Bon Secours plans to appeal VDH approval of rival Chesterfield hospitals

Just weeks after the state approved three hospital development projects totaling $672 million in Chesterfield County, Bon Secours has filed notices of appeal challenging two of the projects.

The health system on April 10 submitted notices of appeal to the Virginia Department of Health contesting the Certificate of Public Need approvals granted by Virginia State Health Commissioner Cameron Webb for new hospitals proposed by VCU Health and HCA Healthcare.

The filing said that Bon Secours will ask the Chesterfield County Circuit Court to review the state’s decisions to approve a 66-bed hospital from VCU Health and a 60-bed hospital from HCA, both slated for the fast-growing county.

VCU Health’s $306 million proposal calls for a 66-bed hospital at 7220 Beach Road, including 42 medical-surgical beds, six pediatric beds, six obstetric beds and 12 intensive care unit beds. The 202,889-square-foot facility would also include six operating rooms, a cardiac catheterization lab, CT and MRI units and intermediate-level nursery services. The hospital is projected to be completed by May 30, 2030, according to state documents.

HCA has proposed a $260 million, 60-bed acute care hospital, expected to be completed by October 2029.

Bon Secours, meanwhile, received approval for its own 58,400-square-foot expansion of St. Francis Medical Center, which would add 36 medical and surgical beds and four ICU beds at 13170 St. Francis Blvd. The $106 million project is expected to be completed by Sept. 13, 2029.

In an emailed statement, Bon Secours said it supports growth but questioned whether its competitors’ proposed hospitals are warranted.

“St. Francis Medical Center continues to experience sustained utilization that clearly demonstrates a need to expand care at the existing hospital that patients already choose and trust,” a Bon Secours spokesperson said. “Expanding care at the site where demand is demonstrated is fully supported by Virginia’s Certificate of Public Need (COPN) process to help ensure patients have timely access to existing, high‑quality care.

“By contrast,” the spokesperson continued, “adding multiple new hospitals in an area that is already well-served by multiple providers risks duplicating services while further straining a health care workforce that remains in high demand. More hospitals are not always better if they are not aligned with demonstrated community need.”

HCA declined to comment. VCU Health did not immediately return a request for comment.

Webb approved all three projects in March, citing population growth and the need for additional hospital capacity. The county currently has two hospitals: Johnston-Willis Hospital, owned by HCA, and St. Francis Medical Center, a Bon Secours facility. The Virginia Department of Health, though, estimated Chesterfield’s population would swiftly grow by 42,000 people between 2020 and 2030.

However, Bon Secours continued to have concerns about the new hospitals.

“The COPN process exists to ensure hospital development is guided by objective need and will strengthen, not weaken, the overall health care delivery system in a region,” the Bon Secours spokesperson said in an email.

The spokesperson said the formal appeals will be submitted to the circuit court by May 10.