VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher, second from right, presents a ceremonial check representing the $10,000 seed capital matching grant recently awarded to Viers Medical Clinic PLLC to Henry Viers and his wife, Natasha Viers, left, co-owners of the clinic. Also pictured is Mitzi Sykes, right, Dickenson County economic development director.
HAYSI, VA — (JANUARY 17, 2020) — When you’re sick, it doesn’t always happen between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. which is why Henry Viers and his wife, Natasha Viers, decided to open Viers Medical Clinic PLLC – a family practice clinic currently offering unique “after hours” availability in Dickenson County, Va., designed to meet the medical care needs of area residents. The clinic is a recent recipient of a $10,000 Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) seed capital matching grant.
“Viers Medical Clinic was an excellent seed capital matching grant candidate,” said Jonathan Belcher, VCEDA executive director/general counsel. “Not only did their business plan detail a path for growth and employment, but it also looked at the market and found a niche in terms of after hours care, thereby providing an additional service to the residents of Dickenson and surrounding counties.”
Henry Viers is a nurse practitioner with several years of experience and said he opened the clinic in hopes of filling a void in the medical care service area with an eye toward reducing costs of medical care for patients at the same time. A trip to the clinic is far less expensive than an after hours trip to the emergency room, he added.
“We hope to reduce costs and provide a service at the same time,” he said.
“We really think it fills a void,” Natasha Viers added.
The clinic, located in downtown Haysi, Va., on 246 Main Street, officially opened in November 2019 and has been growing ever since. As patient volume increases, Viers said it is planned additional staff will be added, including a second nurse practitioner. The business plan calls for five full-time staff members and one part-time staff member within three years.
The clinic is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It accepts insurance and also offers a cash price for services and a payment plan if needed.
“The VCEDA seed capital grant has helped us to purchase equipment and it definitely made a difference for us in terms of getting the equipment and the quality of the equipment we were able to purchase,” Henry Viers said.
Through the grant, two exam rooms were completely outfitted — from the exam table to stools; good quality waiting room chairs were purchased; and other equipment has been purchased as well, Natasha Viers added.
As the family practice clinic continues to grow, the Viers’ are already looking at a way to build on to the hours the clinic is open to make it accessible to even more people in need.
The Viers’ worked with Margie Douglass, director of the Southwest Virginia Community College Small Business Development Center, in the development of their application to VCEDA for funding.
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.