Appalachian Regional Commission

The A-R-C (Appalachian Regional Commission) has enabled many successful road, water and sewer, health care and educational projects to be undertaken in West Virginia. Most of those programs are initiated by concerned citizens, community groups and local governments. Our guests sat down with Justin Southern to bring this national program home.

A Marshall University study found that only 31% of WV children visit a dentist regardless of income and 66% of children have cavities by age 8. The Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health at Marshall University has initiated a program to help bring dental care to rural areas in West Virginia. This partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the State of West Virginia, formed West Virginia Partners for Oral Health. Justin Southern is joined by Linda Anderson of the West Virginia School Health Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center at the Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health.