After two years of service to the Farmville area, the Chippenham Johnston-Willis Specialty Health Center located at MidTown Square will no longer offer after hour and weekend care. This will go into effect on Nov. 7.
A sign posted on the health center’s door reads: “Effective October 12, 2012, the CJW Specialty Health Center will be closing its doors on November 7, 2012. Thank you for all of your support the past 2 years!”
The specialty health center is an office of the Chippenham-Johnston-Willis Medical Center. Both are part of the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) Virginia system, an HCA affiliate. HCA has 13 acute care hospitals and 13 outpatient centers throughout the state of Virginia.
Health center employees learned that the clinic was closing on Oct. 12. One employee said they were told it was closing because patient traffic was not as busy as anticipated. However, HCA Virginia did not disclose the official reasons for the clinic’s closing to The Rotunda in time for the publishing of this article.
However, Karen Nelson, executive director of marketing for HCA Virginia, said HCA endocrinologist Dr. Leanza Liu will continue to provide care to patients at the center. In addition to Liu’s services, Nelson said the center will sporadically offer free screenings to the community.
Many Farmville and Longwood community members have reacted proactively to the news of the specialty center's closing. Dorothy Farnham, manager of Sweet Frog Farmville location across the street from the health center, started a petition about a week ago in an attempt to keep the center open. As of press time, 475 people have signed the petition. “It’s a great benefit for Farmville, especially for students, and I just don’t want to see them go,” said Farnham. Farnham said a great deal of people agree, as the petition has been signed by Longwood and Hampden- Sydney College students as well as Farmville community members.
“Unlike at the hospital where you’re a number, they actually treat you like you’re a person,” Farnham said. One day when Farnham was ill and she visited the center, she said they took care of her immediately and even came to Sweet Frog two days later to see how she was doing. They also asked her to come back over for a check-up. “They have that personal touch that you’re not going to get anywhere else,” she added.
Once Farnham believes she has a suitable amount of signatures, she said she will take the signature to the appropriate executive. She feels “moved” to help a fellow Farmville business keep its doors open. Via Facebook, Longwood alumna Cathy Downey Lescalleet also expressed sadness that students will have less places to go for medical care in Farmville. She added, “I realize that the hospital emergency room is available, but most will suffer because they refuse to sit through the horrific wait times at the hospital.
