BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — United Hospital Center (UHC) today officially celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting of its new Mountaineer Medical Rapid Care facility. The rapid care center is designed to provide the area with an accessible, high-quality, and budget-friendly alternative to traditional emergency room visits.
The new state-of-the-art facility features an optimized layout and advanced clinical technology to drastically reduce patient wait times while maintaining top-tier medical attention. The rapid care center includes a streamlined vital signs check-in station, eight fully equipped private exam rooms, and a dedicated durable medical goods supply closet stocked with orthopaedic items such as crutches, braces, and splints to ensure patients leave fully supported.
“Our goal with Mountaineer Medical Rapid Care is to respect our patients’ time and financial well-being,” said David F. Hess, MD, President and CEO of United Hospital Center. “We designed our warm, welcoming waiting area with the ultimate goal of keeping you from spending much time in it. By offering an affordable alternative to the ER with significantly lower out-of-pocket costs, we are ensuring families have immediate access to top-tier care without the financial stress or the long wait.”
The facility is heavily invested in modern medical technology to enhance safety and speed up diagnostics. It features a secure medication room utilizing OmniCell automated dispensing technology, which acts as a computerized pharmacy vault to ensure precise tracking and instant access to urgent treatments. Additionally, the facility boasts an on-site digital X-ray suite and a rapid Point-of-Care Testing Lab capable of delivering hospital-grade diagnostics for COVID-19, strep, flu, mono, and urinalysis in mere minutes.
“By providing hospital-grade diagnostics and advanced digital imaging, we eliminate the need for patients to visit an ER just for basic testing or X-rays,” said Chris Goode, MD, FACEP, executive vice president and chief clinical integration officer at WVU Health System. “With our eight private exam rooms, on-site testing, and OmniCell safety technology, our providers can accurately diagnose, treat, and prescribe a complete care plan all under one roof in a single, highly efficient visit.”
Mountaineer Medical Rapid Care is open to serve patients of all ages seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. To ensure maximum availability for the community, the facility is open every day of the year with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas, allowing staff to celebrate with their loved ones. No appointments are necessary, and walk-ins are always welcome.
