Initially funded through a 5-year, $4.5 million grant from the Harvest Foundation, the Martinsville-Henry County Coalition for Health and Wellness (now called Connect Health + Wellness) has gone through a metamorphosis since its inception in April of 2005.
“Our mission is to increase access. Reduce risks. Together, we improve the overall health of our community,” said Brittany Anthony, marketing director of Connect Health + Wellness. “As such, we will continue to assess community health needs and work to develop solutions that drive our mission each day.”
In November 2021, the nonprofit group took over operations of the MHC Community Dental Clinic, formerly known as the Piedmont Virginia Dental Health Foundation at 23 Fayette Street in Martinsville.
“We are committed to providing quality and affordable dental health services to medically underserved children and adults in Martinsville, Henry County, and surrounding areas,” Anthony said. “The dental clinic primarily focuses on serving patients who are self-pay (don’t have insurance) and those who have Medicaid, as availability of dental services for these patients is scarce.”
The dental clinic is currently accepting new patients and operates on a sliding fee discount program, which is based on household income.
In 2022, a mobile health clinic was added to help expand medical and dental services in the community. Most recently, the nonprofit group partnered with Patrick County to expand the mobile clinic program into Stuart/Patrick County to offer medical services that you would typically find in a doctor’s office. Currently, the mobile clinic also visits the Caring Hearts Free Clinic every month to provide dental care services to patients of the Caring Hearts Free Clinic.
The mobile clinic will be visiting the Walmart in Stuart offering primary/medical care services again on Wednesday, February 29th from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Anthony said nurse practitioner Joanna Carter and supporting clinical staff will be on board to welcome sick and well patients. Walk-ins, age 12 and older. Pre-registration is not necessary.
In addition to mobile clinic days for medical and dental care visits in Martinsville, Henry, and Patrick counties, the mobile clinic is used at health fairs, churches, festivals, and community events throughout the year to administer free health screenings and/or COVID vaccines and to help those who do not have a medical provider get connected with one.
In 2023, the nonprofit organization rebranded itself. According to Anthony, the agency’s board of directors and leadership staff recognized that the addition of new services and clinics had helped the Martinsville Henry County Coalition for Health and Wellness grow and develop into a more dynamic and innovative organization, and concluded the branding and names of yesteryear no longer fit the organization. She said it was determined that a new name and a complete rebrand would help improve and simplify the process of patient access for the organization’s clinics.
After much research was conducted, and time and effort by the board members and leadership staff, the Martinsville Henry County Coalition for Health and Wellness was rebranded as Connect Health + Wellness (plus sign pronounced “and”).
Connect Health + Wellness now has 55 full-time and 6 part-time paid employees that are employed by the two health clinics, dental clinic, and administration offices. In addition, the dental clinic also partners with Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) School of Dentistry. This partnership provides 4 to 5 different students in the field of dentistry and dental hygiene to come to the clinic and shadow the dental staff weekly to gain experience. The health clinics also offer the opportunity for students in the healthcare field who are furthering their education and in need of experience to gain clinical hours.
Connect Health + Wellness provides a host of services including medical care (annual physical exams, routine office visits for illness, children’s health services, vaccines/immunizations, annual physicals, sports physicals, lab services, and more). Dental care services include diagnostic and preventive services, fillings, root canals, extractions, etc.
Behavioral health, chronic disease management, help with medicine, medically necessary eye exams, mammography assistance, health/wellness education, and insurance assistance (including Medicaid) also are available.
Last year, Anthony said the nonprofit organization provided care to approximately 7,000 individual patients, which yielded approximately 25,000 clinic visits. She added that general medical and dental visits account for most of the visits, but there has been an uptick in the demand for mental health visits.
As in most rural communities, healthcare is a major issue, and the nonprofit hopes to address those concerns.
“Martinsville and Henry and Patrick counties are underserved, rural communities that have limited access to healthcare resources and many of our patients would not be able to access primary healthcare or other healthcare-related services if it weren’t for community health centers, like ours, that offer affordable access to these services,” Anthony said.
“Our first clinic was in Bassett (established in 2007), and it was later determined that individuals on the southern end of the county had difficulties getting to the clinic in Bassett due to lack of transportation,” she said. “In 2017, we opened a second health center site in Ridgeway to help increase access for those residents.
“This is a good example of how we operate as a community-based organization. Our health centers and all of the services we offer positively impact our patients and their families, and our community. Without the services that can be accessed under one roof at our health centers, many of these patients would not be able to access high-quality, affordable care and medications that they need to maintain optimal overall health and well-being,” Anthony added.
According to Anthony, the aging healthcare workforce in Virginia and the need to backfill providers who are retiring in the coming years is concerning. She said access to transportation will allow patients and residents the ability to obtain healthcare, medications, and advanced treatment (also a concern), along with the lack of mental health providers in the community and surrounding areas.
The goal of the nonprofit organization is to continue moving the needle in these communities to ensure no one goes without access to a doctor so that they can increase their quality of life, as well as decrease the number of people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and high blood pressure, for example, Anthony said, adding that all these chronic conditions can lead to living shorter lives if not managed properly.
Improvement begins with having a medical care provider, Anthony said, and new patients of all ages are welcome at Connect Health + Wellness,
“Those who live or work in the city of Martinsville, Henry, and Patrick counties, and surrounding areas are eligible for the services we offer,” Anthony said. “We welcome everyone regardless of insurance status or ability to pay patients who are insured, including Medicare and Medicaid; uninsured (self-pay) and underinsured. Some of our assistance programs and services are based on eligibility guideline requirements, such as having a doctor, insurance, or a patient’s income.”
Connect Health + Wellness (Bassett, Ridgeway, and Dental). Health Clinic hours are Monday – Friday 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Dental Clinic hours are Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.ConnectHealthVa.org or call (276) 638-0787.
