Score Top-Notch Sports Medicine in the Advantage Valley

Athletes can find excellent orthopedic care in Charleston, Huntington and the rest of the Advantage Valley.

By Cary Estes on October 21, 2023

iStock.com/Nuttapong Punna

Even part-time athletes can have a full-time need for physical health treatments and services. So as the Advantage Valley region greatly expands its physical recreation offerings with a planned $80 million indoor sports complex in downtown Charleston, the area also is increasing access to sports medicine and orthopedic care in Charleston, Huntington and other areas in the region.

Orthopedic Care in Charleston

Under an agreement announced last year between Thomas Hospital and the West Virginia University Health System, a new comprehensive WVU Medicine Thomas Orthopedic Hospital is being developed in downtown Charleston.

“Our whole goal is to create a boutique, intimate feel at a high-quality facility that’s extremely easy for patients to use,” says Dr. Clark Adkins, executive director at WVU Medicine Thomas Hospital. “All the orthopedic specialties will be represented.”

“A patient should never have to leave the facility to receive orthopedic care for any sports-related injury,” says Dr. Matthew Upton, chief medical officer. “And it makes sense to have this type of facility within a couple of blocks of the sports complex, to be able to provide services on-site at the complex when they’re having events.”

“This was a perfect opportunity to bring our orthopedists into one location and offer all these services under one roof. It’s generating a lot of interest in the orthopedic community and is going to be a great recruiting tool. So, we expect we’ll be able to grow and expand our services. It’s really going to be a great benefit to the community and the region.”

Jeff Adkins

Sports Medicine in Huntington

Meanwhile, another team effort is taking place in Huntington through a collaboration between Marshall Health, Marshall University Athletics and Cabell Huntington Hospital. Together, they have formed the Marshall Sports Medicine Institute (MSMI), combining a premier sports medicine facility with the region’s only academic sports medicine team.

“The Sports Medicine Institute is a great example of different entities coming together and, as a unified force, being greater than each individual part,” says Dr. John Jasko, an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon with Marshall Health and head team physician for Marshall Athletics. “We’ve been able to take the treatment provided to Marshall student-athletes and extend it into the larger community. You don’t have to be part of an organized team to be treated. We’re open to all active, health-conscious individuals, from pediatrics to geriatrics.”

Along with general athletic training, the MSMI offers chiropractic care, concussion care, nutrition counseling, orthopedics, performance training and physical therapy/rehab. Trainers can work closely with patients on such services as brace fittings and home exercise programs.

“All of this is housed in one building that is physically attached to the indoor practice facility for the Marshall University athletes,” Jasko says.

“So, the Marshall athletic trainers see patients in their training room here in the building, and if they need other services like physician care or physical therapy, it’s right at their fingertips. We can walk just a few feet to see our patients in physical therapy, making it easy for us to monitor them through their rehabilitation and as they return to sports. The facility allows us to provide truly comprehensive care more efficiently and effectively.”

Convenient Care in Madison

Marshall Health also has teamed up with Boone Memorial Hospital in Madison, about 60 miles from Huntington, enabling the rural facility to expand its orthopedic offerings.

Dr. Dana Lycans, a surgeon at Marshall Orthopedics, is providing comprehensive care with specialties in sports medicine and surgical treatment of the elbow, hip, knee and shoulder.

“Dr. Lycans’ experience and knowledge further strengthen our hospital goals,” Boone Memorial CEO Virgil Underwood says, “allowing our patients to receive excellent orthopedic care close to home.”

Charleston Area Medical Center

Now Open: Center for Learning and Research

The Charleston Area Medical Center Health System (CAMC) has undergone many upgrades and expansions since its debut in 1972, and another new project made news in 2023.

CAMC has opened the Center for Learning and Research across the street from CAMC Memorial Hospital in Kanawha City. The total cost for the three-story, 56,000-square-foot building is $18 million.

“The new CAMC Center for Learning and Research provides learning space for live and multi-site participation of learners from all CAMC locations, as well as health care professionals throughout the state,” says Dale Witte, CAMC spokesperson. “The new facility includes training and education rooms that model surgery suites, labor and delivery suites, emergency rooms, critical care rooms, patient hospital rooms and outpatient clinic rooms.”

Besides the hospital in Kanawha City, CAMC has four other medical centers in Advantage Valley. The  health system is recognized for providing five-star teaching to medical students. Each day, more than 1,000 students are enrolled in programs leading to degrees or certifications in health professions.

Also in 2023, CAMC filed a letter of intent to purchase a majority share of Charleston Surgical Hospital. It will be renamed CAMC Charleston Surgical Hospital and operate as a separate hospital, and all management and employees will be retained.

“This is our home, where our workforce is raising families,” Witte says. “CAMC is the heart and soul of West Virginia caring for patients and supporting our community.”