Richmond Community Hospital Commitment

Bon Secours’ commitment to the Richmond community is unwavering. In January of 2023, we introduced our Community Today, Community Tomorrow: Pathway to Wellness in the East End initiative, which is a three-year plan developed using data gathered from the East End community, for the East End community.

In our first year, we have made great strides on the four key components of this plan including increasing access to medical services, focusing on wellness and prevention, growing our partnerships with the East End community, and recruiting and training physicians and associates. We have seen that when we come together, we can meet the challenge of improving the health and well-being of the East End community, and we appreciate your ongoing support and partnership.

As we enter year two of the implementation of the Pathway to Wellness in the East End initiative, we will continue posting updates by the 15th of the month following the end of each quarter (April 15th, July 15th, October 15th, January 15th) on this dedicated webpage.

Click here to view the Community Today, Community Tomorrow: Pathway to Wellness in the East End plan

Richmond Community Hospital

See What We Accomplished in 2023!

Q1 2024 Updates – Pathway to Wellness in the East End

Richmond Community Hospital nears completion of new MRI Imaging Suite and Patient Registration Lobby
Access to Medical Services

On March 13, 2024, Richmond Community Hospital celebrated the delivery of our new state-of-the-art MRI, which is bringing the latest and greatest technology to the East End. For more than two years, RCH has been working towards building out a new $4.3 million MRI Suite and Main Patient Registration Lobby in partnership with PSH+ Architecture and Design, and Taylor & Parris Construction. We are proud to announce that we are nearing completion, and we are excitedly anticipating an opening this quarter (Q2 2024).

Bon Secours welcomes Certified Nurse Midwife to East End OB/GYN clinic
Access to Medical Services

In January of 2024 we welcomed Leah Choate, MSN, RNC-OB, Certified Nurse Midwife to the Bon Secours Richmond OB/GYN clinic at Richmond Community Hospital. Leah works alongside Sam Campbell, MD, to provide quality patient care to women and expecting mothers in the East End.

Paula Young, MD, Joins Richmond Community Hospital leadership team as the VP of medical affairs and takes on new role as Chief Medical Officer of Community Health
Access to Medical Services

Earlier this year Paula Young, M.D. transitioned into a newly created and expanded role of Chief Medical Officer, Community Health as well as Vice President Medical Affairs for Richmond Community Hospital (RCH). Dr. Young is the physician executive covering Richmond Community Hospital as well as Community Health across the Richmond market. Working with leadership, she focuses on clinical strategy, quality, patient safety, physician engagement and access to clinical services.

Richmond Community Hospital celebrates Black History Month by honoring our 21 founding physicians
Community Partnerships

On February 27th, Richmond Community Hospital celebrated Black History Month by honoring our 21 founding physicians with a custom mural commissioned in the hospital’s newly established “legacy garden.” Those 21 physicians, many of whose family and friends were in attendance, are honored in our garden for their courage and bravery to ensure a legacy of healing for their community. The mural was a custom design by Richmond Artist Hamilton Glass. Richmond Community Hospital will. We look forward to partnering again with Glass for another community art project at the intersections of Nine Mile and 27th St. and U St. and 28th St.

Richmond Community Hospital Legacy Garden Plaque

View

RCH Medical Staff Make Donation to Boys & Girls Club for Doctors’ Day
Community Partnerships

Every year on March 30th, we honor our physicians for the incredible service they provide to our patients and community. This year, our Richmond Community Hospital medical staff decided that in lieu of a gift, they wanted to donate to a local non-profit serving the East End. The medical staff then voted on a worth recipient and awarded the $3,500 donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Richmond.

Richmond Community Hospital Hosts State Health Commissioner
Community Partnerships

Leadership from the Richmond market and Richmond Community Hospital hosted Dr. Karen Shelton, State Health Commissioner with the Virginia Department of Health at the beginning of the year. During this visit, we shared some exciting initiatives that are happening within our market and the East End, including our behavioral health partial hospitalization program, our expansion of OB/GYN services on the campus, our ability to transfer patients in a timely manner through our partnership with the Richmond Ambulance Authority, and the forthcoming Bon Secours Urgent Care, East End location.

Richmond Community Hospital Expands Surgical Services to Include Pediatric Dentistry
Access to Medical Services

In January, Richmond Community Hospital began partnering with multiple local Pediatric Dentistry practices to provide surgical services to the Richmond area. As part of this new service, we successfully completed our first pediatric surgical case. As this partnership continues, the team is working to expand services to patients through the age of 22 and to those with mild to moderate autism.

Richmond Community Hospital successfully passed two major accreditation surveys
Access to Medical Services

Richmond Community Hospital is dedicated to expanding services and ensuring we provide high quality, safe health care to our patients. On February 27th, Richmond Community Hospital successfully completed a biannual survey by the College of American Pathologists from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Through this successful survey we maintained our laboratory accreditation, which is vital to providing quality patient care. reinstated accreditation of our Lab.

Richmond Community Hospital Achieves Primary Stroke Center Recertification
Access to Medical Services

On March 28th, Richmond Community Hospital underwent a rigorous Primary Stroke Center recertification. The reviewer, known for being thorough and fair, was extremely complimentary of the care that stroke patients receive at RCH. She was able to see the dedication to patient care and to positive patient outcomes practiced at RCH and was impressed by the community outreach displayed. RCH completed a perfect survey and was recertified as a Primary Stroke Center for another two years

Bon Secours Community Health Team Onboards Four AmeriCorps Community Health Workers
Community Partnerships

In partnership with the City of Richmond, Bon Secours launched a Community Health Worker AmeriCorps program in October 2023, and is now set to expand the partnership to six members. These volunteers support the East End Community and patients of Richmond Community Hospital to improve their health and connection to resources in food access, housing, transportation, employment, childcare, and other social drivers of health. The program will run through the Fall of 2024 with the goal of connecting the AmeriCorps Community Health Workers to ongoing career opportunities in the field of health care through Bon Secours.

Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital partners Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School for Annual Career Fair
Training and Education + Community Partnerships

For the third year in a row, leaders and associates from Richmond Community Hospital attended the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School’s Annual Career Fair. The event focused on the theme of “Constructing Your Future” and was held on Thursday, March 28th. This event was another great opportunity to give students within the community the opportunity for career exploration in health care!

Sarah Garland Jones Center Implements New East End Cooking & Conversations Series
Wellness & Prevention

The Bon Secours East End Neighborhood Engagement Team completed the second implementation of Cooking & Conversations, a new program to support community members and patients through targeted nutrition education, community building, and healthy food access. These 4-week programs have a health focus, and while the first session focused on diabetes, the latest session focused on mental health.

Bon Secours Hypertension Management Program at Richmond Community Hospital – Presented at the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association Foundation’s Heart Disease and Stroke Learning Collaboration
Community Partnerships

Hypertension is the leading preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease mortality in the East End of Richmond, disproportionately affecting the Black community. Bon Secours is working with patients between the ages of 18 and 75 who have been diagnosed with hypertension and receive care at Primary Care Associates in the past 12 months focusing on several key interventions. The program also includes free heart-healthy fitness classes, participation in the Produce RX program with Shalom Farms, weekly fresh produce boxes beginning May 2024, and activities aimed at reducing social isolation and stress. Based on feedback from patients, the first group event was a game night held this quarter at Rise Café where participants and their family members played spades, Uno, Sorry and a wide range of fun games both old and new.

Bon Secours Community Health Team provides hands-only CPR training at First Baptist Church South Richmond
Community Partnerships

In honor of Heart Health Month, the Bon Secours Community Health Team partnered with First Baptist Church South Richmond to provide hands-only CPR training for congregation members. The focus of the event was to ensure non-medical community members have basic training in hands-only CPR and use of AEDs.

Richmond Market Leading the Way on Efforts to Increase Investments with Minority-Owned Businesses
Community Partnerships

In February, Mike Lutes, market president for Bon Secours Richmond along with Odessa Stapleton, chief diversity & inclusion officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health, and Bridget Fitzpatrick, chief operating officer

for Richmond Community Hospital met with the Council of African American CEOs to provide updates on our diverse spend goals and strategic initiatives and to hear feedback about additional ways to partner with local, minority owned businesses.