NRVCS Board dedicates children’s area in honor of Sullivan

NRVCS Board dedicates Radford Center children’s area in honor of Rosemary Sullivan

By Mike Wade
Communications & Outreach Coordinator

The brightest and most colorful space at NRVCS’ newest facility will forever be linked to a long-time member of the agency’s staff.

Prior to the start of their meeting last night in Radford, the NRVCS Board of Directors and several members of staff gathered to officially dedicate the children’s waiting area of the agency’s Radford Center to Rosemary Sullivan, who spent 31 years at NRVCS – including three years as interim executive director – before retiring in 2017.

The dedication was actually a surprise to Sullivan, who also played a vital role in early development of NRVCS’ new location in Radford, which was once a supermarket. Last night marked Sullivan’s first visit to the facility since it first opened in February.

The room is surrounded by a stunning mural, created and hand-painted by Roanoke-based artist Jaimie Phillips.

“I have to applaud our board and the board’s executive committee – as this was really their idea,” noted current NRVCS Executive Director James Pritchett, “but I could not think of a more fitting tribute for Rosemary.”

“During her time with our agency, Rosemary worked tirelessly to expand the availability of psychiatric services for children and adolescents,” continued Pritchett, who worked with Sullivan for a number of years. “As a result of her efforts, we today have a wonderful team of doctors and nurses to provide that level of care – which has really become the cornerstone of our continuum of care for young people.”

Drs. Circe Cooke and Michelle Frieben, two of NRVCS’ psychiatrists that Sullivan helped recruit to the agency while she was director of children’s services, were on hand for last night’s dedication and presented the guest of honor with a bouquet of flowers.