Bon Secours leaders, along with The Most Reverend Barry C. Knestout, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, joined together to celebrate a new milestone in the transition and integration of Bon Secours Southside Medical Center, located in Petersburg, Va., and Bon Secours Southern Virginia Medical Center, located in Emporia, Va., into the Bon Secours ministry. As marked with a special blessing from Bishop Knestout, these hospitals have officially joined the Catholic tradition of Bon Secours, and will continue to provide quality, compassionate care to patients of all faiths and traditions.
“Celebrating this milestone is a proud day not only for our associates at Southside Medical Center and Southern Virginia Medical Center, it’s a proud day for the entire Bon Secours ministry,” said Faraaz Yousuf, president, Bon Secours Richmond. “The acknowledgement of these facilities as Catholic hospitals is a key component of what sets us apart from other health systems. Our ministry is known for delivering quality, compassionate care in support of our Mission to extend the healing ministry of Jesus, and we are thrilled to extend that good help to the communities of Petersburg and Emporia.”
As part of the transition to becoming Catholic hospitals, changes were made at both Southside Medical Center and Southern Virginia Medical Center. To more fully express our Catholic identity, Bon Secours reconfigured the Chapel space at Southside to accommodate the celebration of Mass, and for a tabernacle to keep the Blessed Sacrament (Holy Eucharist) in repose for distribution to sick patients, and at Southern Virginia, a chapel was created to have space for private prayer. During today’s blessings, Bishop Knestout blessed crucifixes that will be hung within each hospital, and in the coming weeks, Bon Secours will begin installing crucifixes in all patient rooms and common rooms.
Bon Secours acquired Southside Medical Center (formerly Southside Regional Medical Center) and Southern Virginia Medical Center (formerly Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center) on January 1, 2020. Since then, clinical and operations leaders have worked tirelessly to create a seamless transition of care delivery onboarding associates and sharing information about Bon Secours’ Mission, vision and values, while keeping the patient at the center of all care and services provided. With these two hospitals, Bon Secours now extends Catholic health care into Southern Virginia and more rural communities where access to health care is more challenging.