Vandalia Health Assures Broaddus Hospital Stability

Representatives from Vandalia Health System and Broaddus Hospital CEO Dana Gould came by the Philippi City Council meeting last Tuesday, August 5, to give a presentation on the current state of the hospital and their health system in general, but also to reassure the Council and the public about the stability of Broaddus Hospital.

Few weeks ago, while Congress was working on passing OBBB (One Big Beautiful Bill), the article about the impact of the bill on rural hospitals was circling online and on social media. The research quoted in the article indicated that WV stood to have seven hospitals close, including Philippi's own Broaddus Hospital.

Gould stated that this was not the case, then explained how Broaddus ended up on that list. The research focused on two particular issues- financial health of the facility and the percentage of Medicaid patients. Broaddus Hospital was on the list, not because of the finances (Gould stated that hospital keeps recording profitable years), but because among their patients is included the residents at Mansfield Place (who are primarily recipients of Medicaid). However, Gould added that any plans to Medicaid changes would not include long-term care patients, so the hospital would not see the impact of that.

As of today, Vandalia Health System has 17 medical centers, and has recently invested over $150 million into their facilities. Broaddus Hospital, a staple of Barbour County and the Philippi community, is still considered a critical access hospital, with 60 beds in long term care, and offers primary care and emergency services.