Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center

Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center, also known as Richmond VA Medical Center or McGuire VA Hospital, is located in Richmond, Virginia.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West speaks with Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Michael Shepard at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center
Marine Corps Sgt. Joshua Boucard and his family at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center

History

The facility is named in honor of Hunter Holmes McGuire, M.D. (1835–1900), a famous Virginian notable for being the young personal physician to Confederate Major General Stonewall Jackson during the American Civil War (1861–1865).

The Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center was established on the land of Broadrock that was once a horse racing track built soon after the Civil War in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The land was purchased by Thomas Marcellous Cheatham in 1892 who built a home for himself and his new bride.[1] The facility was established after World War II along State Route 10 and Richmond's Belt Boulevard, an early highway bypass. The Cheatham family had no choice but to give up their land under eminent domain. That area of the county, about 6 miles (10 km) from downtown Richmond in the Southside area, was annexed by the independent city in 1970.

The facility was the first Veterans Administration hospital to perform heart transplant surgery in the 1970s, under the leadership of Dr. Szabolcs Szentpetery.[2] It is also a major facility for patients with spinal cord injuries. The physical plant was entirely rebuilt and expanded in the late 20th century. A building there is named for WW2 Medal of Honor recipient Van T. Barfoot.[3]

The Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center offers alternative medicine such as acupuncture and a "zen den".[4]

References
  1. Cox, Edwin P. "The History of Chesterfield County, Va." 1936
  2. "McGuire VAMC Heart Transplant Program". U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  3. Bill McKelway (December 2, 2009). "Henrico County Medal of Honor recipient, 90, ordered to remove flagpole". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  4. Emily Wax-Thibodeaux (October 15, 2014). "At VA, exploring alternative therapies for chronic pain and other ailments". Washington Post. Retrieved June 2, 2015.



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