Centra will host a final open house on Thursday, June 25, to share the recommended development scenarios for the Virginia Baptist Hospital (VBH) campus following months of community engagement and feasibility planning as part of its Adaptive Reuse Study.
Over the past six months, Centra has conducted an adaptive reuse feasibility study for the VBH campus as part of its broader Modernization Plan. This supports the repositioning of key services from VBH to other Centra locations to better meet the region’s evolving healthcare needs while planning for the future of the VBH site.
VBH remains open and continues to serve patients. The facility is still providing women’s and children’s services, surgical care, radiology and other outpatient services, including outpatient behavioral health access points through the Piedmont Psychiatric Center and Addiction Treatment Center.
The planning process began in December with surveys distributed to neighbors and Centra employees. From January through March, Centra hosted multiple public open houses and stakeholder focus groups, as well as a design charrette where three draft redevelopment scenarios were presented. Feedback gathered throughout the process has helped shape a preferred development vision that will be shared at the June 25 event.
“This has been a collaborative effort to envision what’s next for VBH,” said Denise Woernle, vice president of communications, marketing and community relations for Centra. “We’ve spent a lot of time listening to the community to make sure whatever comes next honors VBH’s long history while continuing to be something meaningful for Lynchburg. It’s been encouraging to see how closely the community’s ideas aligned with the recommendations of our consultants and development experts, and we feel good about the direction we’re heading.”
The final design will help guide future decisions for potential development partners as Centra’s Modernization Plan continues to advance.
Engagement has included neighbors, hospital employees, volunteers and community stakeholders, all contributing ideas and perspectives on how to repurpose the site’s 537,000 square feet of building space and parking facilities across 29 acres.
The open house will take place at Oakwood Country Club, 3409 Rivermont Ave., from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Attendees may stop in at any time, with brief presentations scheduled at 4:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. During the event, participants will see how their input directly shaped the recommended development plans and learn about next steps for the VBH campus.
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 upgrades across multiple campuses to deliver state-of-the-art healthcare services.
Key projects include:
- Centra Langhorne Medical Center (opened December 2025): A five-story medical office building that consolidates multiple specialty clinics into one convenient location.
- Centra Simons Run Medical Campus (opened summer 2026): Developed in partnership with Lifepoint Health affiliates, this campus includes the Centra Behavioral Health Hospital (opened June 2026) for inpatient psychiatric care and Centra Rehabilitation Hospital (opening July 2026). The rehabilitation hospital expands access to specialized care for adults who have experienced a loss of function or disability due to stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurological disorders, orthopedic surgery, amputation and other conditions.
- Tower A at Lynchburg General Hospital (currently under construction) A new six-floor facility featuring a modern emergency department with an EmPATH unit, surgical suites, maternity services (labor and delivery, mother/baby and intensive care nursery), and inpatient units.
Additional information about the VBH Adaptive Reuse Study and Centra’s Modernization Plan is available at:
