Valley Health History
Celebrating 50 Years of Caring
Valley Health began its mission in 1975 with a vision to bring quality, accessible care to our communities. Just three years later, we opened our first health centers in Barboursville, Wayne, and Milton—laying the foundation for what would become a lifelong commitment to our neighbors.
For five decades, that commitment has only grown stronger. Today, Valley Health serves communities across West Virginia, southern Ohio, and eastern Kentucky with more than 40 health centers and public health programs. What started with three doors opening in 1978 has become a regional network dedicated to keeping families healthy for generations to come.
Timeline
Access to Care
Valley Health provides access to health services in rural communities
New Beginnings
Grant, Barboursville, and Wayne open in three trailers
Grand Opening
Guyandotte opens
Dental Site
Fort Gay opens first dental site
2 New Locations
Upper Kanawha & Harts were added (as a result of the UMWA strike)
WIC Program
WIC Program in Lincoln and Wayne counties
Cabell WIC Program
New Programs
Cabell, Kanawha, Putnam, & Boone Co WIC; Black Lung program
Youth Health
Youth Health Center (now Southside)
New Service
Healthcare for the Homeless (McKinney Act)
VHH opened at Fairfield; moved to Hal Greer 1998
Ultrasound services added
New Services
Pharmacy services added; A Woman’s Place opens, Mobile Children’s Unit (WV Health Project passed on to M.U. in 2003)
New Facility
Stepptown opened
More Locations
Fort Gay facility with Capital Improvement grant, 1st school based health center at Huntington High, Ironton opens (now Coal Grove)
West Virginia Immunization Network, 1993
Htg. Immunization Network
New Services
Lab/Diagnostic services and school based health center at Spring Valley High School
SBHC
School based health center at Wayne High School
Access to Care
Access to care brings programs for the working uninsured
Facility Funding
Harts facility funding from Senator Robert C. Byrd
Grand Opening (NAP)
Grand opening at Westmoreland location
Grand Opening
Grand opening at Highlawn location
Grand Opening
Grand opening at Hurricane
Elementary SBHC
First elementary school based health center at Southside Elementary
Network Expansion
Expansion to Mason County with Gallipolis Ferry and Point Pleasant Pediatrics
Capital Development
Grand Opening East Huntington (Capital Development grant)
Health Plans
WV Family Health Plan & Affordable Care Act; Outreach & Enrollment program; PCMH recognition, Behavioral Health services introduced
New Service
Optometry services (Expansion of services grant); grand opening Teays Valley
Practice Acquisition
Practice Acquisition (Huntington Otolaryngology) becomes VH ENT; Grand opening 10th Street, Grand opening Foodfair, Enter collaboration with MU School of Pharmacy for Residential program
Wayne relocation
Two additional pharmacies open (VHH & Wayne); received perfect score from Health Resources & Services Administration Operational Site Visit (top 5% in the nation)
Groundbreaking for new Milton facility (Health Infrastructure grant)
Grand opening for Milton; welcomed Teays Pediatrics as VH Teays Pediatrics
Opened VH Pea Ridge Business Center, welcomed KidCare as VH KidCare
Received perfect score from Health Resources & Services Administration Site Visit (top 5% in the nation)
Opened Milton Pharmacy; converted East Huntington to 100% clinical/patient care space
Went live on new EHR (Epic) and provided MyChart patient portal; Grand opening for VH Pea Ridge Health Center, opened Pea Ridge Pharmacy, Fort Gay Pharmacy & Harts Pharmacy, opened Apple Grove, added VH Mobile Unit
Welcomed SC Pediatrics practice with opening of two locations- SCPediatrics-Charleston and SCPediatrics- Hurricane; asked to add nine southern counties to VH WIC program (Fayette, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, Wyoming)
Funding & Grants
Valley Health has been an annual recipient of Section 330 funding through the Public Health Service Act. In 1991, Valley Health became the largest regional lead agency for the WIC Program, serving six counties, including the two most urban counties in West Virginia. Additional grant programs we’ve managed include:
- Federal Community Health Center (CHC) Perinatal Grant
- Federal Rural Health Outreach Grants
- Federal Community Access Program (CAP)
- Federal Black Lung Clinic Grant (WV Bureau for Public Health)
Valley Health has served as both a grantee and sub-grantor for the Federal Health Care for the Homeless grant, supporting Harmony House in Huntington and programs in Charleston, Wheeling, and Morgantown. Since 1992, in collaboration with the Children’s Health Fund, we’ve operated the West Virginia Children’s Health Project mobile medical unit, bringing care directly to children in isolated areas. This section should highlight our responsible grant oversight and sound fiscal management.