Here’s a round-up of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org:
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Carilion opens neurology clinic in Franklin County
Carilion Clinic has opened first neurology clinic in Franklin County. The new practice is located at 1171 Franklin St. in Rocky Mount.
The facility, which is currently housed in the same building as Bernard Healthcare Center, is the first step in expanded neurology services in Franklin County, Carilion said in a statement.
The development is just one of several Carilion Clinic projects in Franklin County. Recently, Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital completed the first phase of operating room renovations and expansions. Additional specialty services include OBGYN, hand surgery, plastic surgery, podiatry and more. (Disclosure: Carilion is one of our donors but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy).
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Danville group invests in ADHD wearable software
The Danville-based Launch Place has announced a $250,000 investment in Revibe Technologies, a North Carolina-based startup developing digital therapy software for wearables to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. FokusRx is a nonpharmacologic software-as-a-medical device approach to treating attention and focus deficits.
Eva Doss, The Launch Place President and CEO, said in a statement her team chose Revibe because they saw high market demand for its products and believed in the technology’s potential. “Revibe’s wristband enables children and adults to get additional opportunities in education and work by fusing psychology with technology,” Doss said. “Studies show that Revibe Connect can improve focus for children by 19.8% or more — without the use of prescription medications, which is a tremendous help and a gamechanger in the industry.”
The new investment comes from The Launch Place’s Seed Fund II, which targets early-stage startups seeking venture capital and angel investors. The fund invested its first $250,000 in Revibe in 2020. Five years earlier, The Launch Place became the company’s first institutional investor, investing $40,000 via its Pre-Seed Fund in 2015.
The Launch Place provides seed and early-stage capital, mentorship and support services for promising startups, with a particular focus on SaaS, IoT, and medical, health and green technologies. The firm is based in Danville with a second office in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. Its initial investment typically spans $200,000 to $250,000, with potential follow-on investments reaching $750,000. The Launch Place’s fundraising fuels its investment funds and entrepreneurial ecosystem-building efforts in the Dan River region, with its biggest funder to date being the Danville Regional Foundation.
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Roanoke Foodshed Network awards grants
The Roanoke Foodshed Network (RFN), formerly known as the Roanoke Regional Food System Partnership, has granted more than $18,000 to area nonprofits and schools to support food access work in the Roanoke region. The following organizations received funding:
● Virginia Cooperative Extension
● One Valley Inc.
● Feeding Southwest Virginia
● Highland Park Elementary School
● Lick Run Community Development Corporation
● Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia
● Cave Spring Elementary School PTA
The funding was made possible by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s (VFHY) Healthy Communities Action Teams (HCAT) grant. VFHY provides infrastructure support to build and sustain community collaboratives that drive long-term policy, systems, and environmental changes that prevent and reduce childhood obesity.
The Roanoke Foodshed Network began as a series of conversations among farmers, planners, and local food advocates, stretching back to 2014. In 2020, Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP) was awarded a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) planning grant that has enabled the creation of the RFN and the establishment of a wide-ranging suite of projects supported by this network. In 2022, the Healthy Food Access working group of the RFN assumed responsibility for the HCAT grant. LEAP serves as the fiscal agent for the HCAT grant, with support from Carilion Clinic, Feeding Southwest Virginia, and United Way.
The Roanoke Foodshed Network is also hosting a series of virtual learning exchanges. The final exchange will take place on January 18th from 2-3pm ET. It’s entitled: Regenerative Food Production: Healthy Soil, Ecosystems, and Communities and features speakers Brent and Anna Wills of Bramble Hollow Farm, and Adam Taylor of the Catawba Sustainability Center. Register at http://tinyurl.com/regenerativefood.