History:

Blue Ridge Medical Center first opened the doors of a small modular building in July 1985 with one doctor and three exam rooms. In an effort to meet the growing needs of area residents, Blue Ridge Medical Center has expanded through five building additions and ongoing service expansions to provide new services and a larger facility. Over eighty staff members, including five physicians and five nurse practitioners, provide 10,000 patients annually with top-of-the-line primary and preventive care, which is our daily objective and is paramount to successfully addressing our mission to provide quality health care to all people in Nelson County and neighboring communities; and to improve their general health and well-being through prevention, education, and treatment.

In December 2011, we moved into our new state-of-the-art medical facility made possible by a large Federal grant and other community investments. Our new building has lobby space and exam rooms designed especially for children. We have, for the first time, a retail space in our pharmacy that provides over-the-counter medications and supplies for our patients. Telemedicine will also be available to allow access to specialty care onsite.

The move to our new facility also allowed us to make a long-time dream a reality—-the addition of dental care to the Blue Ridge Medical Center campus. The original building that was our home over the past 25 years and is next door to our current facility has been rebuilt to accommodate a six-operatory dental facility. This newly reconstructed building will also will have a teaching kitchen for nutrition education and demonstrations by our Rural Health Outreach Program’s Health Educators, Nurse Educators, and other experts we bring in for our Diabetes Self-Management Support Groups.

In February 2012, we started BRMC’s newest program, Pediatrics. We have two excellent pediatrician currently on staff. This allows parents in Amherst and Nelson County to access this necessary primary care specialty close to home.