Virginia Health Care Foundation

VHCF’s Medication Assistance Program Officer Liana Judy recently attended the RxPartnership’s "A Prescription for Change" reception at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia. In addition to meeting with colleagues and learning how the RxPartnership is making a difference providing access to medication for vulnerable populations in Virginia, guests were invited to tour the exhibit. The landmark exhibition chronicles Virginia's Black hospitals, medical educators, physicians, pharmacists and professional organizations. Liana shared: “Charles Drew's quote, ‘Excellence of performance will transcend artificial barriers created by man,’ was illuminated throughout the evening. Elvatrice Parker Belsches skillfully emphasized the numerous barriers that black individuals refused to accept and allowed to hinder their efforts in keeping the community safe.” The exhibit, A Prescription for Change: Black Voices Shaping Healthcare in Virginia, will be on display at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia through March 15th, 2025.

The Virginia Behavioral Health Student Loan Repayment Program, established by the Virginia General Assembly in 2021 to help recruit and retain behavioral health professionals to practice in underserved areas of the Commonwealth or to provide counseling and treatment to underserved populations, is now accepting applications via a new and improved online portal. For fiscal year 2025, the General Assembly has approved a budget allocation of $7,350,000 and additional provider types eligible for this program have been added! ?The program will repay a portion of eligible professionals’ student loan debt. In return, recipients commit to practicing in Virginia for a minimum of two years at an eligible site. ?The current application period is open through April 15, 2025. Learn more and apply before April 15: https://lnkd.in/eC5uykrk ?Send any questions to [email protected]

Congratulations to Siria Minaya, LPC! She is one of our newly licensed Boost! participants. “I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to be part of Boost!. Due to financial constraints associated with licensure, it feels like my job opportunities were limited to sites that provided free supervision. I had concerns about this, limiting the experiences I would need to be a well- rounded clinician. As a participant in Boost!, some of those limitations were lifted and I was able to focus on my clinical and professional development." Learn more about the Boost! program: https://lnkd.in/eQ22st3Y

On National Dentist Day, VHCF is thrilled to highlight Dr. Amit Patel, a talented dentist who joined Johnson Health Center in August 2024 through VHCF’s Sign Up, Pay Down initiative. This collaborative effort between VHCF, Delta Dental Ins., DentaQuest and United Concordia Dental, offers a competitive recruitment package to help attract dentists like Dr. Patel to underserved areas of Virginia. Dr. Patel has already made a remarkable impact seeing over 450 unique patients! "Dentistry is not just a profession, it is a responsibility to care". -Dr. Patel We are proud to support professionals like Dr. Patel who are dedicated to providing exceptional care to our communities.

Many thanks to the Virginia General Assembly for including funding for 60 additional Boost! slots effective July 1st. We are thrilled that 107 of the original 200 Boost! enrollees have become licensed and are serving patients across the Commonwealth. A special thank you to Delegate Mark Sickles and Senator Barbara Favola for championing additional Boost! funding. We are also grateful for $500,000 for maternal mental health in the Momnibus package the General Assembly passed. A thank you to Delegate Rae Cousins for championing this.

VHCF Founding Executive Director Deborah Oswalt was honored by the Virginia House of Delegates in an official resolution to mark her retirement at the end of next month. The resolution (HJR 742) commended her for “her legacy of achievements and tireless efforts to enhance the health and wellness of hundreds of thousands of Virginians... and her persistent, entrepreneurial, laser-focused, data-driven leadership”… which resulted in VHCF growing” from 'a gleam in the eye' to a robust, nimble, and trusted public/private partnership that has helped more than 855,000 uninsured and medically underserved Virginians obtain the health care they need." Watch the full presentation on video here: https://lnkd.in/eY2G-S3r

Recently VHCF had the privilege of hosting a thought-provoking Tooth Talk Roundtable. One of the highlights of this Tooth Talk centered on connecting Howard University College of Dentistry students and graduates to VA’s Dental Safety Net. Dr. Andrea Jackson, Dr. Gail Cherry-Peppers, Dr. Tanya Greenfield, and Dr. Candace Mitchell from Howard University College of Dentistry discussed the exciting initiatives aimed at bridging the gap between dental students/graduates and Virginia’s dental safety net, empowering the next generation of dental professionals to serve communities in need. Thank you so much to everyone who joined us! Learn more about work in Virginia's Dental Safety Net: https://lnkd.in/ejCXBzuT #OralHealth #VirginiaHealthCare #Medicaid #DentalCare #HealthEquity #PublicHealth #SafetyNet #HowardUniversity #DigitalHealth #Webinar #VirginiaHealthCareFoundation #FutureOfOralHealth

Nichole Wardlaw, a Certified Nurse Midwife and maternal health advocate in Chesapeake, VA, is obtaining her post-Masters Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate with a scholarship from VHCF. Nichole is adding the Psych NP credential to improve access to behavioral health services for Black women experiencing perinatal mood disorders, other mental health conditions and substance use disorders. Becoming a Psych NP will allow Nichole to meet those needs and reduce the stigma that many Black women encounter when considering/accessing behavioral health services. Read more in this The Virginia Mercury article: https://lnkd.in/dPqzKbPa

The Board of Trustees of the Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) is pleased to announce that Rachel Rees has become the Foundation’s new Chief Executive Officer. Congratulations Rachel! https://lnkd.in/e_Eg5jDW

Meet Calvin Williams, LPC, one of our newly licensed Boost! participants! He shared: "I would like to thank everyone involved in the Boost! initiative for making it possible to get supervision during residency. I really appreciate being accepted into the program and the Boost! program for assisting me in achieving one of my goals of becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor. I expect to work with underserved populations and be a Public Speaker for Mental Health. I am dedicated to promoting mental health awareness around the world to reduce the stigmas of mental health... A special thanks to Ms. Trinette Randolph who is the driving force in the Boost! program. She helped me overcome many obstacles during my residency which allowed me to complete my journey. Ms. Trinette is a true professional that encourages, motivates, and altruistically provides for all involved in the Boost 200 initiative." Learn more about this important work: https://lnkd.in/eQ22st3Y