South Tidewater News

Bon Secours Chester Emergency Center, located off Route 1 in Chester, will open its doors on May 25, 2022 to patients experiencing life-threatening emergencies, major medical concerns and minor injuries. The facility, Bon Secours’ fourth freestanding emergency department (ED) in its Richmond market, will house an 11-bed ED with medical personnel who provide the same services and level of care found in a traditional hospital ED, as well as outpatient imaging services and occupational health services operated by Harness Health Partners. Leaders from Bon Secours, Harness Health Partners, local businesses and Chesterfield County Fire and EMS celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 12.

According to Chesterfield Fire and EMS, for years residents of the Chester community have experienced low ambulance reliability due to the large geographic area and lack of hospital emergency services nearby. In fact, patient transport times for ambulances have been the longest in this area of Chesterfield County. In addition, the expectation of an increased demand in emergency services due to an aging population led Chesterfield Fire and EMS to find new solutions to support the community’s health needs.

“The new Bon Secours Chester Emergency Center is meeting a critical need for residents of the Chester community with increased access to emergency health care services. We are proud to answer the call of our local EMS partners with this new facility and look forward to caring for this community in the days, weeks and years to come,” said Joe Wilkins, president of Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center. “This facility will help us fill the gap between St. Francis Medical Center and Southside Medical Center by providing easier, more convenient access to care for those living in the southern part of our Richmond market.”

Bon Secours Chester Emergency Center serves as an extension of Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center and is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week with board-certified emergency department physicians and nurses utilizing the same state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment as found in Bon Secours’ hospitals. As such, ambulances can immediately transport patients needing an inpatient hospital stay to St. Francis Medical Center for direct admission, bypassing the hospital ED.

Bon Secours Chester Emergency Center is prepared to help patients and families with everything from injuries to infections. Typical conditions that patients would use a freestanding emergency for are:

• Life-threatening conditions (such as heart attacks, strokes and respiratory issues)
• Medical problems that come on suddenly (such as fever, infection and severe allergic reactions)
• Major injuries (such as burns, fractures and head injuries)
• Minor injuries (such as cuts and sprains)
• Complications from chronic illnesses
• Poisonings and overdoses 

“We are excited to be here today to celebrate this great partnership with Bon Secours and look forward to the positive impact greater access to hospital emergency services will have on our community,” said Edward “Loy” Senter, Jr., fire chief of Chesterfield County Fire and EMS. “Our EMS teams will be able to provide more efficient and timely support with this new facility that is bridging the gap in what has historically been a medically underserved area.”

• The new one-story, 24,000-square-foot Bon Secours Chester Emergency Center facility will house:
• An 11-bed emergency department
• Medical imaging center including CT, MRI, ultrasound and radiography that will serve both scheduled outpatients and ED patients
• Harness Health Partners – Chester Occupational Health, a new location for Harness Health Partners, an employer health solutions company dedicated to optimizing better health and wellness for employees while meeting corporate objectives. 

"It's no secret that an injured workforce is a less productive workforce, and a workforce that is unable to perform will impact any business' bottom line," said Marcia Swehla, president of Harness Health Partners. "Harness Health Partners is dedicated to assisting businesses, large and small, in optimizing employees' health and wellness. The emphasis and prioritization of health that local businesses commit to not only benefits the businesses and organizations themselves, but also helps to build healthier and happier communities overall. Our expert board-certified clinicians and staff are trained to treat work-related injuries and illnesses. We strive to return the worker to work, often exceeding national benchmarks, while partnering with the employer on reducing work injuries going forward. We offer a full range of occupational health services and we're thrilled to now have a permanent home in Chester. We sincerely look forward to serving this community."

This is Bon Secours’ fourth freestanding emergency department in its Richmond market. Bon Secours operates three other freestanding EDs: Bon Secours Westchester Emergency Center, which opened in 2011, serving Midlothian and Powhatan communities; Bon Secours Short Pump Emergency Center, which opened in 2018, serving the Far West End community; and Bon Secours – Colonial Heights Emergency Care, which Bon Secours acquired in 2020, serving the Colonial Heights community.

The Bon Secours Chester Emergency Center is located at 12021 Route 1, Chester, VA 23831, approximately 18 miles from Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center and 16 miles from Bon Secours Southside Medical Center.

Original source can be found here.