Center Board of Trustees & Council Board of Directors

Special Announcement
Council for Rural Virginia has new Advisor!

Volume 1

Edition 6

June 2008

New Council Advisor

Education

Healthcare

Infrastructure
Broadband/Telehealth

Healthcare

Workforce

‘Older Dominion’
Workforce

Sharon Colbert, Desk Officer of the Southern Region, including Hawaii and Alaska, has agreed to serve as Advisor to the Council for Rural Virginia.

As Rural Development Specialist, Sharon has served as Desk Officer (Advisor) to both Southeastern and Southwestern rural communities. She provides overall coordination of community project activity and progress to ensure continuous collaboration and involvement in affairs of communities by both government and non-governmental organizations. She has written numerous white papers, and authored two technical notes: 1) "How to Avoid Conflict of Interest" and 2) “Strategies for Providing Rural Transit.” Since 1998, Ms. Colbert has served on the USDA Management Control Advisory Group, to assure that services and resources of the Agency are properly utilized and administered.

Before formally coming to USDA in December of 1997, Ms. Colbert served as an Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community Review Team Member. She also served as Program Support Specialist with the U.S. Department of Transportation and Budget Analyst at the U.S. Department of Education.

Ms. Colbert is a graduate of the U.S. Department of Transportation Career Management Institute for Women Managers and Cornell University Rural Development Institute. She is the wife of Frederick Colbert and mother of three energetic daughters. 260-5952, Sharon.Colbert@wdc.usda.gov

UVAToday

Distance Learning Partnership realizes $2 million grant - University / Community College

The National Science Foundation has awarded $2 million to the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science, Central Virginia Community College and Danville Community College in support of "Engineers: PRODUCED in Virginia," an innovative distance learning educational program that allows students to earn a four-year engineering degree without leaving the Lynchburg or Danville communities.

The money will be distributed to all three schools over a five-year period and will be used primarily for student scholarships. Portions of the funds will be used by UVa to provide campus services to Lynchburg students, to hire program staff, to help offset costs for the materials and technology needed for an optimized program and to expand the program to other Virginia community colleges. Read the full article . . .

Contact: Andrea Arco, Engineering School, (434) 924-7508, ana8n@Virginia.EDU

VCOM in the News - - Graduates second class of doctors

School in rural Virginia may be the answer to the region's doctor shortage

A nationwide physician's shortage could make it even more difficult to get a doctor's appointment in the future.

But there is a ray of hope for our region. . . . On Saturday, June 7, 144 local students became doctors as the 2008 class graduated from Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg. And many of the students will stay in the area. Read more . . .

VCOM Among Telehealth Providers

Council Board Member Dixie-Tooke Rawlins and Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is among Telehealth Providers in Virginia.

Virginia’s Telehealth Network- Cynthia Barrigan among the appointees.

VA Names 13 to Rural Health Advisory Committee-Peake: Group Includes “Strong Advocates” for Vets in Rural Areas

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake has appointed13 people to a new Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee, which will advise him on health care issues affecting veterans in rural areas. Cynthia Barrigan of Centreville, VA, Veteran, now acting executive director of Virginia Telehealth Network is among the appointees. Read the list . . .

Rappahannock AHEC’s Executive Director, Jane Wills, Shares Press Release

Press Release – Jane Wills shared the following: NNMP Telemedicine Northern Neck Middle Peninsula – Launch of New Telemedicine Clinic, Contact Andrea Fricke, Telehealth Program Coordinator, Tappahannock, VA. Questions about the clinic should be directed to Andrea Fricke at 804-436-6825.

The first telemedicine consults in dermatology occurred on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at a new outpatient clinic sponsored by Riverside Tappahannock Hospital and the Northern Neck Middle Peninsula Telehealth Consortium (NNMPTC). The location of the clinic is in Medical Arts Building A, at 659 Hospital Road in Tappahannock. The NNMPTC office is in the same location.

Copy provided by Jane M. Wills, Executive Director, Rappahannock Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Jane is a long-time supporter of the Council for Rural Virginia as she worked with Rebecca Davis during the formative stages. She can be reached at: Jane Wills janewills@rahec.org or 804.333.3733.

Rappahannock AHEC’s logo: “A Grassroots Effort to Increase Our Healthcare Resources.” With a guiding principle to Educate, Coordinate, Collaborate, RAHEC seeks to increase access to health care and improve the health status of the region through education and workforce development. Located in Warsaw, VA serving the counties of Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, King George, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Westmoreland, and the City of Fredericksburg. Learn what an AHEC is and more about RAHEC. http://www.rahec.org/ .

Entrepreneur Express Milestones Reached in Roanoke

On May 29^th, the City of Roanoke hosted an Entrepreneur Express Workshop (described March’s Rural View)
at Virginia Western Community College. It was a day of milestones and a demonstration of the power of entrepreneurship to energize a community.

May 29^th marked the 31st Entrepreneur Express Workshop in Southwest Virginia since the program began in late 2006. It also marked the third time in 13 months that the City of Roanoke has brought this small business resource into their community—no other jurisdiction has matched their frequency. More importantly, however, Roanoke put its commitment to entrepreneurship on display.

Holding the Express Workshop at VWCC signaled recognition of the Community College’s partnership role with the city in providing the skills needed for the employees who staff small businesses and the entrepreneurs who hire them. Virginia Western did its part by sponsoring a motivational luncheon speaker for the workshop: Cameron Johnson - Roanoke native, successful entrepreneur, best-selling author, and contestant on Oprah Winfrey’s “Big Give,” Johnson gave an inspired performance to the 70+ in attendance. For questions or comments regarding this article, contact Will Vehrs, VDBA Communications, 804.371.0058 or will.vehrs@vdba.virginia.gov

Business One Stop Launched

Phase I launch of the Business One Stop, an online tool designed to assist Virginia entrepreneurs, particularly those in rural areas, in starting a business. By logging into the newly created system and answering a few short questions, a prospective start-up company will receive a customized list of the business formation steps, forms, and potential assistance resources. For questions about the Business One Stop, contact the Virginia Business Information Center at 1-866-248-8814. Read the Announcement

Another successful Entrepreneur Express Workshop in Galax

Entrepreneur Express Workshop had 37 participants in the second annual Galax workshop held at the Crossroads Institute. “It was like going home since the EE program originated in the Twin County region,” said Sandy Ratliff, Business Services Manager, Southwest Office, Virginia Department of Business Assistance.

This program has reached over 1,130 entrepreneurs through 32 workshops in Southwest Virginia since it was launched in October 2006. The surveys continue to show increasing interest in finding credit. In fact, again, that subject surveyed out with higher interest than growing sales. This seems to be most pronounced in southwest Virginia. Additionally, assistance with business planning seems to be an ongoing demand followed closely by general promotion and using research to find prospects. Meeting - Schedule

What About Virginia’s Boomers? Residents’ Study – Key Findings

ODP Press Release - RICHMOND, Va., -- March 27, 2008: A new statewide survey of Virginia residents and business leaders was released today by The Older Dominion Project, a new initiative by business, government, foundations, and nonprofits to help Virginia prepare for the onslaught of older Baby Boomers in the not-too-distant future.

Some of the key findings from the Residents’ Study include:

· Boomers think they will live a long time. Three in four Virginia Boomers (77%) expect to live to age 80 or beyond, and 38% say they expect to live to at least 90 years in age.

· The majority of Virginia’s working Boomers feel their employer is prepared to accommodate older workers. Three in five (59%) are currently employed full time

· About half of Virginia’s Baby Boomers plan to keep working past traditional retirement age – age 65.

Boomers have many concerns when it comes to their own aging. Their top concerns include maintaining health (84%), maintaining independence (83%), maintaining mental abilities (82%) and making sure savings do not run out (79% - 4 or 5 on 1to 5 scale where 1 is “not at all a concern” and 5 is “major concern.”) Read the press release [164k, PDF] Older Dominion Project

Can’t go to training? Office Live – More Seminars for Small Business

Agriculture &

Natural Resources

Infrastructure

Land Use & Management

Board Members in the News

UVAToday

UVa Course Seeks Sustainable Solution to Food Shortage Crisis

June 6, 2008 — Since mid-April, when the World Food Program declared a global food price crisis, the ripples of the so-called "silent tsunami" have been felt across the globe.

There have been riots over the cost of food in Somalia and Egypt. Haiti's prime minister was forced to resign by legislators seeking to quell violent protests over rising food costs. And here in the United States, rising global grain prices helped spark the largest increase in monthly food costs in nearly 20 years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics described the 0.9 percent rise between March and April as the biggest since January 1990.

Tanya Denckla Cobb, senior associate at U.Va.'s Institute for Environmental Negotiation, views the world's food crisis as less of a shortage and more of a problem of food distribution. "People on planet Earth produce more than enough food to feed all of our planetary tenants, but we have not yet learned how to distribute our harvest in an equitable way that gives affordable and meaningful access to all." Read the full article . . . Contact: Jane Kelly, (434) 243-0124, jak4g@virginia.edu

Glen C. sink, Center Council Executive Director is part of the work group that is exploring formation of a Virginia Food Council.

New Directions For Some Big Issues - Tuesday, Jan 08, 2008 - 12:09 AM By Trip Pollard, Times-Dispatch Columnist

CHARLOTTESVILLE Virginia is being rapidly transformed. From jammed highways to choking air pollution, from the loss of farmland and natural areas to rising taxpayer expenditures to serve far-flung development, our sprawl and asphalt-centered transportation policies are taking a toll on our budgets, our communities, our health, and our environment. On top of these problems, transportation and sprawl are leading sources of greenhouse gases that threaten even more serious and long-lasting damage. We must change course.

Virginia's population is projected to rise from just over 7 million to almost 10 million people between 2000 and 2030. This will mean adding the equivalent of another Northern Virginia. It is estimated that more than 1 million housing units will be added during this time.

Trip Pollard directs the Southern Environmental Law Center's Land and Community Program. He is the author of a new report, "New Directions: Land Use, Transportation, and Climate Change in Virginia," available at www.SouthernEnvironment.org. Read the Op-ed . . . Times Dispatch

USDA Names Member to National Fluid Milk Board - Jay S. Bryant, Reston, VA, will be seated at the board July 17, 2008.

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2008 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the appointment of a new member to the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board. Newly appointed to fill a vacancy lasting less than 18 months is Jay S. Bryant, Reston, Va. (Region 6). The term for this appointee expires June 30, 2009. This new member will be seated at the board meeting July 17-19, 2008.

The National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board is composed of 15 fluid milk processors from 15 geographic regions and five at-large members. At least three at-large members must be fluid milk processors and at least one must be from the general public. The Board was established by the Fluid Milk Promotion Act of 1990 to develop and administer a coordinated program of advertising and promotion to increase the demand for fluid milk products. Release No. 0145.08 - Contacts: Becky Unkenholz (202) 720-8999, Billy Cox (202) 720-8998 Read More . .