Welcome to E.A. Hawse Health Center.

The E. A. Hawse Health Center, Inc., is a non-profit federally qualified health center located in eastern side of Hardy County in the rural Eastern Panhandle section of West Virginia, commonly known as the Potomac Highlands. E.A. Hawse Health Center (EAHHC) was constructed in 1980-81 with dental services beginning in August 1981 and medical services beginning January 1982. EAHHC became a Rural Health Clinic in 1986 and in 1994 a Federally Qualified Health Center. The Hawse Health Center is the only non-profit health care provider in the area.

We believe that no one should be deprived of medical or dental care at any time, including in times of financial hardship. Therefore in keeping with our mission statement…“TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY, AFFORDABLE, COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE TO ALL PEOPLE”, we strive to make our health services as available and accessible as possible for all members of our community.

At E.A. Hawse, we recognize the importance of preventive measures in achieving physical and mental well-being. We believe strongly that promoting good health and taking care of ourselves reduces disease and other health care problems. We strive to provide information both in educational sessions and through publications to keep our patients informed of present and future health concerns. We encourage our patients to request any information they may need regarding medical or dental issues. We want to help our community achieve and maintain healthier lifestyles. We strongly believe that Prevention is the Best Medicine.

Our Beginnings:
The E. A. Hawse Health Center came about through the vision and generosity of Mr. Edgar A. Hawse. Hawse was a farmer, educator and former Hardy County Superintendent of Schools. He made a bequest in his holographic will that brought dramatic changes to Baker, a small community in Hardy County where he lived. He envisioned a complex which would consist of a health center which would be "...utilized for the treatment of the ill, a continuous care center for the elderly and a residential area for retirees who are unable to live independently...". Upon his death in 1973, he bequeathed 192 1/2 acres of the Lost River Valley located on Rt. 259 in Baker to Hardy County to plan and develop, through a non-profit agency, a retirement village complex which would include a medical facility and a skilled nursing home facility. His legacy, which has become a complex dedicated to the health and the well-being of the community, has earned wide recognition for Baker, as well as its generous benefactor

But Mr. Hawse's gift was only the beginning of his dream. To find people with patience and commitment to bringing it to fruition would propose a great challenge. The Hardy County Committee on Aging accepted the challenge and formed the E. A. Hawse Retirement Village, Inc. to oversee the project. Consisting of members of the COA Board of Directors, and representatives from many civic and religious organizations and citizens of Hardy County, the E. A. Hawse Retirement Village, Inc. designed the complex as a three-phase project. Phase I being the construction and operation of the E.A. Hawse Health Center which opened in 1981. Phase II was the E. A. Hawse Continuous Care Center, which opened 1985. With the completion of Phase III, the opening of the E. A. Hawse Apartments in 1995, Hawse's vision was actualized.
In addition to Hawse's contribution, Philip A. Heltzel, another community spirited visionary also recognized the need for a complex dedicated to wellness and the elderly of Hardy County. Heltzel, through whose generosity the Heltzel Wing expansion of the Health Center was realized, was a life-long resident of Wardensville, a farmer and school bus driver. Upon his death in 1992, he bequeathed his estate to the E. A. Hawse Retirement Village, Inc. to help provide health and residential services to the citizens of the community.

In response to the health care needs of the Mathias community, a satellite health center, the E.A. Hawse Health Center-Mathias Branch, began operations in 1996. The facility is located in the Old Mathias Schoolhouse. This property was conveyed to the Mathias Ruritans by the Hardy County Board of Education to develop for the good of the community. The north end of the building was leased to the E.A. Hawse Health Center in 1995 to renovate and establish a health center. In addition to answering the needs of the Mathias community, this also fulfilled a long-standing goal of the Mathias Ruritans, which was to “…somehow find a way to provide health services to citizens in Mathias and communities in the surrounding area”.

Today:
The E. A. Hawse Health Center, expansion is present in the Baker site, is located on Hwy 55 in Baker. Medical, Radiology, Dental Services and In House Pharmacy are provided on the upper level of the building. On the lower level of the building is located the Administration offices, Counseling services, School-Based Health program offices and a conference room which is also utilized as a community room where various clubs and civic organizations meet. At the Mathias site, the Health Center has medical services in a renovated portion of the Old Mathias Schoolhouse located on Upper Cove Run Road.

The Baker and Mathias facilities provides comprehensive primary, preventative and acute care and dental services, immunizations, school-based health services, limited lab services, hearing screening, referrals and case management. Medications are available for dispensation to our patients that qualify through the Outreach Program. The Baker facility has an In House Pharmacy and also provides Radiology services, which include diagnostic X-Ray. In addition the Health Centers offer programs such as Family Planning, Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program, Well Child Checks and Immunizations through the Vaccines for Children Program. In addition special programs are offered targeting Osteoporosis, Diabetes; Prostate Cancer and Breast and Cervical Cancer.

The service area of the Hawse Health Centers are Eastern Hardy County, Lost River and Capon Districts; and Hampshire County’s Sherman and Capon Districts. Gore District of Hampshire County is part of our contiguous area as is the Bergton, Criders, Fulks Run area of Rockingham County in Virginia. School Based Health Care program service area is the East Hardy and Moorefield School Complexes.