SMITHFIELD, Va. — Pam Jordan shows News 3 the land in Isle of Wight County that was in her husband's family. She said while the area's changed over the years it remains pretty rural.
The neighboring land, she pointed, will soon be something more.
It's the future site of the Riverside Smithfield Hospital.
Jordan said getting medical care has long been a concern for those in parts of the county.
"Taking it back a long time ago when I was pregnant, and I was going to deliver in Newport News. Even then we wondered 'Is the bridge going to be up? Is the bridge going to get stuck?'" Jordan said. "It's on our minds all the time when we travel. And even if you go to Suffolk, that's a two-lane highway."
Luckily, she said, her trip to get care in Newport News was smooth, but there are others who weren't so lucky.
Time is of the essence in an emergency and the quicker you get care the better your odds, EMS workers told News 3.
EMS Chief for the Isle of Wight Volunteer Rescue Squad Brian Carroll said their five teams carry specialized equipment, like Lucas machines that deliver chest compressions during cardiac arrests, to help manage lengthy trips.
"We could actually do an hour and a half of CPR on a person," said Carroll.
That comes in handy when your drive time to the hospital could take over an hour.
Carroll said the time is a concern going both directions.
"Sometimes in the evening on the bridge, our ambulances take an hour or more to return from the hospital and get back in service," said Carroll.
He added that they often have all of their teams out at once, so the timing is critical.
And it's bigger than that, too.
The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) reported rural communities across the US are not only medically underserved but typically have greater medical risks.
NRHA data shows rural areas have higher rates of diabetes and heart conditions. Additionally in Isle of Wight and Surry counties, more than 20% of residents are over age 65. That's why medical professionals like Carroll and residents like Jordan look forward to the addition of a hospital in the area.
"It's going to bring health care to a new dimension over here," said Carroll.
"It's going to be peace of mind for a lot of people," said Jordan.
Riverside Health System broke ground on a 50-bed, full-service general acute care hospital in Isle of Wight County Wednesday.
Once complete, the hospital will offer an emergency department, diagnostic imaging services that include CT and MRI scans, and the ability to grow.
At the groundbreaking, Riverside Smithfield Hospital president Jessica Macalino announced the dedication of the Jamison-Longford Medical Office Building to two doctors who served the community.
She said the hospital will likely see its first patients in 2026.
