When you first move to Morgantown, you might wonder, "Where should I go if I get seriously ill?"

You might think that West Virginia doesn't have many medical facilities. However, Morgantown is a different story. This is because it is home to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital.

J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital is the flagship teaching hospital of WVU Medicine, located at 1 Medical Center Drive.

It is an educational and research hospital connected to the WVU School of Medicine and serves as a tertiary care facility for critically ill patients from across West Virginia.

WVU Medicine describes this hospital as the largest within its system and a central hospital providing advanced medical care to West Virginia and surrounding areas.

To think of it in Korean terms, it's more akin to a university hospital than just a local general hospital.

Patients are referred to Ruby for major surgeries or conditions like heart disease, cancer, neurological disorders, and serious accidents that local hospitals may struggle to handle.

In particular, the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center is a Level I Trauma Center.

This is significant because it means it can treat critically injured trauma patients from severe traffic accidents or falls, representing the highest level of trauma care available.

It also functions as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, playing a crucial role in treating emergency conditions like strokes.

You can quickly understand why the hospital campus is so large.

The WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, WVU Cancer Institute, Eye Institute, and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute are all connected within this hospital system.

For diseases that require multiple specialists, such as cancer, heart, and neurological issues, this university hospital system is definitely reassuring.

If you have children, the children's hospital is also worth noting. In 2022, a new 150-bed children's hospital opened on the Ruby Memorial campus.

It is a specialized hospital equipped with a pediatric emergency room, neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, and operating rooms.

For parents, not having to travel for hours to find a children's hospital when a child suddenly becomes seriously ill is a significant advantage.

The hospital's name has an interesting history. It honors local businessman J.W. Ruby, whose wife, Hazel Ruby McQuain, donated $8 million to build the new hospital in his memory. This was a record-breaking donation in West Virginia during the 1980s. The current Ruby Memorial opened in 1988.

External evaluations of the medical standards are also quite favorable. According to WVU Medicine, U.S. News & World Report ranked it as the number one hospital in West Virginia, and it has received the ANCC Magnet certification for nursing excellence five times.

Of course, as with any hospital in the U.S., it's essential to check your insurance.

You wouldn't want to be surprised by a bill due to insurance network issues or deductibles after feeling secure about having a good university hospital nearby.

Still, having such a university hospital in a city like Morgantown is a significant blessing. When you're young, having many restaurants and places to hang out seems appealing, but as you age, your perspective changes.

When heart or brain issues arise, having a large, well-equipped hospital just 10 or 20 minutes away is as important as the cost of living in the U.S.