WVU Parkersburg and four local hospitals create health care partnership to impact nursing crisis.

CONTACT: WVU Parkersburg President Erik Bitterbaum, 304-424-8200.

West Virginia University at Parkersburg announced today (Oct. 16) it is forming a partnership with four local hospitals to impact the region’s critical need for more trained health care professionals.

Involved in the partnership are WVU Parkersburg, Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital, Marietta Memorial Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Selby General Hospital.

Each hospital has pledged $15,000 to WVU Parkersburg to assist in upgrading the college’s health sciences labs for its nursing and health-related programs. Also, the pledges will enable the college to hire additional health sciences’ faculty. This will allow the institution to accept more students into its health-related programs.

"This will help us bring more nurses to the Mid-Ohio Valley’s health care providers," WVU Parkersburg President Erik Bitterbaum noted. "The need for trained health care professionals is especially acute in West Virginia. This partnership will make it possible for us to expand our capacity to respond to the need for more health care graduates."

The announcement was made by representatives of the college and the partnership hospitals at a press conference at WVU Parkersburg.