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Commending Braden Health.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 14, 2026
WHEREAS, on January 5, 2026, Braden Health officially reopened Stuart Community Hospital in Patrick County for emergency and inpatient care, ending eight years without hospital services in the locality; and
WHEREAS, Chief Executive Officer Beau R. Braden, D.O., founded Braden Health with a mission to revitalize rural hospitals and restore health care access to underserved communities that have been abandoned by the health care industry; and
WHEREAS, drawing upon his experience as an emergency department physician and his work consulting with nearly 180 rural hospitals, Beau Braden developed an innovative model at Braden Health for acquiring, renovating, and operating critical access hospitals in communities where others had failed; and
WHEREAS, Kyle Kopec, co-founder and Chief Compliance Officer of Braden Health, serves as Beau Braden's trusted partner in building a company that has successfully reopened multiple hospitals across Tennessee, including Henderson County Community Hospital, Houston County Community Hospital, and Haywood County Community Hospital; and
WHEREAS, Braden Health purchased the former Patrick County hospital, its first acquisition in the Commonwealth, at an auction in November 2024 for approximately $600,000 and immediately commenced an ambitious renovation project to restore the long-vacant facility; and
WHEREAS, Braden Health invested more than $15 million of private capital, without taxpayer funding or county subsidies, to completely renovate the 63,000-square-foot facility, overhauling the plumbing, electrical, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems; remediating asbestos and mold; installing new medical equipment, including a 64-slice computed tomography scanner; and transforming the building into a modern health care facility; and
WHEREAS, by reopening Stuart Community Hospital, Braden Health has provided the Patrick County community with a fully licensed 25-bed critical access hospital, an emergency department capable of receiving ambulance transport, radiology services, a pharmacy, and operating rooms; and
WHEREAS, Larry Henson, Revenue Cycle Director for Braden Health, Site Manager for the Stuart Community Hospital project, and now Chief Executive Officer of Stuart Community Hospital, has worked tirelessly to build trust with Patrick County residents, demonstrating through action that Braden Health will fulfill its commitments to the community; and
WHEREAS, the reopening of Stuart Community Hospital has created more than 150 jobs, with many positions filled by Patrick County residents who returned to work in their hometown, strengthening the local economy and providing stable employment opportunities; and
WHEREAS, through extraordinary faith, grit, and determination, the dedicated team at Braden Health has made a profound and lasting impact on the health and well-being of the Patrick County community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Braden Health hereby be commended for reopening Stuart Community Hospital and restoring vital health care services to the citizens of Patrick County; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to Beau R. Braden, D.O., Kyle Kopec, and Larry Henson, leaders of Braden Health, as an expression of the General Assembly's appreciation for the company's service to the Commonwealth and the citizens of Patrick County.