Celebrating five years of unstoppable care at the Emergency Center at New Kent
Strong bonds with the tight-knit community showcase the spirit of the freestanding emergency center.
June 12, 2025
The VCU Health's Emergency Center at New Kent opened on June 1, 2020. (Enterprise Marketing and Communications)
By Jimmy O’Keefe
The first and only freestanding emergency center in New Kent, Virginia, opened five years ago this month. Since then, VCU Health’s Emergency Center at New Kent has become an integral part of the fabric of New Kent County.
“Once you start working in New Kent, you really get to know the community,” said Rachel Middlebrook, RN, CEN, a clinical nurse at the Emergency Center at New Kent. “You hear ‘you took care of my mom,’ or ‘you took care of my brother.’ It’s so tight-knit in this area that you really get to know the families in this community.”
“A lot of us live in the area,” added Celia Hanson, RN, CPEN, interim nurse manager at the emergency center. “It helps patients feel at ease when they come here.”
Staff integration in the community is key in building trust and demonstrating that the emergency center is a destination for high-quality, patient-centered care.
That care for the New Kent community began during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the months after opening, the emergency center sometimes experienced days during which more than 100 patients would check in within a 24-hour window. That volume was taxing for a brand-new, freestanding emergency department. But a focus on ensuring that every single patient was cared for kept the staff working together. The spirit of teamwork displayed at the Emergency Center at New Kent has only grown in the years since.
“As a medical team we have really become a close family,” said Angie Lindsay, DO, FACEP, medical director for the Emergency Center at New Kent. “When we treat patients every day, it’s as a unit. It’s as a group. It’s as a team. Everyone’s invested, everyone helps each other out and I think that really speaks to the way we’re able to provide quality care.”
Community Day event shows emergency center’s integral role in New Kent County
To mark this milestone of unstoppable care, the center is hosting a Community Day celebration on Saturday, June 14. The event is a demonstration of the integral role the emergency center plays in providing quality care in New Kent. Community partners, including New Kent Fire and EMS, the New Kent County Sheriff’s Office and the Henrico Police Department will also have a presence at the event.
The public will have the chance to take part in hands-only CPR demonstrations, learn about burn prevention and have free child car seat inspections with trained technicians. Children will enjoy exploring fire trucks and police cars, and a VCU Health LifeEvac helicopter will even make an appearance.
The Emergency Center at New Kent Community Day is on Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2495 Pocahontas Trail in Quinton, Virginia. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.
