Whether the site is a brand new hospital or a seasoned facility, health care comes down to people and how they use that facility.

Southside Regional Medical Center, the largest employer in the Petersburg Tri-City area, is about to open a new hospital, one that's no larger than the current 1950s facility, but one that officials say will be more efficient.

The long-awaited 200-plus patient move will take place July 27.

. . .

"Our present building is over 50 years old, and many things are being done today that weren't even thought of 50-some years ago," said Dave Fikse, CEO of SRMC. "So we've spent quite a bit of time trying to create a hospital environment that will be very efficient and effective in serving the needs of our patients, employees and community."

The new emergency room is nearly three times as large as the old one, going from 9,600 square feet to 25,000 square feet. The goal is to drastically cut down on wait times for the patients who visit the ER more than 45,000 did last year.

Advances in technology generate job opportunities, as trained health care workers are needed to maintain and operate equipment, Fikse said. The overall budget for new medical technology is $3.5 million, Fikse said, and the new hospital will have a $1 million nurse tracking system and will be wireless throughout.

"We know employees in the health-care field are a scarce resource, which is why we're doing all we can to be competitive in the marketplace," Fikse said.

"It's not so much about the big ticket dollar items with us, as it is about relationships. It's about our relationships with our patients, with each other and within their teams and between departments."

SRMC will host a recruitment open house on June 12 from 4 to 7 p.m.

. . .

Nursing represents nearly one-third of the hospital's staff, with over 400 RNs and LPNs. Because there are two professional schools on campus, RNs are needed for both staff and faculty positions.

"We're looking for caring individuals in nursing and people who are looking for a challenge and good career opportunities," said Peggy Sczesny, nurse recruiter Southside Medical Center. "People need to feel they are utilizing all their skill sets, which is why our employees feel great job satisfaction."

. . .

St. Francis Medical Center, which opened in 2005, is the newest addition to the Bon Secours Health System network, which now has four hospitals in the greater Richmond area. With 130 beds, St. Francis is located south of the James River, where population rates are skyrocketing.

"Our new facility opened with about 250 employees, but now we have 650," said Terrie Edwards, executive vice president of St. Francis Medical Center. "And the demand for beds has been so strong that we've actually submitted a Certificate of Public Need to the state to expand the new hospital by 54 beds."

With baby deliveries increasing from 850 births in 2005 to a projected 1,800 for 2008, and ER visits from 25,000 patients in 2005 to 40,000 this year, St. Francis has had to take a proactive stance in meeting the community's needs.

Mary Sue Zinsmeister, chief nurse at St. Francis, said the hospital put together a series of educational programs designed to meet future work-force needs. "Part of our employment strategy is to 'grow our own' through mentorship programs," she said.

The Guiding Light program is a mentorship program geared toward new nursing graduates. Seasoned nurses who work part time are hired to help new graduates. One of the program's goals is to prepare nurses to take on regular assignments within a unit. Other programs include The Bridge program, which helps nurses gain expertise in additional specialties while staying in a familiar environment.

"One exciting thing is that a person can come in and work as a unit secretary while going to school to earn an LPN," Edwards said, noting that St. Francis has a child-care center on campus. Edwards said the Bon Secours' School of Nursing and School of Imaging at Windsor Business Park offer tuition reimbursement.

"The most gratifying part of my job is knowing that the healing vision and mission that the sisters had is alive and well," Edwards said. "Our hospital is not just about getting you well but making you whole. It's not just about hiring people with a degree but looking for individuals who have been called to serve."

. . .

Staffing concerns must be a priority before the first brick is laid for a new hospital. HCA Richmond Health System, for example, recently applied for a Certificate of Public Need (COPN) to build West Creek Medical Center. If approved, the new medical campus, which is intended to meet the expanding needs of Goochland County and far western Henrico County, would include a 97-bed hospital, a medical building and an urgent-care center.

"We have always sought to create the kind of environment that attracts the 'best and the brightest,'" said Pat Farrell, division president of HCA Richmond. "We work very hard with our hospital leadership to ensure that every employee receives the support they need to do their job well."

Farrell, who works for the largest private employer in central Virginia, is excited about offering diverse employment opportunities to workers seeking to expand their skills.

HCA plans to build West Creek's Outpatient Diagnostic and Urgent Care Center before construction begins on the main hospital. According to Toni Rice, vice president of business development for HCA Richmond, the staff will consist of 389 employees. Seventy-eight will be RN positions, about 69 will be other clinical positions, and approximately 242 will fill "support" or non-clinical roles.

"One positive aspect of someone coming into a new facility is that they often get to establish policies and procedures with others," Rice said. "They can pull together a cohesive clinical team that can really help to set the quality standards of their unit."

. . .

Training the next generation of nurses and finding incentives for employee retention is important to HCA. So the company has constructed a pipeline into the nursing field, particularly where educational opportunities are bottlenecked. Their School to Work program gives hospital employees working in support roles access to training so they can take their careers to the next level.

"John Tyler Community College relocated their nursing school onto the CJW campus, and we work very closely with them in terms of scholarships and employment opportunities," Farrell said. "We've also donated significant funds to J. Sargeant Reynolds to expand their student classroom spaces and help fund some of their faculty positions."

A nationwide employer, HCA also supports employees who relocate to another state.

"If an employee decides to transfer out-of-state, their original date-of-hire remains the same as when they first joined the hospital system," Farrell said. "This is an exciting time to be a part of HCA because the company is really growing."