2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26105511D

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 274

Offered March 9, 2026

Commending New Horizons Healthcare.

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Patrons—Rasoul; Senators: Head and Suetterlein

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WHEREAS, for more than 25 years, New Horizons Healthcare, an independent, nonprofit health center in Roanoke, has greatly served the Roanoke Valley community by providing culturally appropriate, affordable, high-quality, and comprehensive health care to underserved individuals and families; and

WHEREAS, New Horizons Healthcare traces its origins to the early 1990s, when grassroots organizers sought to improve the health of the residents of northwest Roanoke by embracing the community health center model; and

WHEREAS, in 1999, the Kuumba Community Health and Wellness Center, which would later become New Horizons Healthcare, was incorporated, with the Reverend Dr. William L. Lee leading the original steering committee; that same year, the organization received its first federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the United States Department of Health and Human Services; and

WHEREAS, initially operating out of Loudoun Avenue Christian Church in Roanoke, where the Reverend Dr. William L. Lee had been pastor since 1977, the clinic later moved to a small modular building on Melrose Avenue, then to a clinic in the Valley View Medical Center in 2007, when it officially became New Horizons Healthcare; and

WHEREAS, in 2012, New Horizons Healthcare relocated to its current, state-of-the-art, 32,000-square-foot facility, where today it employs more than 80 team members; and

WHEREAS, New Horizons Healthcare has expanded over the years to support an array of health services, including family medicine, pediatrics, behavioral health, dentistry, an on-site pharmacy, and televisits; and

WHEREAS, New Horizons Healthcare accepts both insured and uninsured patients and implements a sliding fee discount program to ensure that all of its patients have access to quality and dependable health care regardless of their ability to pay; and

WHEREAS, New Horizons Healthcare has grown to serve more than 10,000 patients each year, a testament to what is possible when compassion meets action; and

WHEREAS, New Horizons Healthcare regularly ranks among the top not-for-profit health centers in the Commonwealth, and its reputation for improving access to affordable, high-quality health care for all has been well earned over the years; and

WHEREAS, the accomplishments of New Horizons Healthcare are the result of the dedication and efforts of the center's physicians, nurses, and staff, who work tirelessly to secure the most optimal health outcomes for their patients; and

WHEREAS, with an unwavering commitment to patient care and the well-being of all members of the community, New Horizons Healthcare has helped to make the Roanoke Valley a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend New Horizons Healthcare for its legacy of more than 25 years of service to the community; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to New Horizons Healthcare as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the health center's contributions to health and wellness in the Roanoke Valley and the Commonwealth.