Williamson Health and Wellness Center Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Us & Them: Just How Healthy Is West Virginia's Health Care System?

The coronavirus confronts every aspect of our society — with our health care systems front and center in the crosshairs. When hospitals canceled nonessential medical procedures at the beginning of the pandemic, it created an economic free fall. U.S. hospitals have lost $200 billion dollars and laid off nearly a million workers.

Urban hospitals and clinics have faced a run on equipment and supplies. While rural facilities have seen fewer COVID-19 cases, they took the same hit to their income and revenue. Now the question may be — just how healthy is our health care system and which institutions will survive to help redefine the future of medicine?

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council. Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond. You also can listen to Us & Them on WVPB Radio — tune in on the fourth Thursday of every month at 8 p.m., with an encore presentation on the fourth Saturday at 3 p.m.

Williamson Hospital Closing Tuesday, With Plans To Be Purchased Soon

The Williamson Memorial Hospital in Mingo County is prepared to close on Tuesday, while a local health center finalizes plans to purchase the institution.

Earlier this month, the Williamson Health and Wellness Center announced its offer to purchase the hospital for $3.68 million.

Darrin McCormick, executive assistant and community liaison for the center, said on Monday his employer’s intentions haven’t changed and they hope to have the deal sealed by the end of this month.

Hospital staff were not available to address how many patients are currently being treated at the facility, and where patients will go during the hospital’s closure. According to a statement from the facility’s CEO Gene Preston on Facebook, the hospital spent seven months reorganizing after filing for bankruptcy in the fall. However, the impact from the ongoing pandemic was too “sudden and severe” for the hospital to handle.

“I remain in awe of the dedication and perseverance of the employees of the hospital, whom I have had the pleasure to work with and to know,” the statement read. “It is rare to find such a dedicated work force with an aligned vision and purpose to take care of patients and the community. I want all of you to know that your influence on me has made me a better leader and person.”

McCormick said he’s unsure who the hospital will rehire when the purchase is finalized, but the fact that the Mingo County area medical community is small means many of the former Williamson Memorial employees could return to work in the same place.

The hospital is closing its doors weeks after the state began testing for the coronavirus, which has killed 26 people statewide. More than 900 people have tested positive, according to the state Department of Health and Human Resources.

“We’re all here deeply saddened by the closing. It’s a huge loss for us and we’ve always worked closely with the hospital,” said Keith Blankenship, administrator for the Mingo County Health Department on Monday. “Hopefully something better will come along through the Health and Wellness Center.”

According to Blankenship, all three of Mingo County’s federally qualified health centers – including Williamson Health and Wellness – offer testing. On Monday, he reported the county had collected more than 150 tests.

Hospitals in Logan County and in nearby Kentucky remain open.

“Mileage wise, it doesn’t look that far, [but] it’s still time consuming to get to them, because of our roads,” Blankenship said.

Two people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Mingo County as of April 20, one of which has died. Across the Tug Fork River in Pike County, Kentucky, the local health department’s website says there have been six positive cases, including two deaths and one recovery.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

Community-Based Health Care Center Plans To Buy Williamson Hospital

A local health center has plans to buy the Williamson Memorial Hospital in Mingo County after the hospital announced Monday plans to close at some point in April.

An offer from the Williamson Health and Wellness Center to purchase the hospital for $3.68 million was approved in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Wednesday, April 1.

The judge has yet to sign the order, according to attorney Mike Hissam, from the legal firm representing the health and wellness center. He added they are planning to close the deal by April 30.

The center had to pay half a million dollars as a deposit and submit financial information to prove their purchasing capability for the court to approve their offer.

The hospital, which dates back to 1918, began bankruptcy proceedings in February, according to the Associated Press. It’s uncertain at this time if they will have to close temporarily before the Williamson Health and Wellness Center purchase.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the original announcement of closure of the hospital was met with concern from several elected officials, including Gov. Jim Justice.

“They plan to continue critical functions at the hospital and add new services,” Justice said in a written news release on Wednesday. “It’s a real blessing for Williamson and Mingo County and I am extremely appreciative and thankful.”

Administration for the current hospital leadership has not responded to requests from West Virginia Public Broadcasting since the announcement for closure came out on Monday.

“We’re excited about the opportunity for the community to retain this asset,” said Darrin McCormick, an executive assistant to the health and wellness center’s CEO on Wednesday. “The hospital is a substantial employer in the community.”

In a written statement Wednesday afternoon, the center said it has “exciting plans to preserve the hospital’s critical functions” while expanding the center’s own existing programs and services.

The Williamson Health and Wellness Center is a federal qualified health center, meaning it is a community based provider that operates on federal funding to provide primary care to under-served areas.

According to the Health Resources and Service Administration in charge of that funding, these centers “must meet a stringent set of requirements, including providing care on a sliding fee scale based on ability to pay and operating under a governing board that includes patients.”

Williamson Health and Wellness Center serves Mingo County and Pike County in Kentucky, offering behavioral, dental, pediatric, podiatric, nutritional and other primary care.

McCormick said Wednesday having access to an emergency room and a trauma center, both of which Williamson Memorial offers, is important. The city of Williamson itself is near the Logan Regional Medical Center and the Pikeville Medical Center, both of which can be less accessible for some of Mingo County’s more remote communities.

The Williamson Memorial Hospital is not the first facility to announce closure this year. In February, leadership for the Fairmont Regional Medical Center in Marion County broke the news they were closing in March.

WVU Medicine later announced plans to open a new Fairmont facility in roughly two years. The college also said it plans to use the existing facility if additional space is needed to treat patients due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Emily Allen is a Report for America corps member.

W.Va. Wellness Center to Receive $200K in Federal Funding

The Williamson Health and Wellness Center will receive $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin announced the funding on Tuesday.

The money is designated for enhancing psychological and social health care services for people with diabetes, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The goal of the Rural Health Care Coordination Network Partnership Program is to provide more effective care for rural patients living with chronic conditions by integrating behavioral health care into primary care.