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The Story of our Children's Hospital

For families in the Tri-State, the first place to go for medical care for children has always been Cabell Huntington Hospital, which became known for the high quality of care and wide range of services it offers to parents and their infants and children, including:

The Toll on the Family

Despite the wide array of services and the dedicated staff and physicians offered at Cabell Huntington Hospital, many children from our community were still seeking treatment elsewhere. By 2009, it was estimated that about 500 pediatric medical and surgical patients were leaving the Tri-State each year to be treated out of state.  When families must leave the area to seek medical care far away, the difficulties are compounded. One or both parents may be missing work to stay with the child, resulting in financial hardship and loss. Sisters and brothers at home still need love and attention, especially during this stressful time. Anxiety and fear over the child’s condition and the future weigh heavily on family and friends. And, for the sake of their sick child, parents and family must put aside their feelings of isolation and apprehension to focus on being positive.

Support for Families

To avoid such pressures and better serve the children and families of the Tri-State, in Cabell Huntington Hospital embarked on a fundraising campaign to establish a facility here on campus that is dedicated to the care of children— a hospital within a hospital. Using the existing technology, services and expertise offered by Cabell Huntington Hospital, the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center and Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine as its foundation, the new facility would attract top-quality physicians with a wide variety of pediatric specialties to Huntington —enabling more ill and injured children to be cared for close to home.

With a groundswell of support from employees and the community, and fundraising efforts both large and small, the campaign continued to build momentum. And in 2011, thanks to the generous hearts of the Hoops family, a $3 million donation allowed construction to begin. A variety of pediatric specialists are already in place and providing services. When the Hoops Family Children's Hospital is complete, the quality of the new family-friendly facility will finally match the high quality of care being offered.

Our Ongoing Need

The Hoops Family Children's Hospital cares for those who are ill or injured, regardless of their ability to pay. We provide a disproportionate share of services to children in need, and each year, pediatric patients receive the benefit of more than $30 million in care that is not reimbursed by their public insurance programs. Because of these shortfalls, ongoing support is still needed. In addition, the plans for Hoops Family Children's Hospital reach far beyond its completion date. Our goal is to offer children and families the latest technology and services close to home, and such innovations are expensive.