by LIZ BEAVERS
Tribune Managing Editor
KEYSER — The helipad behind Potomac Valley Hospital, which got its first use when 3-year-old Jacob VanPelt was flown out to Morgantown after being mauled by a dog in April, was officially dedicated Thursday morning as the Guy Arnold Helipad.
Thanking Arnold and his family for all their help in making the helipad a reality, PVH owner Hal McBee said Dr. Robert McCoy told him when he purchased PVH 30 years ago that “the best thing about Potomac Valley is the employees, and he was right.
“They're family and they truly care for the patients.”
McBee and PVH administrator Linda Shroyer also recognized Dr. Charles Bess for getting the ball rolling toward construction of the helipad at the hospital.
“All this started about 2 ½ years ago, when we were still depending upon landing over in McCoole, which made for a rather lengthy experience for the patients,” Shroyer said.
Noting that the idea of constructing a helipad behind the new hospital had been squashed by several who said it couldn't be done, Shroyer said, “One of the physicians (Bess) can to me and said, 'We can do this.'
“A lot of red tape and back and forth with the FAA later, and here we are,” she said, noting that the helipaid is “fully FAA compliant.”
“Everyone who lands here says it's very much the Cadillac of helipads in West Virginia,” she said.
Chris Rucker of Valley Medical also paid tribute to Bess, noting that he not only got the ball rolling toward construction of the helipad, but “he almost rolled the ball uphill in some cases” when the project met with criticism.
McBee and Shroyer presented Bess with a plaque recognizing his efforts, and also thanked Dr. Carl Liebig for the part he played in finding a place for the hospital.
“He wanted us to use his property to build this hospital,” McBee explained.
Rucker presented the hospital with a donation on behalf of Valley Medical.
Del. Bob Schadler and several members of Pleasant Grove, Woodmen of the World, also presented the hospital with a new American flag to fly over the facility.
To kick off the festivities, a Medevac from Air Care in Winchester, Va., landed on the helipad, with pilot Mike Cournoyer, flight nurse Josh Dunham, and flight paramedic Rob Snider on board.
At that time, Jacob VanPelt, now 4, was given a tour of the inside of the helicopter - similar to the one which flew him to Morgantown in April.
“This helipad played a big part, I'm sure, in his recovery,” Shroyer said.
