WHEELING, W.Va. – The Boards of Directors of Wheeling Hospital and the West Virginia University Health System (WVU Medicine) today (June 20) announced that they have entered into a management services agreement and named Douglass E. Harrison as Wheeling Hospital’s new chief executive officer. 

“We are grateful to the Board and the Archdiocese for the trust they have placed in our team to help manage Wheeling Hospital and ensure it continues to serve the people of Wheeling for generations to come,” West Virginia University Health System President and CEO Albert L. Wright, Jr., said. “The hospital and its employees will be in great hands with Doug at the helm.”

Under the agreement, WVU Medicine will provide management services to the hospital, while Harrison will oversee all hospital operations. Wheeling’s Board of Directors will continue to govern the hospital, with final responsibility for quality of care and financial oversight.

Kareen Simon, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the hospital, has been serving as interim CEO and will return to her former position effective immediately.

“As we launched our search for a new CEO, we discussed the potential formal relationship with the West Virginia University Health System, the largest health provider in West Virginia, with a nationally recognized patient-centered system of care,” Wheeling Hospital Board Chair Lawrence Bandi said.

“WVU Medicine is committed to the residents of the Northern Panhandle by offering the right care in the right place at the right time through its network of nine hospitals. We look forward to benefitting from its expertise. And, with Douglass Harrison, we are getting a native West Virginian and seasoned professional dedicated to the health of those who live in this region. He is a natural choice to lead our hospital.”

For the past four years, Harrison has served as executive vice president of healthcare integration and network development for WVU Medicine. Before that, he served for more than 11 years as an executive at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Harrison, who grew up in Milton, earned an undergraduate degree from WVU and a master’s degree from Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania.

“I am honored to be chosen for this position, and I am looking forward to meeting, getting to know, and working alongside the leadership, medical staff, and employees of Wheeling Hospital,” Harrison said.

“I know that I am coming into a hospital that has a long history of caring for the residents of the Northern Panhandle and Eastern Ohio, and it is my goal to make sure it remains a provider of high quality healthcare long into the future.”

“We are very optimistic about the future of Wheeling Hospital under Mr. Harrison’s leadership,” Bandi said. “We are the Upper Ohio Valley’s premier hospital, earning numerous regional, state, and national recognitions, accreditations, and certifications for our many services – most notably, for our comprehensive cancer care, cardiac services, and women’s services. We can only get better with WVU Medicine at our side.”

About Wheeling Hospital
With two hospitals, eight health centers, a continuous care center, and wellness center, Wheeling Hospital provides premium healthcare to residents of Wheeling, West Virginia, and Eastern Ohio.

Wheeling Hospital provides a wide range of services, including its Surgical Center, Center for Pediatrics, Center for Women’s Services, and Emergency/Trauma Center, as well as a comprehensive cancer center and full-service cardiac catheterization lab. For more information, visit https://wheelinghospital.org.

About the West Virginia University Health System
The West Virginia University Health System, the state’s largest health system and largest private employer, is comprised of nine hospitals – its flagship hospital, J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown; Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg; Braxton County Memorial Hospital in Gassaway; Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg; Jefferson Medical Center in Ranson; Potomac Valley Hospital in Keyser; Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale; St. Joseph’s Hospital in Buckhannon; and United Hospital Center in Bridgeport.

It also provides management services to Summersville Regional Medical Center in Summersville, Jackson General Hospital in Ripley, Wetzel County Hospital in New Martinsville, Garrett Regional Medical Center in Oakland, Maryland, and Barnesville Hospital in Barnesville, Ohio. The WVU Health System also includes five institutes – the WVU Cancer Institute, the WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute, the WVU Eye Institute, the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, and the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. For more information, visit WVUMedicine.org.