WILLIAMSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL LEADERSHIP
C. Donovan “Dino” Beckett
Chief Executive Officer
David Jewell, MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Dr. Muneel Abbas
Chief Medical Officer
Vicki Johnson, RN
Chief Operating Officer
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tim McNamee
Chairman
Leasha Johnson
Vice Chair
Mabel Childress
Treasurer
Chris Dotson
Secretary
Sherri Brown
Nicole McNamee
Jacqueline Branch
Susan Conn
Amanda Lovern
Dennis Wilson
The original Williamson Memorial Hospital, named after Wallace J. Williamson, founder of the city of Williamson, was established in the heart of Mingo County, West Virginia in 1918. The original hospital was a three story architectural showcase. A nursing school was established in 1920 alongside.
In 1927, a devastating fire destroyed the hospital. Miraculously, all 33 patients escaped with their lives. Fourteen of the patients were transferred to hospitals in Huntington while others were taken to their homes.
A new Williamson Memorial Hospital was constructed in March of 1928 at a cost of $175,000. The new, four-story facility included 72 beds, 32 private patient rooms and seven wards. The facility featured two operating suites, a maternity ward and a nursery amongst the other services provided by hospital personnel.
Growth was a focus of hospital administrators and necessary with the growing population of the time. An emergency room, radiology department, cafeteria, laboratories, pharmacy, an Intensive Care Unit and more medical and surgical areas were added.
In 1979, the hospital was sold to Hospital Management Associates (HMA). 8 A new medical center was completed in 1988 8 and the c. 1928 hospital building was repurposed as a medical office and clinic complex, and since 2014, as storage.
After a failed attempt to sell the hospital to Tug Valley ARH Regional Medical Center of South Williamson, Kentucky in 2012, HMA declared the hospital insolvent. Another failed attempt to sell to Collaborative Healthcare Solutions of New Jersey in 2018, Mingo Health Partners purchased the hospital and began the revival process.
Unfortunately, in early 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic sent devastating effects throughout the region. Due to financial constraints brought about by the pandemic, the hospital was forced to close its doors in April of 2020.
Shortly after its closure, Dr. Donovan “Dino” Beckett, who trained at the hospital as a medical student and worked at the facility for more than 15 years, purchased the hospital’s assets with the goal of reopening the hospital.
Today, Williamson Memorial Hospital is a regional hub for high-quality healthcare and wellness. We continue to work hard to improve the health and wellness in our community.