Riverside Smithfield Hospital hires chief medical, nursing officers

Riverside Smithfield Hospital has hired two more members of its leadership team.

Dr. Justin Billings, a physician with Riverside since 2019, will serve as the 50-bed hospital’s first-ever chief medical officer. Billings currently serves as associate medical director of the hospitalist service at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News.

Michelle Wooten, who’s currently chief nursing officer of Riverside Doctors Hospital in Williamsburg, will serve in the same role at Riverside Smithfield. Wooten brings 30 years of nursing leadership experience, according to a Riverside news release.

“As we continue to build Riverside Smithfield Hospital, the expertise and leadership of Dr. Billings and Michelle Wooten will be invaluable,” said Dr. Mike Dacey, president and CEO of Riverside Health. “Their commitment to patient care and their vision for the future align perfectly with our mission to provide exceptional health care services to Smithfield and the surrounding communities?

In the coming months, Billings and Wooten will remain in their current roles until their successors are appointed. During this transition period, they will actively participate in Riverside Smithfield planning, development and hiring.

Riverside Smithfield Hospital President Jessica Macalino expects to hire 150 to 200 employees across clinical and non-clinical roles, all of which are scheduled to be filled by the fourth quarter of 2025.

The hospital, which is being built on a 30-acre site adjacent to the 776-home Benn’s Grant housing development on Benns Church Boulevard, is slated to open in early 2026.