February 1 Bon Secours CEO: children's hospital needed (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
The Richmond area needs a new, freestanding, pediatric hospital, the chief executive officer of Bon Secours Health System Virginia said Tuesday.
Speaking at the University of Richmond, Bon Secours Virginia CEO Peter Bernard also said the not-for-profit hospital system is planning an expansion of its St. Francis Medical Center in Chesterfield County.
And he said the health system's policy of not hiring people who test positive for tobacco use has been received well.
A group of pediatricians in the area organized under the name Pediatricians Associated to Care for Kids has been seeking to open a full-service children's hospital that would operate independently or in partnership with a hospital system.
Bernard said Bon Secours supports the idea of a children's hospital, which he said has been studied enough. "It is the right thing to do," he said.
"The care for kids in this community is fragmented," he said. "Certain kids fall through the cracks. A number of children need to go to other locations for their care because it is not provided here."