FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Contact: Leah C. Payne, Director of Public Affairs, Schools of Medicine & Pharmacy, 304-691-1713

Children’s Health Fund, Marshall University School of Medicine receive funding for rural health care
Appalachian Power executive team visits mobile medical unit

HUNTINGTON, W.Va.—Children’s Health Fund and Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine today received $15,000 from American Electric Power Foundation, the second installment of a three-year $45,000 gift supporting the pediatric mobile medical clinic that services children and adolescents living in rural southwestern West Virginia.

“We are so thrilled that Appalachian Power and the AEP Foundation have continued to support this important project that positively impacts families in our region,” said Isabel M. Pino, M.D., medical director of the West Virginia Children’s Health Project and an associate professor of pediatrics at Marshall’s medical school. “Corporate support is incredibly empowering and allows us to continue the good work for our state’s youngest citizens.”

Charles Patton, Appalachian Power president and chief operating officer, complimented Pino and her team on the outreach mission.

“We are so proud to be able to support a project that makes such a difference in this part of the state,” Patton said. “Hundreds of children in Cabell, Lincoln, Mason, Putnam and Wayne counties are able to have access to quality medical care because of the work of Dr. Pino and the mobile clinic.”

The West Virginia Children’s Health Project, a collaboration between Children’s Health Fund and Marshall’s medical school, provides comprehensive primary care to children who live in areas with few pediatricians.  The team, consisting of Pino and Driver/Registrar Paul Gram, sees almost 700 patients annually at several school sites across the southwestern region of the state.

Photo Caption: Dr. Isabel Pino, (second from left) director of the West Virginia Children’s Health Project, and Paul Gram, mobile unit registrar (left), accept a $15,000 check from Appalachian Power/AEP representatives Steve Stewart, director of external affairs (second from right), and Jeri Matheney, director of corporate communications.

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American Electric Power Foundation
The American Electric Power Foundation complements a tradition of corporate philanthropy exhibited by American Electric Power and its regional utilities in support of AEP’s community relations goal “to support and play an active, positive role in the communities where we live and work.” Since its creation in 2005, the Foundation has supported that goal in an 11-state service area through corporate giving initiatives focused on improving education from early childhood through higher education, protecting the environment, providing basic human services in the areas of hunger, housing, health and safety and enriching the quality of life through art, music and cultural heritage. For more information visit: www.aep.com/community/aepfoundation/.

Children’s Health Fund
Children's Health Fund is committed to providing health care to the nation’s most medically underserved children through the development and support of innovative, comprehensive primary care programs. The fund supports a national network of pediatric programs in some of the nation’s most disadvantaged rural and urban communities.  The West Virginia Children’s Health Project was established in 1992 as a collaborative partnership between the Children’s Health Fund and Marshall University’s School of Medicine. Their newest mobile medical clinic, delivered in 2011, is the first “green” vehicle in CHF’s fleet, focusing on energy efficiency, indoor environment quality, water conservation and sustainable materials. 

Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Part of Marshall University, one of West Virginia’s oldest public higher education institutions, the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine provides nationally accredited graduate and professional education with a focus on meeting the state’s need for primary care physicians. The school has leading-edge competitive research programs relevant to the health care needs of the state and region, and its physicians provide extensive health care services ranging from primary care to subspecialty services unique to the region. To further meet the needs of people in rural areas of the state, the school’s departments and Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health provide outreach services such as the West Virginia Children’s Health Project mobile medical clinic, school-based health and dental care, diabetes coalition development and support, and telemedicine.

Date Posted: Thursday, April 7, 2016