Improving Our Health

Since 2008, the Healthy Appalachia Institute has been working to restore our region's health through community.
Milestones include:

• Co-led and published the Blueprint for Health Improvement and Health-Enabled Prosperity, in partnership with the Southwest Virginia Health Authority – a regional strategic health plan.
• Expanded telehealth capacity by adding telemedicine sites for specialty services at regional centers such as MEOC’s PACE program, community health centers and at education venues such as the Appalachian College of Pharmacy, in partnership with UVA Health System.
• Developing desktop, in-home, web-based telemedicine technology for patients.
• Screened 440 underserved women for breast cancer through tele-mammography.
• Established four preceptor sites for UVA nurse practitioner students and co-led development of $1.4 million HRSA grant for nurse-delivered primary care, which includes UVa-Wise.
• Conducted endocrinology clinics for 186 diabetes patients.
• Facilitated cancer case consultations between Southwest Virginia cancer centers and UVA cancer center physicians.  Added CancerHelp information kiosk at one cancer center, another underway. Working on avenues for rural patients to be enrolled in clinical drug trials.
• Added patient navigator for Southwest Virginia patients at UVA Cancer Center.
• Certified three nurse practitioners and one physician in video-colposcopy and have conducted cervical cancer screenings, treatments and procedures for 95 patients to date.
• Initiated annual hospice roundtable to provide professional development for volunteers and professionals on topics like late referrals, pain management and caregiver support.Developed regional health statistic data to measure progress.
• Held diabetes roundtable with community leaders to create strategies for addressing diabetes prevention and treatment.
• Held region’s first Health Summit that brought over 100 key leaders from various sectors together to discuss improving the region’s health and economic prosperity.
• Mentored 12 undergraduate and graduate students as HAI Student Fellows: two currently in medical school, two recently accepted to medical school, three who are applying to medical school, one who graduated as a nurse practitioner and one who is a doctoral candidate in medical anthropology.
• Initiated annual research symposium to showcase HAI Student Fellows research and service projects on cancer, diabetes education in public schools, dental health and global health. Helped launch scholarship for nurse practitioner students from Southwest Virginia at UVA School of Nursing.
• Appointed HAI Faculty, including Faculty Fellows who are doing research on pain management, tobacco cessation, diabetes management and cervical cancer.
• Assisting One Care of Southwest Virginia in developing a strategic plan to address substance abuse and misuse to develop a healthier workforce.
• Supported CareSpark in developing health information exchange for a multi-state region.
• Supported the Remote Area Medical clinic in Wise by organizing medical volunteers.
• Providing evaluation, technical and grant development services to local entities such as the Health Wagon and CareSpark to advance organizational development.
• Conducting community engagement courses on health in Appalachia for undergraduate and graduate students at UVa, now in its third year.
• Expanding access to clinical research by establishing research standards for the region.
• Designated as a Robert Wood Johnson Emerging Institute with the National Network of Public Health Institutes, which gives Healthy Appalachia and Southwest Virginia the benefit of national, expert resources for our work.
• Co-leading dental school blueprint study at UVa-Wise.
• Co-facilitating the development of a strategic blueprint for economic development.
• Initial $23,000 grant from ARC leveraged to a $2,535,907 direct investment in programming in the region.