Bridgeport, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Health approved the required certifications submitted by Mon Health System, part of Vandalia Health, for a small Harrison County hospital.

Mon Health System president and CEO David Goldberg said the facility will cost about $23 million and is expected to open in about two years.

“This is a little different because you have to build the building from the ground up,” says Goldberg. “At Whitehall, he of the old department store was able to acquire four walls and incorporate them into it, which reduced costs and time, but this is something that came out quickly.”

The facility will be built in the mixed-use community of Charles Point, just off Interstate 79. Charles Pointe is 1,700 acres with over 2,000 residential units, over 350,000 square feet of commercial space, and a variety of civic or mixed-use spaces managed by Genesis Partners.

“Until the last few months, we had no idea how many homes were planned,” said Goldberg. “Airport expansion, Clarksburg’s new sports center – it makes perfect sense to be there.”

Development, population and future growth are all reasons to build in the Charles Point area. Goldberg, however, says that Small He format concept fits well in this space and offers more options.

“When you look at smaller hospitals, it fills the gap with higher levels of service delivery,” says Goldberg. “So he doesn’t have to repeat the cost of additional cathedral labs or additional operating rooms. These are already in full service hospitals.”

The Mon Health System’s first small hospital, the Mon Health Marion Neighborhood Hospital in Whitehall, was built at a cost of about $20 million and opened last December. The 20,000-square-foot facility offers 24/7 emergency care, 10 inpatient beds, radiology, laboratory testing, cardiac monitoring, and a pharmacy.

“Already, nearly 6,000 emergency room visits have been made through Whitehall,” said Goldberg. “With his 10 beds in ours, up to six of him have been hospitalized and they love the experience.”

Mon Health Systems and CAMC recently merged to form Vandalia Health, which Goldberg said will display the familiar “Mon” branding.

“Over time, we will start incorporating the Vandalia Health logo into our activities, but our market knows the moon and it will always be the moon,” said Goldberg. “But we are now part of a much larger healthcare system, and it is important that we share its breadth and depth.”