Guided by each of their missions, Marshall Health, Marshall University and Mountain Health Network will seek to form an integrated academic health system with the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine focused on clinical excellence, education, and research. The shared purpose is to develop a top-tier academic health system in West Virginia that is nationally recognized for delivering high-quality care, medical education, and research to improve the health and wellness of patients across the region.

The new integrated academic health system reflects a more formalized relationship among Mountain Health Network’s four hospitals: Cabell Huntington Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Hoops Family Children’s Hospital and Pleasant Valley Hospital; its ambulatory facilities, medical offices and employed physician practices; and Marshall Health’s employed physician practice and its facilities.

Consistent with high-performing systems both regionally and nationally, Marshall Health, Marshall University and Mountain Health Network seek to realize the value of more closely aligning and harnessing the strengths of each entity to benefit the patients they serve. We believe that developing an integrated academic health system will result in measurable benefit to the community, further advance the missions of the organizations, and help sustain and vitalize the regional economy well into the future.

Marshall Health, Marshall University, and Mountain Health Network believe that developing an integrated academic health system will place us among the top health systems in the nation; improve overall clinical and academic enterprise performance; enhance physician recruitment and retention; strengthen teaching programs and research; and increase access to specialty services for patients.

With the Letter of Intent is complete, we are working together to define a governance model that includes representatives from Marshall Health, Marshall University, Mountain Health Network and the community.

With the letter of intent in place, leadership from all three entities is proceeding with the necessary due diligence and develop the governing documents to reach a final definitive agreement. We hope to complete all the necessary steps by the end of 2023. We’ll provide updates as available to keep everyone informed throughout the process.

As part of the planning process, the leadership teams of Marshall Health, Marshall University and Mountain Health Network will explore a new system name that best reflects their shared purpose and unity.

A cornerstone of our integration into an academic health system will be to increase specialty services and grow additional centers of excellence to meet the health care needs of patients across West Virginia and beyond.

Mountain Health Network, a regional health system, was formed when Cabell Huntington Hospital acquired St. Mary’s Medical Center in 2018 and expanded with Pleasant Valley Hospital in 2022. The creation of an integrated academic health system formalizes Mountain Health Network’s long-standing relationship with Marshall University and together, they will work to preserve and advance education and research as well as advance excellence in clinical care for generations to come.

We do not expect any changes to the employment for clinical and administrative personnel who are part of the School of Medicine or Marshall Health.

All entities are committed not only to the provision of high-quality patient care but also to the advancement of education and research. The Master Affiliation Agreement between all entities should provide an extra layer of protection for our faculty and staff who have a vested interest in the education and research areas. 

Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine currently oversees faculty appointments, and it will continue to oversee faculty appointments as an accredited medical school.

Education and research are central to the mission of the new academic health system. As such, we are committed to enhancing the educational experience and opportunities for research and discovery for Marshall University students.

Our vision is for the academic health system to further enhance the educational experience for residents, fellows, and students by providing clinical sites of service committed to training the next generation of healthcare providers. As we plan, we will strive for students, residents and fellows to benefit from the collective resources of the entire academic health system.

It is our intent to not only retain existing clinical rotations but also create new opportunities.