Centra will host a two-day community planning event March 24–25 to share and gather feedback on potential reuse scenarios for the Virginia Baptist Hospital (VBH) campus as part of its ongoing Adaptive Reuse Study.
Three draft scenarios have been developed to illustrate how the VBH campus could transform in the coming years based on ideas generated by neighbors and community members at earlier events.
As the next step for the study, Centra will hold a design charrette – an intensive, collaborative workshop that brings together architects, planners, stakeholders and community members to explore ideas for the site. The sessions will focus on redevelopment possibilities, historic preservation and development solutions that fit the surrounding neighborhood.
“We have sought extensive public input as we begin to create a vision for the potential future use of Virginia Baptist Hospital,” said Denise Woernle, vice president of communications, marketing and community relations for Centra. “This is a significant site in the city. It is important to honor the legacy of Virginia Baptist and to find new uses that will continue to support the Rivermont neighborhood and the greater Lynchburg community.”
The planning process began in December with surveys distributed to neighbors and Centra employees. In January and February, Centra hosted a series of public open houses and conducted focus group meetings with stakeholders involved in community development initiatives.
The upcoming community planning events will take place Tuesday, March 24, and Wednesday, March 25, at Oakwood Country Club, 3409 Rivermont Ave. During the events, participants will be able to review the information gathered to date, explore three potential reuse scenarios and share feedback about what they like and what they would change.
“At this event, the public will be able to see how their comments and ideas were transformed into plans,” Woernle said. “There will be opportunities to learn more about the process and to ask questions about the potential scenarios.”
Community feedback from the event will help guide the development of a preferred scenario that could be implemented by a future development partner as Centra transitions operations away from the campus.
“We want to ensure the community that we are committed to finding the best-use options for the future of Virginia Baptist Hospital,” said Roger Bradley, vice president of facilities management and construction for Centra. “A great deal of time and effort is going into exploring how to successfully repurpose 537,000 square feet of building space and a parking ramp across 29 acres.”
Community members are invited to participate in the planning event, which will include a campus site walk, discussions about development possibilities and opportunities to provide feedback on the draft scenarios. A full schedule of events is available online: https://www.centrahealth.com/upcoming-events/vbh-community-design-meeting
About the Modernization Plan
Centra is investing more than $657 million in the Lynchburg region through its Modernization Plan, which includes new construction and facility improvements across multiple campuses to provide state-of-the-art healthcare facilities for residents of central and southern Virginia.
Key projects include:
- Digital Capabilities, Centra is modernizing its technology by developing a patient-centered digital health ecosystem that includes ambient scribing, security enhancements, digital registration and self-scheduling.
- Improved Processes & Patient Flow, Centra has introduced initiatives to improve patient flow by reducing hospital length of stay and expanding bed capacity to increase access to care, shorten emergency department wait times and improve patient safety.
- Tower A at Lynchburg General Hospital, which will feature a new labor and delivery unit, mother/baby unit and intensive care nursery, along with a new emergency department that includes an EmPATH (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing) unit.
- Centra Langhorne Medical Center, opened in December 2025, is a five-story medical office building housing multiple specialty clinics in one location.
- Centra Simons Run Medical Campus, developed in partnership with Lifepoint Health affiliates, will house the Centra Behavioral Health Hospital, opening spring of 2026, and the Centra Rehabilitation Hospital, opening summer of 2026.
More information about the event and Centra’s Modernization Plan is available at https://www.centrahealth.com/modernization-plan
