COMMITMENTS CHART   Commitment: In order to ensure pricing is not increased as a result of the elimination of inpatient competition for the majority of consumers covered by third party commercial insurance, pricing will increase by less with the merger than if the merger were not to occur. For all Principal Payers1, the New Health System will reduce existing commercial contracting for fixed rate increa ...

Click here to read Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health Systems' response to the Federal Trade Commission's comment to the Southwest Virginia Health Authority: response-to-ftc-comments-submitted-to-swvha ...

Click here to read the full text of the FTC's September 30 comment to the Southwest Virginia Health Authority: ftc-letter-to-svha-october-2016 ...

Photo above: Geotech studies occurred at the industrial park site this summer. Photo by Scott Robertson By Jeff Keeling The Washington County Economic Development Council (EDC) is on the cusp of two significant achievements that have been a while in coming – one organizational, the other developmental. At the EDC’s Oct. 20 board meeting, members heard updates on both. A partially grant-funded project to gra ...

Photo above: Garland at his desk.  Photos by Scott Robertson Matt Garland has hit the ground running as the new president/CEO of the Greene County Partnership. Garland, who has worked in Northeast Tennessee for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for the last eight years, already knows the people, places and things that will make the difference in Greene County’s efforts to attrac ...

Photo above: Mayors Dan Eldridge of Washington County and Richard Venable of Sullivan County announce the eight-county Work Ready Community effort at the headquarters of the First Tennessee Development District. Photo by Scott Robertson By Scott Robertson In a moment months in the making, the mayors of Washington and Sullivan counties stood together in the First Tennessee Development District rose garden Oc ...

Photo above: Rick Gaumer, vice president for Business and Finance speaks at the Oct. 7 groundbreaking as President Jake Schrum looks on. By Scott Robertson Emory & Henry College broke ground Oct. 7 on a $12.5 million residence hall construction project to create 197 more beds for on-campus student living. Eight small residence halls, including six apartment-style halls, and a community center will be ad ...

Photo above: SVHA board members Dr. Dixie Tooke-Rawlins, Dr. Sue Cantrell and Dr. Donna Henry listen during the board’s Oct. 27 meeting.  Photos by Jeff Keeling   By Jeff Keeling We are well aware of the economic and healthcare challenges facing this region. The question for us, and more importantly the question for the Authority, is whether this merger is the only way to address the issues at the cost ...

Photo above: Jamie Whitacre, Keith Phillips, William Hayter and Gene Copenhaver accept the Agribusiness of the Year Award Oct. 17.   First Bank & Trust Company was recently awarded the Virginia Agribusiness Council’s 2016 Agribusiness of the Year Award. Council Chair Lynn Graves presented the award during the Council’s Annual Membership Meeting in Winchester. The recognition is presented annually t ...

Photo Above: Fran Lutz, Interim CEO, Opportunity Finance Network; Allison Clark, Associate Director, Program Related Investments, MacArthur Foundation; Ron Scott, President & CEO, ACFCU; Mike Rizer, Executive Vice President and Director, Community Relations at Wells Fargo Bank; Tony Berkley, Vice President, Strategy & Impact, Prudential Financial, Inc.   By Jeff Keeling Appalachian Community Fe ...