Comings & Goings: Meritus opens healthcare center in Hancock; WVU Medicine clinic opens

Meritus Health opening healthcare center in Hancock

HANCOCK — Meritus Health held a grand opening Friday for its new healthcare center in Hancock, initially offering primary care services.

The healthcare center at 351 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in the Hancock Shopping Center will open on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

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Doctors offering specialty services including cardiology consultations and consultations and follow-ups for gastroenterology issues will start in the coming months, according to a Meritus news release.

“We are thrilled to be working with the community of Hancock to bring needed services to that community,” Dave Lehr, Meritus Health's chief strategy officer, said in a news release. “We are opening our health service center with three specialties in response to a community need for easier access to care. We look forward to working with our patients to understand their needs and growing this health service center to fit those needs.”

Dr. Liza Hiles will provide full-service primary care, including well woman exams and minor procedures such as stitches and biopsies.

Hiles earned her medical degree from American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Cupecoy, St. Maarten. She did her rural family medicine residency at WVU East in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. She is board certified in family medicine with the American Board of Family Medicine.

The providers' hours will vary.

The center's hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays.

Joining the center in the coming months will be Dr. Vamshidahar Vootla, board certified in gastroenterology, and Dr. Christopher Vaccari, board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease.

Vootla will provide consultations and follow-ups for acid reflux, peptic ulcer, Barrett's esophagus, celiac disease, constipation/diarrhea, colon cancer screening/polyps, colitis, liver disease, gallbaldder/pancreatic disease and IBS, as well as other conditions.

He earned his medical degree from Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India. Vootla did his residency and gastroenterology fellowshipo at Bronx Care in New York City.

Vaccari will provide cardiology consultations, EKGs and follow-up appointments for conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks, heart valve issues, heart arrhythmias and congestive heart failure, among others.

He graduated from University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Vaccari did his residency at Duke University Hospital/Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. Later, he did a fellowship in cardiovascular disease from Emory University School of Medicine.

West Virginia University Medicine opens expanded clinic in Falling Waters area

WVU Medicine recently opened a new, expanded healthcare clinic in the Falling Waters area, replacing the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute operation on Tennessee Avenue in Martinsburg, according to a news release.

The new clinic at 61 Campus Drive, Suite 300, was scheduled to open Jan. 9. To schedule an appointment, call 304-596-5160.

The neuroscience institute and WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center cut the ribbon on the new site at the WVU Medicine Spring Mills Medical Office Building last week.

“Devoting an entire floor in our largest medical office building to the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute allows us to bring together neurosurgeons, neurologists, physiatrists, and neuro-psychologists in one space to be able to work together to provide seamless care for our neurosciences patients,” Dean Thomas, president and CEO of WVU Medicine Berkeley and Jefferson Medical Centers, said in the release.

The clinic on the third floor includes 32 exam rooms, five neurodiagnostic rooms, two neurology infusion suites, a patient waiting area, provider offices and ancillary and support spaces.

“This state-of-the-art facility at Spring Mills will bring together expertise and capabilities for comprehensive care for patients and will provide world-class care for complex spine conditions, stroke, and more,” said Dr. Ali R. Rezai, executive chair and director of the neuroscience institute.

“We appreciate partnering with the leadership at WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center and are grateful to Dean Thomas, Dr. Tom Thomas, and Dr. John Caruso for driving this expansion at Spring Mills and for their focus on treating neurological disease, Rezai said in the release.

Caruso, chief of neurosurgery at Berkeley Medical Center, said the "multidisciplinary office will allow for collaboration, innovation, and integration with an integrated group of physicians that are committed to delivering exceptional patient care.”

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Meritus Health, WVU Medicine open new healthcare operations