As denizens of Morgantown, there are things we take for granted that our neighbors at the western end of the county and across the border into Preston County would love to have — such as close proximity to life-saving services.
An analysis from Bridging the Great Health Divide, released early this month, ranks West Virginia the third-worst state for timely access to stroke care. When a stroke occurs, blood to the brain is cut off and time is of the essence not only to save a stroke victim’s life, but to save any chance of returning to the life they knew. But in largely rural states, the closest stroke care facility can be hours away.
For West Virginia specifically, 25% of residents do not have a health care center that can provide treatment for a stroke within a 45-minute drive; 36% can reach a basic-care stroke center within 45 minutes; and only 39% can reach an advance-care stroke center within that time frame.
That may not seem too awful, but with a stroke, every second counts. Compare our state’s statistics with the top-ranked state, South Carolina: All residents have access to a stroke-care facility within 45 minutes (28% to basic care, 72% to advanced care).
In Morgantown, we are extremely lucky to have two hospitals in our backyard that can provide expert care, but much of the state isn’t so fortunate. Recently, we’ve seen a rash of local health care facilities close — including Fairmont Medical Center, just as the pandemic began.
And unfortunately, because of West Virginia’s certificate of need laws, it’s not so simple as one hospital closes and another one opens.
According to the West Virginia Health Care Authority, “Certificate of Need (CON) programs are often associated with cost containment measures … The statutorily mandated CON review process primarily includes the determination of need, consistency with the State Health Plan, and financial feasibility.”
Health care providers are required to get a CON before adding or expanding services — such as adding stroke care capabilities — spending beyond certain thresholds and developing or acquiring new health care facilities.
This past legislative session, West Virginia’s lawmakers had the opportunity to amend the CON program. HB 2264 would have “[expanded] the definition of hospital services, and [exempt] hospitals, as well as all health services provided from those hospitals, from certificate of need requirements.” It passed the House and died in a Senate committee.
West Virginia is becoming a health care desert, with a large swath of the central part of the state having no access to timely stroke care. The CON program, as it stands, is an obstacle to rural health care in a state that is considered 64% rural, and the Legislature did not give the issue the attention it deserved, despite the fact that the still-ongoing pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for local medical care.
We expect to see certificate of need programs back on the agenda next year, and we expect our Legislature to dedicate the time and energy this matter deserves. Otherwise, West Virginia will continue to rank among the nation’s worst.
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