Roanoke Valley Community Health Needs Assessment - Final Report

Environment of Care built to centralize services, bringing practices such as orthopaedics, internal medicine, rheumatology, gastroenterology, neurosurgery, physical medicine, neurology, general breast and bariatric surgery, trauma surgery, imaging, pain management and a spine center under one roof. Epic, an electronic health record, has been adopted system-wide and the primary care practices are transforming into accredited patient-centered medical homes.

Reflecting national health care industry trends in the growth of urgent care centers across the United States and recently in southwest Virginia, Carilion Clinic launched VelocityCare in the spring of 2012, with sites in Roanoke, Botetourt, Bedford and Montgomery counties.

New Horizons Healthcare has increased access to affordable primary care through its expansion of services, including pediatrics, behavioral health, pharmacy assistance, and health education.

The completion of its new facility in 2012 will allow New Horizons to increase its number of primary care providers and bringing a pharmacy and dental services offering a full-array of services. It too is moving toward accreditation as a Patient-Centered Medical Home. In the past decade, new FQHCs were opened in Craig County (Craig County Health Center) and in Franklin County (Tri-Area Community Health Center at Ferrum).

The G. Wayne Fralin Free Clinic for the Homeless opened in 2002 and has greatly impacted care for the homeless men, women and children in the area. Since 2005, Project Access has increased access to free primary and specialty care, dental services and pharmacy assistance.

The Bradley Free Clinic, a mainstay in the community for almost 40 years, continues to respond to the needs of the community as demand for care increases.

The Carilion Pediatric Dental Clinic and Small Smiles have increased access to dental care for low-income children. Although affordable dental services for uninsured and low-income adults continues to be a need in the Roanoke Valley, through the efforts of the Community Based Health Care Coalition, the Roanoke Mission of Mercy project has provided services to almost 5,000 adults since 2007. In addition, the Fralin Free Clinic and Bradley Free Clinic continue to provide care to their populations, although are limited by the number of volunteer providers available to offer this care. CHIP of Roanoke Valley introduced its “Begin with a Grin� program for its young clients, and TAP Head Start ensures that its preschoolers have access to preventive dental services. The Craig County Dental Clinic has been providing dental services to children and adults in rural Craig County since 2010, including a sliding-fee discount for the uninsured.

Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health District has discontinued its dental program to low-income children that once boasted three dentists serving the service area.

Although access to affordable, coordinated mental health services continues to be a challenge in the Roanoke MSA, there have been marked improvements in the past ten years in the safety net. Carilion Clinic’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine has worked collaboratively with community-based organizations to expand access to services; has established fellowships for mental health and substance abuse; and expanded its inpatient Intensive Treatment Unit. Mental Health America of Roanoke Valley, through the Mental Health Collaborative, has expanded access to free services and medications to those they serve.

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