U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., made a swing through Fayette County on Monday.
The senator began her day visiting the newly-refurbished Canyon Rim Visitor Center in Lansing in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. She followed that by touring a $16 million expansion of New River Health in Oak Hill.
For the New River Health facility, “We were able to secure $4 million in Congressionally Directed Spending at my request, and I think Sen. (Joe) Manchin got another million, so the combination of the two was $5 million,” explained Capito. The aim was “to repurpose this old Kmart. I think it’s beautiful, but I hadn’t been to visit yet, though. I just did a sampling from folks who are getting services here, and it was a double thumbs-up.”
“Certainly, the accessibility to rural health care is critical,” added Capito, who was looking forward to exploring the various clinics and new programs and equipment at New River Health. “I think, with this growing area, (the health care center) is well-placed and it seems to be running smoothly.”
New River Health CEO John Schultz, board members, staff and patients were among those who welcomed Capito to the center on Monday.
Schultz commented on the earmark funding from the senators which helped fuel the NRH expansion. “It was a huge advantage to have that for this location,” he said. “It was about a $16 million project, and they were able to fund about $5 million of that through the earmarks, so that is quite a substantial amount.”
The move from Scarbro to the revamped Oak Hill location, approaching two years, has been a positive one, he said. “Since we’ve been in this location, we’ve seen a marked increase in the number of patients we’re seeing here,” Schultz said. “We expect to see about 30,000 medical patients here this year, probably about 5,000 behavioral health patients, and I think our pharmacy is on pace to fill about 83,000 prescriptions.
“And, we opened up urgent care, and that’s taken off quite a bit, as well.”
Earlier, Capito’s stop by Canyon Rim allowed her to get a first-hand glimpse at those park improvements. “I hadn’t seen the new improvements that were a $1.5 million improvement by the park in May. But, also we want to make sure that the creation of that park at New River is not just living up to its name but has the capacity to make sure that visitors are repeat visitors.”
“The 30 percent (visitation) that it’s gone up is fantastic and is great for the area, but we want to see people come back and bring their families,” she continued. “We talked to the superintendent about certain issues (such as parking) that have come up over the years, and we just want to continue to be as helpful as possible.”
One Topic That Was broached between Capito and park officials, she said, is “something that I can help with.” That is “to talk more about the expansive part of the park, the Bluestone part of the park or the Grandview part of the park, and not just the New River Gorge itself.”
“Because it’s a regional appeal and so we’re excited about what it has to offer,” Capito noted. “I have people in D.C. when I’m there every day they tell me they’ve been down to raft or climb or hike or just enjoy the beauty of the area.”
Ahead of her return to her home state, Capito recently took part in the Republican National Convention. “The Republican convention was great,” she said. “I was there for a short period of time.” Convention-goers were “obviously very united around the candidate,” said Capito. “Sen. J.D. Vance (the party’s vice-presidential nominee) is a colleague of mine. I know him well. Being from neighboring Ohio, I think, is great for us.”
On President Joe Biden’s decision to discontinue his reelection campaign, she said, “My question is if he can’t continue with the campaign, can you really continue to serve these next several months? I think that’s a legitimate question that we’re asking, and I’m certainly asking.”
“I do have questions about President Biden, if he’s self-proclaiming that he doesn’t have really (the ability to continue with the campaign), I wonder what’s been going on in the White House over the last six months to a year,” the senator pressed on. “Who’s known about the president’s decline, what have they been doing about it, and I think this needs to be uncovered to the American people …”
Capito says the next few months will be interesting. “I think that the campaign is going to be about policies. We’ll see that, and I think it’s going to be very passionate on both sides. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
The process includes “searching for certainty” in the country, she said.