LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, formerly Montgomery Regional Hospital (MRH), is a
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
in the town of
Blacksburg, in
Montgomery County, Virginia. The hospital is a subsidiary of
Hospital Corporation of America.
History
LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, opened in 1971,
is a 146-bed general
acute-care facility
[ certified as a ]level III trauma center
A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma center may also refer to an emerge ...
. The facility replaced Altamont Hospital, which was opened in 1910 in neighboring Christiansburg as a privately owned hospital with 12 beds. The hospital was expanded to 20 beds in 1923 by its founder, Dr. A. M. Showalter. In 1967, the hospital was reorganized into a community hospital and was renamed for its founder as the A.M. Showalter Memorial Hospital. In 1969, pursuant to the efforts of the Showalter administrator, James Sublett, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) provided financing for construction of the current facility. After several name changes and transfers of ownership, the facility was renamed LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in 2010, as part of HCA's LewisGale Regional Health System.[
]
2006 shooting
On August 20, 2006, William Morva shot and killed Derrick McFarland, a security guard in the emergency department at Montgomery Regional Hospital (MRH). Morva had been in jail awaiting trial on an attempted robbery charge, but was taken to MRH after sustaining a sprained ankle and wrist while in jail. After using the restroom, he attacked the security guard and a Montgomery County Sheriff's deputy. Morva escaped the emergency department, but was captured the next day. While escaping capture, he shot and killed Montgomery County sheriff's Cpl. Eric Sutphin on the morning of August 21.
Virginia Tech shooting
The hospital received several patients that were wounded in the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007.
External links
Official Website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:LewisGale Hospital Montgomery
Buildings and structures in Blacksburg, Virginia
Hospital buildings completed in 1971
HCA Healthcare
Hospitals in Virginia