Investing in the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center Charleston Division
Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center Charleston Division: A State of Minds Charleston West Virginia s capital and largest population center faced a medical crisis in the 1970s. The medical community was graying, and no local medical school was available. West Virginia University had a problem, too: its medical school and other health professions programs were growing to a point where the campus teaching hospital could no longer accommodate the number of students who needed clinical training. Community leaders, physicians, and elected officials in Charleston developed an innovative solution: the Charleston Division of WVU. In 1972, this was the first regional health sciences campus opened by any University in the country. Over the past three decades, it s grown from a minor outpost to a full-fledged hub that annually educates 500 students and treats 250,000 patients in partnership with our teaching hospital, Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC). As part of the state s land-grant institution, our mission is to educate the next generation of healthcare providers, advance research, and improve the health of our state s citizens. We do this by bringing WVU s knowledge and expertise to Charleston and to residents of the state s underserved southern region to improve the delivery of healthcare. Today, the Charleston Division faces unprecedented challenges in carrying out this mission due to decreased state and federal funding and decreases in health insurance reimbursement. To meet these challenges and create a healthier West Virginia, we need to bring together many minds the ideas and intellect of students and faculty. Continued philanthropic support will ensure the continuation of our commitment to the health of our neighbors and economic well-being of the citizens and state. 1
The Trajectory of Success What began as an attempt to meet some unmet needs of healthcare in southern West Virginia has resulted in the availability Some 100 University faculty and 400 community professionals who serve as clinical faculty provide training and oversight to our The Charleston campus is singularly effective in producing nurse practitioners who deliver primary care to rural southern West of premium healthcare delivery at the Health students. Each year more than 60 medical Virginia. Through CAMC one of only two 2 Sciences Center in Charleston. We deliver students and 140 residents are in Charleston. Level 1 trauma hospitals in the state WVU interdisciplinary healthcare and training, The School of Pharmacy faculty members Health Sciences Charleston offers leading-edge while housing divisions of the WVU School of participate in interdisciplinary practices in care in endovascular, colorectal, pancreatic, Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, family medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, and pediatric, and robotic surgery. as well as CAMC Nurse Anesthesia and the poison information and toxicology. Typically As a state, West Virginia faces significant regional office of the School of Osteopathic 30 pharmacy students select the Charleston disparities in conditions such as: obesity, Medicine. The School of Medicine Charleston campus as the hub for their rotations. diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Our faculty Division includes Behavioral Medicine & The WVU School of Nursing pioneered and students are well positioned to change Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, distance education for nurses who want to advance these statistics. With your support through Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Surgery. their careers while remaining at work in their endowments and other gifts we can expand our Our campus hosts the Central Area Health communities. Recently, the Charleston Division children s health programs, residency program, Education Center of West Virginia, the Poison School of Nursing became one of the first four faculty development, and other offerings that Center of West Virginia, and one of the oldest sites nationally to be awarded accreditation for the advance healthcare in our region. nurse anesthetist programs in the country. doctorate of nursing practice degree.
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Priorities for Tomorrow A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia s University is about strengthening the Charleston Division s mission of educating tomorrow s healthcare professionals, advancing patient care, and improving the health of West Virginians. We ask you to consider investing in the following priorities. Facility Upgrades the campaign, we aim to invest in upgrading classrooms, laboratories, the health sciences library, and the auditorium in our 1970s building to enhance the level of technology, functionality, and safety. Investment Total: $1.25 Million Faculty Professional Development Progress in science, technology, and healthcare talented educators and researchers. Investment Total: $250,000 Faculty Positions Our faculty is growing and expanding to meet the needs of our students and community. Over the past 30 years, we ve developed a solid foundation of primary care; we now must enhance specialty care to meet the region s 5 The WVU Charleston Division is dedicated is accelerating rapidly. Because we are a needs. Through the campaign, we hope to to providing an atmosphere that is conducive teaching institution, it s imperative that our establish centers of excellence by recruiting to personal and professional advancement. faculty and staff keep abreast of these advances highly trained faculty in medicine, nursing, and We must ensure students have access to the so they can educate the next generation of pharmacy. Endowed chairs and professorships most up-to-date tools to learn more effectively. healthcare providers. Continuing education, recognize and support the contributions of A technologically and environmentally however, requires investment. Through the highly valued faculty members and give donors smart campus will help us meet our goals campaign, we seek to establish a fund to the opportunity to permanently honor or of educating healthcare professionals in a promote professional development, invest in recognize someone important in their life. progressive educational environment. Through our outstanding faculty, and recruit and retain Investment Total: $4 Million
6 Student Scholarships In the Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, onethird of the class completes at least one rotation in Charleston each year. The School of Nursing alone educates 50 Nurse Practitioner students annually, many of whom come from rural areas and high financial need. Yet the Charleston Division has few scholarships available. Our intent is to establish through the campaign a fund to encourage the best students in our state to come to this campus. We know if students train here, they re more likely to complete a residency or practicum here; that, in turn, makes them more likely to stay in southern West Virginia to practice. Investment Total: $250,000 Opportunity Fund What will the next advances be in healthcare education and practice? We can t be sure, but we must be ready. That s why, through the campaign, we aim to establish a Charleston Division Opportunity Fund, one that fosters forward-thinking programs. This fund could help with everything from purchases of nextgeneration medical equipment to patient education on new developments in managing diabetes or caring for frail elders. Such a fund would help us advance promising practices and improve the health of West Virginians. Investment Total: $250,000
WVU Charleston Division must educate and train the primary healthcare providers to serve the southern region of the state. And through outreach and education, we must do more to address the unacceptable health disparities in the state and improve the lives of West Virginians. L. Clark Hansbarger, M.D., Dean
CREATING HEALTHCARE LEADERS FOR TOMORROW 8 Our mission at the WVU Charleston Division is tremendously gratifying. It makes us look forward to coming to work every day. Our students, staff, and faculty are dedicated to education, service, and research that improve the health and well-being of our state s citizens. Our Education Building is linked to CAMC Hospital by a bridge, one that I see as both practical and symbolic. Physically, this bridge connects our classes and offices to the hospital. Symbolically, this bridge joins education and patient care, students and faculty with the hospital, and WVU with the state. As part of West Virginia s flagship, landgrant institution, we must keep this bridge strong. We must educate and train the primary healthcare providers to serve the southern region of the state. And through outreach and education, we must do more to address the unacceptable health disparities in the state and improve the lives of West Virginians. It s an ambitious agenda and one we can t do alone. We need partners, like you, who believe in our mission, who have been touched by what we do here, and who want to make certain we re here to provide that care in the future. That s why I ask you to join me now in supporting A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia s University by investing in the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center Charleston Division. Your generosity will ensure we continue to deliver on our commitment to improve the health of our neighbors and the economic well-being of the citizens we serve and educate. L. Clark Hansbarger, M.D. Associate Vice President for Health Sciences Dean, WVU School of Medicine, Charleston Division
WVU Health Sciences Center The WVU Health Sciences Center is West Virginia s healthcare, education, and research linchpin. Dedicated to serving our state and our world by transforming lives and eliminating health disparities, we are poised to enhance the well-being and quality of life in West Virginia and beyond. As an integral part of A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia s University, your support for the WVU Health Sciences Center is about investing in the values, intellect, and commitment that define one of the most exciting academic medical centers in the country. The WVU HSC will drive national and global dialogue on healing, teaching, and discovery for decades to come. West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.
WVU Charleston Division 3110 McCorkle Avenue, SE Charleston, WV 25304 304-347-1231 www.hsc.wvu.edu/charleston One Waterfront Place, 7th Floor P.O. Box 1650 Morgantown, WV 26507-1650 304-284-4000 or 800-847-3856 www.astateofminds.com