ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ A state report has recommended that Virginia lawmakers close Roanoke County’s Catawba Hospital and another state psychiatric hospital in favor of adding a wing to a newer facility and building a network of community services, especially those that care for people with dementia. According to The Roanoke Times, the report by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services was ordered by lawmakers this year in order to evaluate the cost of operating the 110-bed Catawba Hospital and Nottoway County’s 123-bed Piedmont Geriatric Hospital. Catawba and Piedmont, the two oldest hospitals in the state’s network, are in need of $94.1 million in renovations. The report, dated Nov. 10, says Virginia should use the money saved from the closures to build a community-based network to follow through with patients’ care upon discharge.
