Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital is seen in 2023.
With input from a wide range of community stakeholders, Bon Secours launched a three-year initiative in January 2023 designed to positively impact health outcomes and improve the lives of residents in Richmond’s historic East End community.
Medical director for Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital and Community Health Access for Bon Secours’ Richmond market, Paula Young, M.D., looks back nearly a year later at the Community Today, Community Tomorrow: Pathway to Wellness in the East End plan.
“This initiative is an organized response to meet concerns expressed by the community and to transparently carry out a strategy that has long been in development by leaders at Richmond Community Hospital,” said Dr. Young. “The goals and deliverables of the Pathway to Wellness Plan were informed by conversations with East End physicians, business owners, nonprofit leaders and, most importantly, residents.”
Founded in the early 1900s by Sarah Garland Jones, M.D., the first Black woman to pass the Medical Examination Boards in Virginia led a group of Black physicians to establish Richmond Community Hospital. Since its founding, Richmond Community Hospital has long been a vital East End landmark. In 1980, a group of 21 Black physicians teamed up to offer personal financial investments to relocate the hospital to its current campus on Nine Mile Road. And in 1995, Bon Secours acquired the hospital folding it into its mission-driven health ministry. After years in the making, the Community Today, Community Tomorrow initiative launched in January 2023 to coincide with the opening of the new $16.5 million East End Medical Office Building.
Bon Secours Critical Care Transport is able to transport patients from Richmond Community Hospital as needed to ensure they are receiving timely access to the appropriate level of care.
To identify and meet the needs of the community, Bon Secours gathered information through a clinical advisory group and a community advisory council, in addition to hosting open community forums.
The results determined four key areas of focus: access to medical services (particularly outpatient specialty care); community partnerships with special emphasis on patient transportation by the Richmond Ambulance Authority; disease prevention and wellness; and education, recruitment and training to pave a pathway to employment opportunities for East End residents.
The establishment of an enhanced multispecialty outpatient clinic, a walk-in wellness clinic and a hypertension intervention program are just a few of the milestones achieved through the initiative this year.
“In October, we partnered with the Office of Community Wealth Building to hold a two-day East End Health Care Career Fair,” Dr. Young said. “We introduced more than 35 residents to health care professionals and were able to extend offers of employment right there at the event.”
Looking ahead to the future, Dr. Young hopes to keep building on the initiative’s progress and momentum to beget even more growth opportunities.
“We remain committed to meeting the timelines laid out in the plan, and will update each deliverable as it’s completed,” she said. “As we move further into the next two years, we will continue to increase access to medical services, expand green space, extend our commitment to working with minority-owned businesses and connect patients to resources in the community.”
For more information about the Community Today, Community Tomorrow initiative, and to read quarterly updates, visit bonsecours.com.
