WESTON, W.Va. – Dr. Robert Snuffer has provided care for families in Lewis and surrounding counties for nearly 30 years, as both a physical therapist and a family practice physician at Weston Family Medical Care.
For most of his career Snuffer embraced the role of a full-service family physician caring for patients at his office, in their homes and as inpatients at Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital. He has also worked in the Emergency Department since his residency. Outside of the Hospital, he can be found on sidelines and courts of high school games as the team physician.
Several years ago, SJMH adopted the hospitalist model for inpatient care, and approximately two years ago Dr. Snuffer began focusing on his practice. However, he didn’t lose the love of inpatient medicine. Dr. Ashley Keator joined the practice in the spring and Dr. Snuffer saw this as an opportunity to spend more time caring for SJMH inpatients again. However, as he approached administration with plans to take a larger role in inpatient and the Intensive Care Unit, they had another idea.
Due to several factors, including staff changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, SJMH found itself in need of more than just someone to lead their hospitalist program. The Hospital was in need of an ED Director. Dr. Snuffer had to be convinced to take the job. After discussions with Avah Stalnaker, SJMH Chief Administrative Officer, and Kevin Stalnaker, SJMH Chief Operating Officer, Snuffer finally agreed.
“We have always been pleased with the care that Dr. Snuffer provides to his patients. Between his vast experience in the United States Army and his own medical practice, as well as the work he provided in the Emergency Department, he is a great choice for the ED Director role. He has the respect of the ED staff and has nurtured the camaraderie between the physicians, which is important to us. We have great clinical expertise and now short wait times which is a win-win for our ED patients,” explained A. Stalnaker, CAO.
K. Stalnaker, COO, also noted, “Dr. Robert Snuffer is a credit to his profession. After the decades of service to the community and our hospital, I am not surprised that he was recently chosen as a winner of the Best of in Lewis County. We are all extremely proud of his efforts and the many lives he has improved over his many years caring for our community.”
In his new role, Dr. Snuffer’s main objective will be to strengthen inpatient care and the ICU. His initial focus will be to provide a critical care refresher course for ED physicians, advanced practice providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants and ICU nurses.
“Our team of providers are more than capable, and I want keep our patients here locally, it is what they want and what they deserve,” Snuffer stated. “Our Emergency Department has been one of the best in the region for many years. The staff has been guided by Dr. Mike Gregory before I arrived, and we have a great team of physicians and advanced practice providers who are simply excellent.”
Snuffer is proud of the ED staff and noted that creating an effective team will be the easy part of his job, “The doctors and nurses in our ED are second to none. We take care of everything from runny noses to traumas. We have one of the shortest wait times in the entire state and we take our patient’s safety seriously.”
Recently, two of the ER rooms were converted to negative pressure so that anyone suspected of having COVID symptoms can be triaged and evaluated without contaminating other patients or staff when arriving at the ED.
Snuffer says he is excited about the new position. While he has truly loved taking care of his family practice patients, he is excited about his role in helping shape the delivery of care for the greater footprint of the hospital. He plans on staying on the sidelines and courts and will still be active in EMS and his other community activities. Like he said, “I didn’t leave town, I just moved up the street.”
About Mon Health System: Mon Health System is an integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals in North Central West Virginia that works together to make health care more accessible and affordable to the communities it serves. It includes four hospitals – its flagship, Mon Health Medical Center in Morgantown; Mon Health Preston Memorial Hospital in Kingwood; Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital in Weston; affiliate, Grafton City Hospital in Grafton; Mon Health Equipment & Supplies in Morgantown, Fairmont, and Weston; and The Village at Heritage Point. Mon Health System is also part of many Joint Ventures such as Healthworks, Acuity Hospital of Morgantown, Monongalia EMS, Amedisys Hospice, Care Partners, Encompass and the Mon Health Center for Outpatient Surgery to preserve choice, improve access and ensure the highest quality of care. For more information, visit monhealth.com.
