E&H Receives Gift from Foundation for Physical Therapy Program

Gift Moves Physical Therapy Program A Big Step Forward

Emory & Henry College officials signed today a formal agreement with the Smyth County Community Foundation that provides $500,000 from the Foundation in support of a degree program in physical therapy to be based in Marion.

The start-up funds will help the College begin a three-year post-baccalaureate Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at the Educational Building of the Smyth County Community Hospital in partnership with the hospital and Mountain States Health Alliance.

The money will be applied to the $1.7 million the College must raise to begin the program. In exchange, Mountain States and the Smyth County Community Hospital have agreed to contribute to Emory & Henry the fair market value of a five-year lease on the education building and to provide scholarships for three students in the program. The organizations would also donate surplus physical therapy equipment.

“This gift represents our mutual interest in providing a much-needed service to the people of our region,” said E&H President Rosalind Reichard. “We are proud of the support we are receiving from the Smyth County Community Foundation, and we praise the Foundation’s generosity and the tremendous work it has done to support health care in Smyth County and beyond.”

“We’re happy to provide this support to Emory & Henry College,” said Gary Peacock, vice president of the Smyth County Community Foundation. “This will mean economic development for the community, and we’re excited to be a partner in it.”

The new program seeks to address a critical shortage of physical therapists in the area while providing an economic boost to the region. The program would enroll as many as 32 students in its first year and as many as 96 after it is fully implemented over the next three years. College and hospital officials estimate that the program could have an $11.5 million economic impact on the region after three years.

The program builds on the College’s mission to address through its educational program fundamental needs of the community. “Emory & Henry is a national leader in community service because we focus our efforts on aggressively tackling many problems in our society, and access to high-quality health care providers is certainly an important issue in this region,” said Dr. Chris Qualls, Emory & Henry’s vice president of academic affairs.

Emory & Henry College is a nationally ranked liberal arts and sciences college located in Virginia between Abingdon and Marion.