Riverside Health’s latest hospital has been years in the making. The Newport News, Va.-based health system has owned the lot in Isle of Wight County — a medically underserved area — since 2008 and has been keeping an eye on the county’s population dynamics. In 2022, Virginia approved the hospital’s certificate of public need. Now, its doors are set to open in January.
The facility will feature 38 medical/surgical beds, 12 ICU beds, a 15-room emergency department, four operating rooms and two procedure suites.
As Riverside Smithfield Hospital prepares to open, Jessica Macalino, the hospital’s president, told Becker’s about what it takes to finance and staff an acute-care hospital in an underserved — but growing — community.
“Patients right now are traveling 30 minutes or more to receive access to care,” she said. “Any increase in additional services tends to lower costs for patients. Our goal really is to deliver high-quality, cost-effective care and to give patients a choice. We will be the only hospital in the county.”
Time to recruit
Originally, Ms. Macalino had concerns about recruiting, but the hospital has the majority of its physician and provider positions filled now. The hospital is still looking for a neurologist, key as it builds out the specialty. Ms. Macalino plans for the hospital to be fully staffed by mid-December.
She noted how a substantial portion of Isle of Wight residents currently commute to work from the county. About 45 days after posting its first bloc of jobs, over 2,700 applicants had inquired. The hospital has been hiring for close to 250 clinical and nonclinical jobs.
“There’s a lot of excitement around this,” Ms. Macalino said. “People want to be a part of something new.”
Prioritizing specialty care
While Riverside Health System already has a presence in the community, specialty care will be a core pillar of this operation.
“With our medical office building, we can now bring specialty provider services,” Ms. Macalino said. Specialities include orthopedics, cardiology, gastroenterology, urology, vascular surgery and, in the future, neurology. The hospital has already started taking appointments for some of these patients.
Planning for financial sustainability
Riverside Smithfield Hospital was financed through tax-exempt bonds, according to Ms. Macalino. She said the hospital’s cash flow projections are positive and anticipates a positive return on investment in the first few years.
“If you put the patient at the center of everything you do, and you build your teams with that same mentality, then the financial metrics are going to come,” she said.