As 2025 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on a year full of remarkable milestones, heartfelt moments and inspiring stories that helped shape Riverside Health and the communities we proudly serve.
This year, we continued making meaningful strides to expand access to high-quality care across our region. In Isle of Wight and Smithfield, the new Riverside Smithfield Hospital reached major milestones, from construction completion to celebrating the ribbon cutting ahead of the January 2026 opening. In Williamsburg, we broke ground on a new 52-bed skilled nursing facility, strengthening our commitment to lifelong care for residents. We also marked procedural milestones in Gamma Knife and MRI Focused Ultrasound, offering patients new hope and transformative treatment options.
Our hospitals, teams and providers earned national recognition for their unwavering dedication to delivering exceptional care. And through an expansion of maternal health resources, we ensured that mothers, regardless of primary language, have access to vital postpartum information they need to care for themselves and their babies with confidence.
At Riverside, 2025 has been about more than just achievements, it’s been about connecting with and caring for our community. Whether you’re a team member, a community partner, a patient, or a visitor, we’re grateful for the role you’ve played in this incredible journey.
Before we turn the page to 2026, we invite you to join us in reflecting on the stories that defined this year. Take a look at the top 10 moments that resonated most with our community in our newsroom. Thank you for trusting Riverside with your care and for being part of our story.
10. All Four Riverside Hospitals Receive 2025 Get With the Guidelines Stroke Award
Riverside Health is proud to announce that all four acute care hospitals have received 2025 American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association’s (ASA) Get With the Guidelines — Stroke Quality Achievement Awards. The acute care hospitals also each earned the recognition of Target — Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognition for their commitment to providing research-based, high-quality stroke care for presenting patients with type 2 diabetes.
9. Patriots Colony Williamsburg Breaks Ground on 52-Bed Skilled Nursing Facility Expansion
In June, Riverside Patriots Colony at Williamsburg (PCAW), held a celebratory groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction of a new 52-bed skilled nursing and long-term care facility, scheduled to open in late 2026. The new 43,500-square-foot facility will replace the existing nursing care center on the Williamsburg campus, offering an updated environment designed to meet the evolving needs of residents.
8. Becker’s Names Riverside Simulations Training Lab Among the Nations' Top Medical Training Facilities
The Riverside Simulation Training Lab (RSTL) has been recognized by Becker’s Healthcare as one of the nation's top medical simulation training and education programs. This prestigious honor highlights the lab’s commitment to advancing health care education and clinical skill development for medical professionals. By providing a state-of-the-art, hands-on learning environment, RSTL plays a crucial role in ensuring team members can confidently and safely refine their skills, ultimately improving patient care and clinical outcomes.
Located at Riverside Regional Medical Center in the Huntington Ingalls Industries Education & Training Center, the 8,400-square-foot facility serves as a vital resource for ongoing clinical training. It provides immersive, hands-on learning experiences for medical residents, Riverside providers, team members, and community partners.
7. Riverside Marks 2,500th Gamma Knife Procedure Reinforcing Leadership in Non-Invasive, Advanced Brain Surgery
Riverside Health has reached a major milestone with the completion of its 2,500th Gamma Knife® procedure at Riverside Radiosurgery Center in Newport News, further cementing its position as a statewide leader in non-invasive brain surgery. Riverside introduced Gamma Knife radiosurgery to Virginia in 2006 and remains a pioneer in the field. In 2020, they became the first and only provider in Virginia—and one of just a few in the country—to upgrade to the Gamma Knife Icon™, offering both frame-based and frameless precision treatments with real-time imaging and unparalleled accuracy. Most recently, they became the first health system in Virginia to implement the cutting-edge Elekta Esprit technology in its Leksell Gamma Knife at the Riverside Radiosurgery Center in Newport News—an advanced upgrade that enhances radiosurgical precision, particularly for patients with brain metastases from cancers not treatable by other therapies.
6. Riverside Health Marks 100th MRI Focused Ultrasound for Tremor Relief
In August, Riverside Health announced the successful completion of its 100th MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound treatment, a groundbreaking, non-invasive therapy that precisely targets and treats areas of the brain responsible for tremors. This procedure is used to treat patients with Essential Tremor or tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease whose symptoms have not improved with medication.
Since introducing the procedure in September of 2022, Riverside has been one of only two hospitals in Eastern Virginia, and six statewide, to offer this advanced technology, and its implementation expanded access to life-changing care for patients across the Virginia Peninsula.
5. Riverside Doctors’ Hospital Williamsburg Emergency Department Honored with Prestigious Lantern Award
Riverside Doctors’ Hospital Williamsburg (RDHW) has been awarded the prestigious Lantern Award from the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), a national honor recognizing excellence in emergency care. This award highlights emergency departments that demonstrate a strong commitment to safety, quality, positive patient outcomes, and a supportive work environment. RDHW is now the second Riverside acute care hospital to receive this distinction, following Riverside Regional Medical Center in 2024.
4. Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital Recognized in the Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals
As a testament to providing safe, accessible and quality health care on the Eastern Shore, Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital (RSMH) has been recognized in the 2025 top 100 rural and community hospitals in the nation by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. RSMH has consistently garnered national recognition, achieving a place on the prestigious Top 100 list by the Chartis Center in both 2017 and 2020. Additionally, from 2021 to 2024, RSMH consistently ranked within the top 20 for its exceptional care delivery tailored to rural communities.
3. Three Riverside Physicians Named to Newsweek’s List of America’s Leading Doctors 2025
William McAllister, M.D., Neurosurgeon, Riverside Hampton Roads Neurosurgical and Spine Specialists, Dean Kostov, M.D., Neurosurgeon, Riverside Hampton Roads Neurosurgical and Spine Specialists and Steven Kitay, M.D., Ophthalmologist, Hampton Roads Eye Associates have been named on America’s Leading Doctors 2025 List by Newsweek and global data intelligence firm Statista. This national honor recognizes their exceptional expertise, commitment to achieving outstanding patient outcomes, and leadership in advancing the standard of medical care across the country.
2. Riverside Health Expands Maternal Health Resources with Multilingual Postpartum Instructional Videos
In recognizing the growing diversity of local communities, Riverside Health has released a new video series of multilingual postpartum instructional videos designed to educate mothers on critical postpartum care instructions. The video series, available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole, addresses key aspects of postpartum care and is now part of the standard discharge process for maternity patients at Riverside Regional Medical Center (RRMC) and Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital (RSMH). With a growing population of native Spanish and Haitian Creole speakers, particularly on the Eastern Shore, this initiative aims to ensure that all mothers, regardless of their primary language, have access to vital postpartum care information.
1. Riverside Health Celebrates Ribbon-Cutting for Riverside Smithfield Hospital Ahead of Opening in Early January 2026
On December 4, 2025, Riverside Health celebrated the ribbon cutting of the new 200,000 square foot state-of-the-art Riverside Smithfield Hospital (RSH). More than 300 people, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other dignitaries, joined Riverside for the dedication of the new facility. The 50-bed hospital located at 19339 Benns Grant Boulevard, scheduled to open early January 2026, is a step forward to providing equitable and accessible care for those living in Smithfield and Isle of Wight.
We thank you for choosing us for your care in 2025!