Riverside Smithfield Hospital Opens January 6

The Virginia Department of Health recently granted Riverside Smithfield’s general hospital license, which becomes effective Jan. 1. It was the final milestone Riverside was looking for to announce an opening date.

Riverside confirmed the opening date on Dec. 23, three weeks after a Dec. 4 ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 50-bed, 200,000-square-foot facility will bring state-of-the-art health care and more than 300 new jobs to Isle of Wight and Surry counties, both of which for decades have been federally designated as medically underserved.

“This is more than the opening of a new hospital; it is an investment in the health and vitality of Isle of Wight and the surrounding communities,” said Dr. Mike Dacey, president and CEO of Riverside Health, in a news release. “We are honored to deliver high-quality, compassionate care in a setting that is both close to home and designed for the future of medicine.”

The hospital campus includes an Emergency Department, inpatient rooms, multiple operating rooms, imaging services and the detached Jamison-Longford Medical Office Building that houses outpatient specialist practices.

Starting Jan. 6, the Isle of Wight Volunteer Rescue Squad will begin transporting patients to Riverside Smithfield’s Emergency Department, which will significantly cut travel time. Depending on traffic, it currently can take half an hour or more for Isle of Wight’s and Surry’s ambulances to reach hospitals in neighboring localities.

“This hospital reflects years of planning, partnership, and a shared vision of making care more accessible,” said Riverside Smithfield President Jessica Macalino. “From emergency care to surgical services, this facility will make a meaningful difference for our neighbors and their families for generations to come.”

The hospital broke ground in mid-2023 a year after receiving its Certificate of Public Need from the Virginia Department of Health. Since 1973, Virginia has required health systems seeking to build a new hospital or expand an existing one to demonstrate there’s a need for the new facility. After initially recommending denial, the VDH reversed course and approved Riverside’s requested certificate in early 2022, citing the rapid population growth Isle of Wight County has experienced over the past several years.

Riverside’s news release said in preparation for opening day, hospital employees have spent the past several weeks participating in practice simulations, patient-flow exercises and interdisciplinary drills designed to “ensure every department is ready to deliver seamless care on the opening day.”

As published in the Smithfield Times, January 3, 2026, by Stephen Faleski.