The Shadow
In July 2025, I received an appointment to be Chairman of the Health Subcommittee for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In the first week following my appointment, I toured various hospitals in Virginia’s Ninth District. My visits included Lee County Community Hospital in Pennington Gap, Clinch Valley Medical Center in Richlands, Carilion Giles Community Hospital in Pearisburg, and LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg.
My discussions with hospital leadership and staff touched on topics of hospital solvency, health care access challenges and the rural health care landscape.
Additionally, I consult with our Community Health Centers (CHCs). During my first week as Health Subcommittee Chairman, I visited the Connect Health + Wellness location in Martinsville.
I support federal engagement with health care providers and patients to improve health care outcomes in rural America.
This engagement has continued in 2026.
I am in close contact with rural hospitals in Virginia’s Ninth District. These vital health care providers serve the medical needs of our rural communities with care, dignity and professionalism.
One hospital is Twin County Regional Healthcare in Galax. In May, I met with Twin County hospital leadership and local officials. Together, we are committed to serving the medical needs of our rural communities.
Another hospital with this mission is Clinch Valley Health Medical Center. This summer, I toured its facility. Clinch Valley Health President and CEO Peter Mulkey emphasized that these meetings help us “work together” to “provide top quality care to those that call our region home.”
For more of my summer meetings, I visited Abingdon and toured the Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Center. The clinic strives to be a source of care in Southwest Virginia.
Additionally, in Wise County, I had the privilege to visit a weekend-long expo, the Move Mountains Medical Mission.
This expo featured volunteer actions from numerous health care providers, including Radford University’s nursing program, UVA-Wise personnel and the Health Wagon.
There was even a free veterinary clinic!
Further, I will have additional opportunities to meet providers, medical staff and patients. I will continue to promote voices in our region to help advance rural health care solutions.
My Health Subcommittee has taken advantage of some opportunities to advance health care solutions. I was proud to push forward many bills for full House consideration.
These include H.R. 2821, the FDA Modernization Act 3.0.
This bill promotes modern alternative testing methods to minimize animal testing.
The horrors of federal testing on animals hit Capitol Hill when Dr. Anthony Fauci came under fire for his agency, NIAID, and its taxpayer-funded experiments on beagles. This unnecessary dog testing included cutting out vocal cords, infesting them with ticks and placing them in cages with infectious sandflies.
House passage of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0 is a win for animal rights without sacrificing scientific breakthroughs.
Further, the bill improves development of clinical drugs by encourages use of alternative methods, such as computational AI models. As our agencies test scientific advances and potential treatments, new clinical drugs can hit the market for patients.
A second bill to win House support is H.R. 6238, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) IMPROVE Maternal Care Act.
This legislation delivers research funding for maternal care. With more than one million women of childbearing age in Virginia, this kind of funding will help our expectant mothers.
We also passed other bills that support research funding.
In the case of H.R. 3491, the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act of 2025, we provide federal funding for research into down syndrome.
We must continue to work to better understand this condition.
Additionally, the House passed the EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025.
This bill delivers funding for breast cancer awareness campaigns to promote early detection.
Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, a 2026 study found 15% of new cancer cases are breast cancer.
By educating our communities and patients on breast cancer, this legislation will help with diagnosis efforts.
These bills are a pillar of my Health Subcommittee’s efforts to improve health care outcomes across the United States.
We will have to wait for the Senate to pass them as well, but when it comes to maternal care, down syndrome, and breast cancer I cannot imagine the Senate will not concur.
I will continue to make the most of my appointment to the Health Subcommittee to advance policies, create health care opportunities and strengthen options for patients.
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/.
