New Patrick County hospital leaders continue to gain feedback from community

PATRICK COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - The new owners of the currently shuttered hospital in Patrick County are continuing to gain feedback from the community on the development process moving forward.

Foresight Health leaders hosted a roundtable Tuesday night at Patrick and Henry Community College to talk with experts and local first responders.

Officials from Patrick County Fire and EMS, the Sheriff’s Office and Jeb Stuart EMS were just some of the first responders in attendance to express their excitement and ask questions.

“Their feedback is very critical and they’re the ones that basically encounter anyone who’s sick. So, we want their feedback. What do we have to do as foresight to come in and initiate new service lines?” said Sameer Suhail, Foresight CEO.

New services such as an emergency department, psychiatric services, and dialysis in an area where those options currently do not exist.

“Right now, if you need hospital care depending on where you are in the county, you could be over an hour away from getting to an emergency department. So, this is a really exciting opportunity to bring it back,” said Jeanette Filpi, director of project development for Foresight.

“We desperately need your services locally because your facility and our facility are half a mile away. We could walk them there if we had to,” said Chief O’Connell with the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office.

A member of the Jeb Stuart Rescue Squad said some citizens wait until the last minute to get medical help because they can’t receive it in their home town.

“We have a lot of people who don’t want go to another hospital because they made that hospital, and they think going to the doctor over here is their hospital,” said Joanne Spangler with the Jeb Stuart Rescue Squad.

Jeanette Filpi is a local who worked for the hospital before it shut down.

“Unfortunately, it was a sad time for the county when we had to close it,” said Filpi. “What’s exciting is we’re going to add a behavior health component which is a much needed service throughout the entire area. Most states are having that issue. So, I think there is an opportunity to bring even more healthcare opportunities here as well as education.”

The hospital is still on track to open in January, and Foresight Health is still accepting applications for the hundreds of open positions.

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