WHEELING — The name of late physician and former Wheeling Hospital CEO Donald H. Hofreuter now covers the front of the Wheeling Health Right Clinic in honor of his impact on the organization.

The official dedication of the Wheeling Health Right building at 61-29th Street as the Donald H. Hofreuter, MD Wheeling Health Right Clinic was held Monday.

The Most Rev. Mark E. Brennan, Bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese, blessed the building in his memory during the ceremony.

Friends and family of Hofreuter; Wheeling Health Right staff, board members and patients; United Way representatives; city officials; and community members gathered to celebrate Hofreuter’s service to the organization that provides medical care to the uninsured or underinsured in the Ohio Valley area.

Hofreuter joined Wheeling Hospital in 1982 as the Director of Medical Affairs and retired in 2006 after serving 13 years as the hospital’s CEO.

Though he worked with the Wheeling Health Right throughout his medical career, Hofreuter became “very involved” with the organization during his retirement, according to his daughter Elizabeth “Liz” Hofreuter.

“My dad started his medical career in service, and he was absolutely dedicated to those who needed his skills and expertise but couldn’t necessarily afford it,” Hofreuter said. “When his years in hospital administration ended, it seemed very natural that he would return to serve with the skills and gifts God had given him.”

Outgoing Wheeling Health Right Executive Director Kathie Brown said the building dedication was motivated by Hofreuter’s involvement in the community.

She noted he was part of Wheeling Health Right since it was located in East Wheeling and played a role in acquiring its current building.

As the Wheeling Hospital CEO, Hofreuter considered purchasing the current Wheeling Health Right building for a doctor’s office. When he heard the organization was looking to purchase the building, Brown recalled him “backing off immediately.”

Brown added that Hofreuter also knew an anonymous foundation donor who purchased the organization’s mobile unit and paid off its building.

Beyond his involvement in acquiring the organization’s current building, Brown noted the time Hofreuter dedicated to the Wheeling Health Right.

He became a frequent face seen by employees in the halls of the building following his retirement from Wheeling Hospital.

“Dr. Hofreuter was here at the drop of a hat whenever you needed him,” Brown said. “He taught my nurse practitioners every week and brought in articles for them to study because he was an avid reader. The patients loved him and enjoyed seeing him too- he was just a great man.”

In addition to Wheeling Health Right staff members, Brown said Hofreuter also guided her.

“He played a big part in the organization all the way along,” Brown said. “He gave me so much knowledge and kind of acted like a dad to me at the end of his life because my own dad was gone. He had such a strong commitment to the Wheeling Health Right, and we want to keep a strong commitment to his legacy.”

Liz Hofreuter noted that while her father did not like his name to be “the center and focus,” he would be very proud of the work that was continuing at the Wheeling Health Right.

She added that her father’s service in the community “lit a fire” within her and others to serve vulnerable populations in the area, particularly the homeless community.

“I don’t think many people knew about his passion for the unhoused community because he didn’t do it for people to know. He did it for the people he was serving,” Hofreuter said. “I’m so grateful for everybody at Health Right and the foundation that gave in his honor to recognize him in this way.”