The Doorways is an eight-story former hotel with 117 rooms that has been renovated into a guesthouse for patients and family members who have to travel for here medical treatment.
Located a few blocks from Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, The Doorways is run by Stacy Brinkley and her seven-member team, who support more than 10,000 guests a year coming to them for a safe and comfortable stay.
“We say the magic happens in the dining room, where the guests get to know each other, because it’s a place where compassion, camaraderie and community all come together,” Brinkley says.
When word of the pandemic began to spread, Brinkley knew that she and her team had a responsibility to patients to keep their doors open. “We felt that it was vital for guests that they be able to access the health care that they needed,” she says. While most elective procedures were paused, cancer and transplant patients were still in need of treatment and oftentimes found refuge at The Doorways.
Brinkley, an “eternal optimist,” says that she is ever grateful for her team and their drive to carry out The Doorways’ mission, despite the challenges that came their way.
“There was a lot of uncertainty and a lot of fear,” she says, “but we did the best we could by focusing on what we could control and what was in front of us.”
Looking ahead, she and her team are in the planning phase for a new building, noting that by 2024, they hope to relocate to a space with larger rooms and more amenities that will be in even closer proximity to the hospital in order to better serve their guests.
