McGuire’s new director sees ‘space challenges’

New director of McGuire VA hospital in Richmond sees 'space challenges'

As massive as the McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center is, its new director, Charles E. Sepich, said the facility in South Richmond may not be big enough.

"There are significant space challenges," Sepich said recently, just a few days into his new job. It was long enough for him to see that the building, one of the largest federal structures in Virginia under one roof, needs some updating.

"Part of those space challenges is because of the way health care has changed since when this was opened up some 25-plus years ago," Sepich said.

"The other part of that is the way we deliver medicine has changed. For example, there are still some patient bedrooms that have maybe four patients. That's not appropriate these days. Those four beds need to be changed to private rooms or semiprivate rooms," he said.

For infection control and patient privacy, more hospitals are going to single-patient rooms only.

Sepich, 53, is former director of the Veterans Affairs Gulf Coast Health Care System in Biloxi, Miss. His first job with Veterans Affairs was as a recreation therapist more than 30 years ago.

McGuire, at 1201 Broad Rock Blvd., provides services to more than 220,000 veterans across Virginia and neighboring states, about four times the number served by the Biloxi hospital.

Patients include veterans and active duty men and women injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sepich, who replaced the retired Michael Phaup, said he wants to do more outreach and to invite in more visitors.

"You will see us active in the community," Sepich said. One of his ideas is a partnership between a middle school and McGuire's nursing home. Students would visit the veterans, and the veterans in turn would go to their schools, participating in history programs, for example.

McGuire has more than 400 inpatient beds and outpatient centers in Charlottesville and Fredericksburg, with another center set to open this year in Emporia. There is also a freestanding nursing home.

Projects under construction on the McGuire campus include a 10,000-square-foot addition for expanding specialty-care clinics and a freestanding transitional rehabilitation center for service members who need outpatient occupational and physical therapy.

Dale Chapman, administrative officer at the American Legion's Department of Virginia, said any outreach that can make the public more aware of the contribution of veterans is worthwhile.

He praised the veterans health system but said there are still delays in the eligibility process.

"We would like to see quicker access to the VA for our veterans," Chapman said. "There is still a backlog. That is one of the things that is always a concern."

Contact Tammie Smith at (804) 649-6572 or .