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6 days ago | 
cardinalnews.org | Emily Schabacker
Carilion Clinic has received state approval to launch its long-awaited kidney transplant program at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, following months of uncertainty. The hospital first announced the new service in January 2024 and hoped to begin accepting patients by that October, confident that approval would come quickly. The state’s Certificate of Public Need Division initially recommended a denial, leading Carilion to gather hundreds of testimonials and testify at a hearing.
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1 week ago | 
cardinalnews.org | Emily Schabacker
After 14 rounds of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation and two major surgeries — including a jaw reconstruction — Oliver Hensley is finally in remission from an aggressive type of cancer. He was just 5 years old and in kindergarten when he was diagnosed. His treatments spanned the course of a year. “You would never think that you have to worry that your child is going to have cancer,” Kayla Hensley, Oliver’s mom, said during a phone interview.
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2 weeks ago | 
cardinalnews.org | Emily Schabacker
Four months after a man rushed an emergency department doctor with a hatchet at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Carilion Clinic has expanded its security measures to all main entrances at the facility. Initially piloted in the emergency department, the new protocols took effect across the whole campus Tuesday.
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3 weeks ago | 
cardinalnews.org | Emily Schabacker
Dr. Erin Brickley has never seen a case of measles. She studied it during her medical training and remembers the panic during her residency when a child arrived with a suspected case of the highly contagious virus. That scare turned out to be a false alarm. “I remember we were all like, ‘Oh my God,’” she said. “We were all fully vaccinated, so it shouldn’t have been an issue for us, but we all felt scared.
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3 weeks ago | 
cardinalnews.org | Emily Schabacker
State regulators have extended the deadline to decide on Carilion Clinic’s proposal to launch a kidney transplant program at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Unless a decision is made sooner, the state health commissioner will issue a final determination by May 8. The original deadline, set by Virginia law at 45 calendar days after the close of the public record, fell on April 14.
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3 weeks ago | 
cardinalnews.org | Emily Schabacker
COVID-era federal grants recently terminated by the Trump administration had been helping Southwest Virginians access vaccines, including those required for public school enrollment. Now the Mount Rogers Health District is trying to figure out how to continue its vaccination outreach clinics that help residents and families access preventative care, track respiratory virus outbreaks and support patients with long-COVID after laying off 13 of its contract staff.
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1 month ago | 
cardinalnews.org | Emily Schabacker
The University of Virginia announced the opening of a new outpatient organ transplant clinic in Wytheville this week, just days before the state health commissioner is set to issue a final decision on Carilion Clinic’s proposal to launch a kidney transplant program in Roanoke. UVa has publicly opposed Carilion’s plan. The Wytheville location joins three other UVa transplant clinics across Southwest Virginia in Roanoke, Martinsville and Lynchburg.
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1 month ago | 
cardinalnews.org | Emily Schabacker
Emily Scott describes her first delivery as nothing short of traumatic. As her daughter struggled to be born, she tilted in the birth canal, her path blocked by Scott’s pelvic bone with each contraction. After nearly 40 hours of labor, doctors performed an emergency cesarean section. That was in 2016. Then, in 2019, Scott prepared to welcome her second daughter into the world. She wanted a vaginal birth, despite the complications that can arise following a C-section.
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1 month ago | 
cardinalnews.org | Emily Schabacker
Trust is the foundation of all health care relationships, and one tool can help you feel confident in the professionals you work with. The Department of Health Professions license lookup is an online database that lets users verify the credentials, licensing status and disciplinary history of health care workers, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists. The tool can also help you choose a health care facility by letting you see who works there.
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2 months ago | 
cardinalnews.org | Emily Schabacker
For those who have visited a Carilion Clinic facility or the Hotel Roanoke or signed up a child for golf lessons with First Tee of Roanoke Valley, there’s one man in particular to thank: Tom Robertson. Known as a humble leader, Robertson played a pivotal role in shaping Roanoke’s economic landscape. Despite his significant contributions, he consistently credited collaborative efforts for these achievements. Robertson died Friday in Naples, Florida, where he and his wife retired about 20 years ago.
