Princeton Community Hospital’s Orthopedic Center has been recognized by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement for offering the highest quality of care.

Want More Information?

To schedule a consultation, contact orthopedic care coordinator Helena Griffith at: 304-487-7896 or fill out the Orthopedic Consultation form.

Princeton Community Hospital Brings Advanced Program In Joint Replacement Surgery To Southern West Virginia.

The Orthopedic Center’s advanced program in joint replacement is a personal program designed to decrease your pain and speed recovery following joint replacement surgery. Most patients can expect to walk at least 100 feet a few hours after surgery and go home faster than the national average (usually one or two days after surgery). Your doctor will discuss your individual goals and expectations in preparation for the surgery. Your role, and that of your family and friends, is critical in helping get you back on your feet quickly. You will go into surgery well informed – knowing everything you need to know to prepare for surgery, what to expect during your hospital stay, and what to do once you go home.

What you can expect from the program:

  • Pain and nausea management is comprehensive. It starts before surgery and continues until you are walking. Most patients are able use less narcotics, have lower pain scores, and experience less nausea.
  • You are UP and WALKING within hours after surgery. You will work with physical therapy one-on-one. The morning after surgery, you will be up, dressed in comfortable clothing, and in the gym for group exercise, in addition to your one-on-one physical therapy.
  • Your personal guidebook has all of your appointments, exercises, pre-hospital preparation, hospital stay information, and instructions on what to do when you come home.
  • Your seminar: You and your family will meet the staff and other patients to prepare for your surgery. Bring your guidebook, as the staff will review the high points and answer questions.
  • Your personal online coach provides personal reminders and an online place to prepare for surgery and track your progress.
  • Your private room is located on a unit dedicated to hip and knee replacement patients, with everything you need for fast recovery: joint rehab gym, specially trained staff, and a certified orthopedic nurse director that oversees every aspect of your care.
  • Your nurses and staff take pride in providing personal attention, knowing you as an individual, and encouraging you to help achieve your personal success.
  • Your medical preparation is key to the safety of your surgery. Diabetes, heart, lung, and other conditions may increase the risk of surgery. Our medical team will work with your personal doctors to assess and optimize your medical condition to get you ready for surgery.
  • Your in-hospital treatment follows a national best practices protocol to minimize complications, including infection, DVT/PE blood clots, blood transfusion, and other factors related to your individual medical history.
  • Your return home: Our planning continues when you leave the hospital to ensure a safe return home and to the care of your family doctor. Our job is only done when you achieve your goals!

If you are currently experiencing severe hip or knee pain and want to live a better quality of life by having joint replacement surgery, please contact The Orthopedic Center at 304-487-7896.

Thanks so much for your interest in The Orthopedic Center at Princeton Community Hospital. We look forward to meeting your healthcare needs.

Contact Information

Orthopedic Center
122 Twelfth Street
Princeton, WV 24740
304-487-7896

Providers

Helena Griffith, RN, BSN, ONC
Orthopedic Care Coordinator
Helena has served patients on the orthopedic wing at PCH since 1998, first as a nurse extern, then as an RN after earning her degree from Mountain State University in Beckley, West Virginia. In 2015, she was awarded the National Orthopedic Nurse Certification, acknowledging her knowledge and skill level in orthopedics, including degenerative disorders, orthopedic trauma, sports injuries, inflammatory disorders, metabolic bone disorders, pediatric/congenital, musculoskeletal tumors, and neuromuscular.

Philip Branson, MD

Dr. Branson earned degrees from Northwestern University and Northwestern University Medical School, where he was in the Honors Program in Medical Education. He also completed a residency at Northwestern University.
Branson has been an Orthopedic Surgeon for more than 30 years and is board certified by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is a Fellow of the AAOS and a member of both the ISAKOS and AANA.

Branson serves as an Associate Clinical Professor – Orthopaedics at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and is President of the Luma Corporation.

Frederick Morgan, DO

Dr. Morgan completed undergraduate work at Concord University (1987) and earned a medical degree from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (1991).
Morgan’s residency was completed at Ohio University (1991 to 1996), and he also completed a Total Joint Replacement fellowship at The Cleveland Clinic (1996 to 1997).

Morgan has been an Orthopedic Surgeon for more than 20 years and is a member of AOA, AOAO, American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS), and the WVSOM Faculty.

Nicholas D. Higinbotham, DO
Dr. Higinbotham completed undergraduate work at Fairmont State University, where he graduated Cum Laude in 2012. He earned a medical degree from the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Pikeville.

His orthopedic surgery residency was completed at Garden City Hospital, Garden City, Michigan.

Higinbotham is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Operating Room Staff
These Surgery RNs and Technicians and PACU RNs will help prepare you for surgery on the morning of your procedure, and they will be there to greet you in recovery.

Nurses
These highly skilled and compassionate professionals will accompany you along every step of your journey – from pre-operative planning, through surgery, to discharge. Your nurses will assist with your medication requirements, your mobility goals, your breathing exercises, and much more.

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