Richmond VA Medical Center

Richmond VA Medical Center is a federal veterans’ healthcare facility in Richmond, Virginia, operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through the Veterans Health Administration. The institution was formerly known as Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center, and McGuire VA Hospital. In January 2023, the Department of Veterans Affairs formally adopted the Richmond VA Medical Center name. The hospital was activated on December 27, 1943, after approximately four months of construction. It began receiving patients on June 30, 1944, during the period surrounding the end of the Second World War. The United States Army initially oversaw the facility, which was transferred to the Veterans Administration on April 1, 1946. Its establishment expanded federal medical capacity for former service members in Virginia and the surrounding region. The medical center occupies land in Richmond’s Southside area near Broad Rock Road and the Belt Boulevard corridor. Before the federal hospital was developed, the property had been associated with a horse-racing track established after the Civil War and later became part of the Cheatham family’s holdings. The federal government acquired the property through eminent domain for the hospital project. The surrounding area was in Chesterfield County when the facility was developed and was incorporated into the independent city of Richmond in 1970. Richmond VA Medical Center provides hospital and outpatient care for eligible veterans. Its services include general medical and surgical care, rehabilitation, mental-health services, specialty consultations, long-term and supportive care, and programs for veterans with spinal-cord injuries. The campus is recognized as an important regional center for spinal-cord-injury treatment and rehabilitation. It also offers selected complementary approaches, including acupuncture and a designated relaxation area sometimes described as a “zen den.” The institution has a notable clinical history. During the 1970s, it became the first Veterans Administration hospital to perform heart-transplant surgery, with the program led by Dr. Szabolcs Szentpetery. The facility’s physical plant was substantially rebuilt and expanded during the late twentieth century to support changing clinical requirements and a larger range of specialized services. A building on the campus honors Van T. Barfoot, a Second World War Medal of Honor recipient. The 2023 renaming reflected a broader federal review of names associated with Confederate figures from the American Civil War. The former namesake, Hunter Holmes McGuire, was a prominent Virginia physician who served as the personal physician of Confederate Major General Stonewall Jackson. VA Secretary Denis McDonough communicated the change to the office of the late Representative Donald McEachin, as well as to Virginia’s governor and the mayor of Richmond. The current name emphasizes the facility’s location and public healthcare role rather than its former Confederate-associated namesake.

The facility that is now Richmond VA Medical Center was developed during the Second World War to expand federal healthcare capacity for military veterans. Construction took approximately four months, and the hospital was activated on December 27, 1943. It received its first patients on June 30, 1944. The United States Army administered the hospital during its initial period, after which responsibility passed to the Veterans Administration on April 1, 1946. The hospital was built in Richmond’s Southside area on land historically associated with Broad Rock. The site had previously included a horse-racing track established after the American Civil War. In 1892, Thomas Marcellous Cheatham acquired the property and built a residence there. The federal hospital project required the Cheatham family’s property to be acquired through eminent domain. At the time of the hospital’s development, the site was in Chesterfield County, approximately six miles from central Richmond along the State Route 10 and Belt Boulevard corridor. The area later became part of the independent city of Richmond through annexation in 1970. For much of its history, the institution was named Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center or Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center. Hunter Holmes McGuire was a Virginia physician who became known for serving as the personal physician of Confederate Major General Stonewall Jackson during the Civil War. The former name connected the hospital to a locally prominent medical figure but also associated a federal healthcare facility with a Confederate military figure. The medical center developed into a major provider of care for veterans with complex and long-term medical needs. It became especially significant for spinal-cord-injury treatment and rehabilitation. In the 1970s, under the leadership of Dr. Szabolcs Szentpetery, it performed the first heart transplant at a Veterans Administration hospital. The achievement marked an important point in the history of specialized surgery within the federal veterans’ healthcare system. The campus was extensively rebuilt and expanded during the late twentieth century. These projects modernized the physical plant and created capacity for broader inpatient, outpatient, rehabilitative, and specialty programs. A building on the campus was named for Van T. Barfoot, a Second World War Medal of Honor recipient. In addition to conventional medical services, the facility has offered complementary approaches such as acupuncture and a relaxation space known as a “zen den.” In January 2023, the Department of Veterans Affairs formally changed the institution’s name to Richmond VA Medical Center. VA Secretary Denis McDonough announced the decision in correspondence to the office of the late Representative Donald McEachin, whose congressional district included the facility, and notifications were also sent to Virginia’s governor and Richmond’s mayor. The change was part of the federal government’s broader effort to rename facilities whose namesakes were associated with the Confederate States during the American Civil War. The current name identifies the facility with its city and healthcare mission.

• 2023

  Renamed Richmond VA Medical Center

  [1]Richmond VA Medical Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Department of Veterans Affairs officially adopted the Richmond VA Medical Center name, replacing the Hunter Holmes McGuire designation.

• 1970

  Site incorporated into Richmond

  [1]Richmond VA Medical Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The surrounding Southside area became part of the independent city of Richmond through annexation.

• 1970

  Heart-transplant milestone

  [1]Richmond VA Medical Centeren.wikipedia.org

  During the 1970s, the facility performed the first heart transplant at a Veterans Administration hospital under Dr. Szabolcs Szentpetery.

• 1946

  Transferred to the Veterans Administration

  [1]Richmond VA Medical Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Administration of the hospital moved from the United States Army to the Veterans Administration on April 1.

• 1944

  First patients received

  [1]Richmond VA Medical Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The facility admitted its first patients on June 30, 1944.

• 1943

  Hospital activated

  [1]Richmond VA Medical Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The hospital was activated on December 27 after a construction period of approximately four months.

A regional Veterans Health Administration medical center providing integrated hospital, specialty, rehabilitative, and outpatient care for eligible veterans, with particular historical and clinical prominence in spinal-cord-injury services and complex medical care.

• Hospital services

  Inpatient medical and surgical care

  The medical center provides hospital-based treatment for eligible veterans, including general medical care, surgical services, and management of complex conditions requiring inpatient monitoring and intervention.

• Rehabilitation and specialty care

  Spinal-cord-injury care and rehabilitation

  A major clinical focus of the facility is care for veterans with spinal-cord injuries. Services combine medical management, rehabilitation, functional recovery support, and longer-term coordination for patients with serious neurological injuries.

• Ambulatory healthcare

  Outpatient and specialty care

  The center supports veterans through outpatient appointments, specialty consultations, diagnostic services, follow-up care, and coordinated treatment across medical and surgical disciplines.

• Behavioral healthcare

  Mental-health services

  Behavioral-health and mental-health care forms part of the medical center’s veterans’ services, supporting assessment, treatment, and continuing care for eligible patients.

• Complementary medicine

  Complementary and integrative health services

  The facility has offered complementary approaches including acupuncture and a designated relaxation area referred to as a “zen den,” alongside conventional medical treatment.

• 2023

  Adopted a location-based medical-center nameStrategy

  Background

  The former name honored Hunter Holmes McGuire, a Virginia physician associated with Confederate Major General Stonewall Jackson. The Department of Veterans Affairs was reviewing facility names linked to Confederate figures from the Civil War.

  Action taken

  The Department of Veterans Affairs changed the official name to Richmond VA Medical Center in January 2023.

  Aftermath

  The facility’s current name emphasizes its Richmond location and federal veterans’ healthcare role.

  Source

1. 1Richmond VA Medical Centeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Richmond VA Medical Center official websiterichmond.va.gov