Breaking News

Health and Sciences

DHHR becomes three separate agencies

BY CARRIE HODOUSEK CHARLESTON — The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has officially transitioned to three separate agencies. As of Jan. 1, 2024, there are three cabinet secretaries that oversee the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health Facilites. “The transition has been a long time coming,” said Dr. Sherri Young who left her role as interim secretary of DHHR to become the secretary of the Department of Health. Young served in the interim role sinceJuly 2023. Dr. Cynthia Persily was named the secretary ...

West Virginia ranks 40th for median RN pay; WVUM, Mon Health comment

MORGANTOWN – West Virginia ranks 40th nationwide for median annual pay for registered nurses, according to a report in Becker's Hospital Review. We asked WVU Medicine and Mon Health was that number might mean for them. First, a look at the numbers, derived from the U.S. Bureau of Labor ...

Mon Health welcomes special populations navigator to recovery program

Mon Health Medical Center welcomed James Messenger as a special populations navigator to spearhead new peer recovery team. A West Virginia native, Messenger comes to his new role at Mon Health with nine years of experience in peer recovery, working with medication-assisted treatment of patients, and advocating for individuals and families navigating the complexities of substance use disorder through paralegal work in Monongalia County Family Court. With his passion for medication-assisted treatment and a goal to see better recovery care in West Virginia, Messenger aims to be ...

God’s work: West Virginia Caring plans Morgantown hospice center

MORGANTOWN — There’s a big brick building at 501 Van Voorhis Road — 48,000 square feet or so shaped like a giant H.  The sign above the front door says “Friendship Manor.”   Malene Davis calls it “The building God picked out.”  You see, Davis has spent the last 30-plus years working in hospice care. These days, the registered nurse serves as the president and CEO of West Virginia Caring, formerly Hospice Care Corp., which serves 12 counties -- basically covering everything from Flatwoods, north.  In 2004, the company opened a 12-bed inpatient ...

WVU dermatology resident receives Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare honor

MORGANTOWN – WVU first-year dermatology resident Dr. Kevin Nguyen has been nationally recognized in the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare category. Forbes' summary says, “Kevin Nguyen is developing new diagnostic and treatment strategies for skin cancer. His research uncovered a key ...