New River Valley Public Health Task Force to host live, virtual forum

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (WFXR) — The New River Valley Public Health Task Force will host a live, virtual forum on the “State of COVID-19 in the New River Valley” next week.

All area residents are invited to view this event, which starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 11. The public can also participate by submitting questions in advance by:

• Writing in at https://forms.montva.com/Forms/nrvtownhall, and
• Leaving a voicemail at (540) 391-0792.

The panel will include:

• New River Health District Director Dr. Noelle Bissell and Epidemiologist Jason Deese,  
• Blacksburg Police Chief Anthony Wilson,
• New River Valley Regional Commission Executive Director Kevin Byrd,
• New River Valley Business Continuity Team Public Health Director Ashley Briggs, and
• Executive Director of New River Community Services James Pritchett.

The discussion will cover an overview of the COVID-19 response developed in the New River Valley community, as well as a general update on COVID-19.

This meeting will stream live on the New River Valley Public Health Task Force YouTube channel and will be archived with closed-captioning on YouTube, agency websites and social media, and rebroadcast on local cable access stations including Comcast and Shentel Channel 190 (Christiansburg and Montgomery County) and Comcast Channel 2 (Blacksburg).

For more information on COVID-19 in the New River Valley, visit www.NRVRoadtoWellness.com.

The New River Valley Public Health Task Force was established on March 11, 2020, as a collaborative effort to provide residents of Montgomery County, Giles County, Floyd County, Pulaski County, and the City of Radford with guidance about COVID-19.

For general COVID-19 questions, call (540) 267-8240. For questions about COVID-19 vaccines and scheduling, call the Vaccine Call Center at (540) 838-8222.