History
The 300 acre (1.2 km²) site of PGH was originally Piedmont Sanatorium, a rest home for African Americans with tuberculosis. The Sanatorium was closed in 1965 and converted into a geriatric hospital in 1967. In 1985, PGH was accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
In 1999, word leaked out that PGH was slated to be closed under the 1999-2000 budget of Governor George Allen. The Legislature voted to keep PGH open with funding allocated through 2000.
On November 25, 2000, the Richmond Times-Dispatch cited an administration leak that PGH would be closed by 2006. State Senator Frank Ruff speculated that the information was leaked on purpose in order to gauge the public's reaction . Local officials and the Piedmont Geriatric Association organized to oppose the closure, and the Legislature funded PGH for 2000.
In 2002, Governor Mark R. Warner proposed budget amendments to shut down PGH and Delegate Robert McDonnell introduced House Bill 995 to close Piedmont by 2007 . Nottoway Supervisor Jack Green called it the facility's most serious closure threat to date. He noted the state's desire to save money and the attractiveness of the hospital's 300 acre (1.2 km²) estate for other building projects. The bill passed after it was amended to eliminate the provision to "close Piedmont Geriatric Hospital, opened in 1967 and located in Burkeville, no earlier than July 1, 2007".
In 2004, the state Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse proposed building a facility to house 150 of Virginia's most dangerous sex offenders on PGH grounds. The facility would be self-contained and not occupy the same buildings as PGH. Reasons for selecting the Burkeville site included its proximity to Nottoway Correctional Center, which could provide backup security help, and the nearby temporary sex offenders unit in Dinwiddie, whose workers could easily transition to the new facility.
The offenders in question fall under the control of the DMHMRS, rather than the prison system, because they have completed their prison sentences but still meet the criteria for civil commitment as sexually violent predators .
Read more about this topic: Piedmont Geriatric Hospital
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