Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Community Health Center of the New River Valley (CHCNRV) has provided medical, dental and mental health services to underserved residents for more than 20 years.
Currently, the facility is at the former Motel Roberts on Roanoke Street. CHCNRV has experienced extraordinary growth over the past decade, with patient visits increasing by 437% and now totaling more than 27,000 annually. This growth, while a testament to community need and trust, has stretched the limits of the current facility. According to the CHCNRV, staff are scattered across multiple suites in the old motel complex, resulting in inefficiencies and limitations to further programmatic growth.
Also, clinics have been added in Pearisburg, Floyd and Radford and the future includes even more expansion.
The nonprofit has broken ground for a new medical facility at 135 Akers Farm Rd. in Christiansburg, which will increase its size almost five-fold to 30,000 square feet.
CHCNRV officials say the new facility will serve an additional 2,281 patients each year and provide 8,053 additional visits annually. In addition, new health practitioners will be hired.
This past week, the new facility received a major gift, $100,000 from the Lunch Pail Defense Foundation to support the of its “A New Home for Health, Healing and Hope” Capital Campaign.
The donation will underwrite two pediatric medical and two pediatric dental rooms at the new facility.
Michelle Brauns is the CEO of the Community Health Center of the NRV and called the extraordinary gift from the Lunch Pail Defense Foundation.
“It reflects a deep commitment to the health and well-being of our community. As we work to build a new home that is welcoming, efficient, and capable of serving more patients, partnerships like this move us meaning fully closer to that goal,” she said.
The Community Health Center of the New River Valley is a private, nonprofit organization providing comprehensive medical, dental, behavioral health and preventive services regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.
The Capital Campaign aims to raise $4.5 million toward the construction of the new, state-of-the-art healthcare facility in Christiansburg. The project will allow CHCNRV to expand services, hire additional providers, and improve access to integrated medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare for people of all ages and income levels.
Construction funding is projected to come from several sources including the Capital Campaign, federal, state and private foundation grants, and a direct Congressional allocation.
The new donation pushes the campaign to the halfway mark.
The Lunch Pail Foundation was formed by former Virginia Tech defensive coach Bud Foster with a testament to Hokies’ blue-collar and hard work on the field. He presented the check on Thursday.
“Communities are strongest when people have access to the care they need to live healthy, productive lives,” he said. “We are proud to support an organization that not only provides exceptional care but does so with dignity, compassion and a commitment to serving everyone.”
The new center is projected to open in early 2027.
