Children’s Hospital
2008-2009
In 2007, Children’s Hospital of Richmond (CHoR), supported by Children’s Hospital Foundation (CHF), commissioned an extensive marketing survey to determine if there was sufficient need in the Petersburg area to establish another of its community-based pediatric therapy centers. These facilities help to treat children with a variety of specialized medical and therapeutic services. CHoR staff was fairly certain that Petersburg was being underserved in these areas, but they didn’t realize the extent of need until the survey results came back. In questioning local pediatricians, school systems and health departments, CHoR found that many families were not getting the kind of, nor the frequency of, therapy care they needed for their children. The challenge was due, in large part, to the distance that many had to travel to receive care. With the results in hand, in 2008, CHoR set out to establish a facility in the Petersburg area modeled after its successful Fredericksburg facility. The Petersburg center would provide outpatient therapy services, including physical, occupational and speech therapies, to residents in the Tri-Cities area. “We were able to lease a 3,100-square-foot space, along with additional shell space for future growth, very close to Southside Regional hospital,” explained Chris Broughton-Spruill, president of CHF.
Though CHF was familiar with The Cameron Foundation, the organization had never found “a fit” to seek grant funding, in large part because CHF was not indigenous to Cameron’s service area. All of that changed when CHoR opened its Petersburg facility. “The hospital’s Board of Trustees approved the Petersburg facility on April 23, 2008, and on the 29th of April we went to The Cameron Foundation. We knew that The Cameron Foundation was all about community. We also knew that it could help us, not only with financial support, but with the staff’s extensive knowledge of the area, as well,” commented Broughton-Spruill. With a two-year grant from the Foundation totaling $150,000, CHF was able to purchase all of the equipment for the new center, from office equipment to the therapy equipment and diagnostic tools. “This grant enabled us to have a first-rate facility from day one. Without The Cameron Foundation’s support, it would have been a much longer process,” stated Broughton-Spruill.
What has happened since the opening of the Petersburg Therapy Center is inspiring. In just its first nine months of operation, the center provided 2,319 visits to children, many of whom had been able to reduce their travel time by more than half. In addition, when the center opened, it was staffed with employees from the hospital’s Richmond location who made the drive to Petersburg. This arrangement quickly gave way to permanent employees hired from the local area to provide the care. With these employees in place, the facility was open three days a week. Within two months, patient volumes necessitated a move to four days, and now it operates five days a week. The center’s service area now encompasses the entire Tri-Cities area, which excites Broughton-Spruill. “We truly wanted to become a useful and needed part of the community, and with The Cameron Foundation’s help, we feel we have succeeded at that.”