Communities
HarrisonburgRockingham CountyStauntonWaynesboroAugusta CountyFishersvilleShenandoah CountyPage CountyAll communitiesValley Guide
Five hospitals, local 911 centers and volunteer rescue squads from Page County to Augusta County
The short answer
Four community hospitals serve the Valley: Sentara RMH in Harrisonburg, Augusta Health in Fishersville, Valley Health Shenandoah Memorial in Woodstock and Valley Health Page Memorial in Luray. UVA Health in Charlottesville is the nearest academic medical center. Call 911 for emergencies, 988 for a mental health crisis and 1-800-222-1222 for poison help.
Valley Guide
Hospitals follow the north-south spine of Interstate 81, so the nearest emergency department depends on where in the Valley a home sits. Larger hospitals in Harrisonburg and Fishersville cover the middle of the Valley, and smaller critical access hospitals serve Shenandoah and Page counties. Critical access hospitals are small, federally designated rural facilities. Patients needing specialty care often transfer to a larger hospital, so check both the nearest emergency department and where your regular specialists practice.
Harrisonburg
A 238-bed community hospital at 2010 Health Campus Drive. Services include emergency medicine, maternity, heart and vascular care, cancer care, orthopedics and behavioral health. Serves Harrisonburg, Rockingham County and the surrounding area.
Fishersville
Nonprofit community hospital at 78 Medical Center Drive in Fishersville, just off Interstate 64 near the Route 250 interchange. Serves Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County and completed an emergency department expansion in 2019.
Woodstock
Critical access hospital at 759 South Main Street. Serves Shenandoah County and is part of the Valley Health system, which is based in Winchester.
Luray
Critical access hospital at 200 Memorial Drive. Serves Page County, where the next nearest hospitals are a drive away in Harrisonburg or Woodstock.
Charlottesville
Academic medical center in Charlottesville, reached from Waynesboro over Interstate 64 in roughly 45 minutes. Residents of the southern Valley are often referred there for specialty care.
Valley Guide
Walk-in urgent care clinics operate in Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro and along the Interstate 81 corridor, with the highest concentration near the larger shopping areas. Hours and services vary and change, so check before driving. Urgent care handles minor injuries and illness; chest pain, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding and breathing trouble belong in an emergency department or a 911 call. Smaller towns rely on primary care practices, and new-patient waits can be long.
Many practices have waitlists for new patients. Ask your insurer which local practices are in network and begin the search before moving, rather than after a need arises.
National chains and independent pharmacies are in every city and most towns. In the most rural parts of Page, Shenandoah and western Rockingham counties, the nearest pharmacy may be a 15 to 25 minute drive.
The Virginia Department of Health runs district offices for immunizations, clinical services and environmental health. Shenandoah and Page counties fall in the Lord Fairfax Health District.
Hospital systems differ by area, and a clinic in the same town may or may not be in network. Confirm with the insurer for both the hospital and the physician group.
Valley Guide
Dial 911 from any phone in the Valley for police, fire or ambulance. Each locality, or small group of localities, runs its own emergency communications center, so a call goes to the center that covers the caller's location and, from a cell phone near a boundary, can occasionally reach a neighboring center. Non-emergency lines are used to report a crime not in progress or ask for an officer to take a report. Save the right number for your locality.
Harrisonburg and Rockingham
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Emergency Communications Center takes 911 calls for city and county police, fire and rescue. The non-emergency line for reporting a crime not in progress is 540-434-4436.
Staunton
Non-emergency dispatch line listed in a 2025 public notice: 540-332-3842. Confirm with the city.
Augusta County
Non-emergency dispatch line listed in a 2025 public notice: 540-245-5501. Confirm with the county.
Waynesboro
Non-emergency dispatch line listed in a 2025 public notice: 540-942-6701. Confirm with the city.
Luray
The Emergency Communications Center at 103 South Court Street in Luray is staffed 24 hours a day. Non-emergency number: 540-843-0911.
Woodstock
The county has its own emergency communications. Use the county website for the current non-emergency dispatch number.
Valley Guide
Much of the Valley is covered by community fire companies and rescue squads staffed partly by volunteers, with career crews added in busy stations and during weekday hours. A home in a town center is usually close to a station. A home up a mountain road, on a long gravel lane or in a remote hollow can be many minutes from the nearest crew, and a rural address may be farther from a hospital than from any station. Ask about the closest station and travel distance for any property you consider.
Rockingham County
A combination system of 9 volunteer fire departments, 5 volunteer rescue squads and 3 combination fire and rescue companies, with about 530 volunteers and 152 career staff. Career staffing covers nine stations on weekdays and several stations around the clock.
Shenandoah County
Twelve volunteer fire and rescue companies supplemented by county-funded career staff at nine stations around the clock. Toms Brook and Woodstock operate as fully volunteer organizations.
Harrisonburg
An all-volunteer squad that covers Harrisonburg and parts of Rockingham County and responds to more than 8,500 calls a year.
Augusta County
Companies such as Churchville, Craigsville-Augusta Springs, Deerfield Valley and Dooms work alongside Augusta County Fire and Rescue. Ask the county which station is first due to a specific address.
Valley Guide
Three numbers cover most non-911 urgent needs and are worth saving in every phone in the household. All are available around the clock. In a situation involving immediate danger, an unresponsive person or an overdose, call 911 first.
Call or text 988 for mental health or substance use crisis support, any time. Virginia uses the national 988 system, and calls route to a crisis center.
1-800-222-1222 connects to the national poison center service for exposure to medicines, chemicals, plants or other substances. Call before searching online.
Harrisonburg
Local listings give 540-434-1766 as the 24 hour crisis line for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. The board's office is at 1241 N. Main Street in Harrisonburg.
Before you move
Drive the route from a rural address to the nearest emergency department, at the time of day you would travel it. Mountain gaps, farm equipment, school bus stops and winter weather can all add minutes, and Interstate 81 incidents can back up traffic.
A visible, reflective house number at the road matters when dispatchers send crews to a long driveway. Ask the locality whether its 911 addressing office has assigned a number to a property and whether a lane has an official name.
Cities and counties offer free emergency text and email alerts for weather, closures and public safety notices. Register on your locality's site after moving. Virginia 511 reports road conditions and winter closures statewide.
Fire companies and rescue squads recruit residents for firefighting, EMS and support roles, and many also hold community fundraisers. Contact the nearest company or your county's fire and rescue department about training and requirements.
Request medical records and prescriptions to be sent to new local providers before the move date. Ask for a plan if a specialist is not available locally, as some care means a trip to Charlottesville or beyond.
Sentara RMH Medical Center, at 2010 Health Campus Drive, is the hospital in Harrisonburg and serves Rockingham County. It is a 238-bed community hospital with emergency medicine and maternity services. Augusta Health in Fishersville is the next nearest option to the south.
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Emergency Communications Center non-emergency line is 540-434-4436, used to report a crime that is not happening now. For a fire, medical emergency or crime in progress, dial 911.
Many are. Rockingham County has about 530 volunteers alongside 152 career staff, and Shenandoah County has 12 volunteer companies backed by county-funded staff at nine stations. Coverage varies by station and time of day, so ask the locality about a specific address.
Valley Health Page Memorial Hospital, a critical access hospital at 200 Memorial Drive in Luray, is in Page County. Patients needing larger hospital services are commonly sent to Harrisonburg or Woodstock, so ask where care would be directed.
Call or text 988 for the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. In Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, local listings also give 540-434-1766 as the community services board's 24 hour crisis line. Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.
This guide is a starting point for newcomers. Hours, programs, providers and boundaries change, so confirm details with the organization. A listing here is not an endorsement.