Bringing Health, Wellness, And Opportunity To Coal Country

Abstract

Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series written for Health Affairs Blog by local leaders from communities honored with the annual Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize. In 2014, six winning communities were selected by RWJF from more than 250 applicants and celebrated for placing a priority on health and creating powerful partnerships to drive change. A small Appalachian coal mining town might seem like an unlikely place for a contemporary community health revolution, but Williamson, WV can proudly claim that achievement. As a city of 3,098 people along the banks of the Tug Fork River, Williamson has a long history of defying expectations. In the late 19th and early 20th century, it became the center of a cultural renaissance that began when the Norfolk and Western Railway brought people from all over the United States to Mingo County (Williamson is the county seat). This diverse group of entrepreneurs and miners turned Williamson into a sophisticated urban center that became the “heart” of America’s billion-dollar-coal-field. They created an infrastructure that survived three great floods and today is part of a network of facilities that are being used for renewed development through the Sustainable Williamson project — a six-part initiative designed to bring better health and economic opportunity to a region faced with daunting financial and public health challenges.