Help us save our hospitals!

On August 7th, officials at Ohio Valley Medical Center and East Ohio Regional Hospital announced plans for the permanent closure of both community hospitals located in the Upper Ohio Valley. The anticipated date of closure is October 7th, 2019. With only weeks left to act, the community joined together on social media to explore options for preventing the closure of these desperately needed facilities. *Join us on Facebook and Twitter @ Save Hillcrest/OVMC/EORH and #warr;ors.*

Together, the 1,200 employees of the hospital system facing imminent unemployment and the thousands of local residents who depend on OVMC/EORH for emergency, specialty, and primary care services have engaged in a coordinated campaign urging WV and OH politicians to intervene by any means necessary to save our local economy and preserve access to vital healthcare services in our area.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice made the following statement in light of the announcement: 

“I have directed members of my administration to dig deep to see what kind of help the State can offer to try to stop Ohio Valley Medical Center from closing. We need to be willing to do everything we can possibly do to help, because 1,200 jobs are on the line. We would go to the ends of the earth to bring a company into West Virginia if they were going to provide 1,200 new jobs for our hardworking people, so we need to be willing to scratch and claw just as hard to protect and keep these crucial jobs at OVMC. . . I am actively talking with Congressman David McKinley and the two of us are working as diligently as we possibly can to try to find a solution. I have also put Secretary Bill Crouch with our Department of Health and Human Resources in touch with hospital leadership to see if there’s anything he can do to help. Saving these important jobs has to be a top priority.”

Indeed, the economic impact of these closures will devastate the area. At a time of revitalization in downtown Wheeling, losing one of our largest employers will negatively impact not just hospital workers suddenly scrambling for work, but small business owners throughout Wheeling whose livelihood depends on the patronage of downtown workers at larger organizations such as OVMC and The Health Plan. 

Further, local healthcare and social service organizations are ill-prepared for the sudden influx of residents in need of services ranging from primary care to emergency mental health treatment. Wheeling Hospital, located nearby, is already burdened with high patient loads and extremely long ER wait times. Wheeling Hospital, a Catholic facility, offers limited women’s healthcare services and has absolutely no programming available for patients seeking mental health or substance abuse treatment. 

Debbie Clark, Nurse Manager at Hillcrest, OVMC’s inpatient psychiatric facility, shared the following, emphasizing the dire need for mental health services in this area: 

“As you are all aware the announcement of closure to both OVMC and EORH came as a shock to those of us who work within these facilities. Hillcrest is a specialized acute psychiatric unit contracted with the state to place involuntary patients as well as voluntary patients in need of stabilization of symptoms to include psychosis, addiction, suicidality, dementia and PTSD. This client base counts on our staff to care about them and for them until such time that they can care for themselves. . .

Hillcrest is the only state diversion facility for psychiatric care within a 75 square mile area. . . Our facility has an average of 100 adult patients and 50 adolescent/children admitted each month for acute psychiatric care. On a regular basis hospitals across the state refer patients to our facility due to lack of bed availability statewide. As we have 54 adult beds and 32 youth beds, imagine the strain on the system to house these individuals. Often there is a critical need for beds/care for our adolescent population resulting in children being transported from hours away to seek treatment.

I don’t believe that our communities, schools, other hospitals or police are properly equipped or trained to deal with the increased issues that will be faced as a result of the Robert C Byrd Child and Adolescent Behavioral Center and/or Hillcrest closure. . . Suicide rates, overdoses, elder abuse and child abuse are but a few of these issues our community will be facing. . .

[Patients] have been calling the unit after the announcement with genuine fear and concern, some in tears, about where they will go for treatment if we were to close.”

In light of the opioid crisis and a nationwide shortage of both inpatient and outpatient mental health providers, allowing the closure of the only inpatient psychiatric facility in the area (with robust outpatient and IOP services available under the direction of Hillcrest psychiatrists) is undoubtedly a tragedy in the making. Without the specialty care of the physicians, nurses, techs, therapists, and social workers at OVMC, lives will be lost. 

Recently, WVU has partnered with both The Health Plan and Wheeling Hospital. In public statements, WVU Health System President and CEO Albert L. Wright, Jr. stated that the collaboration with THP will “deliver better outcomes to the people of West Virginia” via a focus on population health and wellness promotion. Now that the Northern Panhandle is facing the loss of a significant portion of providers offering preventative care, residents are calling on WVU to further their commitment to improving outcomes in WV and consider an agreement with the owners of OVMC/EORH. A fully-integrated health system could transform healthcare in WV, but faces an uphill battle with increasingly limited access to qualified providers. 

It’s no secret that rural hospitals are struggling nationwide. However, we believe that there is a unique need for the services provided at OVMC/EORH and that the hospitals could thrive if given the opportunity. Under the right management or as part of a larger health system, we could continue to serve the Ohio Valley. Help us meet the needs of our community. Help us save lives. Help us save our hospitals.