The Best in Health Care in Virginia's Blue Ridge

Content provided by LewisGale Regional Health System, Carilion Clinic and the Salem VA Medical Center.

LewisGale Medical Center

Creating Healthier Tomorrows Across Virginia

LewisGale Medical Center, located in Salem, Virginia, is part of HCA Virginia Health System, the Commonwealth’s most comprehensive provider network with 14 hospitals, 27 outpatient centers, six freestanding emergency rooms, 4,640 nurses, 488 employed physicians, 210 Graduate Medical Education residents, and 4.6k colleagues. Through our comprehensive network of healthcare providers and facilities, HCA Virginia Health System has delivered 2.5 million patient encounters, including 523,941 ER visits, 41,523 behavioral health visits, and 13,584 newborn deliveries.

Since the start of the COVID pandemic, LewisGale has invested $133 million in capital projects across southwest Virginia. Our vision has remained consistent: to provide quality, compassionate care for our patients well into the future.

In October 2022, LewisGale Medical Center began construction on a new Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), also called a special care nursery. The state-of-the-art 3,000 square-foot NICU will have six bassinets with the space to expand as needed. The NICU will treat medically-fragile, premature infants and full-term newborns with infections, birth defects, breathing difficulties, growth restrictions, and maternal health concerns.

Advanced Medical Technology Improves Outcomes, Reduces Pain, Shortens Patient Stays

LewisGale offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures performed by highly trained surgeons and staff. With access to the latest technologies, surgeons perform laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgery, resulting in less pain, reduced scarring, and faster recovery.

Last year, LewisGale Medical Center was the first hospital in the Roanoke Valley to offer robotic-arm assisted partial knee replacement, total hip replacement, and total knee replacement procedures. The robotic-arm assisted technology provides surgeons with a personalized surgical plan based on the patient’s unique anatomy before entering the operating room.

As a regional heart care leader, LewisGale Medical Center continues to add new procedures. The hospital recently announced it successfully performed a permanent heart implants in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation to reduce stroke risk. The procedure uses technology to close off an area of the heart called the left atrial appendage, which will prevent harmful blood clots from entering the bloodstream and potentially causing a stroke. This procedure can reduce the risk of stroke and, over time, patients may be able to stop taking blood thinners.

Delivering High-Quality Health Outcomes is a Top Priority

LewisGale Medical Center has consistently been recognized for patient safety and health outcomes. Among recent national recognitions is the Healthgrades Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award, which the hospital has received for seven consecutive years. LewisGale has also received Healthgrades Spine Surgery Excellence Award for five consecutive years. These recognitions place the hospital among the top 5 percent in the nation for overall orthopedic services and spine surgery.

As an accredited chest pain center and primary stroke center, the hospital demonstrates its continuous commitment to providing evidence-based processes that are proven to result in the best outcomes possible.

Partnering with Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute to Bring World-Class Cancer Care Close to Home

LewisGale Medical Center’s partnership with Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute expands its comprehensive cancer services in southwest Virginia. Patients treated for cancer at all HCA Virginia facilities have access to even more advanced and evidence-based care — from screenings, diagnostics, and surgery, to radiation, chemotherapy, and advanced clinical trials — eliminating the need to travel far from home. Partnering with Sarah Cannon, LewisGale Medical Center has introduced technologies and therapies such as the robotic bronchoscope.

Quick, Convenient Access to Emergency, Life-Saving Care

With six ERs located throughout southwest Virginia in Roanoke, Salem, Blacksburg, Pulaski, and Low Moor, patients have access to emergency, life-saving care, close to home.

LewisGale Hospital Blue Hills freestanding ER on West Ruritan Road opened in July 2022. This strategic location, which provides the same services that a hospital-based emergency room would, provides faster, more convenient emergency care to residents who live near this busy Route 460 corridor.

Training Tomorrow’s Healthcare Leaders

Looking to the future, LewisGale Medical Center is helping train tomorrow’s exceptional physicians through its graduate medical education program in internal medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, and emergency medicine. LewisGale Medical Center also partners with local schools and colleges to help build relationships that foster the growth and professional development of future nurses. Through these partnerships, several nursing programs hold their clinicals at the hospital. Some of LewisGale’s staff members serve as students’ clinical instructors, and other nursing staff members sit on the advisory board at Virginia Western Community College and the University of Lynchburg.

Carilion Clinic

Improving the health of the communities we serve.

Carilion is more than health care. We are pioneers, community advocates, researchers, educators, friends, and neighbors. As a not-for-profit health care system headquartered in Roanoke, Va., community is at the root of our efforts. We have a comprehensive network of seven hospitals, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center, nearly 250 ambulatory practice sites with more than 800 physicians across 78 specialties.

Our flagship hospital, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, is the highest-ranked hospital in the region and a leader in the state according to the U.S. News and World Report. That expertise extends to our seven VelocityCare Urgent Care sites across our footprint – Roanoke, Salem, Daleville, Westlake, Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Lexington – bringing easy access to care close to home for our communities. We also prioritize digital health tools, connecting patients to urgent care experts on-demand in minutes through video visits. Check out CarilionNow.com to get plugged in.

We take pride in advancing care through outreach projects, research and education, helping our community to stay healthy and inspiring the region to grow stronger.

Cardiovascular Institute

We are proud to offer state-of-the-art treatments at one of the nation’s top heart hospitals and largest cardiovascular practices in western Virginia. We are a comprehensive institute, spanning all forms of heart care from general cardiology, to minimally-invasive cardiology interventions, non-open surgical procedures, to a full cardiac surgery approach. We are your one-stop shop for all things heart care. And our outcomes demonstrate that we’ll get you back home and to your life sooner.

In 2022, we celebrated 40 years of open-heart surgeries. We look forward to continuing that legacy as the region’s trusted provider through research into conditions like coronary heart disease and heart failure, paving the way for tomorrow’s care.

Carilion Children’s Tanglewood Center

Carilion Clinic’s new children’s facility puts pediatric care under one roof. With a full-service lab, imaging, cardiology, dentistry, audiology, and over a dozen other specialties, the Tanglewood Center serves as a hub for our pediatric patients. Children who need to see multiple providers can stay in one place or take a break to visit the nearby stores and restaurants. The building also shows our commitment to sustainability, with up-to-the-minute green initiatives.

Institute for Orthopaedics and Neurosciences

Our nationally recognized orthopaedic team offers cutting-edge surgical techniques and new technological advancements, providing benefits for quicker patient recovery. Trusted as the official Sports Medicine provider for Virginia Tech Athletics, we are committed to getting you up and moving quickly.

Our Institute for Orthopedics and Neurosciences is the largest academic practice in Virginia, a regional destination for all musculoskeletal conditions. From fractures to trauma care, we are carrying on a legacy of excellence that began 75 years ago. We have fellowship-trained surgeons in eight orthopaedic subspecialties and focus on innovation through our Musculoskeletal Education Research Center to perform meaningful translational research projects with real-world applications.

Growing with Our Community

Between 2019 and 2025, we are investing more than $1 billion in the region to modernize the way we deliver care to our patients. Our plans include new facilities, upgrades to our existing spaces and new technology. Plans include:

A 10-story tower expansion to Roanoke Memorial to include an expanded Emergency Department, new home for the Cardiovascular Institute, a second helipad and additional parking.

Moving mental health outpatient services to a modern, 37,000 square-foot space at Tanglewood Mall.

Constructing a world-class Cancer Center in Roanoke.

Our expansion projects address needs in our communities that have been identified through our community needs assessments and other research. Our goal is to improve access to care, so that everyone in our communities can get the care they need, when they need it, closer to home.

Here for You – Then, Now, and Always

For over 120 years, southwest Virginia has looked to Carilion Clinic for care, support, research, education and so much more. Learn more about your care options at CarilionClinic.org.

Salem VA Medical Center

The VA Salem Healthcare system teams are deeply experienced and guided by the needs of Veterans, their families and caregivers.

Some of the country’s bravest men and women call Virginia’s Blue Ridge home, and local veterans trust the professionals at Salem VA Medical Center (Salem VAMC) for all of their health care-related needs, including long-term care, primary care, a women’s health program and more.

The medical center specializes in providing outpatient care and rehabilitation services to patients who are experiencing complications associated with combat, stroke, amputation, spinal cord injuries, surgery, chronic illnesses and much more.

Caregivers also play a key role in nursing patients back to health. Through the facility’s caregiver support program, loved ones are reassured that they are not alone in the process. The medical center is there to assist with tools and emotional encouragement.

For veterans whose medical treatment plans require a prescription, the medical center makes getting pharmaceuticals as simple as possible. The Salem VAMC pharmacy processes more than 1,800 prescriptions on a daily basis. Veterans can refill their prescriptions online or via phone or mail.

In an effort to be at the forefront of emerging medical breakthroughs, the medical center also features a research and development program that explores numerous areas of study including cardiology, mental health, pulmonology, endocrinology and nephrology. Patients have the opportunity to participate in studies as well.

When veterans walk into the doors of the Salem VAMC, they can rest easy knowing that all of their needs will be met with compassion and experience.