Twin County Regional Healthcare Leaders Joined the VHHA in Richmond to Advocate for Hospital Priority Issues

Lifepoint Health leaders joined the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association in Richmond to meet with lawmakers and to advocate for hospital priority issues. 

Twin County Regional Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Sudandra Ratnasamy and Director of People Service Leslie Bowers joined the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association along with other Lifepoint Health leaders in Richmond to meet with lawmakers and to advocate for hospital priority issues. 

During the time in Richmond Twin County Regional Healthcare leaders met with eight lawmakers including:

• Delegate Wren Williams (R-VA), who represents Twin County Regional Healthcare in the House.
• Senator Bill Stanley (R-VA), who represents Twin County Regional Healthcare and Sovah Health Martinsville in the Senate.
• Delegate Rodney Willett (D-VA), who served as chair of the VA Rural Health Taskforce and visited Clinch Valley last year with Delegates from across VA to learn more about rural healthcare challenges.
• Senator Travis Hackworth (R-VA), who represents Clinch Valley in the Senate and is a former Clinch Valley board member.
• Delegate Will Morefield (R-VA), who represents Clinch Valley in the House, is a former Clinch Valley board member and one of the first Republicans to support Medicaid expansion in VA.
• Delegate Mark Sickles (D-VA), who is Vice Chair of House Appropriations and Chair of House Health and Human Services. He also visited Clinch Valley last year with the VA Rural Health Taskforce.
• Delegate Wendell Walker (R-VA), who represents the new IRF and BH facility we are building with Centra Health in Lynchburg.
• Delegate Eric Phillips (R-VA), who represents Sovah Health – Martinsville in the House.

These face-to-face meetings provided Twin County Regional Healthcare’s team an opportunity to thank lawmakers for their support of Twin County Regional Healthcare and rural healthcare, educate lawmakers about rural Southwest Virginia's unique needs and update lawmakers on workforce and patient transportation challenges. 

The time spent in Richmond with Virginia lawmakers is essential for Twin County Regional Healthcare and rural healthcare providers to have a seat at the policy table. Twin County Regional Healthcare’s team had the opportunity to share Galax, Carroll and Grayson Counties’ needs and perspective with state lawmakers.  These meetings are a key piece of how the team at Twin County Regional Healthcare works tirelessly to advance its mission of making communities healthier.