United Hospital Center is the result of a merger between St. Mary’s and Union Protestant hospitals in 1970. This bold move provides north central West Virginia with a regional community hospital that offers a vast array of services. The new UHC opened in 2010 and is located along Interstate 79 in Bridgeport. The 692,000-square-foot structure rises eight stories. It is designed around the environment with the patient, family, staff and community in mind – which includes enhanced patient privacy, a high level of technology integration and improved access to care. The acute care facility has 292 private inpatient rooms and 24 observation rooms with a medical staff that consist of more than 140 primary care and specialty physicians. UHC employs more than 2,000 associates and is a member of WVU Medicine.