Photo by Craig Howell John Frankovich, left, president and CEO of Weirton Medical Center, addresses those gathered at the ceremony, Friday, as final documents were signed approving the hospital’s transition to a full member of WVU Medicine. Albert Wright, president and CEO of WVU Health System, is pictured at right.
WEIRTON — With Weirton Medical Center’s transition to a full member of the West Virginia University Health System set to become official Jan. 1, hospital officials met Friday morning to sign final documents.
Representatives of both WMC and WVU gathered in the hospital lobby to watch as John Frankovich, WMC’s president and CEO, and Albert L. Wright Jr., president and CEO of WVU Health System, put their names on the final portions of the agreement.
“Weirton Medical Center has been an integral part of the community for 70 years,” The hospital traces its history back to the opening of Weirton General Hospital in the city’s Warcrest neighborhood in the 1950s, Frankovich said.
The current facility, renamed Weirton Medical Center, was built on a 20-acre campus on Colliers Road, and opened its doors in 1978.
With the move to the WVU Health System, it will ensure quality community health care is available to Weirton and surrounding communities for years to come, Frankovich said.
“We ensure continued commitment to the next generation.” – said Frankovich.
Discussions about the transition began in 2020, with the launch of the clinical affiliation, with officials announcing their decision to become a full member of the system in March.
Albert noted that if we look at most health metrics, West Virginia often ranks between 45 and 50, and West Virginia Medicine is looking to address these issues by improving the quality of health care available to West Virginians, and educational opportunities in the field of care. Health. Fields.
While the transition becomes official at the beginning of 2025, it will be a gradual process, with no major change seen immediately, he said.
Over time, new programs will be implemented, new services will become available, and facilities throughout the West Virginia University Health System will be able to compare procedures and systems to see where improvements can be made, in Weirton as well as in other parts of the state. The state in which WVU Health System operates.
“Over time, we will learn from each other.” Albert said.
In addition to the change from an independent, nonprofit hospital to part of the WVU network, hospital officials in November announced leadership changes at the Weirton campus, with Frankovich preparing to retire from his position. David Artman, the hospital’s current chief operating officer, has been named to the top local role effective Jan. 1.
A more formal celebration of the change is being planned for late January.
Albert noted that Weirton Medical Center will be the 25th hospital to join the WVU system, with the majority of its facilities – 21 – located in West Virginia. Other locations operate in eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and western Maryland.
Locally, WVU Medicine also has a laboratory location in Wellsburg, with a series of facilities in the Wheeling area including WVU Medicine-Wheeling.
