VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital announces first female president

VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital’s next president will be Sheldon Barr, effective Dec. 11. She is the first female to lead the South Hill facility in its 68-year history.

Barr will be responsible for operations, overseeing inclusive excellence, managing day-to-day operations while also leading strategic initiatives to ensure the hospital’s long-term success.

“I am excited to deliver on VCU Health’s mission to preserve and restore health for all people of Virginia and beyond,” said Barr. “Community Memorial Hospital has been a beacon for excellent patient care for decades, and I look forward to serving the community, our team members and our patients in my new role.”

With more than 20 years of experience in health care leadership roles at the system level and in community hospital settings, Barr comes to VCU Health from HCA Florida South Shore Hospital in Sun City Center, Fla., where she served as chief executive officer. Prior to this role, she served as chief operating officer at Chippenham Hospital in Chesterfield County where she was responsible for strategic planning and execution of growth plans across key areas, such as trauma, cardiovascular and burn care.

During her time with HCA, Barr was recognized as the HCA Executive Development Program 2021 Mentor of Year and was a recipient of the Frist Humanitarian Award, which recognizes the highest achievements in serving others.

She earned a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science, both in nursing, from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Business Administration from Western Governors University.

Barr follows Scott Burnette, who was a pivotal leader for VCU Health CMH prior to his retirement in 2022. Under his leadership, the community gained a new inpatient facility in 2017, a state-of-the-art oncology and rehabilitation facility, and a multi-specialty building that houses 15 clinics. Burnette led the community hospital in South Hill through three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, standing up a temporary urgent care facility for the community when it was needed the most.

VCU Health CMH operates a hospital with 70 private patient rooms and a long-term care facility with an additional 140 beds.

The South Hill enterprise offers a wide array of in-patient services, including acute care and long-term care along with many outpatient programs such as home health, hospice and many others.