CUMBERLAND — Two of Allegany County’s commissioners have been patients at the new Western Maryland Regional Medical Center.

And though misfortune put them there, both Dale Lewis and Bob Hutcheson were able to make the best of bad situations in the state-of-the-art medical facility on Willowbrook Road, which opened Nov. 21.

“Nobody wants to go there, but if you need some place to go, that is the place to go,” Lewis told hospital officials at Thursday’s public meeting. “It is a great place. I cannot say enough about that hospital. It’s a gorgeous piece of work.”

“Congratulations,” Hutcheson said to Barry Ronan, hospital president and CEO; Thomas C. Dowdell, chief operating officer; and M. Kathryn Burkey, chairman of the board of directors. Hutcheson presented to them a proclamation that declared this week to be Western Maryland Health System Week.

“One Regional Medical Center ... now serving the tri-state area,” an official posted on Twitter at 3:40 p.m. Nov. 21, after the last of 154 patients had been transferred from the Braddock and Memorial campuses. The brief message signaled the closing of two hospitals uniting under a single roof.

WMHS officials were quick to point out that it might never have happened as smoothly as it did without the support of the Board of Commissioners, which worked to relocate the Allegany County Health De-partment to a renovated building on the other side of Willowbrook Road. The existing building was razed in early 2007, said Kathy Rogers, director of community relations for for the health system. The new hospital stands on the site of the former health department building.

“It really is amazing, when you think about it,” she said of the cooperation of various government and private entities.

Health system officials returned the commissioners’ gesture by presenting them with a resolution of appreciation for their efforts.

The recognition Thursday was a continuation of recent honors garnered by local health officials. In November, the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce named WMHS, the area’s largest employer with approximately 2,500 workers, as Chamber Business of the Year.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.