Health organizations join forces to invest $425,000 annually in transportation component of community health

Bon Secours Richmond Health System and VCU Health System have partnered to secure joint sponsorship rights of GRTC Pulse, Richmond’s high capacity rapid transit system that will serve its first riders this summer. Bon Secours and VCU Health System share a commitment to improving the health of the Greater Richmond community by pooling their resources to address the social conditions that impact health, one of which is transportation.

“Quality transportation provides access to jobs, health care, affordable housing and educational institutions,” said Toni R. Ardabell, CEO of Bon Secours Virginia Health System. “Our colleagues at VCU Health are the perfect partners in this effort to support Richmond’s new rapid transit system because we are aligned in our missions of bringing health and wholeness to the communities we serve.”

GRTC Pulse is a modern, high quality, high capacity rapid transit system serving activity centers on a 7.6 mile route along Broad Street and Main Street, between Rocketts Landing in the City of Richmond and Willow Lawn in Henrico County. This first Pulse line is the new spine of GRTC’s transit system, with other routes connecting to it across the Greater Richmond Area to improve the overall quality of life for the community.

“As the region’s largest safety-net provider, we know that reliable transportation plays a key role in creating healthy communities,” said Deborah Davis, CEO of VCU Hospitals and Clinics. “We will also use buses and bus stops for community health education, encouraging riders to learn about health screenings and reducing risk factors for conditions such as heart disease, stroke, obesity and diabetes."

The naming rights agreement will generate up to $6.4 million in non-fare revenue for GRTC operations over a term of up to 15 years.

“We’re excited to announce an outstanding partnership with not one but two of the strongest brands in our community,” said David Green, CEO of GRTC. “This investment in our Pulse service is an investment in the mobility and continued development of our community. It represents a great partnership and a sustainable revenue source that will assist in operating the line and maintaining our level of service to the Richmond area.”

For additional information about GRTC Pulse, visit http://ridegrtc.com/brt

Members of the media are invited to interview representatives from each of the partners at GRTC headquarters, 301 E. Belt Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23224 on Thursday, April 5, 2018 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.

 
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About Bon Secours Richmond Health System
Bon Secours Richmond is part of Bon Secours Virginia, which provides compassionate medical care to thousands of Virginians through a network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, ambulatory care sites and continuing care facilities across the Commonwealth. The fourth largest and only faith-based health system in Virginia, Bon Secours Richmond is a Catholic health ministry that partners with the community to create a more humane world, build health and social justice and serve those who are vulnerable. Bon Secours Richmond provides nearly $130 million in community care through Medicare, Medicaid, charity care and other community benefits. As one of Richmond’s largest employers, the not-for-profit health system employs more than 9,000 people, including nearly 420 providers as part of the Bon Secours Medical Group. Bon Secours Richmond includes St. Mary’s Hospital, Memorial Regional Medical Center, Richmond Community Hospital, St. Francis Medical Center, Rappahannock General Hospital and Westchester Emergency Center. The Bon Secours Richmond Health Foundation raises charitable funds to help Bon Secours Virginia Health System address the community’s growing health care needs with compassion and excellence.
 
About VCU and VCU Health
Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in 220 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Seventy-nine of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU’s 13 schools and one college. The VCU Health brand represents the health sciences schools of VCU, the VCU Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Health System, which comprises VCU Medical Center (the only academic medical center and Level I trauma center in the region), Community Memorial Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, MCV Physicians and Virginia Premier Health Plan. For more, please visit www.vcu.edu and vcuhealth.org
 
About GRTC
Jointly owned by the City of Richmond and Chesterfield County, GRTC Transit System is a public service corporation providing public transportation service in the Greater Richmond area. These services include fixed route, express, ridesharing, paratransit and welfare-to-work transportation. GRTC Transit System’s mission is to provide clean, safe, and reliable transportation and to improve mobility and access throughout Central Virginia. With a commitment to providing exceptional customer service and responding to the needs of the communities GRTC serves, GRTC seeks to become the leading provider of world-class transportation services and mobility solutions.