Virginia's plan to shut down Hiram Davis Medical Center has stalled again, leaving dozens of the state's most medically fragile behavioral health patients in limbo inside a building plagued by Legionella bacteria and failing heating and air-conditioning systems. The state wants to transfer some of the frailest people in the behavioral health system out of the aging facility, and lawmakers have expressed concerns about the plan.
A Building in Crisis
The medical center has struggled for years with Legionella bacteria and failing heating and air-conditioning systems, as reported by richmond.com, and the photo collection documenting the facility was published by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Between 2021 and 2024, the bacteria, which can cause severe pneumonia, was repeatedly detected in the building's water system, according to Cardinal News. State officials have also pointed to ongoing problems with HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems that they say pose continuing risks to residents and staff.
Those infrastructure failures are the backbone of the state's case for closing Hiram Davis, with a proposed closure date of December 2027, per the same Cardinal News report. Back in May 2026, there were 32 residents living at the 94-bed facility, and only about a quarter of them had discharge plans in place at the time. By July, the reported census had dropped to 27 patients, down from the 32 counted two months earlier.
Where Would Patients Go?
Under the closure proposal, residents would move into community facilities, while those whose care needs exceed what local providers can handle would transition to the Southeastern Virginia Training Center in Chesapeake, the outlet reported in July. The 2026 state budget already directed funds to convert 10 existing beds at that Chesapeake facility so they can accommodate a skilled nursing level of care.
Hiram Davis currently has seven patients with serious mental illness and five with dementia, and all twelve are headed for specialized placements once the facility closes. According to roanoke.com, those patients are slated for specialized mental health group homes with medical supports, memory care units, or nursing homes that care for individuals with behavioral health issues.
MaxCare Summercreek as One Option
One possible destination is MaxCare Summercreek, a group home in Chesterfield County that cares for six residents, all of whom have intellectual or developmental disabilities. It is described as a relatively new type of group home licensed to provide skilled nursing care for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and over the years its residents have included people who had been at Hiram Davis, according to the Roanoke outlet's reporting. With Hiram Davis set to close, MaxCare Summercreek stands as one alternative among several being weighed for patients who need specialized care.
Lawmakers Keep Hitting Pause
The closure plan has repeatedly stumbled in front of state legislators. The Joint Commission on Health Care postponed its advisory vote on the closure again in July and said members would send Governor Abigail Spanberger a letter outlining their concerns, Cardinal News reported. State officials developed the closure plan under Va. Code § 37.2-316, according to a 2025 report filed with the Virginia Legislative Information System.
Statewide, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services has pointed to broader obstacles in reducing patient populations at facilities like Hiram Davis, including staffing shortages and what the agency has called extraordinary barriers to discharge. Those systemic pressures help explain why, even as the building's infrastructure continues to fail, state officials and lawmakers have yet to agree on exactly how and when its remaining patients will be moved.
