MECHANICSVILLE, Va. -- Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center is asking the state for permission to add two stories to the existing hospital. Administrators at the hospital in Mechanicsville said 44 new beds will help them meet the needs of the area’s growing population.
“Over the next five years, the growth in people 65 and older is expected to be about 19 percent and those are the people that typically need in-patient care,” said Leigh Sewell, the President of Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center.
The $52.7 million project is currently undergoing the Certificate of Public Need, or COPN review process.
In Virginia, and in more than half of the states in the country, healthcare providers must prove to a regulatory board that a community needs new or expanded services.
Virginia’s COPN laws are among the most comprehensive in the country, regulating 20 different technologies and procedures, according to research from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
The process includes application fees, public hearings and providing evidence to support a claim that additional services are in the public’s best interest.
“It’s a very thorough process. Luckily, we have teams of experts that can help us put it together but it’s quite a detailed package,” said Sewell. “We have to demonstrate our occupancy by unit. (There is) a lot of financial information on the facility, a lot of population information so they can really see the full picture because they are making decision for the entire area.”
Bon Secours is hoping community members will submit letters in support of the expansion. Viewers can share their experiences by sending a letter addressed to Leigh Sewell, President, Memorial Regional Medical Center, at 8260 Atlee Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116.
An email copy of letters may also be sent to Meredith White at MEREDITH_WHITE@bshsi.org.
