Mountain Valley hospice nets $75K state grant

Sep. 2—YADKINVILLE — Mountain Valley, a hospice and palliative care organization, has been selected to receive a $75,000 N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority grant that will support the repurposing of a building for a new hospice care office.

The grant, announced by Gov. Roy Cooper, is one of five grants of more than $1.38 million that support new jobs and millions of economic investment in the state.

Hospice of Surry County, also known as Mountain Valley, is a hospice health care provider serving 18 counties in North Carolina and Virginia. The $75,000 grant will go toward the reuse of a 1,684-square-foot building in Yadkinville. The project is expected to result in the creation of eight new jobs and a company investment of $133,337, according to the governor's office.

"We are so honored to have been selected," said Tracey Dobson, president and CEO of Mountain Valley. "With this grant, we will be able to expand our footprint and services in the Yadkinville and surrounding communities."

Mountain Valley currently operates the SECU Hospice Care Center of Yadkin, which is in close proximity to the office building to be refurbished, at 516 Hawthorne Drive.

"We are excited about this new office," said Jan Bullard, Mountain Valley vice president of marketing. "It represents our continued commitment to our mission — creating the best experience for every patient, every family, every time."

Mountain Valley is a nonprofit organization providing high quality end-of-life care in 18 counties in North Carolina and Virginia.

Through its team of hospice professionals and specially trained volunteers, Mountain Valley addresses the growing need for compassionate hospice care.

Mountain Valley also owns and operates two hospice inpatient facilities: The Joan & Howard Woltz Hospice Home in Dobson and the SECU Hospice Care Center in Yadkinville. Both offer a homelike setting for patients and families alike.

The goal for both facilities is to help families be as comfortable as possible as they stay close by their loved one during a time when families are needed most. For more information, visit www.mtnvalleyhospice.org.

Existing business grants

Two state grants were provided in the existing business building category.

In Granville County, a $500,000 grant will support the renovation of a 355,000-square-foot building in Creedmoor that is occupied by Altec Industries, which provides products and services to the electric utility, telecommunications, tree care, lights and signs and contractor markets, according to the governor's office.

The company expects to create 70 jobs and plans to invest more than $30.9 million in the project.

In Vance County, a $75,000 grant will support the renovation of a 4,500-square-foot building in Henderson that is occupied by Versatrim, a provider of moldings for the flooring industry. The company plans to create 15 jobs and invest $106,498 in the project.

Industrial development, utility projects

Two grants were also provided as part of the Rural Infrastructure Authority's Industrial Development Fund, Utility Account program.

The town of Spring Hope, in Nash County, has been awarded a $434,730 grant that will assist the town with the construction of a 3,675-linear-foot extension of a water line to provide public water to the Bass Farm Sausage meat-packing facility. The extension is expected to promote additional commercial development in the area. The company plans to create 40 jobs and invest $2.2 million in the project, according to the governor's office.

In Pitt County, a $300,000 grant has been awarded to county government to help with its construction of a 13,500-linear-foot transmission water line from an existing elevated storage tank to the Ayden Rail Site, which will support current and future growth in the surrounding Ayden industrial district.

The water infrastructure improvements are expected to benefit multiple ongoing economic development projects as well as attract new jobs and private investment totaling at least $35 million.