Bon Secours and City of Norfolk, Collaboration of HRP Board Members

Courtesy Lynne Zultanky, Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health Center - Director, Corporate Communications and Media Relations Working Together for Better Health Care, Quality and Ministry Grow in Hampton Roads

Photo: Michael Kerner (left), CEO of Bon Secours Hampton Roads, and Mayor Paul Fraim, City of Norfolk

Bon Secours Richmond and Bon Secours Hampton Roads have always been aligned through their shared mission of bringing compassionate care to all. Now, Richmond and Hampton Roads share more than the Bon Secours mission – Bon Secours has created the fourth largest integrated health care system in Virginia, bringing more financial and clinical resources to the region.

Patients will have access to new services and programs as Bon Secours Virginia strengthens its presence in Hampton Roads. These include services for women and children, oncology, cardiology and orthopedics as well as other programs to better serve our community. You will soon begin noticing upgrades in Bon Secours Hampton Roads, including everything from the aesthetics of facilities to the technology used in your diagnosis. Bon Secours is investing in state-of-the-art technology, such as CT scanners, MRI units, radiation therapy equipment and surgery equipment.

While the proper tools and programs are essential to providing award-winning health care, Bon Secours is also focusing on its most important resources – high-caliber nurses and medical staff. Clinical expertise and strong leaders will be key in expanding programs and services successfully. Excellence in nursing is a particular focus, with Bon Secours setting a goal to achieve Magnet status in the next two years. Magnet status is an award given by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center (ANCC) for superior nursing and will put Bon Secours Hampton Roads among the top-tier of acute care institutions.

City of Norfolk Backs Bon Secours’ Plan for New DePaul Medical Center

When the City of Norfolk asked Bon Secours for a larger presence in Norfolk, Bon Secours responded with a revised proposal for a 124-bed Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center that enhanced the hospital’s capacity to provide quality care to Norfolk residents.

At an August 25 press conference, the Honorable Paul Fraim, Mayor of Norfolk, and Michael Kerner, CEO of Bon Secours Hampton Roads, solidified the agreement to modify the Certificate of Public Need to replace Bon Secours DePaul.

“The city is fully supportive of the proposition set forth by Bon Secours and Michael Kerner,” said Mayor Fraim. “I want to thank all of our friends at Bon Secours. I know how important you are to this community and what you mean to the hospital. This is Norfolk’s hospital.”

With Bon Secours and the City of Norfolk united, Bon Secours prepared amended Certificates of Public Need for a new Bon Secours DePaul facility and in-patient hospitals on Bon Secours’ outpatient campuses in Suffolk and Virginia Beach.

Kerner also announced plans to improve the existing Bon Secours DePaul until Bon Secours receives state approval and opens the new hospital in 2013. Bon Secours is committed to improving the infrastructure of Bon Secours DePaul, investing in new programs and technology, as well as making aesthetic improvements.