PATRICK CO., Va. – Patrick County residents celebrated the reopening of their local hospital Monday, ending a seven-year gap in local healthcare access.
The Stuart Community Hospital, formerly Pioneer Community Hospital, restored emergency medical services to an area that had been without a hospital since 2017 and emergency care since November.
“That was a little bit scary, because if we had an emergency, we would have to go so much further away,” said Karen Towns, a Patrick County resident, reflecting on the years without local healthcare.
Tennessee-based Braden Health invested more than $15 million to purchase and renovate the facility. The new hospital features 25 beds, a radiology department and emergency room, providing critical services to residents who previously faced hour-long drives to Mount Airy, North Carolina, or Martinsville for emergency care.
“The community kept on getting burned by companies that kept on coming in here, saying they’d open the hospital and then never opening the hospital. Well, this time it actually happened,” said Larry Henson, CEO of Stuart Community Hospital.
Rural Healthcare Mission
Braden Health, founded with a mission to expand rural healthcare access, saw an opportunity in Patrick County. Kyle Kopec, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer, explained their motivation: “We decided we wanted to take that challenge and make it so that we could help others.”
For residents like Towns, the reopening brings peace of mind. “We know with the hospital here we can get quick care. And even so, we’re getting older too, so we need the hospital in the area,” she said.
“I’m really excited because I think it’s going to fill a really big need for the people in this community,” Towns added.
County officials hope the hospital’s return will attract more residents and businesses to the area.