Near U.S. 258 and Virginia Route 10 lies an empty plot of land owned by Riverside Health System. The land is seen by health leaders as a new opportunity to serve Isle of Wight County.
“Our true north is really our commitment to the community and our commitment to the patients,” said Riverside Regional Medical Center Associate Vice President Jessica Macalino.
Last year, Riverside Health administrators received a certificate of public need approval from the Virginia Department of Health to open a multi-million dollar acute care hospital along this stretch of road.
Macalino said the last few months have consisted of design-planning and selecting equipment and technology for the new facility.
“We’ve posted a series of design events where our architect teams constructed life-size models of what our patient rooms would look like, what our operating rooms would look like,” she said.
The health system submitted an initial site plan to Isle of Wight County in March. Earlier this month, they submitted a building plan to the county.
Riverside Health plans to break ground on Riverside Smithfield Hospital on July 26. They anticipate about two years of construction before they start recruitment efforts.
“Somewhere around mid to late 2024 with the goal of having our teams recruited and fully staffed and fully trained by the end of 2025,” Macalino said.
Macalino expects to have about 150 clinical and non-clinical positions at the facility. She said they’re starting recruiting efforts early ahead of the hospital’s 2026 opening to ensure they’re ready to serve. Though, she said administrators don’t think they'll have a hard time filling job openings.
“We think that this is also going to... bring more community members to Isle of Wight County now that there is a hospital and a place for local team members to work,” she said.
“This event will be a major milestone in the construction process for RSH and represents partnership in the truest form,” said Michael Dacey, M.D., president and CEO of Riverside Health System. “From the support Riverside has received from local community members, elected officials, EMS, our team members, and so many others, this will be an important day to celebrate the work that has been completed thus far and look ahead to the completion of the hospital in late 2025.”