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This October, the Adaptive Climbers Festival will gather in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge for the fifth year. In 2023, Folkways Reporter Emily Chen-Newton covered the event for Inside Appalachia. Since then, the Adaptive Climbers Festival has grown. Organizers say they’re nearly at capacity, with 300 climbers, caregivers and volunteers. Ahead of the festival, the campground has made accessibility improvements. Volunteers with the ACF have also been sprucing up the trails.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) named Dr. PS Martin as the new medical director for the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS).
State Health Officer and Commissioner of the West Virginia DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health Dr. Matt Christiansen, announced Martin will replace interim director Dr. Beth Toppins who served since April 2023.
“Dr. Martin brings a wealth of knowledge to this critical position with hands-on experience as a physician in emergency departments and as the medical director for multiple EMS agencies,” Christiansen said. “His unique and specialized background in the field of emergency medical services will be an asset to West Virginia, and will continue the work of Dr. Toppins. We are grateful for her service during a period of transition.”
Martin is an associate professor of emergency medicine at WVU’s School of Medicine and an emergency room physician at West Virginia University’s Ruby Memorial Hospital.
“I am honored to lead this office, which does incredible work to support West Virginia’s EMS systems and residents,” said Martin. “I look forward to working with OEMS staff and partners to optimize the quality of emergency care across the state and improve the job satisfaction of our dedicated EMS providers.”
A $1 million initiative through the Rural Health Transformation Program aims to help rural EMS agencies expand access to health care in rural and underserved areas of West Virginia. We spoke with Secretary of Health Dr. Arvin Singh to understand how the program is designed to work – and who it will focus on first.
On this West Virginia Morning, freshwater mussels play a vital role in the health of the region's waterways, but their populations have dwindled over the years.
Two films that made the Netflix Top 10 list this month were shot in West Virginia and produced by the same West Virginia film company. As it turns out, the film industry here has been quietly growing in recent years, thanks in part to financial incentives. But the state is also home to some picture-perfect settings that aren’t easy for movie makers to find.
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