Wheeling Hospital receives $2.25 million grant

Implementing mental health programs in primary care practices at WVU Medicine Wheeling and Reynolds Memorial hospitals will be possible with a recently received $2.25 million grant.

The Medical Park Foundation at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital received the behavioral health grant from the Renner Foundation. It will assist in addressing the mental health and substance abuse issues plaguing the Ohio Valley. The foundation was formed as a legacy for Dr. Richard Renner of Hundred, WV, who passed away in 1979. He graduated from Bethany College where he met his wife, Jennie Steindorf Renner, from Wheeling, West Virginia.

“Mental health and services related to substance use are incredibly important. We are honored to be able to continue the Foundation's support of health initiatives with this grant,” Ed See, Trustee, Renner Foundation. “We hope that it serves as a cornerstone and that our commitment encourages other private donors and public organizations to lean into this vital need.”

The grant provides the funding to implement a proven-effective integrated behavioral health model within the hospitals’ primary care practices. The Renner Behavioral Health Program will provide a “warm handoff” for patients who are receiving physical health care and have been identified as having behavioral health issues. This will help remove the hesitation sometimes seen between seeking physical health care and mental health care.

“Many people will go to their doctors if they are sick, but they don’t consider going to a therapist or psychiatrist for their mental health,” said Jessica Rine, associate vice president of Foundation and Community Relations for WVU Medicine Wheeling and Reynolds Memorial hospitals. “There is a stigma surrounding behavioral health that prevents people from seeking resources. This warm handoff program will help to eliminate that barrier.”

Funding also will be used for a behavioral health clinic in Moundsville. The clinic will offer intensive outpatient programs, group programs and substance abuse counseling. It also will provide telehealth options for those unable to commute for appointments.

“One of the biggest challenges facing healthcare today is how to tackle the ongoing behavioral health crisis,” said WVU Medicine Wheeling and Reynolds hospitals CEO Doug Harrison. “We are hopeful this grant will allow us help this population get the care they deserve.”