Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center is located in Richmond, Virginia.

History

McGuire VA Hospital (as it is known locally) was established on the land of a former racetrack in Chesterfield County, Virginia after World War II along State Route 10 and Richmond's Belt Boulevard, an early highway bypass. That area of the county, about 6 air miles 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. 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.

Hunter Holmes McGuire, M.D.

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

Dr. McGuire was a resident of nearby Bon Air outside Richmond and served as a president of the American Medical Association. Prominent in his field, Dr. McGuire helped found the medical schools and institutions which became important portions of the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), organized by his son, Dr. Stuart McGuire, which became part of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 1968.

In addition to the VA hospital, Hunter Holmes McGuire is also memorialized by a statue in Capitol Square at the Virginia State Capitol, the only physician so honored.

Current facility, future plans

The facility has a full range of health care services ranging from comprehensive outpatient care to complex inpatient services such as heart, liver and lung transplantation, and care of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. The medical center currently has 427 operating beds, which includes acute care, spinal cord injury, mental health services and a skilled nursing home.

Plans have been announced to expand the facility substantially in the early 21st century. It is located on a large site with additional land available for that purpose.