The same doctor who soon will bring East Ohio Regional Hospital back to life has expressed interest in portions of the Ohio Valley Medical Center campus, according to Wheeling City Manager Bob Herron.
Dr. John Johnson, a psychiatrist from Dayton, Ohio, purchased EORH from MPT, LLC earlier this year, and once chief operating officer Bernie Albertini was hired, the renovations on the Martins Ferry facility began in April. Johnson’s plans for the hospital include the emergency room, general medical care and intensive care, as well as a 50-bed continuous care center, drug and alcohol rehabilitation and psychiatric care departments.
Albertini confirmed to LEDE News last week that the Martins Ferry hospital will reopen before the end of the year.
Could he do the same on the OVMC campus?
“I do think there is a chance that could occur, but I can’t put a percentage on it,” Herron said. “There are some things that need to be done to the buildings. Right now, we are getting ready to turn the heat on for the winter.
“But yes, there is a chance that those buildings could be re-utilized as medical facilities again,” he said. “Dr. John Johnson has seemed to be the most interested in those structures, and there have been other inquiries, but I wouldn’t go as far to say that there have been discussions with any of them.”
Medical Buildings Once Again?
The OVMC campus included 800,000 square feet inside six structures, but only three currently possess the infrastructure for medical care. The West Tower was the main hospital before it was shuttered by Alecto-West Virginia more than a year ago, and the Hillcrest Behavior Health Center was the primary psychiatric facility in the Upper Ohio Valley.
The seven-story South Tower housed areas for sleep studies, cancer care, and medical offices while in operation, but which of the structures Johnson has expressed interest in remains unknown.
“Dr. Johnson is one of the interested parties, and there are those others, but they are not medical- related,” Herron said. “I have not met with Dr. Johnson yet, but we are planning to meet in the near future. The conversations I have had have been with the attorneys involved.
“My understanding is that if he were to utilize the OVMC buildings on the campus, it would be for a different purpose than what the plans are for East Ohio when it reopens,” he said. “Since I have not spoken with him directly, I will reserve any comments as far as what his goals and objectives would be on the campus. But he is interested.”
Johnson also owns Access Hospital Dayton, a 40-plus bed psychiatric facility. He is represented locally by attorney David Croft of Spillman Thomas & Battle in downtown Wheeling.
“Dr. Johnson is investigating the facilities, and he’s working with the city to understand what some of the challenges are with some of the buildings,” Croft said. “We want to have a conversation with the city to see if there is an opportunity for Dr. Johnson to become involved with those facilities.
“We don’t know at what capacity at this point until we understand the condition of the buildings and what the city knows,” he continued. “That’s why we will be meeting with city officials within a week.”
Flipping the Switch
The East Tower, the original Ohio Valley General Hospital, was home to the facility’s IT Department, a second cafeteria, and a plethora of offices through its seven floors, but the two-building Nurse’s Residence has not been utilized for several years.
Interest in those structures, however, has been expressed by private-sector businesses and non-profit organizations.
“There has been progress, and there has been interest expressed,” Herron said. “Plus, we are showing the properties again on Friday. From the City’s perspective and an operational perspective, though, we’re still figuring out how we can be sure to properly operate the complex and keep it alive.
“We’ve had it for four months now, and now that we are getting closer to winter, that’s been a focus,” he explained. “But we are going to start the renovations to the Center Wheeling Garage soon, and we also have the Valley Professional Center that will be renovated into our new police headquarters. So, it’s really an ever-evolving process because that campus has a lot of square feet, but for the age that those buildings are, they are in very good condition.”
