WVU Medicine unveils more than $350 million in new capital projects

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the third-consecutive year, the WVU Health System Board of Directors today (April 15) approved a plan to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the healthcare infrastructure of West Virginia and the surrounding region.   

The projects, which are subject to regulatory approval, will be in Charleston, Fairmont, Keyser, Morgantown, Parkersburg, Princeton, and Weirton in West Virginia; Oakland, Maryland; and St. Clairsville, Ohio. Collectively, they include more than $350 million in investments, bringing WVU Medicine’s three-year total of capital improvement projects to more than $1.2 billion.  

“This continues our momentum of expanding access across the region to improve the health trajectory of the communities we serve, while also giving local economies a needed boost, as these projects will create new jobs and economic opportunities for thousands,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said.   

“Our growth and expansion are always mission-based and intentional and always intended to provide better service and access to those we serve.”  

The 2026 capital improvement projects are:  

Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg – New Patient Tower 

A $135 million investment will fund a new patient tower, increasing inpatient bed capacity from 260 to 300 and putting the hospital on the path to all private rooms. The project includes four additional surgical suites; a proposed women’s and children’s floor offering private labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum rooms, along with dedicated operating rooms for cesarean sections directly on the unit; and 450 additional parking spaces. The new patient tower will be connected via walkways to the existing hospital.  

Estimated Cost: $135 million
Anticipated Completion: Q2 2029  

Fairmont Medical Center – Phase III Expansion  

A $68.1 million investment will fund the demolition of 80-plus-year-old structures located on the Fairmont Medical Center campus along with construction of a new three-story building in their place, including a loading dock and materials management storage space, outpatient clinic, and shelled space in support of on-campus primary care and specialty care services. 

Estimated Cost: $68.1 million
Anticipated Completion: Q4 2028  

Garrett Regional Medical Center in Oakland, Maryland – Radiation Oncology Center 

The $15 million investment will build a three-story, 21,000 square foot addition to the hospital, which will include a new radiation oncology center, including a new PET CT and additional clinical space to support the cancer care service in half of the square footage. Half of the total square footage will be shelled for future expansion that will include a well-patient program and space for the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute.   

Estimated Cost: $15 million
Anticipated Completion: Q2 2029  

Potomac Valley Hospital in Keyser – Orthopedic Suite 

This project will develop the final space in the Potomac Valley Plaza complex for an orthopedic and podiatry center. The space will include 12 exam rooms, support space, and a radiology room to support the orthopedic practice.  

Estimated Cost: $2.5 million
Anticipated Completion: Q4 2026  

Princeton Community Hospital – New Medical Office Building 

This $25.5 million investment builds a four-story, 50,636 square foot medical office building adjacent to the main hospital campus. The modern facility will consolidate seven physician practices and outpatient therapies, improving access for patients and supporting future growth for additional services for the community.  

Estimated Cost: $25.5 million
Anticipated Completion: June 2028  

Thomas Hospitals in Charleston – Nuclear Medicine 

A $4 million investment will fund the move of the Nuclear Medicine service line to a space that can physically support the load of the new equipment. The new location is co-located with the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute clinic and hospital services, improving patient experience and convenience. Replacing two of the four cameras will improve patient throughput.  

Estimated Cost: $4 million
Anticipated Completion: Q1 2027  

Thomas Hospitals – Surgical Intensive Care Unit  

An $8.7 million investment will fund the renovation of a unit previously leased to hospice. This 14-bed unit will increase inpatient bed capacity and allow the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute and other highly complex surgical cases to be consolidated in one intensive care unit.  

Estimated Cost: $8.7 million
Anticipated Completion: Q1 2027  

Weirton Medical Center – New Cancer Center 

This $20.1 million project will build a one-story, 17,000-square-foot cancer center affiliated with the WVU Cancer Institute on the hospital’s main campus. This state-of-the-art facility will bring Radiation Oncology to Weirton Medical Center and drive growth of the medical oncology services allowing for an expansion of chemotherapy infusion services.   

For the first time, cancer patients in the Weirton area will be able to pursue radiation treatments on campus utilizing a medical linear accelerator to deliver a focused high-energy electron beam targeting tumors.  The facility will also house a specialized CT and three Radiation Oncology exam rooms to compliment already existing cancer services.  

Estimated Cost: $20.1 million
Anticipated Completion: Q1 2029  

Wheeling Hospital – Construction of a Small Community Hospital in St. Clairsville, Ohio   

The two-story, 55,000 square foot facility will include inpatient beds, an emergency department, and outpatient imaging and lab services. There will be 14 specialty clinics and primary care services, as well as the addition of new services.  

Estimated Cost: $56 million
Anticipated Completion: 2027  

WVU Hospitals in Morgantown – Relocation and Expansion of Outpatient Behavioral Health Services  

An $18.5 million investment will fund the relocation and expansion of outpatient behavioral health services to a new location within the WVU Innovation Corporation. The project includes moving several existing clinic sites to a new, consolidated location with significant expansion in outpatient clinic capacity to support growing demand for services in the region.  

Estimated Cost: $18.5 million
Anticipated Completion: Q3 2027  

The 2024 capital projects included a new home for the WVU Eye Institute and a new cancer center at Princeton Community Hospital, both of which have broken ground, as well as the construction of the Elkins Corridor Medical Center, which opened to patients in September 2025.  

Last year’s capital projects included an outpatient pediatrics center and regional cancer center in Wheeling, which broke ground in August 2025 and March 24 of this year, respectively.   

For more information on WVU Medicine, visit WVUMedicine.org.