Centra, Central Virginia's Medical Leader

Centra Mental Health Services now provides a partial hospitalization program at Bridges Treatment Center on Leesville Road. The program is designed to treat adolescents who are in need of short-term, intensive therapy (up to two weeks) with the goal of preventing hospital admission or readmission. Bridges Partial Hospitalization Program provides individual therapy, including seeing a psychiatrist three times a week, family therapy, group therapy and educational support. Services are covered in full or part by Anthem and Piedmont Community Health Plan. This new program is part of an unrivaled continuum of mental health and substance abuse services provided by Centra, including Bridges Treatment Center, Bridges at Brightwell group home for boys, Rivermont Schools in nine Virginia locations, Centra Autism Program, Intensive In-Home Services in Lynchburg, Roanoke and Lexington, Acute Hospitalization Programs for children, adolescents, adults and older adults at Virginia Baptist Hospital, substance abuse services for adults at Pathways Treatment Center, Piedmont Psychiatric Center and Mental Health Consultation Services, which also also provides tele-psych assessment services at Southside Community Hospital in Farmville. For more information or to make a referral to any mental health program, please call Centra’s 24-hour call center, the Mental Health Intake & Resource Center, at 434-200-4444.

Centra is hosting a FREE community education program with featured speaker Donna Schuurman, Ed.D., executive director of The Dougy Center, the National Center for Grieving Children & Families. Schuurman will discuss what children and teens experience after death and what the adults in their lives can do to help. The event will be held in the garden at the Centra Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center at 1701 Thomson Drive, Lynchburg, on Thursday, May 3rd. The reception will start at 6:30 p.m. with the program running from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. To register, call 1.877.MDLINK1. For more information, please contact: Jill Goughnour at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Kristen Dabney at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Centra Women and Children’s Services will host a reception and panel discussion on Thursday, May 17, 2012, from 6:00-8:00 pm., at the Academy of Fine Arts on Main Street in Lynchburg. Attendees will have the opportunity to test drive the da Vinci robot during the reception from 6:00-7:00. Following the reception, trained gynecological surgeons from Women’s Health Services of Central Virginia will speak on the many advancements our community offers on less invasive procedures for women. Speakers include: Tracy Wheelock, M.D., Anita Schmidt, M.D., Christine Marraccini, M.D. and Wade Neiman, M.D. Some of the treatment options for common gynecological issues that will be discussed are; permanent birth control without incisions, simple treatment for heavy bleeding, robotic-assisted hysterectomies with small incisions and shorter recoveries and improving pelvic floor support. To register for this free community program, please call, 1.877.MDLINK1 (1.877.635.4651) or for more information, please visit, CentraHealth.com

Centra Lynchburg General Hospital has earned national recognition for excellence in treating patients with a heart attack. Centra received the American Heart Association’s Mission Lifeline® Heart Attack Receiving Center Accreditation. The accreditation program- sponsored by the American Heart Association and the Society of Chest Pain Centers- recognizes centers that meet or exceed quality of care measures for people experiencing the most severe type of heart attack--those that occur when blood flow is completely blocked to a portion of the heart. Centra Lynchburg General Hospital underwent numerous reviews by the Society of Chest Pain Centers and the American Heart Association. Key areas in which Centra demonstrates exceptional quality of care include: Pre-hospital EKG’s.  Emergency Medical Services (EMS) can perform this important test in the field, and transmit that information to doctors and staff at Lynchburg General Hospital. This allows the Emergency Department and Cardiac Care team to be ready for the patient when they arrive. Treatment time for a heart attack is critical.  By reducing the time it takes to treat the heart attack patient, chances for survival and return to a productive life are greatly improved. Educating the community to call 911. Medical care can begin as soon as the…