You may know the name but the scope of Marshall Health — from the medical school to experienced physicians to clinical trials — may surprise you.
Since its birth in the late 1970s, Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine has recognized twin obligations.
“We exist not only to train a medical workforce but also to contribute to the health and wellness of the region,” said Joseph I. Shapiro, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine since 2012.
Initially, a handful of Marshall’s medical school faculty physicians split their time between Huntington’s VA Medical Center and the former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Hospital on Sixth Avenue, just a few blocks from Old Main. After the original C&O Hospital closed, it became Doctors’ Memorial Hospital, which housed the School of Medicine from 1974 until 1998 when the Marshall University Medical Center opened and the concept of a comprehensive health sciences campus began to take shape.
In the decades that followed, the medical school and the scope of its clinical services flourished, and what’s now known as Marshall Health, the nonprofit faculty practice plan of the medical school, has grown to meet the needs of the ever-changing health care landscape.
Today, Marshall Health is one of the largest employers in West Virginia, ranking among the top 35 on the state’s list of largest private employers. Marshall Health has more than 1,400 employees, including 350 physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, who provide care at five multispecialty locations along with more than 40 outpatient clinics in 14 counties throughout southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio. There are also an additional 207 basic science and clinical faculty, researchers, administrators and other support staff who are employed by the School of Medicine and Marshall University Research Corporation.
“The comprehensive services available at Marshall Health allow us to truly partner with patients for all aspects of care,” said Larry D. Dial Jr., M.D., chief medical officer of Marshall Health and a 1999 graduate of Marshall’s School of Medicine. “While we prioritize preventive care and promoting wellness, we have diverse expertise and capabilities to address all acute and chronic conditions.”
As the faculty practice plan of a community-based medical school like Marshall’s, Marshall Health collaborates with 18 teaching hospital partners to train and care for patients in an inpatient setting. Cabell Huntington Hospital and St. Mary’s Medical Center, now under the umbrella of Mountain Health Network, serve as the primary teaching hospitals of Marshall’s School of Medicine.
“It’s important to understand that, while we’re autonomous organizations, we rely on one another to bring the full depth and breadth of services to our patient population and a comprehensive learning experience to our students and residents,” said Beth L. Hammers, M.B.A., chief executive officer of Marshall Health and a two-time Marshall University graduate.
Over the years, Marshall Health and the School of Medicine have steadily expanded the infrastructure necessary to meet the region’s health care needs. For Marshall Health, access to care has been a driving factor behind much of its growth — from the region’s only 24-hour pharmacy to walk-in clinics and evening hours.
Growth has also come beyond Marshall Health’s physical footprint in the form of more than 75 specialties and subspecialties within its 16 clinical departments. This includes specialty care for heart failure, reconstructive urology and pediatric infectious disease. Through the School of Medicine, Marshall Health patients also have access to nearly two dozen clinical trials for chronic conditions such as liver disease and back pain.
“Much of the services we’ve been able to bring to the region would not be possible without dynamic residency and fellowship training programs, which open the doors for more specialized care,” said Shapiro, who serves as president of Marshall Health.
Marshall Health and the School of Medicine have taken a leading role in opening up access to addiction care and treatment in the Huntington region. Since 2016, they have launched more than a dozen initiatives related to addiction care, treatment and research, most of which have been in cooperation with other state and local organizations. Among its most notable initiatives is PROACT, the Provider Response Organization for Addiction Care & Treatment. Together, Marshall Health, Cabell Huntington Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Thomas Health System and Valley Health Systems established PROACT in 2018. Located at 800 20th Street in Huntington, the PROACT model provides comprehensive substance use disorder assessment, education, intervention and treatment solutions in a single, accessible setting.
Another initiative — “one that’s near and dear to my heart,” Hammers said — is Project Hope for Women & Children. Developed in partnership with the Huntington City Mission and located at 1012 7th Ave., next door to the Mission, Project Hope houses 18 single-family apartments for new and expectant mothers undergoing treatment for substance use disorder and their children. Since Project Hope opened in December 2018, eight women have completed the program.
“Project Hope is a clinically managed, high-intensity residential service with trained counselors to stabilize and prepare for outpatient treatment over the course of four to six months — addressing a much-needed gap in the continuum of care,” Hammers said. “As a mother, I also take great pride in the fact that Project Hope makes it possible for women to get the care they need to achieve long-term recovery while their children remain in their care and they work to establish a stable, strong and loving family unit.”
Leading experts within the Division of Addiction Sciences at the School of Medicine and Marshall Health are now also sharing best practices with other communities throughout West Virginia.
Looking ahead, Marshall Health is preparing for the rollout of a new electronic health record in 2020 that will connect their physicians to the same system as its major teaching hospitals; the opening of a joint venture toxicology lab with Mountain Health Network; and the pursuit of “center of excellence” status in collaboration with Mountain Health Network for several of its service lines.
More than anything, though, Marshall Health is committed to excellence in medical education and patient care.
“To us, excellence in patient care means you will be treated by a team of health care professionals led by a highly trained and skilled faculty physician — so skilled that they are training the next generation of physicians,” Hammers said. “And, excellence also means a friendly, caring, knowledgeable and attentive staff, a welcoming setting with the latest diagnostic and treatment facilities and the full resources of a major teaching hospital.”
James E. Casto, retired associate editor of The Herald-Dispatch, is the author of a number of books on local and regional history. His latest is Huntington Chronicles, which offers capsule accounts of many of the noteworthy people, places and events in the city’s history.
Photos (from top and left to right):
The Marshall University Medical Center provides a technologically advanced focal point for the School of Medicine’s clinical teaching, outreach and service programs. Opened in 1998, the 185,000-square-foot center is physically connected to Cabell Huntington Hospital and the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center through a shared atrium.
The opening of Stephen J. Kopp Hall and the Marshall University School of Pharmacy as well as the Fairfield Landing graduate housing complex are welcome additions to the Hal Greer corridor. Continued expansion of Marshall University’s health sciences campus will soon include a new Physician Assistant program and a new parking garage adjacent to Erma Ora Byrd Clinical Center. As such, Marshall Health is playing a major role in the revitalization of Hal Greer Boulevard.
Opened in 2007, the $23.5 million, 80,000 square foot Erma Ora Byrd Clinical Center is located at the former Fairfield Stadium site, just two blocks from the main medical center complex. It houses medical student teaching classrooms, clinical education facilities, patient care clinics and a pharmacy.
The Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center is located adjacent to Cabell Huntington Hospital on Hal Greer Boulevard and includes an adult oncology center with infusion stations, exam and consultation rooms, a diagnostic breast center and a children’s cancer clinic.
Project Hope for Women & Children, a residential treatment facility for women with substance abuse disorder, is located adjacent to the Huntington City Mission.
Located at 1115 20th Street, the 20th Street Professional Building currently houses the Cabell Huntington Hospital (CHH) Center for Surgical Weight Control, CHH Women’s and Family Medical Center, CHH Pediatrics, Marshall Psychiatry and Mind Wellness Center, Marshall Senior Pain & Wellness Center and Marshall Urology.
Marshall Health’s newest multispecialty site, Marshall Health-Teays Valley, opened in Putnam County, West Virginia, in 2017. Located in the former Patriot Coal headquarters building, it houses three floors of primary and specialty care, along with lab, x-ray and mammography services. Marshall Health recently purchased the building next door which previously housed Strayer University.
Joseph I. Shapiro, M.D.
Dean, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Larry D. Dial Jr., M.D.
Chief Medical Officer, Marshall Health
Beth L. Hammers, M.B.A.
Chief Executive Officer, Marshall Health
Future doctors listen as Bobby L. Miller, M.D., vice dean of medical education at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, makes observations on patients’ conditions.