Celebration held to welcome Braxton County Memorial Hospital to the WVU Medicine family

Braxton County Memorial Hospital (BCMH) in Gassaway celebrated its membership in the West Virginia University Health System (WVUHS) (March 20) with a public ceremony. It officially joined the system on Jan. 1.

Speakers at the event included Karen Bowling, president and CEO, BCMH; Barbara Adams, chair, BCMH board of directors; Brent Boggs, member of the BCMH board of directors and the West Virginia House of Delegates; Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO, WVUHS; and Gordon Gee, WVU president and chair of the WVUHS board of directors.

The speakers were followed by a flag-raising ceremony. A WVU flag was raised in front of the hospital by four long-time employees. A local choir sang “Country Roads” as the flag was raised. Trevor Kiess, the Mountaineer mascot, shot his musket and led the crowd in a cheer of "Let's Go Mountaineers." 

To see a CONNECT photo gallery of the event, click here.

“Braxton County is in the heart of West Virginia, and West Virginians from all across the state are at the heart of what we do. While we hope that people never need our services, we want the people of Braxton County and the surrounding region to know that we’re here for them,” Wright said. “We are proud to officially welcome Braxton County Memorial Hospital into the WVU Medicine family.”

BCMH, a 25-bed critical access hospital, was established in 1981 and serves Braxton County and parts of Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas, and Webster counties. The hospital employs almost 200 people and offers emergency care, inpatient acute care, skilled nursing, respite care, inpatient and outpatient surgery, and home health care. Its outpatient facility includes laboratory, imaging, and cardio-pulmonary services.