Hospital in Patrick County Reopens After Eight-Year Closure

PATRICK COUNTY, Va. (rbs news now) — After sitting mostly vacant for eight years, Stuart Community Hospital reopened on Monday, Jan. 5, restoring emergency and inpatient care to Patrick County following a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The 25-bed hospital at 18688 Jeb Stuart Highway resumed operations under Braden Health, a for-profit health care organization based in Tennessee that purchased the property in Nov. 2024 and invested over $15 million to renovate and reopen the facility.

The hospital includes two operating rooms, expanded ambulance access and nearly 63,000 square feet of clinical space.

“This is a huge day for Patrick County, a huge day for Braden Health,” said Kyle Kopec, chief compliance officer and co-founder of Braden Health. “We are so excited to restore hospital and emergency department services to the community, and we are so blessed by the turnout and the support we’ve had during this very long process.”

Kopec said Braden Health focuses on reopening or stabilizing rural hospitals, many of which have closed nationwide in recent years.

“We’re a mission-driven organization,” he said. “We really care about small towns. We’ve seen firsthand what it’s like to grow up without a hospital, and we decided we wanted to take that challenge and help others.”

The hospital last operated as Pioneer Community Hospital, which declared bankruptcy and closed in 2017.

In mid-2022, Chicago-based Foresight Health purchased the property and pledged to reopen emergency services, but the project stalled and ultimately collapsed.

Foresight Health CEO Sameer Suhail was later indicted in July 2024 on federal charges alleging an embezzlement scheme involving a Chicago hospital; according to Chicago media reports, Suhail has since left the United States and is living in Dubai.

Kopec acknowledged the building required significant work before reopening.

“It was very dilapidated and run down,” he said. “We had to deal with asbestos mitigation, sewer and water line repairs, and portions of the roof had to be replaced. But staffing and community support have really been a breeze.”

Braden Health funded the renovation using its own cash reserves, Kopec said, noting the $15 million figure does not include the purchase price of the building.

About 150 employees have been hired, and the hospital is nearly fully staffed.

“For folks who may be skeptical, my message is simple,” Kopec said. “Support your hospital. Come see us. Ask for a tour. We’re open for business now, and we want to take care of you.”

Among those attending the reopening was John Galen Gilbert, who told rbs news now he holds a unique connection to the facility.

“I was the first baby born here on Dec. 17, 1962,” Gilbert said. “This hospital opening back up is a godsend for our citizens. In fire and rescue, we’ve lost people because we didn’t have a hospital close by. Now we can get them care within 10 or 15 minutes.”

Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith also called the reopening a turning point for the rural community.

“This is a huge day,” Smith said. “No community can really be stable without a hospital, especially in a rural area like this. It’s a game-changer for Patrick County.”

Del. Wren Williams, R-Patrick, whose district includes the hospital, said the return of local health care could save lives.

“Every second counts in life-threatening emergencies,” Williams said. “Now we’ll have the ability to receive patients, stabilize them and give them care right here in our community.”

Williams said preserving the hospital’s license after its 2017 closure was critical to making the reopening possible.

“If we had lost that license, no operator would ever have come back into this building,” he said. “Maintaining it allowed a provider like Braden Health to come in, invest and do this the right way.”

Williams also talked about the importance of rebuilding public trust after years of false starts.

“They came in humbly, listened to the community and didn’t make empty promises,” he said. “People knew this was real when they saw construction happening every day.”