Virginia Center for Health Innovation

Wednesday, June 17th at 2pm: Virginia General Assembly’s House Select Committee on Advancing Rural and Small Town Health Care meets! The agenda includes an overview and update on Virginia’s Rural Health Transformation from Director Heidi Hertz.

Members of the public may attend the meeting (House Room C, General Assembly Building) or view the livestream. Click here for the agenda and livestream link: https://studies.virginiageneralassembly.gov/meetings/2368

In this Milbank Memorial Fund interview and article, then interim Director at Virginia DMAS Cardinal Care, Jeffrey Lunardi, shares insights on agency stability, leadership, and prioritization during Virginia’s gubernatorial transition period. Jeff is a member of the Virginia Task Force on Primary Care .

Read the article or watch the video here: https://www.milbank.org/news/managing-medicaid-through-a-gubernatorial-transition-a-qa-with-jeff-lunardi/

Check out the article “Primary Care as a Public Utility: The Case for a Common Fund” published in JAMA Network: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2849331

This Cardinal News article examines how healthcare providers are increasingly using AI tools to reduce administrative burden and spend more time with patients, while examining concerns about data privacy and accuracy. The article includes quotes from President & CEO Beth Bortz on the use of AI to minimize clinician burnout.

Read the article here: https://cardinalnews.org/2026/05/15/healthcare-providers-say-ai-helps-them-focus-on-patients-but-it-also-raises-questions-about-privacy-security-and-the-role-of-humans-in-medicine/

Thank you to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Standing Committee on Primary Care for hosting a great open meeting the past 2 days in D.C.!

The meeting brought together a variety of primary care experts to cover topics such as workforce, payment models, spending, AI, and more innovations. President & CEO Beth Bortz attended and moderated the panel on primary care research.

is excited to share that our Director of Operations and Communications, Zelda Hinkle, has graduated from the University of Richmond School of Professional & Continuing Studies with a Master of Nonprofit Management!

She is a recipient of the Louis J. Narduzzi Memorial Book Award, an honor selected by program advising staff and faculty in recognition of excellence in the Nonprofit Studies Program.

Zelda also received a Certificate of Distinction for her capstone research project, “Community Benefit Spending Decisions at Virginia’s Nonprofit Hospitals”. Drawing on interviews with decision-makers at nonprofit hospital systems across Virginia, her research examined how organizations determine community benefit spending priorities, exploring the influence of recent federal changes to Medicaid requirements, reporting structures and policies, Community Health Needs Assessments, measurement challenges, strategic vision, and long-term sustainability.

Congratulations Zelda!

The Virginia Task Force on Primary Care annual Primary Care Scorecard includes a ranking of all Virginia localities by primary care spend, access, use, and outcomes. This Cardinal News article cites the Scorecard by Locality ranking of Martinsville, VA, while exploring new access points, targeted maternal‑health investments, and data‑driven planning to strengthen primary care infrastructure.

Read the article here: https://cardinalnews.org/2026/04/30/the-pulse-primary-care-practice-set-to-open-in-martinsville-maternal-health-grants-awarded-virginia-tech-gets-research-funding/

This summer, the will publish its 2026 Primary Care Scorecard with updated locality rankings. View the most up-to-date Scorecard at https://www.vahealthinnovation.org/primary-care-scorecard-dashboard/

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine NASEM's Standing Committee on Primary Care will host its hybrid open meeting in Washington, D.C., on May 14th and 15th.

President & CEO Beth Bortz will moderate the panel on primary care research. The meeting will explore topics such as community-clinical partnerships, community perspectives, AI innovations, payment, and more in primary care.

Learn more at https://www.nationalacademies.org/units/HMD-HCS-22-08/event/46426

Please join in congratulating Virginia Task Force on Primary Care member Alexander Krist/FS/VCU on receiving the Curtis G. Hames Research Award from Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, and NAPCRG-North American Primary Care Research Group.

The Curtis G. Hames Research Award honors those individuals whose careers over the years exemplify dedication to research in family medicine. https://www.stfm.org/news/2026/stfm-awards-2026/

Alexander Krist, MD, MPH, is a professor of Family Medicine and Population Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, director of the Virginia Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network (ACORN), and a practicing family physician at the VCU-Fairfax Family Practice residency. Congratulations, Dr. Krist!

is proud to join the Virginia Public Health Association with the mission of strengthening public health practice, fostering health equity, and promoting sound public health policy. https://vpha.wildapricot.org/

We’re excited to partner alongside CHW Strength, George Mason University College of Public Health, Joint School of Public Health, Radford University Carilion Public Health and Healthcare Leadership, University of Richmond Department of Health Studies, UVA Health, School of Medicine at the University of Virginia, VCU School of Public Health, Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association Foundation, Virginia Community Action Partnership , Virginia Health Catalyst, and Virginia Health Information.

Virginia Public Health Association remains a member of the Leadership Council.