MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- A public hearing on Mon General Hospital's challenge to the need for a $248 million expansion of WVU Hospitals is set for June 12.

The hearing will be held at the Charleston offices of the West Virginia Health Care Authority, where both sides are expected to present witnesses.

Mon General demanded last month that the authority hold a hearing on whether the plan is necessary. That effectively delayed the four-year construction project by at least six months.

WVU Hospitals President Bruce McClymonds says the June hearing is a month or two sooner than he'd anticipated and sets the stage for a ruling by the authority in October or November.

McClymonds says that means the six-month delay he predicted last month could be shortened, but not by much.