Today, Riverside Health held a ceremony to mark the final structural beam placement for the new freestanding Jamison Longford Medical Office Building (MOB) on the campus of Riverside Smithfield Hospital. Local community leaders, Riverside leadership, team members were in attendance and invited to sign the steel beam. The beam signing is a special event to honor two local physicians and the generosity of the Luter family, whose donation to Riverside supports the construction of the new MOB in honor of two local physicians. This generous act underscores their legacy and commitment to enhancing health care for their community.
“Caring for our patients and community is Riverside’s top priority and gifts like this from Joseph W. Luter III and Karin Luter, allow Riverside to elevate and accelerate remarkable care while celebrating health care heroes and their life-changing work.,” says Kristen Witt, Chief Philanthropy Officer for the Riverside Foundation. “Dr. Bernard ‘Barney’ Jamison and the late Dr. Desmond Longford, the MOB namesakes, gave so much to this community and we are deeply honored, to continue the journey of providing high quality, safe medical care for those living in and around Isle of Wight.”
The late Desmond “Dewey” Longford, M.D., an Irish-native, was a community-focused family medical practitioner who served the area for more than five decades and cared for thousands. After retiring from private practice, Dr. Longford continued caring for the community through his work at the Surry Free Clinic and eventually founded the Western Tidewater Free Clinic.
Also from Ireland, Bernard “Barney” Jamison, M.D., joined the community and opened a medical practice more than 30 years ago. He has been quoted as saying that ‘providing care to his patients is his first love’. In line with this, Dr. Jamison has been recognized for his dedication to caring for the community by being awarded the Isle of Wight’s Citizen of the Year and Volunteer of the Year for Physicians for his work with the Western Tidewater Free Clinic.
“As a resident of Smithfield, I understand how important it is to maintain that feeling of community and I am honored to be trusted to bring the Riverside mission to life,” says Jessica Macalino, President of Riverside Smithfield Hospital. “I am proud to be a part of this collective investment from neighbors, patients, and future team members to enhance health care close to home and continue the legacy of such incredible community supporters.”
The 27,000 square foot Medical Office Building will sit adjacent to the new hospital and house physical therapy, human resources, other areas for operational support teams and a variety of multispecialty physician practices. The state-of-the-art facility will include clinical space for:
- Cardiology
- Gastroenterology
- General Surgery
- Neurology
- Orthopedics
- Sports Medicine
- Urology
- Vascular Specialists
The construction of the new MOB broke ground in April of 2024 and is on schedule to be completed in early 2025. Stay up to date on the construction progress by visiting riversideonline.com/rsh.