A ceremonial check representing the seed capital matching grant funding approved for Redbud Family Medicine LLC was presented recently to clinic owners Vickie Stevens, second from left; and Mercedes Schoonover, second from right. They are pictured with VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher, right, who made the check presentation; and Ernie McFaddin, Russell County IDA chairman.
HONAKER, VA – JUNE 20, 2019 – In the six months since Redbud Family Medicine LLC in Honaker, Va., first opened its doors, its patient base has expanded by 600, a new nurse has been added to the staff and a fourth exam room is being developed at the primary care medical clinic, according to Redbud co-owners Vickie Stevens and Mercedes Schoonover.
Redbud Family Medicine LLC was recently approved for a $10,000 seed capital matching grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA), which Stevens and Schoonover credit as making it possible for the clinic to grow and expand.
“The VCEDA Seed Capital Matching Grant program is all about helping new businesses to meet their goals and to achieve their projected growth,” said VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher. “Redbud Family Medicine LLC is a prime example of how the Seed Capital fund was designed to work with businesses to assist them in creating jobs.”
The clinic is located at 5296 Redbud Highway in Honaker and is owned and operated by Vickie Stevens, who holds a Master of Science in Nursing Administration, a post-graduate degree in Nursing and who is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner; and by Mercedes Schoonover, who holds a Master of Science in Nursing Administration, an MBA, a Master of Science and who is also a certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
“The VCEDA Seed Capital Matching Grant we were approved for has allowed us to grow our business,” Stevens said. “We were seeing more than 300 patients per month, but now have added more. The grant gave us the capital we needed to bring in a nurse and to begin working on equipping a fourth exam room, which in turn is allowing us to take on more patients.”
Stevens and Schoonover worked with Margie Douglass, of the Small Business Development Center at Southwest Virginia Community College, in the development of their business plan and application to VCEDA.
Redbud Family Medicine is a true family practice clinic, Stevens said, noting that she and Schoonover treat patients of all ages — from infants to geriatric patients. Immunizations are available as well.
“We want to be a part of the community,” Stevens said of the importance Redbud Family Practice places on community and the people who live in it.
“We try to keep it local and we buy local whenever we can,” Schoonover said, adding, “the community has been so welcoming and supportive of us.”
Currently, the clinic’s patient base hails from six counties, including those from Russell, Buchanan, Dickenson, Tazewell, Washington and Smyth.
Stevens noted the clinic is also a preceptor site for students studying to become nurse practitioners. Redbud works with university students from both Tennessee and Virginia.
Redbud Family Medicine is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and treats patients with all types of insurance, as well as those without insurance, who are charged a flat rate per visit charge.
Redbud currently has three full-time employees and two-part time employee and projects an additional three full-time jobs within two years.
About Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and Southwest Virginia’s e-Region: The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 to enhance and diversify the region’s economy and help create jobs, markets Southwest Virginia’s e-Region and its focus on electronic information technology, energy, education, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship. VCEDA is a unique economic development organization that manages funds for economic development projects from a percentage of the coal and natural gas severance taxes paid by coal and natural gas companies that operate in the region. Located in southwestern Virginia, the region includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton. www.vceda.us or www.e-Region.org.
About the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority Seed Capital Matching Grant Fund: VCEDA region for-profit businesses one year and under with less than 10 full-time employees are eligible to apply for dollar-for-dollar matching grants up to $10,000 from the VCEDA Seed Capital Matching Fund. Applicants work with the Small Business Development Centers at Mountain Empire and Southwest Virginia community colleges to prepare the applications to VCEDA that include detailed business and financial plans. Businesses must be located in or plan to operate in the VCEDA region in southwestern Virginia that includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton.