BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Although he took a longer route, CEO Tim Hatfield went from “across the river” at ARH (Appalachian Regional Hospital) to “up on the hill” at Williamson Memorial.

For many years, that is how most people referred to the two local hospitals in the Tug Valley area – “across the river,” “the Miner’s Hospital” and “up on the hill” where Williamson Memorial has always been located.

The 25-year veteran healthcare professional was recently named the top administrator for the new Williamson Memorial Hospital under the direction and ownership of Dr. Donovan “Dino” Beckett.

Hatfield is leading the transition as the hospital reopens after being closed under previous owners and management.

Previously, Hatfield was the administrator of the South Williamson ARH. He then went to Highlands Regional in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, to manage the larger hospital, where he was over several ARH facilities and was in charge of physician recruiting.

He recently spent a short stint with Addiction Recovery Care (ARC), helping them open a residential treatment center in Russell, Kentucky. He also served as a consultant for the healthcare industry until he accepted the position at Williamson Memorial.

The hospital has been undergoing a complete remodel and upgrade. So far, under the current owners, they have spent $14 million in upgrades and renovations.

There is not going to be just one big grand opening for the Williamson hospital. But instead, it will be done in phases, according to Hatfield.

“You just can’t come into a hospital, turn the lights on and reopen it,” Hatfield stressed. “We are opening the hospital in phases. Starting with ancillary departments, we will open the laboratory up first, then radiology, and then we’ll move toward the in-patient rooms.”

“Then we’ll open the ER (emergency room),” Hatfield said. “That will probably be sometime next year.” The operating room section will be the goal after that.

All new equipment has been ordered and is being installed. This includes things like X-ray equipment, a CT scan and much more.

“To date, since Dr. Beckett and Williamson Health and Wellness Center purchased the hospital, they have put millions into the facility,” Hatfield said. “It’s a big financial investment.”

“The hospital looks brand-new even though it isn’t,” Hatfield said of the structure that was opened in the mid-1980s.

“The patient rooms are second to none. The ER is second to none,” an excited Hatfield said. “We’ve already opened up the internal medicine and podiatry clinic in the spring of 2023.”

“The game plan is to get the lab and X-ray departments opened up in the next 60 to 90 days,” he added. “In-patient rooms will probably be late summer, and the ER will open late this year or the early part of next year. So truly it is a phasing in process.”

The applications have been filed to reopen the hospital. It takes a while for those to get processed. Williamson Memorial will first get a provisional license and then will be surveyed to get a permanent license after that.

The original license was for the hospital to have 76 in-patient rooms. There won’t be that many opened up at this time. For now there will be 18 beds on the “med-surgery” second floor.

The third floor is contracted with the Kathy Ireland Rehab group, which has now been recently changed to Wise Paths Recovery and provides integrated behavioral health and addiction treatment. It is a self-contained 28-day program.

“When you look at healthcare, opening up a facility like this is like a domino effect,” Hatfield said.

“Opening a hospital in 2024, we are truly a unicorn,” he added. “Post COVID and what we have seen during and after COVID, you saw a lot of hospitals closing. Other hospitals merged into joint ventures.”

“So this is pretty exciting to be a part of the history of opening a hospital,” Hatfield said proudly. “It just doesn’t happen anymore.”

Hatfield talked about the rich history of the facility and how you can look out the window and see the old hospital, where many from the Tug Valley area were born or went for care in past years. The old hospital was built and opened in 1928.

“It is fun to be back in the area,” Hatfield, who grew up in Hardy, Kentucky, and graduated from Belfry High School, stated. “I’m seeing people I haven’t seen in a few years. The first question I get is, ‘When is the hospital opening?’ So I explain to them our plan and how we are doing it in phases.”

The longtime hospital administrator said that many of the former employees have reached out about coming back to work at the healthcare facility. “In a job market where it is hard to recruit healthcare professionals – I’ve had a lot of folks reach out to me and wanting to come back to work.”

About 45 former employees are scheduled to come for a tour of the remodeled hospital in April.

“When you have a small community hospital, it’s like being with extended family,” Hatfield added. “Building those connections with a smaller community hospital is a dying breed.”

Hatfield has come full circle and is glad to be back and reconnect with friends and acquaintances in the area and to be a part of the reopening of Williamson Memorial Hospital.