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VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital: Advancing Health Care in Rural Communities

Maggie McKay (Host): As some rural hospitals across America are closing, VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital is dedicated to offering quality healthcare services to the people who live and work in their rural community of Southern Virginia. March is Women's History Month. Today we're talking with a woman who is making history. Sheldon Barr is the first woman president to lead CMH. Listen, as she shares why CMH is uniquely positioned to respond to today's healthcare challenges and opportunities and what it's like to be a woman in healthcare leadership. This is Healthy with VCU Health. I'm Maggie McKay. Sheldon, thank you so much for being here. First of all, congratulations and what an accomplishment.

Sheldon Barr, MSN, MBA (Guest): Thank you so much, Maggie. It is an honor to be here with you today.

Host: What attracted you to VCU Health and Community Memorial Hospital specifically?

Guest: There were three primary reasons I was attracted to VCU Health and CMH. The first is VCU has a longstanding legacy and history within the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond that has blazed trails in the academic and healthcare setting. Our mission statement is we preserve and restore health for all people of Virginia and beyond, through innovation and research and education. That is incredibly powerful, and the opportunity to start and end each day behind the VCU Health mission resonates with me at my core as a transformational and servant leader. Second, our diversity, equity and inclusion statement reflects our commitment to the past, the present, and the future.

And a few key takeaways that speak to me, is our relentless commitment and faithful actions to create a community that recognizes and embraces all, while delivering healthcare in a manner that respects diversity and inclusivity on our journey to be a strong community partner and earn the trust of all. And third, on a more personal note, we have had a home on Lake Gaston in Brunswick County, Virginia for approximately 10 years. The opportunity to live, work and be an active community member in a community that has meant so much to us and our family, is one that I do not take for granted.

Host: That sounds beautiful. A house on the lake. How is CMH unique in the South Hill community and in the VCU health system?

Guest: You know, VCU CMH is a community owned nonprofit hospital that is dedicated to being the leader in health services for the south-central region of Virginia and northern North Carolina. We are a rural provider and our service area is referred to as one of the tobacco regions known as Southside Virginia.

CMH has been serving the community since 1954, and we take pride in offering expanded services, facilities and care teams that continue to provide high quality healthcare along with state-of-the-art technology. We also happen to be one of the largest employers in our community and the real uniqueness here is our community.

We have a community that is actively involved and supportive of VCU Health, CMH, and our mission. The depth and breadth of their support from first responders, the board, the foundation, our community members and community organizations across our local towns and counties is inspiring. And it is like nothing that I have ever seen or experienced. One word to describe it would be synergy. Just true synergy.

Host: Sheldon, what services are available at CMH?

Guest: So, in terms of our services, we have three primary care practices. One located in Bracey, Virginia, one in Clarksville, Virginia, and one on campus at VCU Health, CMH. In addition, we have multiple subspecialty clinics to include oncology, radiation oncology, general surgery, cardiology, neurology. We have a full gamut of speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy that also includes a lymphedema clinic and pediatric services, in addition to cardiopulmonary rehab. There are other services that we provide too including rheumatology. We also have a dental clinic that is onsite and psychiatry. These services are extremely rare to find in a rural hospital setting or healthcare setting such as ours, and it is because of the generous donations of our community, as well as the investments from VCU Health that we have these services here.

Host: And what's your vision for CMH to keep it meeting the needs of its rural community?

Guest: There are three things that come to mind in terms of our vision. One is to be the community hospital of choice for southside Virginia and northern North Carolina. Two, we want to be the clinician and caregiver employer of choice. And three, we want to mature, establish, and grow service lines based on the needs of the rural community we serve.

So additional services that it's important for the community to know about. We are Joint Commission accredited. We are a designated primary stroke center, and recently through the Garland Birthing Center, we have reached a milestone of 1000 births.

And we've been growing. We've been growing with new services, facilities, technologies, and the doctors that we have, all to meet the needs of the community that we serve.

Host: Sounds like you've got a lot covered there. Pretty much anything anybody would need. What are your priorities in your first few years?

Guest: If I could share with you my priorities in the first few years, I would like to segment that into four key areas. The first key area is workforce wellness. And Maggie, this is more than staffing. This is truly building a workforce and a culture that is respectful, equitable, and inclusive. Just as an example, we have international travelers and we continue to recruit in international travelers as part of our care team who become new long-standing members of the south side community.

The second key area would be timely access to care. We've just talked about the different services that we provide here to the community, so it's not just access to primary care and our specialists, but it's also timely care in our emergency department and furthering access to care in our underserved communities.

I'd like to share with you that recently the Richmond Health and Wellness Program that is led by the VCU School of Nursing received nearly a 4 million dollar grant to expand services into new communities, and I am so proud that they have brought those services to our area in Alberta, Virginia, and this launched on Tuesday, January the 24th. So VCU and Southside Virginia Community College nursing students along with VCU Health Sciences students offer holistic wellness care every Tuesday from 8:30 to 4:00. The third priority is innovative research and education. This truly improves overall health through our commitment to exceptional and innovative discovery, the training of future healthcare professionals and patient care.

We are one of Massey Cancer Centers' largest affiliated sites in terms of clinical trial enrollment. We provide radiation oncology to residents of southside Virginia and northern North Carolina. And we will soon be launching a rural health family medicine residency program. The last priority is health equity. And health equity is actually defined as providing equitable care to all patients and communities while acknowledging their unique needs and revising or developing plans to meet those needs.

Host: According to a 2021 study released by the American Medical Association's publication, only about 15% of the CEO roles in health systems are held by women. What advice would you give to other women, Sheldon, who want to be leaders in healthcare?

Guest: You know wow, Maggie. I did not realize how low this number was until I was recently speaking with a colleague from India, and she shared with me that when you further dissect that statistic, less than 3% actually are people of color. As we discussed earlier, the VCU Health diversity, equity and inclusion statement really resonates with me, and this reconfirms the why.

In terms of advice, I have a few thoughts. First of all, build your network and stay connected. Seek out mentors who are committed to your growth, development and success. Be authentic and be your authentic self. Appreciate the journey. Learn from your opportunities and celebrate your successes.

Host: All good advice. And can you share what it's like being a woman in leadership when there aren't many women in these roles?

Guest: There are some days where it can be a little lonely, but ultimately, it's inspiring. I love the work that I do and the challenges that executive leadership brings, particularly in healthcare. I also see my role as being that of mentoring other women who want to choose to go down the same pathway.

Host: And what are some of the things women can do to break into the industry as leaders?

Guest: The first thing, Maggie, would be to declare your path. Declare your path and share that. Set long and short-term goals. Seek constructive feedback and use that to be a better version of yourself. And a fond phrase that I used to always share with my daughter growing up, your only limitation is your own imagination.

Host: That's a good one. I like it. This year's Women's History Month theme is celebrating women who tell our stories. Can you share a story about a woman in your life who has inspired you?

Guest: I would love to. Many have inspired me at both a professional and a personal level, but my daughter, Hailey, has been such an inspiration and we both share mutual inspiration for Maya Angelou. Her words of wisdom, her personal and professional journeys, they really spoke to us and have resonated with me throughout my work journey as well.

So, the one that we are here on at VCU Health CMH, professionally, I would say, can best be summarized by one of her quotes: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."

Host: I like it. Anything else you'd like to share, Sheldon?

Guest: Maggie, I would like to recognize our physicians, clinicians, and caregivers who deliver care across all of our sites of care to the southside and northern North Carolina community. They are skilled. They're compassionate and truly committed. In fact, they inspire me to greet each day by being the best, authentic version of myself. And as a final note to our listeners, follow VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital on Facebook and LinkedIn to see how we celebrate the diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community.

Host: That's awesome. It's been a pleasure speaking with you and getting to know you and hearing more about your position, Sheldon, thank you for being here.

Guest: Thank you so much for having me today, Maggie.

Host: We've been speaking with Sheldon Barr, VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital's new president about how she is leading this rural hospital to meet the needs of its patients and community. You can learn more about VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital by going online to VCUhealth.org/cmh. That's VCU health.org/cmh.

And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. To listen to other podcasts from VCU Health, visit VCUhealth.org/podcast. This is Healthy with VCU Health. I'm Maggie McKay.