After two years of planning, the process of beginning the Wheeling Hospital/West Virginia University Health System (WVUHS) Regional Cancer Center project on the site of the former Ohio Valley Medical Center (OVMC) has been finalized. 

WVU Medicine-Wheeling Hospital, WVUHS, the Ohio County Commission, and the City of Wheeling completed a lease and financing transaction Tuesday in which Community Bank provided exceptional terms for financing a portion of the environmental remediation and demolition of the former campus’ eight buildings totaling nearly 800,000 square feet. 

City Manager Robert Herron explained that Wheeling Hospital/WVUHS, through a long-term lease, will now have control of the site for not only beginning demolition, but ultimately for the construction of a state-of-the-art regional cancer center that will serve our citizens cancer treatment needs for generations to come. The environmental and demolition component of the regional cancer center project is expected to take 14 months. 

This estimated $75-$90 million investment will generate 40,000-50,000 patient visits a year and will be one of the largest economic development projects in the City’s history. The City of Wheeling is truly grateful to WVU Medicine-Wheeling Hospital and WVUHS for their faith in our community and their continued commitment to providing exceptional health care and well-being to our region.

“For many years, our area was blessed to have two wonderful hospitals in Wheeling Hospital and OVMC. This project continues the tradition of providing first class health care from this site. This project is a shining example of the cooperation that exists between the City of Wheeling and the Ohio County Commission. Without the Commission’s support and financial contribution, this venture would not have been possible,” said Herron. “City Council has been steadfast in their support of developing this property in a manner that is impactful for our entire community. Today’s announcement accomplishes that goal tenfold.”

Ohio County Commission President Randy Wharton said the Commission is pleased to be a part of this project.

“This partnership with the City of Wheeling and WVU Medicine will not only help to transform healthcare in our region but will have a very significant economic impact in Ohio County and the Valley as a whole. This project would not have been possible without the vision and commitment of the entities involved and I couldn’t be happier to see this come to fruition,” said Wharton.

WVUHS CEO Albert Wright, WVU Medicine-Wheeling Hospital CEO Doug Harrison and their staffs, Wheeling City Council, the Ohio County Commission, the Wheeling Municipal Building Commission, Regional Economic Development Partnership and the City Manager’s office are all to be congratulated for an innovative, cooperative and thoughtful approach to making this exciting project possible.