Elkins area included in cash incentive programs for healthcare workers and students

Community Bulletin

Since joining Vandalia Health, the former Davis Health System has widened access across central West Virginia. Primary care remains the front door — now at five clinics, including Buckhannon Medical Care, backed by a 190-location network. Read more →

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Licensed healthcare workers and graduating healthcare students can apply for cash incentives to work in West Virginia, according to a September 29 release from West Virginia University. Greater Elkins is among the participating areas.

Ascend WV Healthcare serves licensed professionals in Greater Elkins, the Charleston Area, New River Gorge, Greenbrier Valley, Morgantown Area and Eastern Panhandle. Its website says applicants must have a job offer from an approved healthcare employer in West Virginia and must not have moved to the state yet. Those without a job offer can still apply and be conditionally accepted until they secure one, the website says. First Ascent WV Healthcare serves graduating students in those areas and the Huntington Area.

A limited statewide pilot will consider some licensed professionals for critical need areas beyond those communities on a case-by-case basis. Applicants seeking that option should select “Other” as their location.

“Building on what works, we can keep our healthcare graduates here and attract experienced professionals from other states to build their lives and practices in our Mountain State,” Danny Twilley, WVU assistant vice president for economic and community development, said in the release.

Ascend WV Healthcare’s website lists a stipend of up to $12,000 for licensed professionals: $6,000 spread across the first year and another $6,000 in the second year if funding renews. Other benefits include professional development, free coworking and networking space, concierge services and job matching. First Ascent participants also receive mentorship opportunities.

My Buckhannon

My Buckhannon previously covered Ascend WV’s expansion to Greater Elkins for remote workers in 2022.

Eligibility requirements and applications are available through Ascend WV Healthcare and First Ascent WV Healthcare.

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