New Kent Charles City Chronicle

News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | March 28, 2024

New Kent Emergency Center breaks ground, pegged for Spring 2020 opening

By Robb Johnson | June 18, 2019 2:37 pm

Golden shovels signify the groundbreaking for the construction of VCU's Trauma Center in New Kent.

Robb Johnson photo

When you sit back and think about what an emergency center would mean to a locality, it means growth and additional services for citizens. That is exactly how many people feel in New Kent after a groundbreaking ceremony for the VCU Trauma Center took place Monday morning.

Local and state dignitaries, along with representatives from Virginia Commonwealth University, attended the press conference and groundbreaking at 2495 Pocahontas Trail in Quinton, the site of the new facility. The $16 million facility will consist of a 17,000-square foot building will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and feature 12 treatment rooms, advance imaging services, CT scans, digital x-rays, ultrasounds, and a helipad.

The process, however, consisted of several bumps in the road. In August 2015, Virginia’s Department of Health recommended denial for a facility due to its proximity of a Level 2 Trauma Center. At that point, citizens from New Kent and surrounding localities lobbied for the building, presenting facts that the nearest hospital was a 30-minute drive. In research conducted by Douglas R. Harris of the state health department, the adjudication officer commented that growth in the eastern portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area warranted the project.

From there, New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway pushed forward a submission to Virginia’s Department of Health. With an outreach led by Del. Chris Peace, it was announced on March 14 of this year that the Virginia Health Commissioner had granted a certificate of public need for the Level 2 Trauma Center in New Kent.

The facility will provide long awaited emergency services to people who otherwise would travel further. The state-of-the-art facility consisted of more than four years of effort.

“It has been a pleasure to work alongside the VCU Health System team to bring a new, free-standing emergency room to New Kent that will serve our citizens and those of our surrounding localities,” said New Kent Director of Economic Development Matthew Smolnik. “In addition to medical services provided, the facility will also sport economic development growth within the county.

“We look forward to a long-lasting partnership with VCU into the future years,” he concluded.

With groundbreaking completed, the emergency center expects to open it doors by Spring 2020.