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WHEELING -- Preparations to begin the demolition of the former Ohio Valley Medical Center are expected to begin this week, said Douglass Harrison, president and CEO of WVU Medicine Wheeling and Reynolds Memorial hospitals.
Harrison gave an update on the project, which will make space for construction of a new regional cancer center, during Thursday's Marshall County Chamber of Commerce breakfast.
The former OVMC properties are slated to be razed by F.R. Beinke Wrecking Inc. of New Jersey to make way for the cancer center. Harrison said equipment and fencing for the razing is expected to start showing up at the site the week of Sept. 24. They will also have to begin asbestos abatement inside the buildings.
The demolition will last about 12-14 months. During that time, hospital leaders will also be planning the cancer center's offerings and finances, he said.
"The intent is to consolidate the Reynolds' infusion center and the Wheeling medical oncology and radiation oncology into one location," Harrison said.
The entire project is expected to be completed in about five years.
"We're very excited about having this regional cancer center. We believe when this is up and running that we will compete toe-to-toe with Allegheny Health Network, UPMC and The James," he said.
He noted that, with its connection to WVU Health Systems, WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital's cancer program is now also part of various clinical trials.
Harrison described a recent lawsuit claiming the hiring of the demolition contractor was not done properly as a "hiccup" in the project. The lawsuit, filed by Raze International of Shadyside, was dismissed in Ohio County Circuit Court in August.
Raze claimed in its suit that since public money from the city of Wheeling and Ohio County Commission is being used to pay for the demolition that state bidding rules should be applied; however, the judge ruled since the hospital system is a private entity such rules do not apply. The bids were sought by WVU Medicine, not the city or county.
"That is behind us," Harrison said of the legal matter. "We've chosen a company, F.R. Beinke, that's out of New Jersey, and they do a lot of demolition work in New York City and some of the larger major areas.
"So people were criticizing us for choosing an out-of-state entity versus a local company. But I'll tell you the reason we chose F.R. Beinke was, first and foremost, their experience, and how they were going to do the demolition job.
"But they will subcontract with all union labor, local union labor. So that was an appealing factor for us in choosing them."
The demolition job will cost about $6.8 million.
The new cancer center will have four stories and between 75,000 and 90,000 square feet of space. It will employ about 150 people and have 40,000 patient visits per year. Officials have described construction of the cancer center as a $70 million investment.
Meanwhile, Harrison noted both WVU Medicine Wheeling and Reynolds Memorial hospitals are working hard on retention and recruitment. In addition to bringing in new specialist doctors, the hospitals continue to search for people to fill nursing and medical tech roles as well.
"We need people to take care of our aging population," he said.
One specialist physician new to Wheeling is a urogynecologist, Dr. Maurice Chung, who can help women with pelvic pain. He was recruited from Cleveland Clinic. Another is an ortho-trauma surgeon, Dr. Ivan Tarkin, who was recruited from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
"If there was a Pittsburgh Steelers player who got hurt, they ended up on Ivan Tarkin's table," Harrison noted. "That's the caliber we are recruiting into this region."
Harrison said the goal of the facility improvements and high-caliber physician recruitments is to provide excellent care for residents of the Ohio Valley at home.
"I know Wheeling Hospital had a black eye in the past ... but we've done everything in our power to turn that reputation around and advance quality," he said.
Financially, the hospitals are doing much better with WVU Medicine Reynolds and Wheeling seeing profits of $11 million and $7 million, respectively. Harrison said some people believe that non-profit hospitals should not make any money, but it is needed to make improvements and pay the salaries of the doctors and staff needed.