WV Hospital Association injects over $100,000 into political races

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

CHARLESTON, WV – The WV Hospital Association (WVHA) has injected more than $100,000 into the campaign coffers of state legislators in the Senate and House of Delegates via their political action committee according to their recent filings.  

In the first quarter of 2026, WVHA contributed $60,900 to a variety of elected officials, nearly all Republicans, including:

• $2,800 to Speaker Roger Hanshaw
• $2,800 to Delegate Vernon Criss (Chair of House Finance)
• $5,000 to the Republican Senate Caucus Committee
• $5,000 to the WV Republican Legislative Committee
• $2,800 to Delegate Evan Worrell (Chair of House Health Committee)
• $2,800 to Delegate Clay Riley (Vice Chair of House Finance Committee)
• $2,800 to Senator Ben Queen (Vice Chair of Senate Finance Committee)
• $2,300 to Senator Vince Deeds
• $1,000 to Delegate Jeff Campbell
• $1,000 to Delegate Ray Canterbury
• $1,000 to Delegate Roy Cooper
• Multiple donations of over $1,000 to Senate candidates running against Republican incumbents, such as Michael Jarrouj and Joseph Eddy

In the fourth quarter of 2025, WVHA contributed $31,000 to legislators as well, including: 

• $2,800 to Delegate Josh Holstein (also Chair of the WV Republican Party)
• $1,400 to Delegate Mike Pushkin (also Chair of the WV Democratic Party)
• $2,800 to Delegate Matthew Rohrbach (also a physician)
• $1,400 to Senator Jason Barrett (Chair of Senate Finance)
• $1,400 to Senator Mike Oliverio

In the third quarter of 2025, WVHA contributed $11,800 to candidates: 

• $2,800 to Delegate Geno Chiarelli
• $2,800 to Delegate Scot Heckert
• $1,400 to Senator Tom Takubo (also a physician)

Both Chiarelli and Heckert voted against a bill repealing the Certificate of Need (CON) law, which is strongly supported by the WVHA, in the 2025 legislative session. HB 2007 failed by a single vote in committee. 

The latest batch of contributions, which total over $100,000 in the last three reports, come at a sensitive time when state hospitals are facing pressure from lawmakers regarding the state’s Certificate of Need (CON) law.

What is ‘Certificate of Need’?

 Jessica Dobrinsky, Chief of Staff at the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Public Policy, supports the repeal of CON laws, explaining it this way, “McDonald’s doesn’t ask permission to open across the street from Wendy’s. Some people prefer a Big Mac and some prefer spicy nuggets.”

“Everyone acts like health care is different,” she says, “But the same is true in health care.”

34 states have CON laws, which restrict the ability of health care providers to begin providing new or duplicative services unless they have government approval. Dobrinsky says the tide is turning against CON laws in West Virginia. 

“It’s the greatest barrier to health care,” she adds. “I’m frustrated it has taken this long. But I’m hopeful it will change.” 

Dobrinsky says the WVHA has historically wielded an enormous amount of political power in the state, but she thinks that is also changing. 

“People are seeing what the promises (the hospitals) have made are worth.” 

Who’s contributing to the WVHA? 

The WVHA is able to make these campaign contributions because they’ve received more than $130,000 in contributions over the last three quarters. 

Their donors, who have all given at least $250 and as much as $5,000, are hospital executives and physicians from across the state, including: 

• Kelli Bailey — Thomas Health System, Inc.
• Douglas Bentz — Roane General Hospital
• Glenn Crotty — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Brandon Gagnon — Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals Huntington
• Andrew Howell — Beckley ARH Hospital
• James Kaufman — West Virginia Hospital Association
• Brian Lilly — Thomas Health System, Inc.
• Heidi Porter — WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
• Roger Rhodes — Thomas Health System, Inc.
• Elizabeth Sweeney — Valley Health – War Memorial Hospital
• Richard Aprea — WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
• Craig Slaughter — WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals
• Justin Ruble — WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center
• Steve Whited — Minnie Hamilton Health System
• Amy Downey — Roane General Hospital
• David Hill — Thomas Health System, Inc.
• Garland Nagy — West Virginia University Health System
• Mark O’Hern — WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center
• Bruce Archer — WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
• James Boulden — WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
• Carmen Clipper — Valley Health System
• Douglass Harrison — WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
• Melanie Akers — Marshall Health Network
• Justin Gibson — West Virginia University Health System
• Edward Harrison — West Virginia University Health System
• Heather Sigel — Valley Health – War Memorial Hospital
• Colleen Sybert — West Virginia University Health System
• Aaron Alexander — WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals
• Kristin Anderson — Thomas Health System, Inc.
• Nathan Burt — West Virginia University Health System
• Jeffrey Lancaster — West Virginia Univ Children’s Hospital
• David Phillips — WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
• Michael Sitler — Thomas Health System, Inc.
• Christine Tarr — WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
• Hassan Barazi — WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
• David Brash — Raleigh General Hospital
• Tamara Fuller — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Tony Martinelli — WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital
• William McBee — Mon Health Medical Center
• Teresa McCabe — WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center
• Ron Pellegrino — West Virginia University Hospitals
• Ryan Stansbury — West Virginia University Hospitals
• Mary Caldwell — WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals
• Christine Daniels — Mon Health Medical Center
• Joe Deegan — WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals
• Mary Fanning — West Virginia University Hospitals
• Lisa Songer — Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital
• Michael Stevens — West Virginia University Hospitals
• Lixin Zhang — WVU Medicine United Hospital Center
• Hoyt Burdick — Cabell Huntington Hospital
• Regina Campbell — Cabell Huntington Hospital
• John Forester — WVU Medicine United Hospital Center
• Tony Gregory — West Virginia Hospital Association
• Timothy Martin — Cabell Huntington Hospital
• John Mercer — WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital
• David Ramsey — Vandalia Health
• William Dempsey — Webster Memorial Hospital
• Shelda Martin — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Jeffrey Oskin — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Timothy Anderson — WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital
• Krystal Atkinson — Mon Health Medical Center
• Albert Boland — WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital
• Karen Bowling — WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital
• Nicole Dollison — WVU Medicine Jefferson Medical Center
• MaryElisabeth Eckerson — WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals
• Skip Gjolberg — WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital
• Michael Grace — West Virginia University Health System
• Zach Kerns — WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center
• Leslie Lawson — WVU Medicine Braxton County Memorial Hospital
• Heather Poff — WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital
• Mark Povroznik — WVU Medicine United Hospital Center
• Eric Ritchie — Minnie Hamilton Health System
• Tonya Smith — Valley Health – War Memorial Hospital
• Diane Spencer — WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital
• Angela Swearingen — St. Mary’s Medical Center
• Karyn Wallace — West Virginia University Hospitals
• Frank Weber — Select Specialty Hospital-Charleston
• Barbara Crist — Montgomery General Hospital
• Dana Gould — Broaddus Hospital
• David Hess — WVU Medicine United Hospital Center
• Marc Nakagawa — Logan Regional Medical Center
• Angela Rivera — Summers County ARH Hospital
• Jeanette Sexton — Logan Regional Medical Center
• Kristi Snyder — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Bryan Suter — Sistersville General Hospital
• David Artman — Weirton Medical Center
• Jeff Banyas — Weirton Medical Center
• Bryan Cummings — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Kelby Faulkiner — Pocahontas Memorial Hospital
• Jeffrey Goode — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Randall Hodges — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Gloria Kayfan — Mon Health Marion Neighborhood Hospital
• Eric Radcliffe — WVU Medicine United Hospital Center
• Vardhan Reddy — Weirton Medical Center
• Darin Rogers — West Virginia University Health System
• Ziad Salem — Logan Regional Medical Center
• Waris Waris — Logan Regional Medical Center
• S. Andrew Weber — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Daniel Dunmyer — Select Specialty Hospital – Morgantown
• Heidi Edwards — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Terrell Ellis — WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals
• David Goldberg — Mon Health Medical Center
• Michael Robie — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Paul Smith — Marshall Health Network
• Lee Grimes — WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital
• Okpani Nnachi — Logan Regional Medical Center
• Gregory Rosencrance — WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals
• James Sarver — WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital
• George Barker — WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals
• Dan Breece — Sistersville General Hospital
• Jody Bullman — Sistersville General Hospital
• Patrick Burrows — Highland Hospital
• Kathy Cosco — Marshall Health Network
• Michelle Deeds — Pocahontas Memorial Hospital
• Samuel Deem — Vandalia Health
• Melissa Eakle-Leasure — Cabell Huntington Hospital
• Beth Hammers — Marshall Health Network
• Larry Hutchison — St. Mary’s Medical Center
• Dink Jardine — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Michael Londner — WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center
• Andy Mullins — St. Mary’s Medical Center
• James Paugh — Marshall Health Network
• Eduardo Pino — Cabell Huntington Hospital
• Tonja Prine — Roane General Hospital
• Scott Raynes — Marshall Health Network
• Jeff Sandene — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Daniel Stross — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Douglas Tice — CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center
• Anthony Uy — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Aaron Yanuzo — WVU Medicine
• Kevin Yingling — Rivers Health
• Michelle Coon — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Todd Cornett — Raleigh General Hospital
• George Farris — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Rebecca Harless — CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center
• Ray Harrell — Boone Memorial Hospital
• Melissa Lockwood — Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital
• Mark Morgan — St. Mary’s Medical Center
• Debra Parsons — CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center
• Trista Rush — WVU Medicine Summersville Regional Medical Center
• Brian Sayre — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Richard Thomas — WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center
• Justin Turner — Logan Regional Medical Center
• Katherine Vicino — Mon Health Medical Center
• Christina Arvon — CAMC Charleston Surgical Hospital
• Angela Christian — Boone Memorial Hospital
• Karen Friggens — Mon Health Medical Center
• David Gresham — Boone Memorial Hospital
• Cole Malcolm — Boone Memorial Hospital
• Heather Ratliff — CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center
• Shaban Shoshi — Weirton Medical Center
• Crystal Smarr — Boone Memorial Hospital
• Virgil Underwood — Boone Memorial Hospital
• Angela Hill — Charleston Area Medical Center
• Hugh Hitchcock — Davis Medical Center
• Michael Morris — Mon Health Medical Center
• Joe Zacharias — Sistersville General Hospital

To read the last three campaign finance reports, click on the following links: 3rd quarter 2025, 4th quarter 2025, 1st quarter 2026.

The next round of campaign finance reports are due next week. Stay tuned to RealWV for updates.