Vandalia Health keeps growing, but ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ threatens access to healthcare, says CEO Dave Ramsey

By Autumn Shelton, RealWV

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV – Roughly 15 miles from The Greenbrier Resort, where the West Virginia Chamber hosted the annual Business Summit this week, sits the CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center. Soon, this facility will see an expansion to its medical staff office building. But, according to Vandalia Health President and CEO Dave Ramsey, despite this expansion, the healthcare cuts looming as part of the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” will decrease healthcare access to those in the community. 

On Thursday, during the Chamber’s Business Summit, Ramsey spoke about the growth of Vandalia Health, but said that he hopes people will come to their senses regarding the One Big Beautiful Bill. 

According to Ramsey, this is the third anniversary of Vandalia Health, which initially resulted from the merger of Mon Health and Charleston Area Medical Center Health System. 

In 2023, Davis Health System merged with Vandalia Health as well. With this merger, Vandalia Health now comprises 17 hospitals throughout the state, from Greenbrier County all the way up to Monongalia County. 

“We cover not the entire state, but a big swath,” Ramsey said. 

Yet, even with this large footprint, one of the biggest issues for Vandalia Health, as well as in healthcare as a whole, is figuring out how to provide access to every resident, Ramsey explained. 

Part of Vandalia Health’s solution for these accessibility concerns has been through utilizing technology, such as telemedicine, telemedicine hubs and through their urgent care app, Ramsey said. Vandalia Health is also working on bringing healthcare to their patients through mobile screening programs, such as the mobile mammography unit, the mobile lung CT screening unit and the mobile medical unit. 

Additionally, Vandalia Health is working to create more jobs, educate nurses and other caregivers,” Ramsey said, adding that “most of the healthcare workers in central and southern West Virginia trained, in some way, at CAMC.”

“Access is also new facilities and construction,” Ramsey explained. “You heard that our facilities are old, and some of them are very old. Some of them are far too small for modern technology, so we are very active in our programs – $245 million in this next year of new construction to create access across our system, 500 construction jobs, and, when we’re done, it’ll be about 250 to 300 new jobs across the state.” 

Construction and expansion projects have begun, or will soon begin, in various locations, including Preston County, Bridgeport, Teays Valley and Charleston, Ramsey said. Projects are also slated to begin in Raleigh and Greenbrier counties. 

The CAMC Greenbrier Valley Medical Center is expected to have a groundbreaking on their new clinic on November 11, with completion by early summer 2027, Ramsey said. 

“Here, in this region, most of the physicians that work at the hospital or in clinics are not on the hospital campus, they’re in the community,” Ramsey continued, adding that Vandalia Health is “creating space for them to all come to the hospital, come to the medical center, and create access here for the community.” 

In Raleigh County, a new facility will be located in Beckley. 

“We have physician practices affiliated with our Plateau Medical Center in Oak Hill,” Ramsey stated. “They have offices in the Beckley area, and then . . . Greenbrier Valley Medical Center . . . also [has offices] in the Beckley area. We’re gonna build a new home for them all. We’re gonna put them in Beckley. We are going to put them in one location CT, MRI, diagnostic tests, lab work, et cetera. They’ll join our footprint of cardiology practice already there, and our CAMC Beckley Oncology Center also in that area.” 

Despite all of this expansion, Ramsey noted that “it’s not all sunshine and puppy dog tails,” in the healthcare business. 

“I think we need to be real a little bit,” Ramsey said. “I’m afraid we may be looking back and saying, ‘These past few years have been the golden age of healthcare in our country, and certainly in West Virginia, because of Medicaid.’” 

Ramsey said that although the Big Beautiful Bill does have some nice things included, those in healthcare are “not happy” about it. 

“It could be devastating to access in our state and, frankly, our country,” Ramsey said. “A trillion dollars, some argue whether it’s $800 million or it’s a trillion, our industry says it’s a trillion dollars, over 10 years will be taken out of Medicaid reimbursement across the country.” 

According to Ramsey, 500,000 West Virginia residents are on Medicaid, 48% of new births in the state are paid for by Medicaid, 58% of all children’s hospital stays are paid for by Medicaid and 70% of all mental health hospital stays are paid for by Medicaid. 

“They depend on Medicaid to pay for their healthcare,” Ramsey said. “We, the providers, depend on Medicaid paying for their healthcare. If it’s not paid for then we may not be able to have the access, we may not have the employees, we may not have the services. It could be very tragic.”

Ramsey went on to say that more than half of West Virginia’s residents are either on Medicaid or Medicare. 

“The other bad news for us providers is Medicare, Medicaid, PEIA, all pay below cost,” Ramsey said, noting that commercial insurance costs will likely rise as a result of the cost-shift, where those who have commercial insurance ultimately pay for the costs of health care. 

“All of us in healthcare are praying that this [bill] gets turned around, that it doesn’t get this dramatic, or draconian, going forward – that some common sense enters the picture that people need access to healthcare,” Ramsey said.