Coplin Health Systems Celebrates Late 2025 Community Efforts

Focus on expanded access to care, connection, and service marked a busy fall in the community.

By Rob Dudley, Chief Executive Officer, Coplin Health Systems

In 2026, we at Coplin Health Systems are proud of our commitment to serve the health and wellness needs of our communities. A big part of that commitment is our ongoing efforts to engage with community members while expanding our impact.

While we look ahead to another busy year for Coplin, I’d like to acknowledge our busy last few months of 2025. During the fall, through various initiatives, efforts, and partnerships, we were there for our communities in multiple ways.

Our people—always the backbone and heartbeat of Coplin Health Systems—stepped out and stepped up to be great neighbors. Throughout the fall, Coplin staff demonstrated remarkable dedication by balancing the demands of day-to-day clinic work while also stretching to meet the needs of the community. As always, I am incredibly proud of their efforts.

Here are some of the ways we at Coplin served our communities during the final months of 2025.

 We Expanded Access to Care

Our mobile health unit (MHU) program has been an important initiative in our long-term commitment to expand access to care. In the fall, we added a second MHU to our fleet, enabling us to reach more people facing barriers to care by bringing services directly to individuals who need them most.

Thanks to a three-year grant from the Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness Foundation, we were able to launch a comprehensive mobile unit program serving residents of Homecrest Manor, a subsidized housing community within the Parkersburg (W.Va.) Housing Authority.

We also continued to have an MHU on-site every second and fourth Wednesday of the month at St. Francis Xavier Hall in downtown Parkersburg, serving those struggling with housing instability, financial hardship, or other social determinants of health.

We Were Active in Our Schools

Our two MHUs enabled us to improve access to health services at local schools, where we were able to bring students up to date on vaccinations and provide dental care for students on a referral basis. As our MHU program continues to expand, we will be able to deliver additional services, including wellness services, preventative care, and sports physicals.

An Ohio Department of Health School-Based Health Center Planning Grant allowed us to enter into a working partnership with Fort Frye School District in Washington County, Ohio, to plan for a future school-based health center. We also became a Partner in Education with Blennerhassett Middle School and Blennerhassett Elementary School in Parkersburg, reinforcing our role as a true champion for local education.

Through this partnership, Coplin brings essential health services directly to students and staff. We provide crucial resources, including access to mental health professionals and portable telehealth units. This initiative enables students and staff to connect with medical providers for primary and acute care visits without ever leaving the school grounds or missing extended class time.

We Supported Multiple Community Events and Wellness Efforts

Coplin continued to be a visible participant and supporter of several community events throughout the fall. These included food drives, holiday parades, trick-or-treat activities, career fairs, and events for veterans.

Our community wellness and education efforts included hosting a Women’s Health Day and screening for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, educating community members about the importance of getting the annual flu vaccine, and providing guidance to those with diabetes on how to safely navigate the holidays.

In November, Coplin joined forces with the Opioid Response Network and the Office of the Public Defender Fourth Judicial Circuit of Wood County to host a two-day conference in Parkersburg on supporting pregnant and parenting families impacted by addiction.

On Thanksgiving morning, Coplin staff helped with the 47^th Annual Parkersburg Turkey Trot, which provided an opportunity for local runners, walkers, and families to be active on a day typically associated with overeating. These volunteers handed out coffee and hot chocolate to race participants and attendees.

We Helped Address Critical, Immediate Needs

During late 2025, concerns about food insecurity became increasingly visible and urgent as the potential for a government shutdown created uncertainty around SNAP benefits and other government-funded assistance programs. These concerns grew more serious as the holiday season approached.

In response, Coplin leaned into its role as a community partner by supporting food drives, holiday food box initiatives, and outreach efforts focused on basic needs. These efforts helped provide reassurance and tangible support during a time of heightened anxiety. They also reinforced Coplin’s commitment to whole-person care and its understanding that access to good health is closely connected to access to food and stability.

By remaining present, responsive, and engaged during this period of uncertainty, Coplin was able to adapt its outreach to address immediate community concerns while continuing to strengthen trust within the populations we serve.

Coplin Staff Led the Way

While maintaining an unwavering focus on providing high-quality care, Coplin staff showed up for families, students, and neighbors at community events—offering a powerful example of Coplin’s mission in action.

Whether it was clinical staff offering hands-on care, administrative and outreach teams coordinating logistics behind the scenes, or volunteers acting as support staff for local events, everybody played a vital role in ensuring that Coplin remained a visible, caring presence throughout the community.

Their dedication and flexibility during a particularly busy quarter were both inspiring and essential to Coplin’s community impact during the final quarter of 2025.

Setting the Stage for Greater Impact in 2026

The last few months of 2025 set the stage for what’s next by showing the impact we can have when we’re truly present in the community. The work we did with schools, housing partners, and local organizations, along with grant-funded initiatives and expanded use of our MHUs, gives us a strong foundation to build on.

In 2026, we look forward to moving forward with priorities related to expanding access, deepening partnerships, and bringing care directly to communities that need it most. We will also continue to actively support community events, focus on health education, and promote wellness for our community members and our own staff.

For the months ahead, we are excited about continuing to innovate in how we deliver care, find new ways to support students, families, and neighbors, and remove barriers so that more people in our communities have access to the care and resources they need to stay healthy.

For us at Coplin Health Systems, 2026 is shaping up to be another big year for community service and involvement.