The Shadow
Lawmakers take actions on various issues to make a difference.
In the health care space, it often seems I work around the clock to assess federal policy, hear perspectives from the medical community as well as patients and explore ways to help lower health care costs.
One way I do this is by looking at the health care landscape in our region.
Accordingly, I am a leader of H.R. 2191, the Physician Led and Rural Access to Quality Care Act. This bill is one way for us to empower independent physicians and help address medical deserts in rural communities.
To begin 2026, I attended the ribbon cutting for the Stuart Community Hospital in Patrick County.
Thanks to the efforts of a company, led by physician Dr. Beau Braden, and with careful monitoring, Dr. Braden’s team has been able to get around the so-called Affordable Care Act prohibitions against physician-owned hospitals.
Patrick County’s hospital is not physician-owned, but it is certainly physician-led.
Historically, many hospitals in Virginia’s Ninth District actually started as physician-owned hospitals.
But in some areas that are not served or underserved, Dr. Braden’s model has shown that it can work to bring competition to hospital care.
His company has hospitals in Tennessee and North Carolina.
For these reasons, his company launched the Stuart facility to facilitate local emergency and in patient care.
This positive development shows physicians can create a path towards health care access and opportunity for rural communities.
As the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, good ideas like physician-led hospitals come across my desk. In some cases, I can promote these ideas toward a finishing line: the President’s desk.
Right now, some good health care bills are on this track after recently securing House passage. The following bills show a collective effort on both sides of the aisle to address illnesses with no known cure.
One bill is H.R. 3747 – the Accelerating Access to Dementia and Alzheimer’s Provider Training (AADAPT) Act.
The AADAPT Act reauthorizes a program that provides primary care providers with Alzheimer’s and dementia training to help improve detection and promote early diagnosis in rural and underserved areas.
With millions of Alzheimer’s disease cases and other forms of dementia in the United States, it is necessary that we continue to work to better identify these devastating diseases.
As our population grows older and more seniors occupy our health care system, so comes the rise in Alzheimer’s and dementia cases.
In May of 2026, Virginia Tech received a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for more than $642,000! They will use this federal funding to develop more aging research on these types of dementia diseases.
I am hopeful that H.R. 3747 will create more opportunities for Virginia Tech and others to better understand dementia-related illnesses.
A second bill to secure House passage is H.R. 4348 – To reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act.
This legislation helps bolster federal programs that provide research into tickborne illnesses such as Lyme disease.
Lyme disease cases are rising in the U.S. This April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that visits to the Emergency Room for tick bites are higher than normal in many parts of the country.
This issue is not alien to Virginia communities.
According to the CDC, Virginia is one of the five U.S. States most impacted by alpha-gal syndrome, a tickborne illness that makes the body allergic to red meat consumption.
As someone who lives with a mild form of alpha-gal, I understand the severity of tickborne illnesses.
With a renewed federal focus on prevention and treatment efforts, I participated in an HHS roundtable with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Secretary Kennedy outlined his support for policies, including the Kay Hagan Tick Act, that tackle the challenges of tickborne diseases.
I am glad to be a leader for House action on the Kay Hagan Tick Act.
Research on the above diseases presents meaningful opportunities for finding better treatments.
Accordingly, these health care actions are capable of making a difference in the lives of our loved ones, our neighbors and our communities.
My Health Subcommittee believes in making a difference.
Whether I discuss potential health care solutions in DC or in our region, I will continue to work for policies that make a difference in the lives of Central, Southside and Southwest Virginia.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at https://morgangriffith.house.gov/. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
