HealthRight reports rising patient visits after move, warns of Medicaid funding losses

MORGANTOWN — HealthRight’s executive director told the council the clinic’s recent relocation has coincided with rising service volumes but raised alarms about looming Medicaid funding changes and federal limits on harm-reduction supplies.

"We moved in April. Officially, April 13 was day 1," Executive Director Laura Jones told council, summarizing a two-week operational ramp. Jones said patient volumes recovered after the move, reporting "an unprecedented number of 39 new patients in the month of June." She added that medication visits and prescription fills have increased (626 prescriptions in June compared with 400 in April after the move).

Jones cautioned council about broader funding risks: she cited a statewide Medicaid funding decline projected in 2027 and warned the federal government’s reduced willingness to support harm-reduction purchases (including test strips) could jeopardize local programs. She said HealthRight has responded by expanding staff (a second nurse practitioner and a volunteer physician) and coordinating with mobile screening partners like the Lucas bus.

Councilors asked for comparative totals and operational detail; Jones said total unduplicated patient counts were about 503 presently versus roughly 560 last year and noted harm-reduction encounters dropped from 121 in February 2025 to 66 in June 2026. She also raised a local infrastructure issue: drainage and paving work in front of the clinic that an estimate placed at about $17,500 if the private drive is to be brought to city standards for possible adoption into the city street system.

Jones invited council to an open house and ribbon cutting on Aug. 6 (4–6 p.m., ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m.) and asked colleagues to consider partnerships and support to sustain access to care amid potential funding cuts.