VCU Health opens a new 39-bed unit for comprehensive liver care

The new unit was developed in response to the increase of liver disease seen across the country.

Richmond, Va, March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VCU Health leaders cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art Comprehensive Liver Care Unit at VCU Medical Center. The 39-bed facility will open tomorrow, April 1, 2025, and will primarily provide pre- and post-operative care for patients receiving liver transplants through the VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center. It will offer both intensive and intermediate care private rooms with bathrooms. 

Always evaluating the need for expanding services and care to the community, the VCU Health System Board of Directors approved $38 million of capital in June of 2023 for the expansion of liver transplant services.  

“I think that we were really intentional about how we built our liver program here,” said David Bruno, M.D., FACS, director of Hume-Lee Transplant Center. “We started out trying to serve our community but really what’s happened is that our community has broadened to the region and now we are taking care of patients as far away as California and Hawaii.” 

“We have all the expertise they need in one place to be collaborating at bedside with the patient to augment their care on a daily basis,” said Joel Wedd, M.D., medical director of the liver transplant program for Hume-Lee.  

The unit has a rehabilitative physical therapy room, dedicated family spaces, beautiful outdoor garden, as well as office space for the nurses, attending physicians, and psychologists. Each patient room features curated photography from local artist, Bill Draper. The theme of the artwork is nature, symbolizing a second chance of life. 

Patients in the new comprehensive liver care unit will be treated by VCU Health hepatologists and transplant surgeons who are connected to the renowned VCU Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, a global leader in clinical and translational research and care for patients with liver disease and related metabolic disorders.  

“The non-run of the mill cases, the cases that require you to think outside the box – you have creative people here not just in a silo thinking about it but working together to understand that plan or the next step in that research to help the patient,” Wedd said. 

More than 40% of adults in the United States have fatty liver disease. The Hume-Lee liver program had an 18% increase in transplanted organs between the fiscal years 2023 and 2024. 

“Adding these beds allows us to take better care of our community, and really, better care than most centers are providing, and I’m really proud of that,” Bruno said. 

PHOTOGRAPHY: Pictures of the ribbon cutting and care unit available for download here. 

VIDEO: B-roll and soundbites available for download here. 

B-Roll: Dr. Bruno, Dr. Wedd and Dr. Seung Duk Lee, Surgical Director, VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center, various shots of the new unit  

Soundbites #1 & #2: David Bruno, MD, FACS, Director, VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center 

Soundbite #3:  Joel Wedd, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the liver transplant program, VCU Health Hume-Lee Transplant Center

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About VCU and VCU Health

Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 28,000 students in more than 200 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities across VCU’s 12 schools and three colleges. The VCU Health brand represents the VCU health sciences academic programs, the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and the VCU Health System, which comprises VCU Medical Center (the only academic medical center in the region), Community Memorial Hospital, Tappahannock Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, and MCV Physicians. The clinical enterprise includes a collaboration with Sheltering Arms Institute for physical rehabilitation services. For more, please visit vcu.edu and vcuhealth.org.

CONTACT: Leigh Farmer 
VCU Health 
 (804) 828-7028
Leigh.Farmer@vcuhealth.org