Southside Regional Medical Center (SRMC) hosted a formal groundbreaking ceremony for invited guests and media Oct. 11 for a new state‐of‐the‐art Cancer Center, Women’s Imaging Center and Medical Office Building. The event took place on its main campus located at 200 Medical Park Blvd. in Petersburg, about 30 miles south of Richmond, Va. The new $10 million Southside Regional Medical Center, which will house the new centers, is a two‐story, 32,500 square foot medical building set to open August 2013.

“My family, colleagues and I are alltoo familiar with cancer and its often devastating effects. Doing our part to support cancer research and treatment is something that is near and dear to us,” said Richard Rendina, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rendina. Mr. Rendina lost his father to brain cancer and was himself diagnosed with non‐Hodgkins lymphoma last year. “It’s what goes on behind those walls that make me feel like we are contributing,” he said.

That sentiment was spread throughout the heartfelt event, as every speaker on the docket had been affected by cancer in some fashion. Todd Varney, Executive Vice President of Leasing and Business Development for Rendina,spoke about recently completing treatment for prostate cancer, while Lucy Mendoza, a current cancer patient of SRMC, spoke about her battle with stage IV breast cancer and the relationships she built with SRMC nurses in the process. Other speakers included Petersburg Mayor Brian Moore, who mentioned what a project like this means to the community, and David Penburthy, M.D., Medical Director of the SRMC Cancer Center, who spoke on the advanced cancer treatment options to be offered at the new facility. The ceremony was followed by an official groundbreaking and brunch reception. Media was invited to attend all aspects of the event. Rendina was selected as the developer for the Southside Regional Medical Arts Pavilion. Timmons Group, a leader in multi‐discipline civil engineering, environmental and geospatial consulting services and Davis Stokes Collaborative, a full‐service architectural firm,round out the experienced team engaged on this project.

Southside Regional Medical Center moved to its new location from 801 S. Adams St. in 2008. The Cancer Center did not move with the replacement hospital because it was a relatively new wing to the old hospital. While the cancer center has been fully operational atits original location on Adams Street, the new state‐of‐the‐art center will be technologically upgraded and take its place on the SRMC main hospital campus when it opens its doors in August of 2013. A Women’s Imaging Center and approximately 8,000 square feet of general medical space will fill the remainder of the building. Southside Regional Medical Center, a Community Health Systems hospital, has received Accreditation with Commendation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer for 2011 through 2014 for its outstanding cancer care and adherence to national standards and best practices.