National Awards recognize Mountain People’s
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
National Awards recognize Mountain People’s
Senator Ken Yager and Oneida Mayor Lori Phillips-Jones toured Mountain People’s upcoming Imaging Center on Thursday. Yager and Phillips-Jones were joined by Director of MPHC Imaging Center William Lay, MPHC Project Manager Shirley Torwirt, and MPHC CFO Greg Ball.
By Shane Gilreath
Mountain People’s has lived up to its name. For nearly half a century, the company continues to grow and support Scott County through various endeavors, including construction on a new facility that recently brought Oneida Mayor Lori Phillips-Jones and State Senator Ken Yager to the Oneida offices off Industrial Lane last week. Throughout Mountain People’s Health Councils’ (MPHC) storied past, it has been recognized for its ongoing services and community contributions. Just this month, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a national program that assists in providing health care to people who are geographically isolated or are economically or medically vulnerable, awarded MPHC with 5 Community Health Center Quality Recognition badges for excellence in clinical quality. Those recognitions named MPHC as one of the top 300 Health Centers in the nation for improving health outcomes and providing high-quality care for Scott County patients.
Additionally, MPHC was awarded a Silver Health Center Quality Leader badge, placing Mountain People’s in the top 1-2% of all HRSA-funded health centers in the United States. A National Quality Leader badge for Heart Health, an Improving Health Care Access badge, and a Preventive Health badge were among the awards, as well as a National Quality of Leader badge, recognizing the local contribution to Diabetes Health.
“Recognition of these prestigious quality awards from HRSA is a testament of the tireless commitment MPHC employees have to providing exemplary care and high-quality health care services to our patients and community,” said MPHC CEO James Lovett. “Although receiving an award is a nice recognition, to us at Mountain People’s, it is more about what the award represents. At MPHC, we set high standards for ourselves for the quality of care and level of services we provide to our community. These awards are an affirmation that the work that our employees do each and every day is making a positive difference in the lives and health of our patients and that is what I am excited about.”
In finding out about MPHC’s recognition during his visit, Yager told SCN, “Mountain People’s is a vital part of the public health in Scott County, providing services to people who may not be able to get the healthcare they need. Mountain People’s provides advance services that anything in Knoxville might offer.”
In 2024, MPHC provided health care to more than 13,275 patients from Scott County and the surrounding areas. MPHC, however, is part of a much broader mission as a recognized member of the Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). To gauge the size of the operations, during 2024, the 1,300+ FQHCs nationwide treated more than 32.4 million people, including 1 in 5 rural residents, 1 in 8 children, more than 1 in 15 patients 65 and older, 408,000 veterans, and 25.1 million uninsured, Medicaid, and Medicare patients.
Beginning in 1973 with clinics in Norma, Petros, and Stoney Fork, MPHC continues to grow and expand its services to meet local and regional demands, including an upcoming Imaging Center, now under construction.
“When Mountain People’s Health Councils strive for excellence, it shows in our neighbors, in our families, and the health of Scott County,” said Stacey Swann, Executive Director of the Scott County Chamber of Commerce. “We are proud of their continued dedication to the best part of Scott, our people.”
