HCA Healthcare plans to build a new standalone emergency room in the Hollins area of Roanoke County and add a second air ambulance helicopter based in Danville.
The 11,000-square-foot ER will be an extension of Salem-based LewisGale Medical Center, according to a recent news release from HCA Healthcare, LewisGale’s parent company.
It’s expected to open in 2028 at 7651 Williamson Road, across from Northwest Ace Hardware, and will have 30 full-time employees. It will be LewisGale’s third freestanding ER after one opened in 2017 in the Tanglewood Mall area and another opened in 2022 near Bonsack.
“Hollins ER will strengthen our ability to provide the right level of care at the right time, while connecting patients to the broader HCA Virginia network,” Collin McLaughlin, CEO of LewisGale Medical Center, said in the release.
LewisGale’s freestanding ERs are open 24/7, bringing “hospital-level emergency care closer to where people live and work,” HCA spokesperson Shayne Dwyer said in an email to Cardinal News. They offer services including CT scans, X-rays and on-site laboratory testing.
“If a patient needs to be admitted or requires a higher level of specialty or inpatient care, the care team can coordinate transfer to the appropriate hospital,” Dwyer said.
Meanwhile, HCA and the air ambulance company Air Methods will launch an Air Care Eagle helicopter and air medical base this fall in Danville.
The companies already operate an air ambulance service based in the Richmond area.
The new location, based at the Danville Regional Airport, will allow Southwest Virginia patients to be transported more quickly to trauma centers and between hospitals, according to the news release.
“This new base strengthens our ability to provide rapid, high-quality air medical transport and connect patients with the specialized care they need,” Travis Mason, Air Methods’ northeast regional director, said in the release.
The standalone ER and the second air ambulance service combined represent a $20 million investment in emergency care access, according to HCA.
In its Virginia health system, HCA operates 13 hospitals, 26 outpatient centers, 10 freestanding emergency rooms and 12 urgent care centers. It’s affiliated with more than 3,100 physicians.
