Our History

In 1924, patients and equipment were moved from the Thomas Hospital and Sanitarium building to the brand-new Charleston General Hospital facility - a 120-bed hospital at Elmwood Avenue and Brooks Street.

For more than 65 years, cancer services at CAMC have been accredited by the American College of Surgeons. Having first achieved this accreditation in 1956, CAMC has continued to reach - and surpass - the high bar set by the ACS's national standards. Only one-third of cancer programs nationwide receive this accreditation, which certifies that a program has met or surpassed 34 quality care standards.

In 1960, Dr. James H. Walker performed the first open heart surgery using a heart lung machine.
 

Don Arnwine and Deal Tompkins led the creation of Charleston Area Medical Center Foundation, incorporated as a tax-exempt foundation in September 1976. Over the next 11 years - under the leadership of Dr. Bert Bradford, Jr. - the foundation raised $7 million, representing gifts from some 1,700 contributors.  The CAMC Foundation operates to this day as the philanthropic arm of CAMC, awarding millions of dollars in grants annually to benefit patients cared for at CAMC. 

Kanawha Valley Hospital became the Kanawha Valley Division of CAMC, by way of a merger completed in September 1986.
 

A surgical team headed by Cleveland Clinic-trained Dr. Ernest Hodge performed CAMC's first kidney transplant in General Hospital's special care center on September 29, 1987. A healthy kidney was removed from Mrs. Theda Green, 46, and transplanted into her daughter, Vickie Green, 25, of Pineville, West Virginia.
 

CAMC began converting the four-year-old Kanawha Valley Hospital facility into the Women and Children's Hospital, which officially opened its doors in June 1988.
 

In 1993, CAMC opened the CAMC Center for Telehealth, a then-emerging technology enabling patients to have virtual visits with their providers. Today, CAMC's telemedicine services have expanded significantly to  include the 24/7 Care app, telemedicine clinics throughout West Virginia, and telemedicine consultations at surrounding hospitals for stroke, trauma and more.
 

In 1997, the CAMC Health Education and Research Institute (CHERI) was created to be the medical center's education and research division. Now known as the Institute for Academic Medicine, this division supports training and continuing education programs, clinical and health services research, and professional and public education through events and seminars.

In April 2001, CAMC held the first HealthFest. For the next 17 years, thousands of West Virginians attended the annual event, which provided free or low-cost health screenings. With the Affordable Care Act and CAMC offering low-cost lab screenings every day, the last HealthFest was held at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center in 2018.

In the fall of 2001, CAMC received the first federal Ryan White Title III grant awarded in the state of West Virginia. This enabled  the establishment of the Ryan White Program. The grant authorized the support of comprehensive early intervention and primary care services for patients diagnosed with HIV. The program continues to serve the community, providing testing, counseling, nutritional and pharmaceutical services, and more.

In 2007, CAMC launched the first multispecialty robotic surgery program in the state. In 2012, CAMC added a robot with a teaching console allowing the surgeon control of the procedure while directing a resident.

In 2007, CAMC neurosurgeon John Schmidt, MD, developed a new surgical technique to help combat brain swelling as a result of a traumatic injury. Called a hinge craniotomy, this procedure allows the brain to swell while keeping it protected by using hinges to secure a titanium bone flap to the skull. This surgical technique was the first of its kind.

In April 2010, surgeons at CAMC performed West Virginia's first robotic procedure on a pediatric patient. Using the da Vinci Surgical System, urologist James Tierney, DO, and a skilled surgical team helped repair a congenital condition on a nine-year-old patient.

The CAMC Cancer Center opened its doors to patients in May 2015. Built on property that used to house Watt Powell Park, the center houses outpatient oncology services, the CAMC Breast Center and CAMC Radiation Oncology Services.

The CAMC Outpatient Surgery Center, located across from General Hospital, opened in 2017. The state-of-the-art building houses four operating suites for outpatient procedures in specialties including orthopedics, urology, plastic surgery, ophthalmology and facial surgery.

In January 2018, the CAMC Kidney Transplant Center performed West Virginia's first-ever, living donor,  paired kidney exchange. Pam King donated her kidney to Dave Kent, and Dustin Kent (Dave's son) donated his kidney to Pam's husband, Brian.