In June, seven current and former WVU
Medicine Children’s patients grabbed a
shovel and a hard hat to turn some dirt at
a ceremonial groundbreaking for a $150
million hospital that will revolutionize
the care of women and children in West
Virginia and the region.
“This is our moment,” says J. Philip
Saul, MD, executive vice president of
WVU Medicine Children’s. “We’re al-
ready the center for specialty care to
high-risk mothers, premature infants and
children with life-threatening conditions
through adolescence to adulthood. The
need for our services is growing at such
a rapid pace that the creation of this hos-
pital is a must.”
The 155-bed, eight-story facility is
scheduled to be completed in 2020. The
tower will include a 25-bed pediatric
intensive care unit and sedation unit,
a 61-bed neonatal intensive care unit
(NICU), a 39-bed pediatric acute care
unit and a 30-bed obstetrical unit with
potential for expansion.
All of the inpatient rooms will be pri-
vate, except for 11 NICU rooms for twins.
The tower will also include inpatient and
outpatient pharmacies and a cafeteria.
A capital campaign, co-chaired by
WVU Football Coach Dana Holgorsen,
former WVU and Super Bowl winning
quarterback Jeff Hostetler and Steve An-
toline has been launched to raise $60 mil-
lion for the construction of the tower and
program expansion.
“As spectacular as the building will be,
it won’t compare to the miracles that will
happen inside,” says Holgorsen.
Manufacturers Report more than
1,000 Job Openings in West Virginia
An ongoing survey by the Robert C.
Byrd Institute (RCBI) has found that West
Virginia manufacturers are in the process
of hiring for more than 1,000 positions,
the majority of which are new jobs. The
survey further indicates a high demand
for workers in specific areas of machin-
ing, CNC machining and welding.
“We were pleased to find that our West
Virginia manufacturers are hiring with
some companies reporting the need for
up to 40-50 available new positions,”
says Charlotte Weber, RCBI director
and CEO.
The manufacturing companies’ job
openings are posted on RCBI’s new
Business-to-Business Marketplace, www.
b2bwv.com, a free online networking
platform for manufacturers and support
companies to post information about their
businesses’ products, services, capabili-
ties, contract opportunities, equipment
and job openings.
RCBI partners with Advantage Valley
on the B2B Marketplace. The project is
part of the Appalachian Hatchery initia-
tive, a POWER, or Partnerships for Op-
portunity and Workforce and Economic
Revitalization, initiative to help revitalize
communities affected by job losses in coal
mining and related industries.
“RCBI will continue to monitor the
state of hiring in West Virginia through
its Appalachian Hatchery program, which
has allowed RCBI to hire up to seven
new outreach specialists who are visit-
ing our manufacturers every day,” says
Derek Scarbro, director of RCBI’s Appa-
lachian Hatchery.
BridgeValley Community and
Technical College Launches
Gas Measurement Program
To meet the growing demand for skilled
labor in West Virginia, BridgeValley
When you put money in
our kettle, expect change.
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE