PRINCETON, W.Va. – The City of Princeton and the Board of Directors of the Princeton Community Hospital Association approved a definitive agreement with the WVU Health System, clearing the way for PCH to become fully integrated into the System.
PCH entered into a management agreement and clinical affiliation with WVU Hospitals in December 2020, and in October 2021, a letter of intent was signed by all parties for the WVU Health System to become the sole member of PCH.
PCH President and CEO Karen Bowling said, “Regulatory steps were taken when the certificate of need was approved earlier this year. The last step in the process of full affiliation is the definitive agreement. That enables Princeton Community Hospital to become a full member of the WVU Health System. The agreement outlines the responsibilities of the System, including the fact that the hospital will remain in Princeton and a local board of directors will remain in place to advise as we move forward to develop the strategies to enhance healthcare services in the region.
“The advantages to being a full member of the WVU Health System are innumerable. WVU Medicine will bring the strength, stability, and resources necessary to move healthcare forward in southern West Virginia in ways that would not have been possible otherwise. We are already seeing significant improvements being made at PCH with the addition of a highly advanced cardiac cath lab with a fully interventional cardiology program, set to open this fall; new telemedicine services that include telestroke, telenephrology, and pediatric telemedicine; installation of the leading electronic medical record software; and the connection to an academic medical center that facilitates the recruitment of new physicians to the area.”
President and CEO of the WVU Health System Albert L. Wright, Jr., attended the PCH board meeting on Wednesday, July 27 when the definitive agreement was approved. In addition, Mr. Wright and the Board of Directors reviewed a 10-year master facility plan that mapped out the future for the hospital and opportunities to expand services in the community.
Mr. Wright said, “It is important for us to bring Princeton Community Hospital into the WVU Medicine family, so that the folks in the southernmost regions of West Virginia don’t have to cross state lines to find high quality care. As the academic medical center of the state’s land-grant university, we are responsible for caring for all West Virginians, and this will help us better serve the people in southern West Virginia.”
About the West Virginia University Health System
The West Virginia University Health System is West Virginia’s largest health system and the state’s largest employer. With more than 2,000 licensed beds and 2,000 active medical staff, the Health System includes 17 hospitals, including a 700-bed academic medical center in Morgantown, West Virginia; eight community hospitals; and eight critical access hospitals. The Health System also manages four hospitals and is building a new 150-bed Children’s Hospital on its main medical campus. To learn more, visit WVUMedicine.org.
About Princeton Community Hospital
PCH, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020, is a fully accredited 203-bed acute care multispecialty medical facility serving a 10-county region in southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. It offers advanced medical technologies and procedures, from state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging to minimally invasive surgery. In addition, PCH provides behavioral health services at The Behavioral Health Pavilion of the Virginias, a 64-bed psychiatric hospital in Bluefield, and operates PCH Bluefield, a full-service emergency department in Bluefield (formerly Bluefield Regional Medical Center).
For media inquiries:
Angela S. Jones, WVU Health System Corporate Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs, 304-285-7259, knopfa@wvumedicine.org
Richard Hypes, Princeton Community Hospital Director of Marketing, 304-487-7339, richard.hypes@pchonline.org