BELINGTON, WV (Sept. 28, 2023) – Barbour Community Health Association (BCHA) invites the public to join the organization in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of BCHA’s Belington Medical Clinic, located at 70 N Sturmer Street in Belington, West Virginia.

This year marks a significant and exciting milestone for the organization, as they celebrate 50 years of providing exceptional and affordable health care and wellness services to the local community.

The Belington Medical Clinic first opened its doors to patients in October 1973, and has remained steadfast in their commitment to community health and wellness for all.

“We are so excited to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of providing the highest quality health and wellness services to our community,” said Eric Ruf, CEO of Barbour Community Health Association. “A few things have changed in these past fifty years, but our commitment to the community remains steadfast! We hope our friends and family will join us for the celebration!”

The event will begin at 11:00 a.m. on October 14th, 2023, and will conclude at 2:00 p.m.

Attendees will have opportunities to tour the facility and participate in giveaways. Giveaway prizes include Corn Hole Boards, a Collapsible Utility Wagon, and Barbour Wellness Center Memberships.

Additionally, there will be live entertainment including music, pumpkin painting, and apple cider, as well as food trucks for refreshments.

Flu vaccination shots will be available for BCHA patients only.

“Having the opportunity to extend invitations to our community and to host this celebration is so valuable to our BCHA family,” said Debbie Schoonover, COO. “We are proud of this organization and are blessed to share this moment with the residents of Barbour County.”

About the Barbour Community Health Association

Belington Medical and Myers Clinics are federally qualified health centers that provide medical and behavioral health care to patients with insurance, Medicare and/or Medicaid and for those without health insurance through the clinic’s Health Access program.

The organization also operates Barbour Behavioral Health, Barbour Quick Care, Belington Wellness Center, Brandon School-Based Health Services, and Philippi Wellness Center. The Barbour Behavioral Health team is made up of well-trained psychologists and psychotherapists who offer a variety of behavioral health services. Barbour Quick Care has walk-in care available in Philippi. Belington and Philippi Wellness Centers offer a wide variety of exercise equipment, and exercise programs. Brandon School-Based Health Services offers a variety of nursing, preventive and acute care medical and behavioral health services to all students and staff in the Barbour County School system. Learn More About the Barbour Community Health Association.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US. HPV is a virus that can lead to certain types of cancers affecting both men and women. Sometimes, HPV does not cause any immediate symptoms, so many who have HPV may not know it until a cancer has developed. But what if we told you there was a vaccine that could help protect your children from those cancers caused by HPV? The HPV vaccine is cancer prevention and recommended for ages 9-26 years of age (the earlier, the better). Some adults age 27-45 may benefit from an HPV vaccination and should discuss it with their healthcare provider. 

There are many myths associated with the HPV vaccine that we wanted to take a minute and clear up for you. 

MYTH: Only Girls Need the HPV Vaccine

Fact: The vaccine is recommended for both boys and girls to receive. While the most talked about cancer associated with HPV is cervical cancer, there is a long list of cancers that have also been linked to HPV infections. Nearly four out of every ten cases of cancer caused by an HPV infection occur among men. It is important to get both your sons and daughters immunized to protect them against these forms of HPV-related cancer. 

MYTH: You Shouldn’t Get Your Child Immunized Before They’re Sexually Active

Fact: You SHOULD get your child immunized before they’re sexually active to ensure they have full protection against HPV years before they ever have contact with the virus. 

MYTH: Your Child Will Get HPV/Cancer from the Vaccine

Fact: Not True! Because the HPV vaccine is made using only a single protein from each type of the virus, it can’t cause HPV infection, therefore, it can’t cause any other cancers. 

Talk to your child’s provider about the HPV vaccine during their next check-up. Depending on their age, the vaccine can come in either two or three doses. Over 15 years of monitoring have shown that HPV vaccines are very safe and help protect your child from HPV and the cancers it causes. Like any vaccine or medications, HPV vaccines can have side effects, however most common effects are mild and may include pain, redness, or swelling of the arm where shot was given, dizziness, fainting (more common in adolescents), nausea, or headache. Adolescents should be seated or lying down during vaccination and remain in that position for 15 minutes after getting the shot. 

Statistics show that high-risk HPV infections and genital warts rates have decreased by 81 percent among young adult women who have been immunized. Specific cervical precancers caused by high-risk HPV infections have dropped by 40 percent among vaccinated women. 

Don’t wait to vaccinate! Talk to your child’s provider at any Barbour Community Health Association site about getting their HPV vaccination.

Barbour Community Health Association is delighted to announce the promotion of Dr. John Henderson, MD, to Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Henderson will lead Barbour Community Health Association’s clinical team while continuing to provide care to his patients at Belington Medical Clinic. We chatted with Dr. Henderson to learn more about his experience in Family Medicine and about his new role. Read on to learn more.  

What is the title and role of your current position at Barbour Community Health Association (BCHA)? 

Chief Medical Officer and Medical Provider.

Can you briefly describe the responsibilities and duties associated with the CMO position? 

The primary thing is to ensure quality care to all patients that we serve and to oversee the clinical staff regarding our policies and procedures.

How does your previous experience and skill set align with the requirements of this role? 

I served as Medical Director in the past as well as worked as a Family Practice Physician for 28 years. I have worked here at BCHA in one capacity or another for all of those 28 years. I served as Chief of Staff at a local hospital. I am also the Medical Director of Mountain Hospice – a nursing home in Belington. 

How do you balance the role of an administrator and a provider? 

Balancing both roles is sometimes tough. You never know when things will come up. Thursdays are now dedicated to just administrative tasks and duties, however, issues do come up on other days as well. Balancing a busy schedule has been a responsibility of mine since Medical School. Prioritizing my work and working efficiently helps balance.

What excites you the most about your new position? 

I think it’s being involved with an organization that I truly believe has/puts the wellbeing of our patients and the community first. Having the dedicated time to do administrative tasks is a big change, where before, these responsibilities were always just squeezed in. We do great things here at BCHA, and I want to be a part of that, and continue being a part of it in the future.

How do you envision your new position contributing to the BCHA’s overall goals and objectives?

I think I try to be objective and not take any sides. I try to listen to the opinions of both the administrative side and the clinical side, and support whichever side seems to make most sense. Sometimes I have to work with one side – admin and providers – or vice versa to help them understand who may or may not be right given the circumstance.

Can you share any specific projects or initiatives you’ll be working on in your new position? 

We acquired the Myers Clinic seven years ago. It’s been a struggle for the two organizations to feel as one. I really would like us to feel like we’re all on the same team. To feel like we are all BCHA.

What are some of your immediate goals and priorities in your new role?

Learn what a CMO needs to do. In the past, we had a Clinical Director that did a lot of the grunt work, and I basically just signed off on things as a Medical Director. This role is more responsibility. I want to unify the BCHA organization. 

Why did you choose a career in the healthcare industry? 

Honestly, I just sort of fell into it. Some of my background – I wanted to be a farmer, and I did not go to college until six years after completing high school. I was married with kids when I then decided I needed more, so I went to college, then went on to med school. I like to help folks. I chose family medicine because I like the idea of being involved in care for the whole family.

What is your educational background? Please elaborate.

I graduated from East Fairmont High School in 1979. Following high school, I married my wife Annette – my high school sweetheart. I received my undergrad degree in Animal Science from West Virginia University. I then went on to medical school at West Virginia University, where I additionally completed a three year residency in family medicine. I have four children who are now all adults as well as seven grandchildren. I moved to Elkins in 1995, the same year I opened a private practice and worked at BCHA part time.

What are key challenges that you feel healthcare administrators face?

We’re a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), so we get federal funding, and with that comes a lot of rules and regulations to ensure we are doing what we need to do.

It is a challenge to know and follow those rules. Being an FQHC is much more involved than just doing the right thing in the exam room – we do the right thing in the room and must track and prove to the insurance companies that we are doing the right thing. Sometimes it’s hard to put it all on paper that we are providing the best care for our patients.

Providers are all different people with different personalities and practice approaches. This doesn’t mean one provider is right and one is wrong. We must understand how to come up with a protocol(s) to do things that also doesn’t interfere with a provider’s individuality and individual practice of medicine. The way I do it doesn’t mean it’s right for other providers.

Why do you choose (to work at) Barbour Community Health Association? 

Without sounding too corny, I really believe this organization cares about the patients first. A close second to that is the employees. I’ve seen many, many, many times over the years where the BCHA administration would go above and beyond to help our employees. I truly believe it’s a caring organization and that trickles down to our patients. From the board to our CEO to administration, the nurses, front desk and janitor – everyone really cares.

BCHA is an organization to be proud of. Considering Barbour County is very poor, we have really state-of- the-art medical facilities. We have the brand new Myers Clinic in Philippi, several Wellness Centers and School-Based clinics such as the AB Wellness Clinic. Our outreach is county-wide and I believe we do a very good job.

We are so excited for Dr. Henderson to take on the role of Chief Medical Officer. Patients can see Dr. Henderson at our Belington Medical Clinic.