Wellmont Teams Up With Two More SW Virginia Hospitals

By Gary Gray
Reporter / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: May 22, 2008

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Wellmont Health System has entered into a partnership with two rural Southwest Virginia hospitals, aimed at providing patients with better access to specialized services.
Wellmont and Bristol Regional Medical Center officials announced Wednesday that Clinch Valley Medical Center in Richlands, Va., and Wythe County Community Hospital in Wytheville, Va., have agreed to expand their services by using BRMC physicians and clinical services, particularly in the areas of oncology and cardiology.
“Wellmont is a leading health system in our region and has an outstanding reputation in the region and is known for its quality initiatives,” said David Darden, CVMC chief executive officer. “This formal collaboration with Wellmont allows us to share best practices for quality care between our respective systems. The affiliation will also improve our ability to serve people closer to home, minimizing the need for patients and their families to leave the community to receive the care they need.”
CVMC and WCCH will become part of the Wellmont Health System but continue to be owned by LifePoint Hospitals Inc.
The affiliation also provides a referral source for CVMC and WCCH patients. Wellmont’s Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tenn., is a Level I trauma center and has been recognized as a Thomson Top 100 hospital for cardiac care. The health system’s Bristol Regional Medical Center in Bristol, Tenn., is certified by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center.
“This relationship is one more example of our commitment to continually explore better ways to serve the health care needs of our community. We look forward to working with our hospital’s physicians and Wellmont to expand our scope of services and give our patients better access to tertiary care when they need it,” said Eric Deaton, WCCH chief executive officer.
With the new affiliation, Wellmont is now associated with 14 hospitals and has more than 1,600 licensed beds.
Though patients at the two Southwest Virginia hospitals will be separated from BRMC services geographically, they will actually have quicker access to the types of procedures they desperately need, said Ashvin Patel, BRMC president of medical staff.
“Physicians will have better interpersonal relationships, and that will help speed the process of transferring information,” he said. “I think we have a strong neurosurgery department here, and also an extensive cancer treatment care center. We are the only facility to offer these services within a 100-mile radius.”

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