August 13, 2025 – With students returning to school soon, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospitals of Petersburg and Richmond are investing in students in the Chesterfield-Tri Cities area. The hospitals are partnering with Communities in Schools, a non-profit organization that connects students to community resources.
“We believe in our community,” said Harry Wiggins, chief executive officer of Encompass Health Petersburg. “Certainly, we provide quality rehabilitation, but when we have an opportunity like this to further invest and mentor students who may have a connection to our staff or patients, we believe that’s a worthy cause to join.”
Encompass Health Petersburg and Richmond provided 120 backpacks to area Title 1 elementary schools. The backpacks included crayons, pencils, composition books, stress balls, ChapSticks, highlighters and Encompass Health cookbooks. The backpacks, though, are just the beginning of the commitment.
“We have plans for the coming year to allow upper-level high school students to job shadow in our hospitals,” Wiggins said. “We want to expose students to jobs in the clinical field, especially in post-acute rehabilitation. This is a way to show students how they, too, can positively impact their communities through a clinical career path.”
Students with the partnering schools have already donated handmade blankets and encouraging letters to patients at Encompass Health Petersburg and Richmond. This is the first year the hospitals have joined efforts with Communities in Schools.
