PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From: The Health Wagon, 5626 Patriot Drive/P.O. Box 7070, Wise, VA 24293
Contact: Dr. Teresa Owens Tyson, DNP, FNP-BC, President and CEO (drtysonnp@thehealthwagon.org) Mobile: 276-337-6848
Date of Release: 4/13/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Health Wagon Announces Vision Partnership with the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation to Expand Access to Eye Care in Rural Appalachia Collaboration enhances access to comprehensive eye care services across rural Southwest Virginia
(Wise, Va.) — The Health Wagon announced a new partnership with the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, following a successful vision clinic held March 12–13 in Wise and Clintwood in collaboration with the ETSU Health Quillen College of Medicine.
The two-day event brought together providers, volunteers, and community partners to deliver critical healthcare services to underserved populations in Southwest Virginia, with vision care emerging as a key area of impact.
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Through this partnership, the Health Wagon received essential ophthalmic equipment—including autorefractors, non-contact tonometry devices, and lensometers—which enabled the delivery of comprehensive eye exams at the Donnie Rife Vision Center within the Sister Bernie Kenny Clinic. This advanced equipment significantly expanded the organization’s ability to diagnose and treat vision conditions in real time.
During the March outreach event, the impact was immediate. A total of 37 comprehensive ophthalmic examinations were conducted, and 41 patients received free prescription glasses—providing not only improved vision, but also greater access to education, employment, and quality of life. Services were delivered with the support of volunteer ophthalmologist Dr. David Kinsler, whose positive experience with the upgraded equipment has inspired his continued service in future clinics.
This effort aligns with the broader mission of organizations like New Eyes, which work to ensure that access to clear vision is not a privilege, but a right.
“We are incredibly proud of what this partnership made possible in such a short amount of time,” said Dr. Teresa Owens Tyson, DNP, President and CEO of the Health Wagon. “This is about more than care delivered over two days—it’s about creating sustainable access to vision services in communities that have long gone without. Partnerships like this allow us to meet urgent needs while building for the future.”
Melissa Standridge, Senior Manager of Partnership Programs with the
OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, North America, emphasized the importance of mission-driven collaboration. “Our focus is on the strength of partnerships and the meaningful impact they create within communities,” she said. “By supporting like-minded organizations like the Health Wagon, we are able to help expand access to vision care and support charitable efforts where they are needed most.”
Dr. Paula Hill-Collins, DNP. Vice President and Chief Clinical Director of the Health Wagon, added, “The addition of this equipment transformed what we were able to offer during the event. Patients received comprehensive exams and prescriptions on-site—services that are often out of reach in rural Appalachia. This partnership is already changing lives.”
The Health Wagon serves patients across Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Washington and Wise counties—regions where access to specialty services like vision care remains limited. By integrating advanced diagnostic tools with its mobile and clinic-based services, the organization continues to expand access and improve health outcomes across the region.
Together, the Health Wagon and the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation are demonstrating how strategic partnerships can break down barriers to care and bring life-changing services directly to the communities that need them most.
About the Health Wagon:
The Health Wagon is a nurse practitioner managed clinic that has been in existence since 1980 which provides free and sliding scale medical, vision and health care and dental services in Lee, Scott, Wise, Dickenson, Buchanan, Washington and Russell Counties and Norton City. For more information about The Health Wagon, please call 276-328-8850 or visit www.thehealthwagon.org. If you would like to donate to the Health Wagon, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, please visit: www.thehealthwagon.org/donate.
About the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation:
The North America affiliate of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, registered in the United States. This regional affiliate supports the goals of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, a French registered charitable organization (endowment fund) reflecting the commitment and values of EssilorLuxottica to contribute to eliminating uncorrected poor vision in a generation. It is headquartered at 147 rue de Paris, 94220 Charenton-Le-Pont, France. For more information, visit www.onesight.essilorluxottica.com.
Volunteers Needed: The Health Wagon is always seeking volunteers from ophthalmology and optometry as well as other medical professions, to assist in their healthcare outreaches. Please contact The Health Wagon at 276-328-8850 or 276-337-0331 to find out how to volunteer.
Photo: Dr. David Kinsler examining a vision patient during the Health Wagon/ETSU Quillen College of Medicine event March 12-13. The equipment, donated by the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, enabled Dr. Kinsler to provide 37 comprehensive ophthalmic examinations during the two-day event. Forty-one patients received free prescription glasses.
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