MARTINSVILLE, Va. (rbs news now) — Nancy Bell, who has spent nearly nine years building and leading the population health and communications efforts for the West Piedmont Health District (WPHD), will retire later this month.

Bell joined WPHD in 2016 as one of the first Population Health Managers within the Virginia Department of Health.

During her tenure, she spearheaded six Community Health Assessments and Improvement Plans, resulting in millions of dollars in grant funding for health initiatives in the region, a news release said.

The release added that Bell established a stable and diversified Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce, introducing specialized certifications such as CHW-Paramedic, CHW-Peer Support, and CHW-Doula.

As the health district’s media spokesperson during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bell guided the community through unprecedented challenges while expanding her unit to focus on equity and outreach, according to the release.

Her efforts earned her the 2022 Community Star award from the Virginia State Office of Rural Health and national recognition in 2023 when WPHD received a Model Best Practice award from the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

This accolade highlighted her work in deploying CHWs as data collectors to ensure community responses reflected actual population needs.

Currently serving as President of the Virginia Rural Health Association, Bell plans to spend her retirement visiting all of Virginia’s state parks and every national park across the country.

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