MCHD still operating at current location until moving in 2027
Jun. 23, 2026
Contact: Mary Wade Burnside
Public Information Officer | Monongalia County Health Department
Morgantown, WV 26505 (304) 598-5152 | www.monchd.org MaryWade.Burnside@wv.gov
For Immediate Release
MORGANTOWN, WV (June 23, 2026) — Even though Monongalia County Health Department’s move to White Birch Towers II has been announced, for now, the health department is fully functional and operating at its current location, 453 Van Voorhis Road.
“We’ve heard that there has been some confusion about this, and we wanted to clear it up,” said executive director Anthony DeFelice.
The move will take place by June 30, 2027 in time for the planned opening of the new, adjacent WVU Eye Institute on July 1 of that year.
“We plan to keep our clients and the community updated and we will publicize information on our progress during the next 12 months,” DeFelice said.
The Monongalia County Commission sold the building at 453 Van Voorhis Drive, as well as the former WIC building next door located on Elmer Prince Drive, to WVU Hospitals, for $6 million in May. The commission then purchased the White Birch Towers II building for $4.135 million.
The balance left over will be used for architectural plans and renovations.
“The new facility will give Monongalia County Health Department the opportunity to house all employees in one location, which will improve communications, offer adequate space and modernize the infrastructure,” DeFelice said.
“These improvements will help MCHD provide first-class public health services to the community.”
In the meantime, DeFelice said, “MCHD will continue to operate on a normal schedule during the transition to a new location. There will not be an interruption in public health services.”
The health department’s current location was opened in September 1975 but now, it has been “presenting challenges with aging infrastructure and a lack of space for our employees,” DeFelice noted.
May was a busy month for the health department. In addition to finalizing the purchases, documentation was submitted to the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) for MCHD to be considered for accreditation.
About 450 United States health departments, out of nearly 3,000, have earned five-year accreditation through PHAB. The process consists of meeting standards and measures in 10 domains. MCHD’s accreditation efforts were halted by the COVID pandemic outbreak in 2020 but were taken up again and pursued aggressively two years ago.
“The accreditation process required us to critically examine our processes and services and make changes and updates to meet the standards,” DeFelice said. “This has been a great opportunity for growth so we know we are serving the community in the best ways possible.”
The next steps include an evaluation period, a chance to make changes to the submission and a site visit.
Finally, MCHD just launched a sixth program, Health Promotions, which will enhance community outreach and also include coalition building with partners to work toward larger goals, such as making Morgantown a more walkable city.
That was one priority that emerged from the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) conducted by MCHD last year to get input on what area residents would like to see to improve health.
“Health Promotions is going to be a centralized way of coordinating outreach efforts,” said Dr. Brian Huggins, MCHD’s county health officer who will also serve as program manager.
“Additionally, we’re going to be helping to set policies on how we approach outreach, how we form coalitions and how we conduct research within the health department.”
Another component, the Wild and Wonderful Wellness Passport, allows area residents to collect stamps in a booklet at partnering locations in order to win gifts. Twenty-four stamps will earn a participant an entry into a drawing for the grand prize — a six-person cabin at Mountain Creek Cabins, near Coopers Rock State Forest. The drawing will take place in November 2026.
A link to the CHNA can be found at www.monchd.org/about. The Wellness Passport has its own website: wildandwonderfulwellness.com.
“We have aggressively implemented new initiatives to be in a better position to address public health needs today and in the future,” DeFelice said.
For up-to-date information on health and wellness in Monongalia County, check out monchd.org and follow the health department on Facebook and Twitter @WVMCHD and on Instagram at wvmchd.