Northern Neck Times

Bon Secours Rappahannock General Hospital issued the following announcement on Feb. 23

Bon Secours and the City of Richmond celebrated the groundbreaking of a new medical office building (MOB) on the campus of Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital on Feb. 22, 2022. The facility, which will improve access to quality health care for Richmond’s East End community, will also serve as an extension of Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital.

Bon Secours regularly conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) during which residents from the communities it serves share insights that help identify areas of greatest need, with the goal of improving the overall health of the community. Behavioral health services are frequently identified on the CHNA as an area of need for this community. 

Based on this feedback from the CHNA, Bon Secours decided that the programming for the new MOB will include:

• A behavioral health partial hospitalization program, which will provide intensive care for adolescents and adults living with behavioral health and substance abuse disorders, serving as an important step between traditional outpatient care and hospitalization;
• The Bon Secours Mobile Assessment Response Team (BSMART), which is focused on behavioral health intake and response; and
• A behavioral health tele-consult call center.

Additional services located in the building will include hospice and home health, community care/Instructive Visiting Nurse Association (IVNA), pastoral care and health information management. The medical office building will be located at 2600 Nine Mile, Richmond, Va. 23223. Construction on the new two-story, 25,000-square-foot facility is expected to be complete by the end of this year.

“We are thrilled to celebrate and to break ground on this new facility that will expand our ability to serve the East End of Richmond,” said Bryan Lee, president, Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital. “There are many factors that contribute to the health of a population. We are proud to be responding directly to the community need and providing more access to critical behavioral health services.”

In 2013, Bon Secours entered into a Performance Agreement with the Richmond Economic Development Authority concerning projects in three areas of the City of Richmond. One of those projects included making capital improvements on the campus of Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital in the East End. As part of this agreement, Bon Secours committed to meeting certain requirements including a capital investment for the 25,000-square-foot medical office building of $8.5 million, the creation of 75 new jobs and a $6.7 million annual payroll in the City of Richmond to be maintained for at least 10 years.

“Bon Secours has always remained committed to developing the Richmond Community Hospital campus and investing in the health and well-being of the East End community,” said Faraaz Yousuf, market president, Bon Secours Richmond. “It’s an incredible legacy for Bon Secours as we continue down the path set by those before us. We’re glad to celebrate this expansion and our continued service to this community.”

Beyond the Performance Agreement, Bon Secours has built or renovated more than 35,000 square feet of space on the Richmond Community Hospital campus and has invested more than $9.8 million in capital improvements. Additionally, Bon Secours recognizes that the factors that drive individual and community health extend far beyond the walls of its hospitals. Bon Secours is especially proud of the investments it has made in the community to support Richmond’s East End over the years, including: 

Investing $200,000 in partnership with GRTC to make bus stop shelter improvements;

Investing more than $12 million in community benefit dollars in the East End, which includes more than $778,000 in grants to local businesses through our Supporting East End Entrepreneurship Development (SEED) program;

Providing more than $216 million in charity care at Richmond Community Hospital between 2013 and 2020;

Investing $1.6 million in partnership with the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club to develop a gymnasium that is available to the public;

Contributing $150,000 for a Play60 playground for Richmond youth; and

Opening the Sarah Garland Jones Center for Healthy Living in 2018 at a cost of more than $1.7 million, which is a gathering place for the community to collaborate in addressing health disparities and social barriers through population-based health programs.

“Bon Secours has been a great partner of the East End community for many years,” said Cynthia Newbille, president, Richmond City Council 7th District. “I look forward to seeing this project come to fruition and seeing the residents of this great community take advantage of the services and job creation this facility will bring to this area.”

For more than 25 years, Bon Secours has been an anchor in Richmond’s East End neighborhood, making substantial investments to improve the health and well-being of East End residents by addressing the social determinants of health, including health promotion, job creation, food access, transportation, education and affordable housing. Bon Secours is eager to engage with the East End community around this expansion project and plans to host opportunities where the health system can meet with and survey community members for input and feedback.

Original source can be found here.