Heather Bell
CHRISTIANSBURG — A new multi-million-dollar stand-alone emergency room broke ground in Christiansburg Tuesday, which will provide another option for emergency medical care.
LewisGale Hospital Montgomery representatives, local officials and members of the community gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony signifying the start of construction for LewisGale Hospital Montgomery Christiansburg ER, located at 1205 West Main St., Christiansburg.
“The freestanding emergency room will be the third of its kind in southwest Virginia, following Cave Spring ER and Blue Hills ER in the Roanoke Valley,” according to LewisGale. “The nearly 10,000-square-foot freestanding emergency room will be staffed by board-certified emergency room physicians and nurses 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It will provide the same services provided in an emergency room that is housed within the walls of a hospital.”
Christiansburg Mayor Michael Barber said the new ER will lessen the time it takes to get patients to the emergency medical care they need.
“The importance of this is to provide a serve that has been needed in this town and the surrounding area for many years,” said Barber. “We have two fine hospitals, but this enables our emergency personnel to have an alternative to take 10, 20 minutes off their time.”
“In an emergency situation, minutes matter in relation to patient outcomes,” said Chris Smith, MD, emergency department medical director. “We are poised to offer unparalleled medical care in a convenient location. This can help save lives and enhance patient recovery.”
According to LewisGale, the new ER will feature both walk-in and ambulance entrances with “11 patient rooms, including a fully equipped trauma bay. It will house advanced imaging equipment for CT scans, X-rays, and ultrasound imaging. The ER will also feature onsite laboratory testing and will be directly linked to LewisGale Hospital Montgomery as a fully integrated department of the hospital.”
“This is wonderful for the community,” said Lauren Dudley, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery chief executive officer. “This is an extension of LewisGale Hospital Montgomery. We will have the same board-certified physicians, extraordinary medical professionals, who are currently in our ER.”
“With a commitment to community care, we are happy to fill the gap by bringing high-quality emergency services to this part of Christiansburg and the New River Valley,” Dudley said. “This facility is located just off Interstate 81, equipped to serve its tens-of-thousands of daily travelers, and the growing communities along Route 8 to the south.”
The facility will employ more than 30 staff, including emergency physicians and nurses and is slated to open later in 2024. Hiring is expected to begin early next year.