Crack! The sound ripped through the warm September afternoon.

 

It was a sound that I could have mistaken for a shot being fired from my grandfather’s .30-06 hunting rifle. Unfortunately for me, it was not. It was the sound of my tibia and fibula snapping as my two younger brothers drove a small farm tractor over my leg.

 

I don’t blame my brothers. I probably shouldn’t have been jogging alongside the tractor shouting driving tips. But as the older brother, I couldn’t help myself.

 

It was not one of my grandfather's best decisions. Letting my brothers and I drive the tractor around the farm. After all, we were only seven, five, and three years of age. In hindsight, my grandfather agreed it wasn’t his finest moment.

 

He did, however, respond to my cries very quickly. He scooped me up and put me in the car for the drive from Grapevine Road outside of Sissonville to the hospital in Charleston. Under normal circumstances, it was at least a 30-minute drive. On this particular day, he made the trip in significantly less time.

 

Even though this happened more than five decades ago, I still vividly remember every detail. As you can imagine, that drive still seemed like a long time for a seven-year-old in pain as I lay across the back seat of my grandfather's Oldsmobile. It was excruciating.

 

Over the past five decades, we have made significant advances in access to medical care. Despite the improvements made, they haven’t been enough for many people. There are still many places where the distance and time to reach adequate medical care is much longer than I endured all those years ago.

 

Fortunately, that is not an issue for the residents of Bridgeport. I can speak to that from first-hand experience. As the father of four children, my family has fallen prey to many viruses, accidents, and injuries. Thankfully, none were life-threatening, but many required medical attention at a quick care facility, their pediatrician, or a trip to the emergency room.

 

We have access to a broad collection of medical establishments and practitioners in Bridgeport. From head to toe, we have almost any form of care we need right here in our community. Available in facilities from doctor’s offices to a full-scale hospital and everything in between.

 

Bridgeport is privileged to have dozens of doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners working in our community. Offices range from individual general family medicine physicians to large clinic-style practices featuring multiple doctors and medical professionals. The larger practices provide everything from primary care physicians to a wide range of specialists in almost every conceivable field.

 

Complimenting these offices are multiple urgent care-type facilities within our city limits and one just over our municipal boundary. Giving our residents plenty of nonappointment clinic options to choose from close by for quick treatment of minor injuries and illnesses.

 

When you need medical services a step above those offered by the previously described offices, United Hospital Center (UHC), a part of WVU Medicine, is a regional community hospital located in Bridgeport and serving a large portion of north-central West Virginia. Opened almost 15 years ago, the nearly 700,000-square-foot, eight-story facility employs close to 400 physicians and extenders. In total, they have more than 2500 employees on staff.

 

UHC is a modern full-service hospital providing care and treatment across nearly all medical disciplines. Their utilization of state-of-the-art technology combined with highly educated, experienced, and dedicated medical professionals allows UHC to provide first-rate care. It does this for patients across all of its twenty-seven specialty areas. Having a hospital of this level and quality call Bridgeport home is an outstanding addition to our already impressive medical sector.

 

Even with all these options, we continue expanding our medical facility inventory. MonHealth is planning the construction of a new neighborhood hospital facility in Charles Pointe Crossing near the new Menards. This small-format hospital will provide some of the same fundamental services offered at larger hospitals. Preliminary plans, revealed last fall at a City Council meeting, show the site is designed to offer ten medical rooms and eight emergency rooms with the option and space to expand on the property as needed.

 

Additionally, Community Care of West Virginia has purchased and is in the process of remodeling the former Greater Bridgeport CVB building located on Marketplace Avenue in Charles Pointe. The facility is likely to offer primary care and/or behavioral health services. It is expected to open and begin operations reasonably soon.

 

Why Bridgeport? Access to quality medical care shouldn’t be taken for granted. We are in an enviable position as a small town. For a city with our population, we have an outsized number and selection of medical offices and facilities covering a wide range of healthcare disciplines within a few minutes of home. We are very fortunate and proud in Bridgeport to have this extensive network of medical facilities and professionals within our community.

 

As a father and grandfather, I know I would never want to be in the position my grandfather was in that fateful day on the farm. However, life happens. Nobody anticipated my unfortunate run-in with the farm tractor, especially me. As a rule, medical issues are all too often unexpected.

 

Whether you or a loved one needs medical attention, it is comforting to know, in Bridgeport, that high-quality and professional health care is being dispensed by highly educated and experienced medical practitioners practically right around the corner from home.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows the emergency room area at United Hospital Center. Next three photos show various healthcare establishments throughout the city.