on this story.
