Bon Secours Plans Expansion of Midlothian Hospital
Richmond, Va. (Feb. 11, 2019) – Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center is planning to expand. The 130-bed hospital in Midlothian, Virginia, filed a Certificate of Public Need (COPN) request to increase its bed capacity through the addition of 55 acute care beds, including nine obstetrical beds, four intensive care beds, and 42 medical/surgical beds. The expansion is projected to be about 110,000 square feet and cost approximately $119 million.
Chesterfield County is the fastest growing county in the Richmond metropolitan area. St. Francis Medical Center is located in the heart of this large area of population growth, and it serves patients in surrounding counties, including Chesterfield, Powhatan, Amelia and Cumberland/Nottoway.
“Bon Secours is committed to serving the health care needs of the residents of this growing area and hopes to meet the fast-growing demand and need by proposing additional beds to the hospital,” said Chris Accashian, president, Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center. “This expansion would allow for more flexibility in patient placement, in addition to helping us better accommodate the growing inpatient demand.”
The proposed expansion responds to an increased need for inpatient beds from patients for medical, surgical, obstetrical and intensive care, stemming in part from increased complexity of inpatient services and population growth, especially growth in the population of ages 65 and older, who require more inpatient care than other age groups.
The bed expansion, which would increase St. Francis’ licensed capacity to 185 beds, would involve the following expansions:
- Expand obstetrical beds from 21 to 30 beds
- Expand intensive care beds from 16 to 20 beds
- Expand medical/surgical services by adding 42 new medical/surgical beds
In addition to the 55 additional licensed beds, St. Francis would establish an observation unit with ten beds. These ten beds would be dedicated to observation patients and therefore not included in St. Francis’ licensed bed complement. Observation units allow for clinical decision care to be provided on a dedicated unit, reducing the number of observation patients occupying a licensed inpatient bed.
To accommodate the proposed bed expansion, St. Francis would renovate selected areas of the hospital, expand parking and construct two new two-story additions; the first one above the emergency department tower and the second above the inpatient bed tower.
“By proposing two new, two-story additions, we would complete this expansion with limited disruptions to the hospital’s ongoing care,” continued Accashian.
As part of the COPN process, Bon Secours seeks letters and comments of support for this expansion. Members of the community who wish to share their experiences and support for the project are asked to please address your letter to: Chris Accashian, president, Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center, 13710 St. Francis Blvd, Midlothian, VA 23114. An email copy of letters may also be sent to bridget_fitzpatrick@bshsi.org (note the “_” between Bridget and Fitzpatrick).
For more information, including how to participate in the online petition for this project, visit https://bonsecours.com/richmond/community-commitment/st-francis-medical-center-expansion.