SENATE RESOLUTION 22

(By Senators Chapman, Weld, and Rucker)

[Introduced March 11, 2025]

Recognizing the 175th anniversary of Wheeling Hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Whereas, Wheeling Hospital was incorporated on March 12, 1850, and to date has served patients longer than any other hospital in West Virginia; and

Whereas, Wheeling Hospital was founded by Bishop Richard Whelan, first Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, together with Dr Simon Hullihen and initially supported by two physicians, John Frissell and Matthew Houston; and

Whereas, In 1853, six Sisters of St. Joseph from Missouri came at the invitation of Bishop Whelan, to continue their ministry in service at the first hospital which was located on 15th St in Wheeling; and

Whereas, To accommodate the hospital’s rapid growth, Bishop Whelan purchased a large mansion in the north part of Wheeling in 1856, moving the hospital to Main Street and increasing its capacity from 30 beds to 90 beds; and

Whereas, In 1903, Wheeling Hospital was expanded once again by adding a north wing and a south wing was added in 1914, thereby increasing the hospital’s capacity to 200 beds; and

Whereas, Wheeling Hospital has been instrumental through the years in providing care from outbreaks of disease, outbreaks of typhoid and cholera in 1873, the flu epidemic of 1918, and the COVID-19 pandemic; and

Whereas, Wheeling Hospital has supported the state and our country during war time, by serving as a general military hospital during the Civil War and forming a Cadet Nurses Corps Unit that addressed the severe nursing shortage during World War II; and

Whereas, In 1949, Bishop John Swint introduced a new concept in patient care when he opened an outpatient department; and

 Whereas, Wheeling Hospital’s patient and health care continued to grow with the establishment of an intensive care unit in 1963 and its coronary care unit in 1966, the first such facilities in West Virginia; and

Whereas, Wheeling Hospital moved again in 1975 to its present location now known as Medical Park; and

Whereas, Wheeling Hospital was the first in the region to open a cardiac catheterization laboratory in 1978 and performed the area’s first open-heart surgery in 1994; and

Whereas, The Howard Long Wellness Center opened in 1993, a first-of-its-kind program, offering additional innovative programs in rehabilitation for cardiac and pulmonary disease in addition to offering programs and classes dedicated to healthy lifestyles for groups of all ages; and

Whereas, In 2012, Wheeling Hospital opened the new Tower 5 building spanning 144,000 square feet and covering seven levels, including a state-of-the-art Emergency/Trauma Center, with 30 private exam rooms and four trauma rooms; and

Whereas, In 2018, Wheeling Hospital opened the new three-story Continuous Care Center, a 144-bed facility with all private rooms, a state-of-the-art equipped main kitchen, physical therapy room, a large chapel, two outdoor courtyards, two activity rooms, and five patient/family lounge areas; and

Whereas, In 2021, supported by Bishop Mark E. Brennan, Wheeling Hospital became a full member of the West Virginia University Health System, a broad, integrated network of physicians, hospitals, clinics, and specialized institutes across West Virginia and in the surrounding states, while preserving the hospital’s Catholic identity rooted in its long history with the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston; and

Whereas, Wheeling Hospital is poised for continued growth and new programs, ensuring innovative healthcare solutions will continue to be available for generations of West Virginians to come; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate:

That the Senate hereby recognizes the 175th anniversary of Wheeling Hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Senate extends its sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston for its organization of the hospital and its continued support through the decades providing Catholic health care in the northern panhandle; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Senate extends its gratitude for WVU Medicine’s work at Wheeling Hospital and for the bright future of West Virginia’s longest continually active hospital on its 175th anniversary; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, Mark E. Brennan and Mr. Douglass Harrison, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Wheeling Hospital, Inc.