UVA-Wise STEM-H (H=Health) Day was held on September 18, 2017 in Wise, VA. Sixth-grade girls from Wise, Lee, Scott, and Buchanan Counties as well as the City of Norton attended. Wes Sturgill and Steve Brooks (Wise) & Jennifer Moore (Bristol) conducted activities. The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center’s STEM Day was held November 17, 2017 in Abingdon, VA and hosted sixth-grade girls from Washington, Smyth, and Russell Counties as well as the City of Bristol. UVA-Wise is in its 2nd year of STEM events, and the Higher Education Center is in its 12th year (of which T&L has attended 11 years). Activities included bridge building and a gum drop dome (above and right) to teach the girls about civil engineering and architecture.
Designed by Thompson & Litton, the New Tazewell Medical Facility broke ground in October 2017 in Tazewell, Virginia. The new $3.2 million facility is a project for Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems (SVCHS) head-quartered in Saltville, Virginia. According to an October 23, 2017 article in the Kingsport Times-News, SVCHS “pursued building the new facility to better serve patients and the medically underserved. The new site seeks to increase the scope of services to include dental, pediatric, optometry and radiology services and employ eight additional health care professionals.
The new 9,732-square-foot facility will increase exam room space from the current eight rooms to 14. ‘Being a community health center is a source of great pride for the board and staff of Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems,’ said SVCHS CEO Bryan Haynes. ‘Not only do we pride ourselves in the health given to our patients, but we also strive to be a vital part of the communities we serve.’
Funding for the expansion project includes a $1 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, a $10,000 grant from The Carilion Foundation, and a one-to-one match grant up to $100,000 from the Virginia Health Care Foundation.
‘As the health care status indicates, there is a tremendous need, and Tazewell Community Health is stepping forward to make a difference in the health of this community,’ Haynes said. ‘We could not achieve this endeavor alone. We have garnered support from many levels from the federal and state govern-ments, along with regional and local foundations and individual support.’”
The project was awarded to Swope Construction Co. in November 2017.
