United Bank representatives presented a check to WVU Medicine Children’s officials Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the current Family Resource Center. The donation will support family-friendly facilities adjacent to the new tower’s main lobby and welcome center, including a gift shop, pharmacy and lounge area. All three spaces will be named for United Bank.
“We want every child in West Virginia to have the very best healthcare,” WVU President E. Gordon Gee said. “We are providing it, and now we’re going to have a children’s hospital worthy of the children in this state. We thank United Bank.”
John Fahey, senior vice president and spokesman for United Bank, said the investment will save lives. He noted that he and his colleagues at the bank next door to WVU’s Health Sciences Campus hear emergency helicopters land regularly at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital and know they often carry children facing life-threatening health challenges.
“It’s the perfect marriage: We are West Virginia’s bank, and this is West Virginia’s children’s hospital. What better matchup could you have than that?” Fahey said. “This is more than just a check; it’s an investment. What better investment could one have than investing in the health and the healthcare of our youth and our young people?”
Amy L. Bush-Marone, chief operating officer at WVU Medicine Children’s, said Wednesday’s gift reflects the ongoing support and generosity of United Bank and its employees.
“With their banks all throughout the state, they are really invested in our future and being able to have kids taken care of in a kids-like environment and to have a brand-new center for our expecting moms to deliver their babies,” Bush-Marone said. “They’re just great partners, great colleagues to us. We’re very grateful.”
United Bank’s gift was made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University. The donation coincided with WVU Day of Giving, a 24-hour fundraising event organized by the Foundation as a convenient way for supporters to contribute to WVU Medicine Children’s and other University initiatives. Nexstar Media Group partnered with WVU Medicine Children’s for a mediathon to boost fundraising efforts.
The state-of-the-art WVU Medicine Children’s tower is slated for completion in 2021. The 150-bed, nine-story facility will feature:
· A comprehensive radiology department
· Operating Rooms, cardiac catheterization and endoscopy facilities
· A 31-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (Cardiac Unit/Epilepsy Unit)
· A 54-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
· A 34-bed Pediatric Acute Care Unit
· A 30-bed Birthing Center
· Cancer Institute, Pediatric Heart and Vascular Institute, and Maternal-Fetal Medicine clinics
· A dedicated emergency department
· Sedation, dental and eye procedure rooms
· Family Resource Center
· Cafeteria
Individuals and businesses interested in supporting the expansion of WVU Medicine Children’s can call 304-598-4346 or visit wvumedicine.org/growchildrens.
WVU Medicine Children’s – currently located on the sixth floor of J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, WVU Medicine’s flagship hospital – provides maternal, infant and pediatric care for West Virginia and the surrounding region, giving care to high-risk mothers, premature infants and children with life-threatening conditions through adolescence to adulthood. For more information, visit Childrens.WVUMedicine.org/.
United Bank is a subsidiary of United Bankshares, Inc., the largest publicly traded company headquartered in West Virginia. It has assets of approximately $19.2 billion and 142 full-service banking locations throughout West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.