Clinch Valley Health Hosts Legislative Visit Addressing Rural Health Care Access

Clinch Valley Health, a part of Lifepoint Health, hosted a facility tour and round table discussion for a team of state delegates as they visited Southwest Virginia to kick off the first meeting of the new House Select Committee on Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care. The delegation met with Clinch Valley Health physicians, healthcare providers and administrators as part of their hospital tour.

The committee, created by House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, is tasked with exploring the barriers to health care in rural Virginia and creating a list of five actionable items or recommendations that could be introduced during the 2025 General Assembly session. Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico County, who chairs the committee, and a panel of 11 other legislators were onsite in Tazewell County.

“It was a good day interacting with the legislators and we gave them a view of what our team faces each day in caring for patients. I believe hearing some of the healthcare challenges in rural Southwest Virginia directly from front line physicians and staff was an eye opener,” said Clinch Valley Health’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Mulkey.

Some areas of Southwest Virginia have limited broadband access which impacts can hinder access to telehealth availability. In a letter Scott wrote to the clerk of the House of Delegates, traveling to health care facilities can present challenges due to long distances and limited transportation options.

The overall focus for the group will address workforce recruitment and retention, which will be a priority for the select committee going forward, Willett said. Willett added that he learned of some unique challenges that rural communities’ face, such as transportation challenges and healthcare deserts, that could be addressed in future meetings.

The committee’s goal is to create a list of achievable and fiscally responsible initiatives to include in its list of recommendations for the next legislative session.

Members of the House Select Committee on Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care

· Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico County, chair

· Del. Bobby Orrock, R-Spotsylvania County, vice chair

· Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax County

· Del. Candi Mundon King, D-Prince William County

· Del. Nadarius Clark, D-Suffolk

· Del. Joshua Cole, D-Stafford County

· Del. Kannan Srinivasan, D-Loudoun County

· Del. Amy Laufer, D-Albemarle County

· Del. Israel O’Quinn, R-Washington County

· Del. Ellen Campbell, R-Rockbridge County

· Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville

· Del. Otto Wachsmann, R-Brunswick County