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A Memorial partnership; Memorial Health system to build hospital in Sistersville

(Photo by Kristen Hainkel) Memorial Health Foundation Executive Director Jarrett Stull addresses the press during the Memorial Health System press conference Thursday.

SISTERSVILLE — Memorial Health System announced plans to build a new hospital in Sistersville during a press conference Thursday.

The facility will be 30,000 square feet with a 4,500 square foot emergency department, community rooms for classes and meeting, eight inpatient rooms, a state-of-the-art lab and diagnostic testing center, and more space for on-site care, according to a press kit provided at the event.

“I don’t know if I can put into words how excited we are,” said Heidi McGowan, administrator for Sistersville General Hospital.

“I can’t walk anywhere in the building without anyone asking about it. We offer good health care now but we’ll offer exceptional health care with this new facility.”

“The hospital is tired. It’s old. We needed to replace it,” said Dan Breece, President of Sistersville General Hospital and Chief Medical Officer of Memorial Health System. “You don’t just need high quality health care, you deserve it.”

(Photo by Kristen Hainkel) Delegate David Kelly, R-Tyler, speaks talks to Jarrett Stull, executive director of Memorial Health Foundation, during the Memorial Health System press conference Thursday.

The hospital partnered with Memorial Health System in Marietta in the fall of 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the fall of 2020, they reached out to us as a distressed hospital. They tried to find a partner in West Virginia and couldn’t. Being local, we went through the legal process to purchase them,” Breece said.

In December 2021, Breece and Executive Director Jarrett Stull of the Memorial Health Foundation traveled to Charleston to meet with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, Delegate David Kelly, R-Tyler, and Delegate Trent Barnhart, R-Pleasants.

“We said we would pay $20 million and asked the state for $10 million. The speaker asked us, ‘What’s your skin in the game?'” Breece said.

Breece and Stull went back to meet with local municipalities such as Sistersville, St. Marys, Friendly, Middlebourne, and the county commissions of Tyler and Pleasants counties. Breece said he asked the governments to commit 10% of their American Rescue Plan funds from the state to help fund the project.

(Photo by Kristen Hainkel) From left, Memorial Health Foundation Executive Director Jarrett Stull, Heidi McGowan, administrator for Sistersville General Hospital, Marie Prezioso, Executive Director of the West Virginia Water Authority, Delegate David Kelly, R-Tyler, and Delegate Trent Barnhart, R-Pleasants. pose during the Memorial Health System press conference Thursday.

Breece said he realized it was a big ask but the communities were invested in the project.

“What impressed legislators is the commitment between the local governments investing 10% of ARP money and Memorial Health System adding money. COVID-19 funds should go to health care in West Virginia,” Barnhart said.

Kelly said the state House and Senate had to pass appropriation legislation for the money to be available. It was passed in both chambers and signed by Governor Jim Justice.

“We got it signed in the last days of our 60-day session,” he said.

On May 31, the Water Virginia Water Authority announced $9,478,015 would be awarded to Sistersville General Hospital from the Economic Enhancement Grant Fund.

“It’s one of the biggest grants we’ve ever given. Without Governor Justice’s support, we wouldn’t be here,” said Marie Prezioso, Executive Director of the WVWA. “The Water Development Authority does water and sewer, but we also do economic development.”

Prezioso said she was the representative of the Governor’s office for the conference.

“It’s a sense of pride and relief that we can say, a new hospital is coming,” Breece said.

Breece said Memorial Health System is working with an architect on designing the new building. He said he hopes to break ground next year with the hospital opening in 2026.

“We’re looking forward to the ground breaking and it’ll feel more real then,” Stull said.

New medical office buildings in Middlebourne, Sistersville, and St. Marys will be built along with the new hospital.

Kristen Hainkel can be contacted at khainkel@newsandsentinel.com

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