Columbia St. Francis Hospital

Columbia St. Francis Hospital is a long-standing non-profit hospital in West Virginia, operating in its original location since 1914, and over the years it's grown and changed a lot, starting with a nursing school back in 1915, building a new hospital with 71 beds and other features like operating rooms and a chapel in 1917, adding more beds by 1950, opening an extended care facility in 1971, and eventually turning it into a modern complex by 1990 with more clinics and a garden entrance. The hospital now has a full range of services, including inpatient and outpatient care, emergency help, surgery, rehabilitation, behavioral health, women's health, labs, x-rays, imaging, and orthopedic care, with recent recognition as West Virginia's first full-service orthopedic hospital as of October 2024. It's known for high-quality long-term care, a strong A+ historical rating, and several awards for nursing home excellence. Columbia St. Francis offers both short-term and long-term rehabilitation, and grades for those services are high, with A+ for rehabs and documented registered staff hours to make sure help is always available. The hospital provides many special programs, including dementia and Alzheimer's training for caregivers, certification courses, Medicaid training, and assisted living education. It has a complete inspection process for safety, an advanced electronic health record system, and it's part of the Charleston Area Medical Center network within West Virginia University Health System. Patients can find help from many types of doctors, see available specialists in the directory, get medical records, use a patient portal, and check price transparency. The hospital's ownership has changed hands a few times, with groups like the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Wheeling, Columbia HCA, LifePoint Hospitals, and Thomas Memorial Hospital running it before WVU Medicine took over. Outdoor spaces are open and calm, there's a careers program, education and volunteer spots, community info, and visitation guidelines. While it's always growing and adapting, Columbia St. Francis Hospital continues to focus on serving West Virginia with strong medical services.