Bonnie Cranmer
Contributing writer
Health care is more difficult each year, especially in rural communities. For many in Craig County, the New Castle location of both medical and dental services has been invaluable. The Craig County Health Center and the Craig County Dental Center serve over 2,000 patients in Craig and the surrounding counties.
The Craig County Health Center is a family practice, and provides a wide selection of medical care. The center provides comprehensive physical exams such as well child physicals, sports physicals, CDL physicals, and annual physicals for women and men. There are radiology and laboratory services on site. “Chronic care, acute care as well as emergency services are all within our scope of practice medically,” stated Erin Hale of Monroe Health Center, the parent company of the Craig County services. Their mission goes “beyond providing medical services; it’s about building a happier, healthier community.”
In 2024, the partnerships with local organizations provided education and support. These groups included the Craig County Rural Health Care Corporation, Market Street Pharmacy, Craig County Board of Education, Craig County Health Department, Craig County Child Care, Craig County Public Library, Blue Ridge Behavioral Health and many others. The monthly visits of Feeding America for access to healthy and seasonal produce, and the Wellness Wagon with acupuncture treatments for stress and more, encourage a holistic approach to wellness in Craig County. The first season of the Farmers Market on Main Street added to the local food availability for residents, too.
The new dentist at the Dental Center, Dr. Duran, is energetic and enthusiastic to expand services so patients won’t need to be referred on for further treatment. General dental services include preventative, restorative, corrective as well as emergency services. There is a sliding fee scale program for all eligible patients who are uninsured or under-insured, depending on the patient’s situation.
In 2025, a Medicare focused program is planned. “Health care staff will collaborate with patients to insure treatment plan compliance, assist with overcoming barriers to care & provide education as needed on chronic and/or acute diagnosis,” Hale shared. With the aging resident population in Craig County, the program will provide additional resources to patients needing help.
The staff at the Health Center consists of Dr. John Hansbarger, MD, Tina Howard, FNP-BC, and Lara Jane Barnard, FNP-BC. The Health Center is open Mondays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. At the Dental Center, providers are Dr. R. Duran, DMD and Angela Huffman, RDH, with hours Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Patients can access their online portals to access their records easily. Learn more at the Monroe Health Center website https://monroehealthcenters.com/
