The freestanding emergency center will be the first of its kind in New Kent County.

RICHMOND, Va. (May 8, 2020) — Representatives from VCU Health System and New Kent County announced today that VCU Health’s Emergency Center at New Kent will open its doors for patient care on June 1. Originally set to open in spring 2020, the opening of the facility was postponed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are ready to safely and responsibly serve New Kent County residents with emergency care in the area where they live,” said Melinda Hancock, Chief Administrative and Financial Officer at VCU Health System. “COVID-19 will be with us for a long time, but medical emergencies have not stopped during the pandemic. We are a safe place to seek care when you need it most.”

The 17,000-square-foot VCU Health Emergency Center at New Kent will offer around-the-clock board-certified emergency medicine physicians, emergency-trained registered nurses, laboratory services and integrated technology.

“The VCU Health Emergency Center will have a positive impact on the community and the lives of many of its residents by reducing travel times for emergency services,” said Patricia Paige, Chairwoman of the New Kent County Board of Supervisors. “In addition, it will help spur economic development growth within the county. We look forward to a long-lasting partnership with VCU into the future years.”

The freestanding emergency center has the same capabilities as a regular emergency department and is the right place to treat true emergencies requiring immediate attention, such as a stroke, heart attack, bad burn, automobile accident or bad fall.

Lisa Dodd, who will serve as medical director of the facility, urges patients not to delay care for life-threatening emergencies. “We are deeply concerned that patients are not seeking care for emergency conditions like strokes and heart attacks out of fear of contracting COVID-19. I want New Kent residents to know that it is safe to come to our facility. What is unsafe is to delay emergency care,” Dodd said.

VCU Health is taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safest environment possible. The robust safety and cleaning protocols to protect patients, team members and the community against COVID-19 exposure and infection include:

• Everyone entering the facility will be screened for coronavirus symptoms at the door.
   
• Patients with coronavirus symptoms will be treated in separate, designated areas to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Testing everyone at the door ensures that providers take all proper safety measures to care for patients screening positive for COVID-19 and keep others safe.
   
• All patients entering the emergency center are required to wear a mask. VCU Health will provide masks to patients who do not have one.
   
• All VCU Health team members providing care will wear masks. 

The $16 million emergency center is located near Exit 205 off Interstate 64 at 2495 Pocahontas Trail, Quinton, VA.