Innovation is a necessity for rural hospitals
In a recent Richmond Times-Dispatch column, the presidents of VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital and VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital reflect on role innovation plays in rural healthcare.
May 12, 2026
VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital is located in South Hill, Virginia. (Allen Jones, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)
The following letter to the editor appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on May 8, 2026.
By Sheldon Barr, president of VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital, and Josh Hammond, president of VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital
News headlines continue to highlight the mounting pressures facing rural hospitals nationwide and in Virginia, including VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) and VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital. While those challenges are real and are driven in a large part by proposed federal policy changes, they cannot be examined in a vacuum.
At CMH and Tappahannock Hospital, success is driven by innovation at the rural level, not as an exception, but as a core competency. That innovation expands access to care, strengthens the healthcare workforce and positions rural hospitals to thrive alongside urban partners.
Through virtual care clinics, our patients access highly specialized services without traveling long distances. Secure video visits connect patients with specialists not typically found in rural healthcare settings, allowing care to remain local, timely and patient-centered.
Innovation also brings advanced treatment closer to home. Through participation in national clinical trials and ongoing cancer research, including work supported by VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, patients receive cutting‑edge therapies once limited to urban academic centers. Early access and innovation play critical roles in improving outcomes.
This success, however, is not achieved in isolation. As part of a university-based health system with a national reputation for excellence, CMH and Tappahannock benefit from research expertise, specialty services and the ability to train future clinicians and specialists. Our collaboration with VCU Health enables essential investments in the future of rural healthcare, ensuring that advanced care stays local while strengthening the teams who deliver it.
As communities and decision makers look ahead, the path forward is clear: support innovation and strengthen the partnerships that keep care local. When rural hospitals are empowered to innovate, rural communities win.
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