Health Care Archives - West Virginia Press Release

Cabell Huntington Hospital RNs & Technical Workers Speak Out About Contract Negotiations With Hospital Executives

Huntington, West Virginia – Yesterday, nurses and technical workers with SEIU District 1199 WV/KY/OH at Cabell Huntington stood united for a fair contract. Workers state that in negotiations with hospital executives, their concerns are not being addressed. A press event with participants wearing masks and practicing social distancing was held outside on Tuesday, July 7^th at 7:30 pm on Hal Greer Boulevard adjacent to Cabell Huntington Hospital.

In negotiations, nurses say that hospital executives have offered no wage increases and have proposed decreased starting wage rates for nurses and technical workers. Additionally, extreme healthcare costs have been imposed on workers at the hospital. Furthermore, nurses say that they continue to work short-staffed and that safe staffing is integral to quality care.

“Workers with Cabell Huntington Hospital were heroes in our community long before this pandemic,” said Joyce Gibson, Regional Director with SEIU District 1199 WV/KY/OH. “They are standing together and speaking out because they know how important it is that they have a voice on the job – safe hospital staffing saves lives,” Gibson continued.

In 2018, Cabell Huntington Hospital acquired St. Mary’s Medical Center in a $165M transaction. In 2020, Cabell Huntington Hospital received $46,209,463 in funding under the Cares Act and St. Mary’s Medical Center was issued $25,221,816. Additionally, amid the COVID19 pandemic, in May 2020, St. Mary’s Medical Center submitted documents to the State of West Virginia Health Care Authority that indicated that they planned to spend over $10M to acquire the Huntington Internal Medicine Group.

At the press conference workers shared firsthand details about what has been happening behind the scenes since they voted to unionize. They were joined by local leaders including Delegate Sean Hornbuckle, Jeanette Rowsey who is running for the West Virginia House of Delegates in District 17, Dakota Nelson who is a candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates in District 16, and Hillary Turner who is running for the U.S. Congress in West Virginia’s Third District. “The nurses and technical workers and the people of this region deserve better. We ask hospital executives with Cabell Huntington Hospital to offer a fair and equitable contract and that they hear the voices of these nurses and technical workers as they speak out in regards to quality care,” Gibson concluded.

SEIU District 1199 has represented workers with Cabell Huntington Hospital for over 40 years. In the largest victory since West Virginia became a “right-to-work” state, nurses at Cabell Huntington Hospital joined SEIU District 1199 in November 2019. Technical workers with Cabell Huntington Hospital joined SEIU District 1199 in February 2020.

Cabell Huntington Hospital RNs & Technical Workers to Hold Press Conference

Cabell Huntington Hospital RNs & Technical Workers to Hold Press Conference – Give a Behind the Scenes Update on Negotiations With Hospital Executives

Nurses and technical workers with SEIU District 1199 WV/KY/OH at Cabell Huntington are standing united for a fair contract. These workers state that in negotiations with hospital executives, they have been met with resistance, excuses, and delay. A press event will be held outside on Tuesday, July 7^th at 7:30pm on Hal Greer Boulevard at the front on Cabell Huntington Hospital.

What: Press Event With Cabell Huntington Hospital Nurses and Technical Workers
Where: Outside at the Front of Cabell Huntington Hospital at Hal Greer Boulevard
When: 7:30 PM on Tuesday, July 7th

In negotiations, hospital executives have offered no wage increases and have proposed decreased starting wage rates for nurses and technical workers. Additionally, extreme healthcare costs have been imposed on workers at the hospital. Furthermore, nurses say that they continue to work short staffed.

In 2018, Cabell Huntington Hospital acquired St. Mary’s Medical Center in a $165M transaction. In 2020, Cabell Huntington Hospital received $46,209,463 in funding under the Cares Act and St. Mary’s Medical Center was issued $25,221,816. Additionally, amid the COVID19 pandemic, in May 2020, St. Mary’s Medical Center submitted an application to the State of West Virginia Health Care Authority that indicated that they planned to spend over $10M to acquire the Huntington Internal Medicine Group.

At the press conference workers will share firsthand details about what has been happening behind the scenes since they voted to unionize. “The nurses and technical workers and the people of this region deserve much better from hospital executives with the Cabell Huntington Hospital System,” Gibson concluded.

Chesapeake Healthcare Center, LLC Announces Grand Opening of innovative new treatment facility in Chesapeake, WV

Chesapeake, WV – February 16, 2019-Chesapeake Healthcare Center, LLC will host a Grand Opening celebration at their Chesapeake, WV facility on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 from 2:00PM – 4:00PM with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony scheduled at 2:30PM. The Chesapeake Healthcare Center, LLC is a business that is owned and operated by West Virginians for West Virginians. The Center will provide internal medicine/primary care, medication assisted treatment, and osteopathic manipulation therapy (OMT); which according to Genise Lalos, CEO, “OMT has the potential to be both a tool in the prevention and treatment of opioid addiction.”

Lalos reports that, “Clinical trials research demonstrates that when someone has an opioid use disorder and one or more non-substance related health issues, integrated care can be more effective than traditional treatment delivery (i.e., separate, siloed primary care and substance abuse programs) in terms of clinical outcome and cost. It results in better health outcomes for individuals, in contrast to back-and-forth referrals between behavioral health and primary care offices that result in 80% or more of individuals not receiving care.”

Lalos has over 20 years of experience working in the field of addiction treatment in WV and she believes that the combination of services that will be offered here can really make a difference in the quality of life for individuals in the region. According to Lalos, “The opioid crisis is the epidemic of our career and one that has impacted the state of WV profoundly.” The facility opened their addiction treatment program in December 2018 and presently have openings for 275 patients. The primary care and OMT programs open in March 2019 and round out the compliment of health care services designed to help individuals reclaim their life balance. “Resolving the opioid epidemic in WV will invariably take more solutions than simply getting more physicians to prescribe an opioid blocking medication. The solution lies in a multi-pronged approach designed to manage addiction like the chronic disease it is”, said Lalos.

HIMG safe medication disposal now available to patients

Huntington, W.Va. <June 25, 2018>: The Pharmacy at HIMG is now offering a safe medication disposal service to patients during regular pharmacy hours.

This service provides a safe and convenient way to dispose of unwanted, unused or expired prescriptions, including controlled substances and over-the-counter oral medications at no cost. HIMG’s disposal container will make the discarding of medications easier, and it is one of the first safe disposal locations in the area available year-round to help reduce the misuse of medications.

“Misuse of prescription drugs is a major pathway to addiction, and this safe disposal service will go a long way in eliminating adults’ and children’s availability to these dangerous unused drugs as well as other routine medications,” said Mark Morgan, CEO of HIMG.

HIMG is a thriving multi-specialty group practice founded in 1969 and now consists of more than 80 physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in the areas of primary care, urgent care, and medical and surgical subspecialties. The physician group is considered to be the premier group practice in the tri-state area including and around Huntington, W.Va., with a proven track record in attracting high caliber, qualified physicians. The HIMG Regional Medical Center is located at 5170 U.S. Route 60 East, Huntington, W.Va., 25705. For more information, visit www.himgwv.com.

HIMG Sleep Lab receives ACHC accreditation

The Huntington Internal Medicine Group (HIMG) is proud to announce its approval of accreditation status by Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) for their Sleep Lab services.

Achieving accreditation is a process where healthcare organizations demonstrate compliance with national standards. Accreditation by ACHC reflects an organization’s dedication and commitment to meeting standards that facilitate a higher level of performance and patient care.

“At HIMG we strive to provide the highest quality of care to our patients by offering them the most advanced treatment options, and this accreditation is a direct reflection of that,” said Mark Morgan, CEO of HIMG.

HIMG’s medical team in the Sleep Disorders Center can effectively evaluate and treat many sleep disorders, including advanced sleep phase syndrome, narcolepsy, sleepwalking and snoring. Sleep specialists are involved at every stage of the sleep evaluation, from the initial examination and treatment to therapy and follow-up care.

ACHC is a not-for-profit organization that has stood as a symbol of quality and excellence since 1986. ACHC is ISO 9001:2008 certified and has CMS Deeming Authority for Home Health, Hospice and DMEPOS.

HIMG is a thriving multi-specialty group practice founded in 1969 and now consists of more than eighty physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in the areas of primary care, urgent care, and medical and surgical sub-specialties. The physician group is considered to be the premier group practice in the tri-state area including and around Huntington, W.Va. with a proven track record in attracting high caliber, qualified physicians. The HIMG Regional Medical Center is located at 5170 U.S. Route 60 East, Huntington, W.Va. 25705. For more information, visit www.himgwv.com.

HIMG welcomes three new providers to their group

HIMG is proud to welcome three new providers to their practice: Christina Caruthers, FNP-BC, Lana Hofeldt, PA-C, and Cynthia Lewis, FNP-BC.

Christina Caruthers is a certified nurse practitioner with specialized training in cardiovascular medicine including COPD, Atherosclerosis and IV Therapy. She received her education from the University of North Carolina and Marshall University’s School of Nursing. Before joining HIMG in February of 2018, Caruthers was working in Charleston, West Virginia as a Cardiology Nurse Practitioner.

Lana Hofeldt joins the team as a physician assistant with experience in orthopaedics, emergency medicine, general and bariatric surgery practices. Hofeldt completed her education at Marshall University and received her certification from Alderson Broaddus College. Hofeldt is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and West Virginia Association of Physician Assistants.

Cynthia Lewis is a certified nurse practitioner with specialized educational and clinical training in family practice. She received her undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and completed her FNP program at Marshall University. Lewis is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society, National Rural Health Association and American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

“I am pleased to welcome these three providers, who bring unique skill sets to our group to further the high quality of medicine provided at HIMG. With the addition of these ladies, we are able to continue our expansion and diversification of service offerings to the Huntington community as we have done over the last 49 years,” said Mark Morgan, CEO of HIMG.

HIMG is a thriving multi-specialty group practice founded in 1969 and now consists of more than seventy physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in the areas of primary care, urgent care, and medical and surgical subspecialties. The physician group is considered to be the premier group practice in the tristate area including and around Huntington, W.Va. with a proven track record in attracting high caliber, qualified physicians. The HIMG Regional Medical Center is located at 5170 U.S. Route 60 East, Huntington, W.Va. 25705. For more information, visit www.himgwv.com.

MHC ACO to participate in Medicare Shared Savings Program

Innovative partnership using a quality-driven approach is designed to deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time

HUNTINGTON, WV – More than 13,500 Tri-State Medicare beneficiaries will benefit from an innovative, highly coordinated, quality-driven approach to care as the MHC Accountable Care Organization began participation in January 2018 in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP).

Launched by Medicare to advance the Affordable Care Act, the MSSP facilitates coordination and cooperation among providers both to improve the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries and to reduce unnecessary costs. Its three-part aim is to promote:

Better care for individuals;
Better health for the population served; and
Containment of the growth in health care costs.

In an innovative regional partnership, Marshall Health, Huntington Internal Medicine Group and Cabell Huntington Hospital, Inc., have joined to create MHC Accountable Care Organization , LLC (MHC ACO) to participate in MSSP. As part of the MSSP, MHC ACO, along with Marshall Health, Huntington Internal Medicine Group and Cabell Huntington Hospital will work with other health care providers to ensure that traditional Medicare patients in the Tri-State region attributed to MHC ACO receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

“With the number of Medicare patients across the region only continuing to grow, this partnership represents the major health care providers in our region coming together to best care for this vulnerable population,” said Joseph I. Shapiro, M.D., dean of the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and board chair for its faculty practice plan, Marshall Health. “This initiative is as much about improving and coordinating care as it is a cost-containment measure for the care of our seniors.”

“HIMG is pleased to partner with Marshall Health and Cabell Huntington Hospital to jointly collaborate on MHC for the benefit of traditional Medicare beneficiaries within the region,” stated Mark Morgan, CEO, Huntington Internal Medicine Group. “We are excited about this partnership for our physicians, staff and ultimately each of those participants in the ACO. We believe this is a watershed moment within the community as these respective strong organizations work jointly, to improve the health and wellness of our community.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Marshall Health and HIMG in this innovative program that places patients at the center of their care,” said Kevin N. Fowler, president & CEO, Cabell Huntington Hospital. “MHC ACO is about leveraging the benefits/capabilities of information technology to proactively coordinate high-quality care for Medicare beneficiaries, especially those who are managing multiple or severe chronic conditions. Through this partnership, we will strive to enhance access and smooth transitions throughout the care continuum to improve patient outcomes and the patient experience.”

This more integrated, quality-driven approach means patient needs are at the forefront of our care approach. It assures a pro-active relationship among patient and providers and offers assistance in navigating care across settings.

The Medicare Shared Savings Program rewards ACOs that improve outcomes and meet quality standards while containing overall health care costs.

Learn more by visiting mhcaco.org.

HIMG welcomes physician Lois Weixler, D.O. and Donna Kaplan, FNP-BC

Huntington, W.Va. <January 24, 2018>: The Huntington Internal Medicine Group (HIMG) continues to expand its medical team by adding Family Nurse Practitioner Donna Kaplan and Dr. Lois Weixler to their practice.

Dr. Weixler earned her B.A. from Cornell University then went on to earn her D.O. from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa. For over 20 years she has worked in the healthcare field with the most recent years focused on serving patients in the tri-state region.

Donna Kaplan has been taking care of patients for over 30 years and earned her degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine. Ms. Kaplan is seeing patients alongside Julie Brewer, N.P. at HIMG’s Women’s Health office on Farmdale Road in Barboursville, WV. “We’re pleased to have another pair of outstanding providers join HIMG. The experience and reputation they bring with them is outstanding.” said Mark Morgan, CEO of HIMG. To learn more or to schedule an appointment with any of the physicians mentioned above please call 304-399-4600 or visit himgwv.com

HIMG is a thriving multi-specialty group practice founded in 1969 and now consists of more than sixty physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in the areas of primary care, urgent care, and medical and surgical subspecialties. The physician group is considered to be the premier group practice in the tristate area including and around Huntington, W.Va. with a proven track record in attracting high caliber, qualified physicians. The HIMG Regional Medical Center is located at 5170 U.S. Route 60 East, Huntington, W.Va. 25705. For more information, visit www.himgwv.com.