With the holidays upon us, the practitioners and staff of the Community Health Center of the New River Valley want to provide a Year-End Round Up of the many things for which they are thankful.
The Exciting News about A New Home for Health, Healing, and Hope. It’s a secret, but not for long! People across the New River Valley are applauding the exciting (historic, even!) announcement that is coming early in the spring. Three clues: Newer. Bigger. Better.
Our Expanded Hours and Walk-In Program. We don’t like waiting lists any more than you do. To help address the growing need for quick appointments and weekend hours, we recently launched “Prompt Care.” This allows people to phone or walk-in to request same-day appointments. Most people can be seen by a medical practitioner within two hours. Also, we now offer Saturday medical appointments, 8 AM – noon. For our patients who have work or other obligations during the week, these Saturday hours offer a convenient way for the whole family to receive medical care for acute illness or chronic conditions. We also can provide routine physicals, sports physicals, and vaccinations during Saturday hours.
Our Increased Capacity to Provide Pediatric Care. Parents want the best for their children, but specialized pediatric care in the New River Valley is increasingly hard to access. We are fortunate to now have a team of medical, dental, and behavioral health practitioners dedicated to treating children and youth. The team members work together to provide holistic, head-to-toe care for babies through adolescents. Our pediatric medical lead is Megan Cornwell Thomas, DO, FAAP, FACOI, FACP. Dr. Eleanor Cvach is our pediatric dental team lead. Jean Duetsch, MSN, CPNP-PC, IBCLC, serves students at our Pulaski County High School location. And Krysta Morgan is a licensed clinical social worker who has served many teens over the years. All of these practitioners have specialized knowledge and expertise in child and adolescent health.
Our New Dental Assistant Internship Program. Little known fact: There is a shortage of qualified Dental Assistants in our region. In response, we created and are sponsoring a Dental Assistant Internship Program for Pulaski County High School students who are invested in the health sciences. Our first intern was accepted in September 2024, and quickly moved from shadowing staff to performing tasks such as such as assisting with tooth restorations. The intensive, hands-on program with our dental staff will allow the interns to get a jump start on earning a Dental Assistant Certificate and help with workforce development in the dental industry in the NRV.
Our Dental Residency Program. The national dental workforce shortage is only getting worse. Attracting dental professionals to work and live in southwest Virginia can be a challenge. To address this problem, we spent 2024 actively developing an Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program, to begin in July 2026. This is a one-year post-graduate residency program for dental school graduates who desire advanced, practice-based education. We will accept up to six residents per year. Residents will work out of our Christiansburg facility and the Pulaski County school-based program. Dr. Eleanor Cvach (introduced earlier) is our new Residency Program Director. We are on schedule to apply for certification from the Commission on Dental Accreditation in spring 2025. We hope that our future residents will put down roots here and become permanent members of the NRV dental community.
We’re thankful for the many New Doctors Joining Our Health Center. We are excited to have added new practitioners to our staff in 2024.
A native of Giles County, Katie Ballard, FNP, earned her MSN from Radford University Carilion in 2023 and has a broad clinical background that includes roles as a registered nurse and psychiatric nursing case manager. Her expertise encompasses managing acute and chronic health conditions, diagnostic tests, prescribing medications, and working with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to provide comprehensive patient care. She sees patients in our Pearisburg office with one day a week spent in Christiansburg.
Dr. Cathy Callahan provides women’s health care and medication-assisted treatment at our Christiansburg office. Her impressive credentials include serving at the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine as the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Associate Dean of Clinical and Post Graduate Affairs, and Chair of the Clinical Sciences Department. Dr. Callahan earned her MD and MPH from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and was Chief resident at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. She is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and has been certified by both the Virginia Board of Medicine and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Most importantly, Dr. Callahan was the founding CHCNRV Medical Director and also served on the Board of Directors and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Most importantly, Dr. Callahan was the founding CHCNRV Medical Director and also served on the Board of Directors.
Dr. Katelyn Cantrell joins CHCNRV from Charlottesville where she provided general dentistry services as an associate at a successful practice. Her wide range of experience also includes working in free clinics and as part of a volunteer team providing dental care to underserved areas. After graduating from UVA-Wise, she earned her dental Degree from VCU and was a resident at the University of Virginia. Dr. Cantrell has a strong leadership background as a volunteer and is a member of the American Dental Association.
Dr. Eleanor Cvach is a board-certified pediatric dentist and sees patients in our Christiansburg office and as part of the school-based program in Pulaski County. Dr. Cvach previously worked in dentistry at New Horizons Healthcare, Henritze Dental Group/Southwest Virginia Pediatric Dentistry in Roanoke, and Children’s Dentistry in Charlottesville. She earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of New England and completed her pediatric residency at the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children in Jackson, MS, where she served as Chief Resident.
Dr. Rebecca King-Mallory is the Chief Medical Officer of the Community Health Center of the New River Valley. She specializes in family medicine and obesity treatment. Dr. King-Mallory practiced for four years in the CHCNRV Dublin Center before being promoted to CMO. She completed her residency at Trident Family Medicine Residency Program in Charleston, SC where she also served as Resident Clinical Director. A native of West Virginia, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Marshall University Honors College and went on to receive her medical degree from Marshall University Medical School in Huntington. Her background includes extensive research, award-winning academics, numerous awards including honors in surgery, and recognition for her commitment to volunteerism and community service.
Melisa Loving is a compassionate and enthusiastic Family Nurse Practitioner who strives to provide evidence-based, patient-centered care to people of all ages. FNP Loving has over a decade of experience as a Registered Nurse and Family Nurse Practitioner. After earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, she received her BSN from WVU and later completed the Master of Science Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration program at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Dr. Kelly Rebkovich earned her DO from the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, in Blacksburg. She brings a wealth of experience from her roles at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery and Carilion Clinic, where she practiced family medicine, trained residents, and served as a clinical preceptor for medical students at the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. Her expertise includes preventive care, management of chronic illnesses, and coordination of care for a variety of health conditions. She will work primarily out of our Christiansburg office with one day a week spent in the Dublin office.