By Charles Owens
For Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Welch — A community meeting has been scheduled to discuss the future of Welch Community Hospital.
While the hospital is currently state operated, the governor’s office is currently negotiating with private entities for the acquisition and operation of the McDowell County medical center.
A community meeting scheduled by the McDowell County Commission to discuss the proposed privatization of the hospital will be held on Wednesday, Jun 10, at 5 p.m. at the former National Guard Armory building at 600 Stewart Street in Welch.
Four state-operated nursing homes moved to privatization earlier this year, and Welch Community Hospital is next on the list being considered by Governor Patrick Morrisey, according to Delegate David Green, R-McDowell.
Green said he doesn’t know who the potential buyers are.
“I don’t know who is all at the table, but I do know that the governor’s office is negotiating,” Green told the Daily Telegraph Thursday. “I asked who the players are and I wasn’t given that information. I do know the governor’s office is actively seeking entities to look at the hospital.”
Green, who represents District 36 in the West Virginia House of Delegates, said the process of moving state-owned medical facilities to private ownership began under former Governor Jim Justice, who is now a member of the U.S. Senate.
Welch Community Hospital will not be closed. It will instead move from state control to private ownership.
“The situation is and what I’ve encouraged and have been stressing with the governor’s people is if they are going to sell it, get someone in here that will actually expand services for the community. And that is what I’ve gotten agreements from the governor’s office on. They aren’t looking to just off-load the hospital to the highest bidder. They are actually looking to get the hospital to someone who will actually expand services and take it over and grow the hospital.” — Delegate David Green, R-McDowell.
“Closure has never, ever came up in conservations,” Green said. “From the legislative side, from the governor’s office, there has been absolutely no talk of closure. The governor’s plan from what we’ve been told is to devoid the state of West Virginia from its hospitals. The four-long term care facilities that we did have — those were sold at the beginning of this year. There were seven hospitals under state control, four of those have been sold. The next on his plan, Governor Morrisey’s plan, is to sell Welch Community Hospital.”
Whoever buys the hospital must agree to strengthen the facility and expand services, a message Green said he has communicated to the governor’s office.
“The situation is and what I’ve encouraged and have been stressing with the governor’s people is if they are going to sell it, get someone in here that will actually expand services for the community,” Green said. “And that is what I’ve gotten agreements from the governor’s office on. They aren’t looking to just off-load the hospital to the highest bidder. They are actually looking to get the hospital to someone who will actually expand services and take it over and grow the hospital.”
Green said he’s asked representatives from Morrisey’s office to attend the community meeting set for next week, although their participation had not been confirmed as of Thursday.
Did You Know?
— Welch Community Hospital was formerly known as Welch Emergency Hospital, and is the only acute care hospital in McDowell County. It originally opened as the old Miner’s Hospital in 1902.
While the McDowell County Commission has scheduled the meeting, the decision on the future of the hospital will be made by the governor. Neither the county nor the Legislature has the current authority to make that decision, according to Green.
“So I asked that when I got into the Legislature, and I was told according to our laws we have in place the law gives him (Morrisey) the authority to do so,” Green said. “We as a Legislature — and this is by current law — we do not have and it is not in law for us to oversee that part of it.”
Green said the state has not provided the resources and assets needed to grow the hospital. He said the governor’s office has assured him that they are not looking just for a buyer, but also a community partner who will grow and expand services and facilities at Welch Community Hospital.
Still transparency throughout the process will be paramount, according to Green.
“What I would love to see is the governor’s office be very transparent and open communication from them to all of us in McDowell County,” Green said. “Explaining what the process is, where they are at and the steps forward.”
Welch Community Hospital was formerly known as Welch Emergency Hospital, and is the only acute care hospital in McDowell County. It originally opened as the old Miner’s Hospital in 1902.
“So what my desire is is to see this hospital in the hands of a group that knows how to run hospitals and can actually increase the services,” Green said. “One of the ways to make that happen is to turn it into a critical access hospital.”
Green said there is a type of hospital called a Critical Access Hospital, which is a federal designation built specifically to keep small, rural hospitals like Welch Community Hospital alive and strong.
“There’s one not far from us, right here in Southern West Virginia, with the same kind of community, patients and payer mix that we have,” Green said of a medical facility in Boone County. “It’s operated that way for close to 15 years. It’s been a true partner to its community, it has grown its services instead of cutting them, and both its patients and its employees are satisfied. Seeing that with my own eyes is what put my fears to rest.”
Achieving a Critical Access Hospital designation for Welch Community Hospital would not require legislative action, but instead simply paperwork by whoever acquires Welch Community Hospital.
“At this time, there are more questions than answers. We intend to gather all available information and fully understand what is being proposed before drawing any final conclusions. However, one thing is certain: Welch Community Hospital is a critical asset to McDowell County and the surrounding region. With only one hospital remaining in Mercer County, Welch being the only hospital in McDowell County, and no hospital in Wyoming County, access to local health care is more important than ever. Our residents deserve quality healthcare services close to home.” — joint statement from McDowell County Commissioners Michael Brooks, Cecil Patterson and Dewayne Dotson.
Green said when he came on as a delegate in the West Virginia Legislature, a potential buyer was looking at Welch Community Hospital at that time, but later backed out.
“Then shortly thereafter I found out there is another interested party,” Green said. “I called the county commission. But then the Justice Administration who was in office at the time didn’t have time to move forward with selling the long-term facilities and Welch Community Hospital. Then Governor Morrisey came in and took office — and the floods hit McDowell County — and his administration was basically tied up in flood responses.”
Green said he has spoken with both the House and Senate leadership, and all agree that whatever private entity acquires the hospital it must also commit to growing and expanding services at the hospital.
Next week’s community meeting was scheduled by members of the McDowell County Commission, who are expressing concerns over the proposed sale of the hospital.
Several joint statements have been released by commissioners Michael Brooks, Cecil Patterson and DeWayne Dotson on the issue.
“This issue affects every resident of McDowell County, and we encourage all citizens to attend, ask questions, and share their concerns about the future of health care in our community,” the commissioners said in a joint statement Thursday.
But in a more lengthy statement, the commissioners argue there are more questions than answers about the proposed sale of Welch Community Hospital.
“We have recently become aware of discussions regarding the potential sale or privatization of Welch Community Hospital,” Brooks, Patterson and Dotson said in the joint statement. “Like many residents, we first learned of these developments through public posts and were not made aware of any ongoing discussions beforehand, despite the significant impact such decisions could have on our county. At this time, there are more questions than answers. We intend to gather all available information and fully understand what is being proposed before drawing any final conclusions. However, one thing is certain: Welch Community Hospital is a critical asset to McDowell County and the surrounding region. With only one hospital remaining in Mercer County, Welch being the only hospital in McDowell County, and no hospital in Wyoming County, access to local health care is more important than ever. Our residents deserve quality health care services close to home.”
The commissioners added that they were disappointed that local leaders were not included in state discussions regarding the future of Welch Community Hospital.
“We also have serious questions about what privatization could mean for health care access, services, jobs and long-term stability,” the commissioners added in the joint statement. “Accepting — it’s better than nothing — should never be the standard for McDowell County. Our citizens deserve more than scraps, and our communities deserve a seat at the table when decisions of this magnitude are being considered. We will be doing our homework, asking the hard questions, and seeking answers. As we learn more, we will share that information with the public. The future of Welch Community Hospital is too important to leave unanswered.”
Read more from the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, here.
