Dear Friends,
Every morning as I get out of my car to start another day of work at the Health Center, I stop to look at the view from the top of Northridge Lane. The familiar outline of House Mountain never fails to center me, reminding me that in the face of all challenges, some things remain constant: The beauty of the Rockbridge countryside. The call of the cardinals. The blooming of the redbuds, and the smell of the clover in the field next door. I feel grateful for the wonders that show up for me every day.
When I go through the doors of the Health Center, I’m reminded of another comforting constant—a dedicated staff putting service to the community first. The medical and dental teams who manage care for patients at all levels of the economic scale. The mental health providers addressing unprecedented levels of stress landing especially hard on our youth. Patient access, outreach and enrollment, support services, maintenance — all the people who make up the Health Center’s team. Each day they show up to carry out our mission: Providing access to comprehensive and affordable healthcare and promoting a culture of community wellness.
I come to you today at a unique time in the life of our community. These past two years have forced us all to stretch ourselves, especially those of us in healthcare. We have been tested and tested again.
I could not be more proud of how we have risen to the challenge. Since the onset of the pandemic, the Health Center has provided nearly 6,000 vaccines to community members, and administered over 8,000 Covid-19 tests. We launched pediatric clinics to administer the Pfizer vaccine to children ages 5-11 on weekends and during school holidays. More broadly, we logged 26,622 patient visits in 2021, an eye-popping 741% increase since 2014.
Today, we remain vigilant about the lingering threats posed by new coronavirus variants. At the same time, we must stay equally attuned to the routine, but no less urgent, needs of our population.
To that end, we have tremendous plans for new ways we will show up, quite literally, for our community in the coming year:
• By the end of 2022, we will launch two new Mobile Health Units-one medical, and one dental–to allow us to administer care in far-flung areas of the community.
• We will begin a program to offer physical exams and childhood immunizations for incoming kindergarten students at clinics situated throughout the area during the summer months.
• We will resume in-school dental clinics, paused during the pandemic, to provide critical dental care to area children.
To accomplish this ambitious plan, we need you. We invite you to be our partner in improving the lives of our neighbors and protecting access to healthcare regardless of income or insurance status.
Contributions to the Health Center have made what we are doing possible. Now it’s time for us to push ahead even further. Please consider making a donation to help us get there.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like more information about the work of the Rockbridge Area Health Center or if I can answer any questions about the impact of your giving on our mission.
“The willingness to show up for others changes us.
It makes us a little braver every time.”
—Brene Brown
Sincerely,
Suzanne Sheridan, CEO
P.S. If you are in a position to make monthly contributions to RAHC, or would like information on legacy planning, we would be happy to help. Send us an email!
