ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, October 1, 1996               TAG: 9610010033
SECTION: CURRENT                  PAGE: NRV-5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY 

NEW CHIP DIRECTOR HIRED

Ellen Fox is the new coordinator of the Comprehensive Health Investment Project of the New River Valley, and she comes on board with an interest in providing preventive health care and social services to area families and children.

Fox, 42, who has master's degrees in public health and public administration from the University of Oklahoma, said she will focus on preventive and early-intervention health care.

"I believe it makes more sense if you can identify a problem early on and solve it," she said.

Health-care problems besetting families, especially rural families, in the New River Valley include a lack of health insurance and coverage, medical facilities, and transportation.

"Because it's a rural area, the access to health care [in the New River Valley] is not as easy as it is in more metropolitan areas."

CHIP also tries to provide social services, including education, job training, transportation and parenting skills, she said.

Fox, originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., was a planner/analyst for the Oklahoma Department of Health, an executive assistant to the medical director/chief executive officer of the City-County Health Department of Oklahoma County, and she worked for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and Radford University.

CHIP links children from birth to 6 years with a private doctor and dentist. Families work with teams including public health nurses and home visitors. CHIP helps doctors by prompting families to keep appointments, by providing transportation, and by helping to make sure health recommendations and treatments are carried out.

Across the state 10 CHIP sites serve 25 localities.

LENGTH: Short :   41 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  (headshot) Fox.