Community Outreach & Workforce Development

OVERVIEW

Our History

Since 1838, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System (VCUHS) has provided some of the most advanced state-of-the-art medical treatments and progressive technologies offered anywhere today.

Although our name has changed over the years, as it did in July 2000 when MCV Hospitals and Physicians transitioned to VCUHS, our focus for more than 165 years has not. We’re still improving the quality of and access to patient care in Central Virginia and throughout Virginia.

Our Mission

When our more than 7,500 professionals go to work – whether in the ER or in the accounting department – their individual and team efforts reinforce our mission:

The VCU Health System is committed to improving the quality of and access to patient care in Central Virginia and throughout the Commonwealth by:

  • Providing superior, compassionate, and innovative patient care to improve the health of all members of the communities we serve. 

  • Educating the health-care professionals of tomorrow, health-care providers of today and the community at large.

  • Advancing the generation, dissemination, and application of biomedical research. 

Our Values

Service – We will execute every customer interaction with a caring attitude, honesty and respect, putting our customer’s needs first to yield exceptional customer service.

Trust – Through our integrity, respect of individual and diversity and commitment to privacy and safety, we achieve trust from those we serve and from those with whom we work.

Attitude – Our attitude is that in the pursuit of excellence, we display kindness, concern, compassion and appropriate charity to those in our care.

Respect – We respect the dignity of each individual and the collective diversity of the communities we serve.

What is VCUHS?

We’re a world-class specialty care and research institution on the extreme edge of medicine. VCUHS includes a teaching facility, MCV Hospitals (MCVH) with 779 beds in downtown Richmond and outpatient clinics throughout the area, as well as MCV Physicians, a 600-physician faculty group practice.

As the only academic medical center in central Virginia, we hold a unique leadership role in providing health care for all types of patients from places near and far regardless of their ability to pay.

How Big is VCUHS?

  • We're one of the largest and one of the most comprehensive research centers in the world.
  • With 779 licensed beds, VCUHS has approximately 20 percent of the Richmond inpatient market.
  • We record 30,000 admissions and more than 500,000 outpatient visits each year and are a regional referral center for the state.
  • We treat more than 80,000 patients annually in the hospital’s emergency department. In fact, our ER is the region's only Level I Trauma Center.
  • We provide patient care in almost 200 specialty areas covering nearly all medical areas.
  • We are the fourth largest employer in the greater Richmond area.

With multidisciplinary centers for cancer, cardiology, neurosurgery, and transplantation we also offer virtually every form of contemporary medical service – from dermatology to sports medicine.

Our patient-focused professional family of more than 7,500 includes doctors, nurses, technicians, specialists, administrators and support personnel. Our medical teams are trained in nearly 200 specialty areas with many receiving regional, national and international recognition, including consistently being named one of the “Top 100” hospitals*,“One of the Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems in America”**, "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers"***, and a Magnet designated healthcare system.

In 2004, Solucient Corporation, which maintains the country’s largest healthcare database, named VCUHS as a recipient of its Solucient 100 Top Performance Improvement. Based on an analysis of overall U.S. hospital improvement rates between 1997 and 2001, the award was based on quality of care, operational efficiency and financial performance.

“I have always seen VCUHS as my life since my wife and I both work here. I have been here 29+ years and she going on 27. This is an awesome place to work if you like to work hard and be on the cutting edge of technology.”

David C Dillard, CT/MRI Manager Radiology

Over the years, we’ve received international recognition in many fields including:

  • early diagnosis and treatment of chest pain and strokes
  • cancer research, treatment, and rehabilitation
  • organ transplant
  • head and spinal cord trauma research
  • burn and wound healing
  • neonatal intensive care
  • genetic research
  • gynecological care

This recognition contributes to our high morale and instills organizational pride. Our dedication to providing high-levels of patient care infused with compassion and understanding also has driven regional recognition like Richmond Magazine’s annual “Top Docs” survey. In 2004, of the 242 physicians listed 98 were from VCUHS representing 46 specialties. Twenty of our doctors were named best in their field.

Making and defining medical history is possible through our employees’ collective commitment to research, education and patient care. We’ve enjoyed a rich, rewarding past, but the future looks even brighter with our ever-growing family of health care professionals.

* National Research Corporation's Consumer Choice Solucient “Top 100” Hospitals in 2001 & 2002
** Hospitals & Health Networks’ 2003 “Most Wired” healthcare institutions
*** Working Mother Magazine's 2004 "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers"