MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — Most parties don’t typically start at 6:30 a.m., but that didn’t stop WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital staff, patients and family members from throwing a breakfast party celebration for the facility’s first birthday.

On Sept. 29, 2022, the state-of-the-art facility welcomed its first patients through the doors. Nearly one year later, WVU Medicine Children’s isn’t looking for gifts for its one-year milestone but instead wants to gift families with the best healthcare they can give.

“There is no greater gift than health,” Chief Administrative Officer Amy Bush said. “There is no greater privilege than to be entrusted to help care for the kids, who are our future.”

In the future, Bush said she hopes to keep constantly improving the facility.

“We’ve just kept growing and building our programs here and around the state,” Bush said.

First-Year Statistics Per WVU Medicine Children’s:

While numbers can quantify how many patients have been treated, the one area that can’t be measured using statistics is how much the staff members care for those they treat.

“You are going to come to a hospital that truly loves you and your children. We are people who have a calling to take care of sick kids,” Associate Chief Medical Officer Jeff Lancaster said. “When you get here, you’re going to feel [love]. You’re going to see it when you walk in through [the] atrium and from the first person that you see at this desk that you know you’re kid is in a good place.”

Bush said she’s thankful for the work that all of the employees have done to strive towards their mission of aiding as many families as they can.

“I tell the team often that it takes great places, but it takes great people to build great programs and this team has been a part of a legacy to help build those healthier futures and it’ll last for generations to come,” Bush said.

With one year successful year down, WVU Medicine Children’s hopes to see many more on the horizon.