The effort to reopen the hospital in Patrick County may not be dead, but likely is on life support following the recent resignation of Debbie Foley, director of the Patrick County Economic Development Authority (EDA), according to State Sen. Bill Stanley.
Foley and the EDA were appointed on February 21 “to negotiate and handle all matters regarding the hospital,” according to unanimous votes by both the Patrick County Board of Supervisors and the Stuart Town Council.
She recently resigned, citing a lack of support.
“We will almost go back to square one” with Foley’s departure, Stanley, R-Moneta, said. Even if a new economic director is hired immediately, “they can’t catch up to speed in the time we have left to get this hospital back up and running.”
Stanley, who along with Del. Charles Poindexter, R-Glade Hill, sponsored and ensured the passage of bills in both the House and the Senate to extend certain hospital licenses until the end of the year.
“The genesis, the origin of us doing those bills and that legislation came from discussions with Debbie Foley,” Stanley said, and recalled that Foley was instrumental in spearheading campaigns encouraging local residents to visit legislators in Richmond.
“She was a force to be reckoned with in the halls of Richmond on this issue, and I could not have asked for a better person to be in the fox hole with than Debbie Foley. She answered every phone call. She answered every question and she did it all without complaint, without fail and with a can-do spirit.
“She was there every step of the way. She is dedicated to the people in Patrick County and making their lives better. That should be the primary concern for everybody,” Stanley said. “Losing Debbie is awful.”
However, local officials said any impact as a result of Foley’s departure likely will be minimal.
County Administrator Tom Rose said the impact of the hospital reopening will be dictated by Virginia Community Capital (VCC), which owns the property.
Foley’s resignation “is not going to impact VCC’s asking price, and that affects everything, including finding an operator,” Rose said.
Rickie Fulcher, of the Peters Creek District, said Foley’s departure “may have a little bit of residual impact, but the EDA board members are up to date on a lot of what’s been done, so it should not delay the project moving forward.”
Crystal Harris, of the Smith River District, Foley has “done much of the background, and I think her leaving will have a big impact. It will be hard for anyone to come in and catch up with everything that Debbie Foley has done for the cause.”
Lock Boyce, chairman of the Patrick County Board of Supervisors, said the hospital is not open now and has remained closed for nearly a year.
“The way they (EDA) came at me and Tom Rose, I think there’s been a failure to perform. Essentially, they’re right where they were when the hospital closed,” he said. “There’s not a single time they initiated a call to the governor’s office.”
Karl Weiss, of the Blue Ridge District, and Jane Scales Fulk, of the Dan River District, could not be immediately reached for comment.
