Rethinking what healthcare access means for West Virginia

When we talk about access to healthcare in West Virginia, one of the first challenges that comes to mind is transportation. And for good reason. 

If a patient cannot get to a doctor’s appointment, a specialist visit or the hospital, that patient cannot receive the care they need. Transportation is an important piece of the access puzzle, particularly in rural communities where distance can be a significant barrier. 

But access is about much more than getting a ride. 

True access means that when a West Virginian needs a cardiologist, neurologist, oncologist or another specialist, that expertise is available as close to home as possible. It means strong primary care to identify health problems early, manage chronic conditions and help people stay healthy. It means using telehealth, mobile medicine and community partnerships to extend care beyond the walls of a hospital or clinic. 

And increasingly, it means bringing healthcare to where people spend much of their lives: at work. 

Recent announcements through West Virginia’s Rural Health Transformation Program, including five new initiatives involving Marshall Health Network and Marshall University, reflect a growing commitment to delivering care differently. Among these efforts is a comprehensive workforce health model that brings preventive care, chronic disease management and other services directly to employees. 

For Marshall Health Network, this builds on more than 35 years of occupational health experience and continued investments in mobile medicine, expanded facilities, advanced toxicology services and stronger connections to primary and specialty care. What is changing is how we bring those resources together. 

Our new model integrates occupational medicine with preventive care, injury prevention, behavioral health, nutrition and care navigation to address health concerns earlier and help employees stay healthy. 

A healthy workforce is essential to a healthy West Virginia and our ability to retain and attract employers and investment. That same focus on prevention drives our Centers of Wellness, which address some of our state’s greatest health challenges, including addiction and behavioral health, obesity and diabetes, healthy aging, and rural health and primary care. 

As we recognize National Rural Health Month, these efforts reflect a broader shift in how we approach healthcare. We cannot wait until someone is sick enough to need a hospital. We have to think upstream. 

How do we help someone manage diabetes before complications develop? Identify high blood pressure before it contributes to a stroke or heart attack? Make behavioral health services easier to access? Connect rural patients with specialists without requiring hours on the road? Train physicians in rural communities so they are more likely to build their careers there? 

There is no single answer. 

At Marshall Health Network, we are approaching these challenges from multiple directions. New remote patient monitoring initiatives will help patients manage diabetes and hypertension through technology, nutrition counseling and ongoing connections with their care teams. Our Marco mobile medicine program brings clinical services into communities throughout the region, while telehealth connects patients and local providers with specialized expertise. 

Rural residency programs help physicians and other health professionals build connections that encourage them to practice in the communities where they train. Partnerships with community hospitals extend specialty care and academic resources throughout our region. 

The common thread is simple: Instead of always asking patients to come to healthcare, we must find more ways to bring healthcare to them. 

That is especially important as West Virginia hospitals navigate rising costs, workforce shortages, changing reimbursement models and increasing demand for services. Transformation cannot simply mean doing more of what we have always done. It requires rethinking where care happens, how it is delivered and how we use our collective resources. 

These are healthcare questions, but they are also economic questions. 

Every time we help a West Virginian stay healthy, remain in the workforce and avoid a preventable health crisis, we strengthen families, employers, communities and ultimately our state. 

As an academic health system, Marshall Health Network has both an opportunity and a responsibility to help lead that work. Our mission—Advancing Health. Inspiring Hope. Serving You.—requires us to look beyond our hospitals and ask what our communities need to be healthier. 

But meaningful transformation requires more than any one organization. By bringing together healthcare providers, employers, educators, policymakers and community partners around a shared commitment to improving quality of life for our West Virginia families, we can make a meaningful difference in a relatively short time. 

Transportation will always be part of the equation. But meaningful access is bigger. It means getting the right care, from the right provider, at the right time and in the right place—whether that is a clinic, hospital, virtual visit, mobile medical unit or workplace. 

That is the kind of access worth building together for a healthier, stronger West Virginia. That’s the Power of WE.  

Scott Raynes, MBA
President and CEO
Marshall Health Network 

 This article was also published by WV State News / The State Journal.