The existing, 690-bed hospital serves as a major statewide and regional health care referral center, and provides the principal clinical education and research site for West Virginia University.

In 1986, West Virginia University Hospitals, Inc. began construction of its current facility, J.W.

Ruby Memorial Hospital is a tertiary care referral center and serves as the principal clinical education and research site for the WVU School of Medicine.

However, in November 2017, the leadership of WVU Medicine announced plans to build a 10-story, 150-bed Children's Hospital on the main medical campus in Morgantown.

[4] Since then, the health system has grown mostly through acquisitions or clinical affiliation agreements.