Today's Charrette
Origin of the term "Charrette"
Charrette, (shuh-ret), is a French word meaning "cart."
During the 19th century, the term came to use in the prime of the École des Beaux Arts, a number of influential art schools, in Paris. Students were known to feverishly complete their final drawings as the schools' Charrettes arrived to collect their projects.
Legend states that students would even climb aboard the Charrette and continue working on their illustrations while riding through the streets of Paris. Another origination comes from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. At a time when travel was slow and lengthy, the term Charrette was attributed to politicians and officials who sequestered themselves on long carriage rides. During this journey, they worked together in problem solving and decision making. This definition is the one that most closely resembles today's current understanding of the word in America.
Today's Charrette
Used almost exclusively in the design industry, a Charrette is an intensive, multi-day planning process that solicits feedback on pending building and development projects. A Charrette is intended to gather input from government officials, developers, company employees, neighborhood residents and anyone else interested in the project. A Charrette results in a unified development plan in which everyone expresses a voice and ownership.
Our experience with St. Francis in Chesterfield
The Charrette concept in hospital planning is quite innovative, but it is not Bon Secours' first experience with the process. In January 2009, Bon Secours held a Charrette to develop a master site plan for its St. Francis Medical Center in Chesterfield County. The plan, which addresses the hospital's development through the next 20 or more years, was developed after collaboration with a variety of stakeholders including: neighbors, civic leaders, employees, physicians, architects and community planners.
Due to the success of the St. Francis plan, Bon Secours is turning to a Charrette again as it plans for the future of St. Mary's Hospital. As with the St. Francis planning process, the St. Mary's Charrette will be led by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, internationally known as a leading proponent of traditional town planning and new urbanism.
History
For more than 40 years, St. Mary's Hospital has served the healthcare needs of central Virginia. From its modest beginnings in 1966 with 169 beds and 250 employees, St. Mary's today enjoys the services of more than 1,000 physicians, supported by nearly 3,000 full- and part-time employees in a not-for-profit facility, licensed for 391 beds.
Award-winning services
Situated in Richmond's West End and regarded as a Richmond mainstay, St. Mary's earned national honors in 2008 with Magnet Recognition® for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Only about 6 percent of hospitals in the United States have achieved this elite honor, and St. Mary's is the first community hospital in Richmond to become Magnet.
St. Mary's ranks in the top 10 percent of America's hospitals for emergency care and has received national recognition for its Joint Replacement Center. St. Mary's has received the Gold Seals of Approval by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) as a Primary Stroke Center and for Disease-Specific Certifications for Congestive Heart Failure and Acute Myocardial Infarction (heart attack). St. Mary's is a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence, as named by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, and was named by Style Weekly as the "Best place in Richmond to have a baby."
Specialties include:
- cardiology
- cardiac surgery
- minimally invasive surgery
- gastric bypass
- behavioral health
- pediatric and neonatal intensive care
- women's services
- maternal fetal medicine
- general surgery
- joint replacement and orthopaedics
- sports medicine
- pediatric and adult emergency care
- oncology
- urology
- neurosurgery
- radiation therapy
A growing health system
St. Mary's Hospital is part of the Bon Secours Richmond Health System, a faith based, not-for-profit healthcare system. The health system operates three additional area hospitals — Memorial Regional Medical Center, Richmond Community Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center — and provides a variety of healthcare services to central Virginia.
Mission and legacy
St. Mary's heritage dates back almost 200 years. In 1824, in Paris, amidst the devastation following the French Revolution, a group of 12 women came together to form the congregation of the Sisters of Bon Secours, French for "good help." The sisters' purpose was to nurse the sick and dying in their homes.
In 1881, the Sisters of Bon Secours arrived in the United States where they continued their work of visiting the poor, the sick and the dying in their homes. Over time, they built a multi-state network of hospitals, long-term care facilities and healthcare services that includes Bon Secours Virginia.
All preserved the Bon Secours Catholic tradition of providing compassionate, quality healthcare services to those in need, especially the poor and dying.
Q&A
If you have a question about the future of St. Mary's Hospital, please send us an e-mail. We'll respond back to you as quickly as possible. We'll also keep this Q&A section updated with questions from important stakeholders, like you, as the answers are available.
- What is a Charette?
The Charrette involves a holistic, collaborative planning process that harnesses the talents and energies of all interested parties to create and support a feasible plan to support the vision of the St. Mary's Hospital Campus. Learn more. - How long will the Charrette process last?
The Charrette is a series of meetings and will last one week (November 6 - 12, 2009). - Why are you having one?
We are committed to growing the St. Mary's Hospital Campus responsibly over time with input from patients, neighbors, employees, community leaders and architects. The Charrette will bring all of these parties together to focus on the long-term vision of the St. Mary's Hospital Campus. - Who do I contact if I have a question about the development of St. Mary's Hospital or about the St. Mary's Charrette?
There will be regular updates on this website as well as community newsletters distributed about the plans and developments planned for St. Mary's Hospital. If you have a question you can send your email to stmarys_charrette@bshsi.org. - How can I get involved as a volunteer at St. Mary's?
others. Volunteering at St. Mary's Hospital provides a unique experience filled with fellowship, camaraderie and the satisfaction of providing good help to those in need. We are a neighborhood hospital with a rich history. Some of our volunteers have been with us for over 40 years. By volunteering with us, you will not only be working to help your community but joining the St. Mary's family and making St. Mary's connections with our patients and tremendously talented staff. For more information please contact Patricia Fawcett at (804) 281-8309 or patricia_fawcett@bshsi.org.
