Treeline view from GMEC's offices in Wise, VA 
The main infrastructure programs that GMEC provides in the area are those which (1) encourage medical professionals to locate in the area through the funding of rural medical residency activities, and (2) by providing first-class, local training opportunities for the region’s medical professionals. During 2010 more than seventy (70) local MDs and DOs were registered as GMEC preceptors for medical residency rotations in the area. Also, more than 90 physicians received up to nine continuing medical education course hours aimed at improving their medical expertise.
The Commonwealth of Virginia appropriates funds to operate GMEC. The GMEC corporation passes along 100% of the funds to UVA's College at Wise to operate the GMEC program.
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GMEC-AHEC Board of Directors (as of 9-30-11) and recent MINUTES
Officers: Chairman: Mr. Howard Chapman; Vice Chairman: Dr. John Dreyzehner; Secretary-Treasurer: Dr. Margie Tucker
Rennie Atkins, R.Ph.
Johnston Memorial Hospital
351 Court St. NE
Abingdon, VA 24210
Bruce Bennard, Ph.D.
Dept. of Family Medicine
James H. Quillen College of Medicine
ETSU
Box 70621
Johnson City, TN 37614-0621
Jody Bentley, D.O.
Community Clinic
716 Spring Avenue North East
Wise, VA, 24293
Sue Cantrell, M.D., B.S. in Pharmacy
Director, Lenowisco Health District
134 Roberts Street, NW
Wise, Virginia 24293
Howard Chapman, Jr.
Program Development Officer
Tri-Health Community Health
P.O. Box 9
14588 Danvile Pike
Laurel Fork, VA 24235
Ellen Kirby Coale
Home: 1015 Highland Circle
Blacksburg, VA 24060
John Dreyzehner, M.D., M.P.H.
Director, Cumberland Plateau Health District
P. O. Box 2347
Lebanon, Virginia 24266
Brian Easton, M.D.
C-Health, PC
P. O. Box 2377
Lebanon, Virginia 24266
Roger Hofford, M.D.
Program Director
Carilion Clinic Family Medicine Residency
1314 Peters Creek Road
Roanoke, Virginia 24017
J. Sanders ("Sandy") Huguenin, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; Assoc. Prof. of History
The University of Virginia's College at Wise
1 College Ave.
Wise, VA 24293
Tony Lawson
Program Director
Mountain Empire PACE
Mountain Empire Older Citizens
P. O. Box 888
Big Stone Gap, VA 24219
Andrew Lockman, M.D.
Department of Family Medicine
University of Virginia
P. O. Box 800729
Charlottesville, Virginia 22908
Maurice Nida, D.O.
1 Cloverleaf Sq
Suite F1
Big Stone Gap, VA 24219
Linda Pearce, R.N., B.S.N., M.Ed., C.D.E.
2523 Cherry Lane
Blacksburg, VA 24060-4009
Carole Pratt, D.D.S.
P.O. Box 947
Dublin, Virginia 24084
Tom Townsend, M.D.
ETSU Dept. of Family Medicine
208 Medical Park Blvd.
Bristol, Tennessee 37620
Margie Tucker, Ph.D.
Pre Med Advisor
UVA-Wise
One College Ave
Wise, VA 24293
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(DRAFT) MINUTES
Southwest Virginia Graduate Medical Education Consortium and Area Health Education Center Board of Directors Meeting
HEARTWOOD CENTER, ABINGDON, VA
SEPTEMBER 26, 2011 Members Present: Tom Townsend, M.D.; Bruce Bennard, Ph.D.; Ellen Coale, M.S., R.D. (phone); Margie Tucker, Ph.D.; Sue Cantrell, M.D.; Howard Chapman; Gil Blackburn, Ph.D.; Brian Easton, M.D.; Andrew Lockman, M.D. (phone); J. Sanders (“Sandy”) Huguenin, Ph.D. Staff Present: Gary Crum, Ph.D., Susan Alford (phone), Elizabeth Mullins CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Dr. Townsend called meeting to order at 6:37 PM. AGENDA: Tonight’s draft agenda as mailed was reviewed and approved by consensus. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING: The minutes for the Board’s April 2011 meeting were approved without revision or dissent (motion: Mr. Chapman; second: Dr. Tucker). INTRODUCTIONS: Those present in person and on the phone introduced themselves. It was noted that Dr. Huguenin, the new Provost at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, would be added as the new UVA-Wise Provost member of the Board later in the meeting, replacing the now-retired Provost, Dr. Blackburn. [Note: see item on Board Member Transition below.] STAFF REPORTS: Ms. Alford by phone discussed her written AHEC Director’s report and explained her absence from the meeting to give a speech in Richmond to state officials about the AHEC’s operations. She discussed the new Workforce Development Authority’s early operations, the new AT&T grant the AHEC had received for 25K, and the upcoming Head for the Hills conference at The Breaks (October 13-15, 2011) – noting that registrations were very high this year and that rooms had become extremely tight. Dr. Crum gave an oral report on his various GMEC, AHEC and Health Authority activities since the last Board meeting, and mentioned again his plan to retire in the summer of 2011 (probably June 1). He dwelt especially on the difficulties that had developed from the decisions by the SW Virginia Community Health System CHC organization (1) to dismiss without cause its Executive Director; (2) to pull out of the Teaching Health Center federal application being planned with our AHEC; and (3) to eject the AHEC staff person, Ms. Alford, without cause, from their AHEC-contracted fiscal managerial and fringe benefit program. Dr. Crum reported that these unilateral, unexpected and unexplained changes by the CHC had required that a new health plan be found for Ms. Alford. A further set of problems had been created by the fact that the CHC admitted mistakenly destroying all of the AHEC’s FY 2011 financial records during this period. Dr. Crum said that Albano and Associates CPA firm in Marion was looking into these matters for AHEC and hurriedly reconstituting the FY AHEC records at a special $1000 fee. Meanwhile, efforts were underway by him to see if Ms. Alford could be placed on the staff of UVA-Wise using GMEC reserves, because the AHEC funds were in limbo and the UVA accounting office therefore did not want to use current AHEC checking account funds for her salary. UVA-Wise was willing, it appeared, to use future federal AHEC subaward funds for her salary, but only if those funds were allocated directly to UVA-Wise from the state’s federal AHEC grantee (currently Virginia Commonwealth University). He estimated the draw-down of GMEC reserves before this VCU transfer could be accomplished in early 2012 would be around 25K, with the same savings in AHEC funds. Dr. Tucker expressed concern that the bringing of Ms. Alford under UVA/GMEC’s fiscal rubric might seem an undesirable de facto subsuming of AHEC by GMEC, and recommended that another option be addressed as a possibility; namely, carrying Ms. Alford under individual health insurance and other fringe benefit arrangements rather than trying to get her into a group insurance program like UVA’s. This was discussed, and it was noted that the possible “sponsored research” costs of bringing the VCU funds through UVA might anyway be approximately the same expense to the Board’s operations as the extra costs for individual (nongroup rate) health insurance. Dr. Crum mentioned that he had indeed investigated an organization in Florida that handles small 501c3 organizations nationally and which would allow Ms. Alford to remain separate from GMEC funds and UVA. It would also pay her FICA and health insurance and other fringe benefits, but the organization’s fees for such services were cryptic and the salesperson unresponsive to his questions, so he had not pursued it. After some further discussion, it was decided that Dr. Crum should continue to pursue the UVA negotiations and also still pursue other possibilities and the actual costs for maintaining Ms. Alford as a sole AHEC employee with individual health insurance. He was directed to keep the Executive Committee informed as his research of these options played out, and involve them in the final decision. HEALTH AUTHORITY/GMEC MISSION: Following up on Dr. Crum’s opening staff comments regarding the current Health Authority activities, Dr. Townsend discussed the fact that Delegate “Bud” Phillips, the Authority Chair, was leaving that post. Other key changes had taken place, including the recent resignation of Dr. John Dreyzehner as Vice Chair of the Authority (he is, however, remaining on the GMEC-AHEC Board for the present) in order for him to take the key post as Health Commissioner for the State of Tennessee. Dr. Crum was working with Delegate Phillips to find a legislative member of the Authority who would take the helm there, and the hope was that Delegate Terry Kilgore might agree to become the Chair of the Authority in the near future. Dr. Crum discussed hopes he had for the next few months of transition as the current leadership of the Authority changed, and expressed his commitment to make sure that this transition was successful. Dr. Townsend also expressed a commitment to continued GMEC involvement with the Authority as it moved forward into a new era, and mentioned how the mission of GMEC had beneficially evolved during recent years as simultaneously new medical schools and medical residencies had been initiated in SW Virginia. In discussing the GMEC mission for the future, Dr. Townsend mentioned the potential goal of training more physicians more than recruiting residents for rural rotations. Dr. Cantrell added the future goal/emphasis option of recruiting more specialists to this rural region. Dr. Townsend suggested the GMEC-AHEC Board might want to have a retreat to discuss these mission-related matters in more detail, once the Authority had decided on its new leadership and future direction – including deciding the Authority’s view of the future role of GMEC with the Authority. ELECTIONS: The Nominating Committee chair, Dr. Townsend, reported that the following Board members had been recommended by the Committee for GMEC-AHEC Board officer posts: Mr. Howard Chapman, Chair; Dr. John Dreyzehner, Vice Chair; Dr. Margie Tucker, Secretary/Treasurer. There were no additional nominations from the floor. These three persons were then jointly elected unanimously (motion: Dr. Blackburn; second: Dr. Tucker). PRESENTATION TO DR. TOWNSEND:Dr. Townsend was presented with a parting thank-you gift of an engraved gavel by the new Chair, Mr. Chapman. Dr, Townsend made a few remarks concerning his tenure and thanked the Board for the opportunity to serve as Chair. BOARD MEMBER TRANSITION: The Board said a fond goodbye and gave a certificate of thanks to parting, long-time member Dr. Gil Blackburn, who then addressed the Board with a few words of thanks and remembrance. UVA-Wise Provost Dr. J. Sanders (“Sandy”) Huguenin was then welcomed as the new UVA-Wise official designee, and voted in as a Board member unanimously (motion: Dr. Bennard; second: Dr. Tucker). ADJOURNMENT: Following some brief remarks of commitment and gratitude from the new Chair, Mr. Chapman, the GMEC-AHEC Board meeting was adjourned without dissent (motion: Dr. Townsend; second: Dr. Cantrell). Minutes respectfully submitted by G. Crum, 276 328 0249 END OF DRAFT 10-2-11##
