Building Expands to Three Stories with Additional Services
CHARLESTON, W.Va.—West Virginia Health Right today unveiled its expanded East End Clinic, which is a major step in improving healthcare access for underserved people in and around Charleston.
“The grand opening of our expanded East End Clinic is a proud moment for us, highlighting our efforts to meet the growing health care needs of our community,” Dr. Angie Settle, Chief Executive Officer of West Virginia Health Right, said. “This new space will enable us to offer more specialized services and support more patients than ever before. This project is the culmination of five years of planning and fundraising, even through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our clinic was the first free testing site in the state and performed almost 100,000 tests.”
West Virginia Health Right, the state’s oldest and largest nonprofit free and charitable clinic, has significantly expanded its East End Clinic from two stories to three stories. It includes expanded vision and dental clinics, increased laboratory space, an expanded on-site pharmacy, improved behavioral health services, a new health education teaching kitchen, and additional offices for volunteer medical specialists and administrative staff.
“The expansion of our East End Clinic will have a generational impact on our area’s healthcare system,” Ryan Lindsay, Board President of West Virginia Health Right, said. “It will create new jobs, improve working conditions for our staff and volunteers, and help to reach more underserved and underinsured West Virginians.”
The project, which cost about $12 million, was funded through a combination of private and foundation donations, $4 million in earmarked federal funds, a $4 million state grant, a $1 million grant from Kanawha County using American Rescue Act funds, and a $1 million grant from the City of Charleston using American Rescue Act funds. ZMM Architects and Engineering designed the project, which was built by BBL Carlton.
“Today is truly special for West Virginia, Charleston and Health Right,” Governor Jim Justice said. “This organization has already left a huge mark on the community and now will make an even larger and more positive impact on everyone who enters their doors. We all knew we needed to step up and get this project across the finish line, and that’s exactly what we did. This is what it looks like when we pull the rope together with several people chipping in to make this happen. This investment sets a powerful precedent for future community support and development in health care. I am proud to say we played a part in bringing this vision to fruition.”
“This new building expansion is a testament to the hard work and commitment to the community that the staff of West Virginia Health Right puts into their work every day,” said Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “It also represents the way Appalachians have always worked together to look out for the needs of our people. I congratulate West Virginia Health Right on their continuing growth and thank them for ensuring our West Virginia neighbors have access to the medical care they need.”
Kanawha County Commission President Lance Wheeler said, “West Virginia Health Right has been a huge asset to the people in our communities for decades. With this expansion, more jobs have been created, and many more people can now get access to crucial healthcare. We are proud to support this important initiative.”
“The expansion of the East End Clinic is a testament to the unwavering commitment of West Virginia Health Right to provide accessible, high-quality healthcare to folks in our Capital City and the surrounding areas,” said Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin. “The City of Charleston is proud to support this project and other West Virginia Health Right initiatives, and we look forward to seeing the continued positive impacts these efforts will have on the health and wellbeing of all members of our community.”
Since a group of local physicians founded it in 1982, West Virginia Health Right has provided high-quality healthcare to all, regardless of insurance or financial status. Over the past decade, the patient volume has surged from 15,000 in 2014 to more than 44,000 in 2024.
“For the past five years, we’ve been meeting the needs of over 40,000 patients in a space originally designed for 15,000,” Settle said. “This expansion has been necessary since 2019 as patient numbers continue to rise, including an additional 10,000 during the pandemic. After five years of dedicated grant writing and fundraising, we are thrilled to finally have the space needed to effectively care for West Virginians who rely on us for life-saving and life-sustaining treatment. Our clinic provides free care to thousands of working West Virginians who, thanks to our services and medications, can stay healthy and employed while contributing to our state’s economy. Without us, many would have to quit work to qualify for public assistance. What we do is invaluable and saves the state of West Virginia millions of dollars each year.”
West Virginia Health Right believes that every person, regardless of insurance or financial status, is entitled to life-saving and high-quality healthcare. Its patients are either uninsured or underinsured and have incomes at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level. West Virginia Health Right ensures that all services, including medical, dental, vision, behavioral health and pharmaceutical care, treatment for substance use disorder, and health education, as well as mobile dental and mobile medical services, are provided at no cost to patients. A large portion of patient care is provided by medical and dental professionals who generously donate their time and expertise.
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