LONDON, Ky. - - USDA Rural Development State Director Tom Fern recently announced a $115,000 Rural Business Enterprise Grant for Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation as part of the Promise Zone initiative.
Kentucky Highlands will use the funds to establish a revolving loan fund that will provide financial assistance to Stallworth Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, a startup medical practice in Middlesboro, Ky.
Dr. Lovie Stallworth began accepting patients at her new medical practice in May 2013. Previously, if Bell County families needed medical care after 4:30 p.m., there only option was the emergency room. In addition to normal office hours, Stallworth also has an after-hours clinic from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
"A lot of people can't afford to take time off work, so they either won't do it, or wait until they're very sick," Stallworth said. "Having extended hours gives
them options for their treatment and for their kids. When patients have a medical home, they learn good health maintenance and benefit from preventive
care."
Stallworth, board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics, previously served as the primary physician in an Appalachian Regional Healthcare clinic in Middlesboro for six years.
Her medical practice provides care for patients from birth to the elderly. The clinic provides services including physicals, lab tests, EKGs, inoculations,
injections, well child visits, sports physicals, DOT (Department of Transportation) physicals and walk-in sick visits. Stallworth also sees patients at area nursing homes and the local hospital.
Stallworth provides internal medicine and pediatric care in the same office, which makes the company the only such practice in the area. There are currently eight internal medicine physicians in the Middlesboro area, including Stallworth, and half of those physicians are at least 55 years old. She is one of only two physicians in the area accepting new patients.
In addition to the USDA funds, Stallworth has received start-up capital from Kentucky Highlands and Southeast Kentucky Economic Development through the Small Business Administration's Community Advantage loan program.
"Kentucky Highlands was very helpful analyzing data and modifying numbers to be realistic about what we really needed," Stallworth said. "They are still there to support us after opening."
When Stallworth repays the loan, the funds will be lent again to other small businesses in the region.
"Small businesses are the backbone of our economy," said Jerry Rickett, president & CEO of KHIC. "They create jobs, invest in the community and improve the quality of life. This loan will not only further those goals, it also will improve health care in a medically underserved area."
Stallworth Internal Medicine and Pediatrics is located at 2010 Cumberland Ave. in Middlesboro, Ky. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (606) 242-2077.
Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, founded in 1968 to stimulate economic growth in nine counties in Southern and Eastern Kentucky, now serves 22 counties in the region and has created more than 18,000 jobs. For more information, visit http://www.khic.org.