Ashe Memorial Hospital CEO Brian Yates and Tasha Rountree, Blue Ridge Energy director of community relations, outside the hospital’s Mammography Suite, which will receive new 3D mammography equipment. (Photo By: Blue Ridge Energy)
Positive Charge highlights stories by Partner Software affiliates that give back to their communities in the form of grants, donations and other services. This section will allow us a chance to share those stories and shine a light on the generous work done at the community level.
This issue will focus on Blue Ridge Energy‘s Revolving Loan Fund and their recent contribution of $460,000 to Ashe Memorial Hospital in North Carolina to assist with breast cancer screenings.
Blue Ridge Energy based in Lenoir, NC helped bring 3D digital mammography equipment using its Revolving Loan Fund and a grant from its members.
Funds were awarded to Blue Ridge Energy through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program, which enables electric co-ops to support economic and community development projects in their service areas by providing zero-interest loans to qualified groups.
An additional $75,000 grant came from its members Blue Ridge Energy Members Foundation.
Breast cancer affects nearly one in eight women in the United States, Ashe Memorial Hospital CEO Brian Yates said access to state-of-the-art testing equipment will save lives.
The high resolution of the images will also help reduce the stress and expense of false positives, which can result in rural patients traveling many miles unnecessarily for further testing, Yates said.
Story courtesy of Cathy Cash with electric.coop.com