By Leigh Farmer

The final beam of the Pauley Heart Center Pavilion at VCU Health was placed on the facility’s structural frame today during an official ceremony marking a major milestone for its construction.

"Placing this final beam brings us one step closer to elevating further cardiovascular care and health across our region," said Michael Rao, Ph.D., president of Virginia Commonwealth University. "This initiative is very important as cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death in America. The Pauley Heart Center Pavilion at VCU Health advances VCU's mission by bringing research, clinical excellence, and training under one roof to expand access to care. This is a national model for heart health built to make a life-saving impact for every Virginian.”

Shirley Gibson (left), VCU Health’s vice president of real estate, Haley Felton (middle), VCU College of Health Professions student, and Jeannette Cain (right), VCU Health director of strategic facility planning, sign the beam before it is placed at the top of the future Pauley Heart Center Pavilion at VCU Health. (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Leaders from VCU Health, the City of Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia, along with community supporters, were on hand to mark the occasion and sign the beam before it was hoisted atop the structure.

"We take great pride in this pavilion, which enhances VCU Health's commitment to making comprehensive cardiovascular medicine more accessible to Virginians," said Diana Cantor, chair of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Authority Board of Directors. "By facilitating teaching, research and treatment in one location, patients will receive individualized care and the latest treatment options from the top heart center in the commonwealth."

The Pauley Heart Center Pavilion at VCU Health will house lab and clinical research space, as well as education and training classrooms. By bringing together a wide variety of diagnostic tools, advanced imaging, procedural care, cardiac rehab, lab services, clinicians, researchers and more in one building, the pavilion will enable clinicians to diagnose, treat and support patients more efficiently — establishing a first-of-its-kind model for outpatient cardiovascular care in Virginia.

"The need for accessible, complex cardiovascular care in Central Virginia has never been greater," said Marlon Levy, M.D., MBA, CEO of VCU Health. "As the highest beam was placed today, we celebrated the exceptional heart healthcare, research and training that will come out of the new pavilion and the hope it brings for all of the patients and families whose lives it will impact."

Dozens of representatives from VCU Health and VCU, alongside state leaders and community members attended the “topping off” ceremony for the health system’s new site in Richmond. (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

The new, state-of-the-art pavilion is located on a seven-acre site on Sherwood Avenue in the Diamond District, near Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU Brook Road Pavilion and the planned VCU Athletic Village. The building is adjacent to Interstates 64 and 95 and public transportation routes, providing easy patient access to outpatient heart care.

“This occasion symbolizes the elements that make VCU Health great – the profound teamwork and focus between VCU Health, VCU and the community,” said Michael Elliott, Pharm.D., MSHA, chief operating officer for VCU Health. “Piece by piece we are building the framework that keeps our community healthy and supports them when they need us the most.”

The 93,000 square foot facility will allow for outpatient cardiac diagnostics and procedures, including MRI and CT imaging. It will also be home to VCU Health Pauley Heart Center’s newest cardiac rehabilitation center, complete with an indoor track that includes group exercise space — the first full-size cardiac rehab walking track in Virginia.

"I’m thrilled to see this building rising from the ground each time I drive by the site on my way to VCU Medical Center,” said Greg Hundley, M.D., director of the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center. “Getting to this milestone moment today took years of planning, collaboration, and investment from so many people — all with the goal of increasing access to complex cardiovascular care and decreasing the burden of heart disease in our region."

The pavilion is expected to open to patients in 2028.

U.S. News & World Report ranked VCU Health’s flagship medical center No. 29 in the nation and No. 1 in Virginia in cardiology, heart surgery and vascular surgery. VCU Health Pauley Heart Center delivers cardiology and cardiothoracic and vascular surgery services at VCU Medical Center. (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

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