Much has been written about the recent federal budget bill passed in early July and its potential impact on the nation and Virginia. But what does it mean for rural communities like the Twin Counties?
We serve on the Board of Directors of the Twin Counties Rural Health Network (TCRHN). The TCRHN includes a Community Advisory Board of over 40 additional organizations that provide input on our priorities and promote resources and programming in Carroll County, Grayson County and the city of Galax. Our mission is simple: strengthen our region’s wellness and resilience through partnerships and collaboration. We’re using the Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being (https://rippel.org/vital-conditions/) as our guide to fulfill the mission.
Vital Conditions are the characteristics of communities that we all need all the time to reach our full potential, and they are:
- Belonging & Civic Muscle
- Basic Needs for Health & Safety
- Humane Housing
- Meaningful Work & Wealth
- Lifelong Learning
- Reliable Transportation
- Thriving Natural World
Here in the Twin Counties, we take pride in looking out for each other. We’ve worked the farms, run the factories, built the furniture and served in the military. Our families have powered Virginia’s economy for generations. We’ve weathered plant closures, industry changes and hard times, not by asking for handouts, but by pulling together as a community.
We saw that spirit in action last fall after Hurricane Helene. When roads washed away, power went down and water ran out, neighbors checked on neighbors, churches opened their doors to serve meals, volunteer fire departments ran wellness checks and local organizations stepped up to make sure people had the basics: food, water and medicine. It was a reminder that here in the Twin Counties, we don’t wait for someone from Richmond or Washington to show up; we take care of each other as much and as quickly as we can, but we don’t have the resources to do everything on our own.
We’re worried that with the substantial federal funding cuts, the focus in Richmond will be on cities and large organizations, leaving little funding for small communities far away from the “Golden Crescent.” Now more than ever, the decision-makers in Richmond must remember that a large part of Virginia exists beyond Roanoke, and that we are a region that matters. A reduction in federal support will place a huge strain on our only hospital and our safety-net healthcare providers that serve a high percentage of our neighbors. Such financial pressure could lead to a decrease in services or, in severe cases, closures, potentially forcing residents to travel farther for assistance or to forgo receiving care altogether.
Reductions in funding will also create problems for organizations providing food and housing assistance and for school systems. These changes will mean that more of our neighbors will need more help, and these organizations already stretch every dollar to serve the community.
We all recognize that small businesses, agriculture and tourism are key drivers of our local economy. Reductions in federal funding in key programs, including workforce training programs, broadband and small business grants aimed at helping rural communities, will make it harder for us to gain the skills and support needed to grow our local economy.
Moreover, health challenges related to poverty, insufficient housing, lack of healthy food and limited healthcare access impact workforce participation. When our workforce is less healthy, productivity drops, absenteeism rises and fewer people can maintain steady employment. This means fewer people working and paying taxes in our communities, while more depend on the already limited safety net services that remain.
The federal government has changed the rules, and now Virginia’s legislators and administration must figure out how to respond. We urge our community members to contact their state delegate, senator, and the governor’s office. Tell them that rural Southwest Virginia is important and that we expect our fair share of resources meant for rural communities. We’ve always taken care of our own, but Richmond also needs to stand with the Twin Counties.
Over the next several weeks, we will use this series to show how each of the Vital Conditions connects directly to life in the Twin Counties, including the organizations you turn to and how the federal budget changes could affect us all if the Commonwealth doesn’t step up.
It’s important that we begin with Belonging & Civic Muscle, because it’s not only a core value in our communities, but it’s the practical foundation for making progress in every other Vital Condition. For example, in the Twin Counties, we check in on each other, show up when it counts, and pitch in without being asked, whether it’s volunteering at a local food bank, clearing a neighbor’s driveway or driving a friend to a medical appointment. That’s what makes our communities strong. This feeling of helping and being part of something is integral to who we are.
The next piece will cover Basic Needs for Health & Safety and a Thriving Natural World. The third one will review Humane Housing and Reliable Transportation, and the final one will include Meaningful Work & Wealth and Lifelong Learning. We hope that this series will inspire our neighbors to reach out to our elected officials and tell them they need to remember us when making decisions about how to help everyone across the Commonwealth deal with the federal funding changes.
The authors:
Sandy Bryant, Mount Rogers Community Services
Meagan Helmick, Mount Rogers Health District
Melissa Munton, Ohlen R. Wilson Health Center
Terri Gillespie, Rooftop of Virginia
James Werth, Jr., Tri-Area Community Health
