After being closed for years due to the pandemic, Williamson Memorial Hospital is reopen again.
Since Mingo County’s only hospital has been purchased by Williamson Health and Wellness Center, Williamson Memorial has improved with new renovations and upgrades to systems to give residents top-tier medical treatment.
Tim Hatfield, CEO of Williamson Memorial Hospital, said it has been in the works for a long time and they’re reopening in phases.
“It’s very emotional,” Hatfield said. “I know when we got our West Virginia license I got emotional. I got teared up. So to be able to keep this patient here and within 5 to 10, to 15 to 20 miles from here, is such a huge overwhelming feel of accomplishment.”
The hospital spent more than $16 million to renovate the interior and exterior of the building and upgrade its HVAC system, the cafeteria, electrical system, air quality, and plumbing systems.
The hospital says around 60% of the hospital’s employees who were at Williamson Memorial in 2020 came back.
One worker described what it was like walking back through the doors again.
“It’s like being on a long vacation and just seeing your house.”
Right now, the general hospital is offering in-patent services, outpatient X-rays, and labs with all new equipment.
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., believes this will help boost Williamson’s economy and help the community grow.
“I think it’s a sense of hope, it is a sense of economic vitality, and also a healthier Mingo,” Capito said. “I think it’s the excitement, I can tell, is generated from the community.”
Additionally, the hospital will be opening up an after-hour clinic in order to be more accessible. It will be open around December.
Also, the hospital’s ER will open in January, and plans have been submitted to the state for approval to open their operating room.