REGIONAL VIEW
Health clinic receives $10,000 small-business grant by Joan Tupponce
D
r. Starla Kiser opened Healios Health Center in
Wise County last December with the goal of making health care more affordable and accessible, especially for patients without insurance or with high-deductible plans. “What the model is based
on is simple: a patient and a doctor trying to get back to the way health care used to be,” she says. Kiser started the clinic with her own funds but recently received a $10,000 grant from the Virginia Coal- field Economic Development Authority (VCEDA). She is using the money to remodel the clinic and buy computers and tablets to be used for check-in. “I want to incorporate
technology so things will be seamless for patients,” she says. “I also intend on having an in-house pharmacy with basic medicines.” Instead of paying for each doctor visit, Healios
FOR THE RECORD
Ammar’s Inc., the parent company of the regional Magic Mart chain, is closing all of its department stores in Southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia, as well as the company’s headquarters and warehouse facility in Bluefield. Hundreds of employees in four states will be impacted by the looming closures. (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)
Bland, Carroll, Grayson and Smyth counties have filed federal lawsuits accusing 15 prescription opioid manufactur- ers and three distributors of aggressively persuading doctors to prescribe opioids and turning patients into drug addicts for their own profit. In Southwest Virginia, Washington and Scott
Dr. Starla Kiser, a native of Dickenson County, earned her medical degree from Harvard University.
well, Dickenson and Russell counties. Ten grants were for $10,000; one was for $5,000; and another was for $4,500. “Through our new Seed Capital Matching Grant pro- gram, the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority is supporting the creation of new small busi- nesses in our region, which we feel is a very important part of the overall economic
patients pay a set monthly fee. Patients under the age of 60, for example, pay $65 a month to become a member. “That’s pretty reasonable,”
Kiser says, noting that fee also includes in-office tests such as a urinalysis.
Members can see the
doctor as often as needed during the month and have 24/7 access as well. The health center’s app provides virtual visits, and patients can also text Kiser if they have urgent health needs. A native of Dickenson
counties and Bristol are also pursuing litigation. State lawsuits were filed by Dickenson County and Alexandria in March. (Bristol Herald Courier)
In what could be a game- changer for Southwest Virginia, Dominion Energy is planning to invest more than a billion dollars in the construction of a pumped hydroelectric storage station for the coalfield region. The company is looking at a number of sites in the coalfield counties for the project, which would create hundreds of jobs during the multiyear construction phase and approximately 50 permanent positions. (The Register-Herald)
A Virginia firm is seeking a state environmental permit to continue operating its electricity production facility at the Bristol,
16 AUGUST 2018
County, Kiser has a medical degree and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University. In choos- ing a site for her practice, she decided it should be “in the community I know the most about,” she says. Southwest Virginia has
been identified as one of several rural areas of Virginia that need more health-care providers.
The grant Healios
received is one of 12 awarded in April by VCEDA to busi- nesses in Wise, Scott, Taze-
Virginia, landfill. Ingenco Whole- sale Power of Richmond has applied for a Title V air-pollution permit from the Virginia Depart- ment of Environmental Quality for its Bristol solid-waste landfill. The Virginia DEQ held a 30-day public comment period that con- cluded in July to hear feedback, questions or concerns about the operation. After that, the Environmental Protection Agency has 45 days to review the draft permit, said Rob Feagins, DEQ’s air permit manager for Southwest Virginia. (Bristol Herald Courier)
Overcome by heavy rains and its inability to control runoff from construction sites, Mountain Valley Pipeline is suspending work on the massive natural gas pipeline in Southwest Virginia. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said in
development strategy for revi- talizing the economy of the coalfield region,” says Jonathan Belcher, VCEDA’s executive director/general counsel. Kiser would like to cap membership at her clinic at 300 to 400 patients. “I’m not yet at that number. I am still definitely open to new patients,” she says. When she reaches cap-
acity, Kiser plans to add a physician or nurse practi- tioner. “I want to keep my promises,” she says. “I want to spend as much time as I need to with patients, and I want to be accessible.”
June that Mountain Valley has agreed to suspend “all related construction activities within the project’s right of way” in Virginia, based on problems with erosion control identified during recent inspections. “There is no specific timeline for the suspension, however; as soon as upgrades are completed and approved by DEQ, construction can resume,” spokesman Greg Bilyeu wrote in an emailed response to ques- tions. (The Roanoke Times)
The closing date for Sunset Digital to acquire Bristol Virginia Utilities’ (BVU) OptiNet division was set for July 27. Sunset, a private Duffield-based internet provider, announced its intentions to acquire the OptiNet fiber-optic network in February 2016. BVU President and CEO Don Bowman said the $50 million deal could
conclude sooner, but he wasn’t sure how likely that was. He said having a closing date gave all parties a schedule to resolve any last-minute details. (Bristol Herald Courier)
PEOPLE
Kevin Kruse has been named general manager of The Bristol Hotel, the first boutique hotel in Bristol, slated to open in the fall. Kruse brings more than 30 years of international hospitality experience to the Bristol community. (News release)
Dr. James Stone, Wytheville’s longest practicing physician, hung up his stethoscope in July. Stone, a doctor with Carilion Clinic Family Medicine on West Ridge Road, retired after treating local patients for 45 years. (
SWVAToday.com)
Photo by Tim Cox
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104
