In May of last year the hospital announced plans to expand, but spokesperson Jim Strawn says those plans were put on hold due to a troubled economy. Strawn said the hospital is now working with Kanawha County Commissioner to use their bond authority to sell $26 million in bonds to build the facility.

The hope is to now start construction shortly after the first of the year and the facility should take a year to build.

Strawn says they have outgrown their current facility and this new one will serve 80 patients and could create 200 jobs over the next four years.