The Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Center is offering dental care for those who can't afford it in Abingdon, Virginia. The facility is funded, in part, from fundraising work with the associated fundraising organization Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Charities.

Rachel Helton leads the fundraising work and describes the organization in this program and she introduces her summer intern Teddy Pillion.

The Dental Center has 21 treatment facilities and has served thousands of people, but still faces a waiting list of more than three thousand people. Resident dentists can help those who need cleanings, crowns, bridges, dentures, fillings and more.

For those who need dental care and think they can't afford it, call 276-525-4487.

For those who would like to contribute to the work, call Rachel Helton at 276-275-1063.

For more information, https://appalachiandentalcharities.org/

Ann Ledgerwood is the guest in this episode of This Conversation and we learn about her passion in volunteering to help those who are dealing with addiction. Ann's work as a volunteer helped launch the program that established the treatment facility for women in Abingdon, Va. in 2023.

The 70 bed facility is part of a larger system that serves men and women in several area locations. The program is paid for by Medicaid and supplemented by donations and volunteer work.

For people who want to know more and may know someone who needs this kind of help, more information is available through Fairview Housing, the nonprofit group that oversees the programs. Here is a link that includes a short video featuring women in the Abingdon facility.

https://fairviewhousing.org/programs/mended-women-recovery/

To reach Mended Women Lifestyle recovery, call 276.451.3996

More information about similar programs for men, including a facility in Bristol, Virginia, is available at fairviewhousing.org.

In a previous series on This Conversation, we talked with two people who could have benefitted from a program like these lifestyle recovery centers. Here are two of those interviews.

I’m Jessica. I’m an addict:

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ac5f351c-0d5d-4da3-8931-6e72aad6711e/

I’m Bo and I’m an addict:

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/e4bd1213-e9d0-4525-b217-2220eb9090f2/

In this episode we talk with actor Amy Baldwin, now performing in two shows at Barter Theatre for the summer repertory.

Amy introduces us to Marlafaye, her character in the comedy romp Savannah Sipping Society and previews her upcoming role in the theatre's summer musical Guys and Dolls, both running through the first week in August. Then, she is scheduled to perform in Come from Away in September, the story of airline passengers who became stranded in Newfoundland after the 9/11 attacks.

Amy is a graduate of Emory & Henry University but did not appear on stage or take classes in the theatre department there. The story of her first acting role at the age of 27 and what she gave up to do it ranks as both unusual and improbable.

In this interview, you'll learn how Equity Union status affects Barter Theatre and its staff.

It's a profile of an actor. Amy Baldwin.

This week's show is an update from inside Cuba. After 60 years of a US Embargo on trade and now a new US blockade on Cuba, what is life like for people on the island? Sylvia Rozwadowska of Colibri Travel and Tours just returned from Cuba and is planning another trip in June in order to help the Cuban people. Hear the latest about the effect of power outages and the attitudes of people in face of a failing government and international actions.

In partnership with Colibri Travel & Tours, this Humanitarian Trip to Cuba (June 13-19) supports Con Razón, connecting you with local communities to make a real impact.

https://conrazoncuba.org/

https://colibritraveltours.com/

This Convo for this week is a conversation with LeRae Collins, the 2026 Emory & Henry University Commencement Speaker. She's President and CEO of Holston Foundation in Knoxville, the first woman to hold the position in the organization's 40-year history.

You'll hear her overall message she shared with graduates that "all roads lead to Emory & Henry." She also reviews some of the important concepts she emphasized in the address and reminds us all of John Wesley's important guidance for us to "do all the good we can.... as long as ever we can."

This Conversation this week focuses on Treva Randall and her soap... candle.. lotion...and cream business. Plus, the conversation gets off the business and soap making skill into Treva's life that provides the background for her small, private business as well as her 21 -year -career at Emory & Henry.

The business is called Bohicket Apothecary and you'll hear the origins of the name in this episode.

You can find her at the Abingdon Farmer's Market -- and online at https://www.bohicketapothecary.com/

Wendell Potter worked for large health care corporations CIGNA and HUMANA for 20 years. In a crisis of conscience, he quit. Two events prompted his decision: (1) observing the RAM health care clinic in Wise, VA where uninsured people were literally getting health care in a barn, and (2) the death of a 17-year-old girl who was denied coverage for a liver transplant. Since his resignation, he has been a strong and constant voice for finding a better way to provide health care in our country.

What is the scam?

What about Tennessee's RX Bill?

What are the chances for improvement?

What does Potter advise us all to do?

Dr. Robin Feierabend has diagnosed our health system in the U.S. as "failing." His conclusion is based on more than 30 years as a teaching physician and Professor Emeritus in Medicine at East Tennessee State University.

He and some high profile fellow professionals are trying to address the issue in an event to which the public is invited.

The prestigious panel includes a keynote address by Wendell Berry, author of four books on healthcare and a former insurance executive turned whistleblower. He is now president of the Center for Health and Democracy.

The event is set for Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Kingsport Center for Higher Education, 300 West Market Street, Kingsport, TN. It is free and open to the public.

With early registration, attendees get a free lunch.

More information at www.tccihc.org.

What are the major problems in healthcare and how can we fix them? Details in this episode of This Conversation with host Teresa Keller.