VANSANT, VA – FEBRUARY 20, 2025 – Appalachian Family Care, LLC, an established healthcare provider in Buchanan County, VA will expand its capabilities to include telehealth services due to an up to $9,142 grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority approved Thursday during a meeting of the VCEDA board in Lebanon, VA.
The funds will come from VCEDA’s Telehealth Fund and will be used to finance hardware, software, licensing fees and associated costs of the Appalachian Family Care Telehealth Initiative for the purpose of expanding telehealth access and addressing telehealth and telemedicine needs in the VCEDA region.
“VCEDA is pleased to be able to support this expansion of telehealth services in our region which will benefit many individuals and families seeking medical care here in Southwest Virginia,” said VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher. “The new initiative is projected to result in two full-time and six part-time jobs within five years.”
Appalachian Family Care, LLC is located inside the Food City store in Vansant, VA. The business was formed in 2005 and is owned and operated by Frances Baxter Minton. Historically, Appalachian Family Care has operated as a traditional in-person medical clinic. However, confronted with the issues of provider shortages and a growing demand for accessible health care, the organization has taken steps to transition from a traditional in-person clinic model to a hybrid telehealth provider.
Patients will be served across multiple counties and the project is expected to create approximately 3-5 new positions in telehealth management, IT support and patient service coordination, with more job opportunities arising as service offerings expand.
“This shift will enable the clinic to extend healthcare services to underserved populations and support greater access and continuity of care,” said AFC clinic owner Frannie Minton. “Providing a comprehensive care model tailored to the needs of rural Appalachian communities is important to us.”
The Appalachian Family Care Telehealth Initiative will utilize the clinic’s second exam room to deliver telehealth consultations for specialty care and behavioral health services, providing high-quality, convenient services to underserved populations including approximately 15,000 patients.
A letter of support for the project from the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority accompanied the Appalachian Family Care, LLC application for VCEDA funding.
VCEDA was appropriated $500,000 in the Virginia state budget for FY2023 and $500,000 in FY2024 “for initiatives intended to expand education and telehealth access.” As of December 31, 2024, all but $9,244 of those funds have been approved for projects involving Starlink satellite internet service in the region. In the FY2025/FY2026 state budget, no new funds were included for this program in FY2025. However, for FY2026, an additional $125,000 to VCEDA was included in the state budget and the language of the program was modified to “address telehealth and telemedicine needs” and the word “education” was removed. At VCEDA’s June 2024 board meeting, the VCEDA Board modified the program policies to match the new budget language.
About Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and Southwest Virginia’s e-Region: The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 to enhance and diversify the region’s economy and help create jobs, markets Southwest Virginia’s e-Region and its focus on electronic information technology, energy, education, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship. VCEDA is a unique economic development organization that manages funds for economic development projects from a percentage of the coal and natural gas severance taxes paid by coal and natural gas companies that operate in the region. Located in southwestern Virginia, the region includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton. www.vceda.us or www.e-Region.org.