🏥 Pikeville Clinic Pauses but Urgent Care Stays Open, a Free Clinic Day Thursday, Free Health Rides for Grundy Neighbors and $422 Million for Rural Care: Your Healthy Valley Report

Or: Know Where to Go When Your Usual Door Is Locked, Catch the Free Clinic on Thursday, Get a Lift to the Doctor and Watch Tennessee Put Money Into Country Health Care

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Good afternoon, Valley. The National Weather Service has Dunlap sunny and near 72 today and sunny, near 68, for Veterans Day, with patchy fog before 8 a.m. Showers are likely Wednesday evening, and then it turns cold: around 28 on Friday night and again Saturday night. Today’s report is all about where to go and what’s available, and none of it calls for worry:

First, Pikeville Clinic in Bledsoe County has closed for now because it’s short on medical staff. In the same town, Pikeville Urgent Care says it is open and taking walk-ins, and Dunlap has its own clinics too. Second, UTC’s free MobileMOC clinic has a full clinic day Thursday in Chattanooga for anyone 18 and older, and this is National Nurse Practitioner Week, so we tip our hat to its lead nurse practitioner. Third, LIFT Grundy offers free rides to the doctor, the pharmacy and the grocery store for Grundy County residents. Fourth, Tennessee announced $422 million in rural health grants, and a few of them landed close to home. We also have a free dental cleaning for veterans this month and two places to share or get groceries this week.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• 🏥 Pikeville Clinic patient? Watch for a call about your appointment. For records, email clinicpk@bledsoe.net. Need care sooner? Pikeville Urgent Care, 344 E. Church St., (423) 447-2992, takes walk-ins.
• 🚐 Free clinic Thursday, Nov. 12: MobileMOC at Purpose Point Community Health in Chattanooga, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. our time. Call (423) 425-1657.
• 🚗 Grundy County and no ride? LIFT Grundy gives free health-related rides. Call (931) 315-1100, two days ahead if you can.
• 🦷 Veterans: free cleaning, X-rays and exam at Prima Dental Premier in Chattanooga, Nov. 10 to 30. Bring your veteran ID. (423) 499-8007.
• 🗣️ Tonight, 6:30 p.m.: free Sequatchie County Health Department talk at Cagle Mountain Community Center, 8208 State Route 8.

🏥 Your Pikeville Doctor’s Office Is Closed for Now: Here’s Where the Other Doors Are

This is local news for Bledsoe County and the north end of the Valley, from Dunlap.Today’s Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 reports, which are based on posts shared by the clinic and the community. Pikeville Clinic, LLC has temporarily closed because of a sudden shortage of medical staff. All treatments and appointments are paused. The clinic says its staff are calling patients who had appointments this week to cancel or reschedule. It has not given a reopening date. To move your medical records, or for urgent questions about your care, the clinic gave one email address: clinicpk@bledsoe.net.

Here’s the calming part. Pikeville Urgent Care, a separate office, posted on Nov. 10 that it is open and fully operating. It welcomes walk-ins from anyone whose regular provider is unavailable. Nurse practitioner Bruce Compton, FNP-C, is seeing patients there.

• Pikeville Urgent Care: 344 E. Church St., Pikeville, (423) 447-2992. It’s a primary and urgent care office run by Presley Healthcare.
• Also in Pikeville: Erlanger Bledsoe Hospital.
• In Dunlap: Dunlap Medical Center and Fast Access Healthcare. For emergencies, the Erlanger Sequatchie Valley Emergency Department.
• Free, no insurance needed: UTC’s MobileMOC clinic for adults 18 and older (see the next story).

What it means for you: When the closest gas station closes for repairs, you don’t stop driving. You just fill up at the next one down the road. If you go to Pikeville Clinic, don’t panic. Watch for that phone call, and write the urgent care number on the fridge. If you take a daily medicine, call your pharmacy this week and ask how many refills you have left. Pharmacists can often help you bridge a short gap while you find a new provider. For chest pain, trouble breathing or signs of a stroke, call 911. Don’t wait on a clinic.

👉 Read more (Dunlap.Today: Pikeville Clinic temporarily closes) · Dunlap.Today: Pikeville Urgent Care remains open

🚐 A Free Clinic Day Thursday, and a Thank-You to the Nurse Who Drives It

This is regional news from UTC’s MobileMOC clinic, as shared by Dunlap.Today on Nov. 10. MobileMOC is the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Nursing’s free mobile clinic. It serves 10 Southeast Tennessee counties, including Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Marion and Grundy. UTC says it’s open to anyone 18 and older, whether or not you have insurance. It offers primary care plus healthy-aging checks like fall and balance screenings and memory screenings.

• Thursday, Nov. 12: clinic at Purpose Point Community Health, 2800 N. Chamberlain Ave., Chattanooga, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern (8 a.m. to 2 p.m. our time). MobileMOC is offering this day as the backup for its Etowah stop, which is closed Wednesday for Veterans Day.
• Closer to home: MobileMOC hasn’t posted its full November calendar yet. In past months it has visited Lewis Chapel Community Center on the fourth Monday, which would be Mon., Nov. 23. That isn’t confirmed, so call before you go.
• Call to book: (423) 425-1657 or email mobilemoc@utc.edu.

This is also National Nurse Practitioner Week (Nov. 8 to 14). MobileMOC is honoring its lead nurse practitioner, Becky Miller, APRN. Every week she travels to senior centers, town halls, churches and grocery-store parking lots across Southeast Tennessee. She checks blood pressures, reviews medicines and helps people manage long-term conditions. MobileMOC says she takes time to ask each patient what matters most to them.

What it means for you: A mobile clinic is like the old rolling store. The care comes down the road to you, and you just have to know what day the truck runs. If you don’t have a regular doctor right now, or you’d like a free memory or balance check for yourself or a parent, Thursday is a good day to call. And if you know a nurse, this is a fine week to say thank you.

👉 Read more (Dunlap.Today: MobileMOC Veterans Day schedule) · Dunlap.Today: MobileMOC honors Becky Miller · UTC MobileMOC calendar

🚗 No Ride to the Doctor? Grundy County Neighbors Can Get a Free Lift

This is regional news for Grundy County, on the plateau just west of the Valley. It comes from LIFT Grundy’s own website and a Dunlap.Today post from Nov. 10. LIFT Grundy (it stands for “Let’s Improve Futures Together”) offers free rides for Grundy County residents to doctor visits, pharmacy pickups, grocery stores and other important places. It’s funded by the Tennessee Department of Health and run by the South Cumberland Community Fund. Rides come either from a SETHRA bus or van or from a local volunteer driver.

• To ask for a ride: call Mobility Coordinator Kacie Chambers at (931) 315-1100. The office is open weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Leave a message if she doesn’t answer.
• When rides run: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Ask at least 48 hours ahead when you can, especially for long trips to Chattanooga or Murfreesboro.
• Weekly grocery routes: Dunlap.Today’s post lists Mondays to the Kimball Walmart, Tuesdays to the Grundy Food Bank and local groceries, Wednesdays to the Sewanee CAC and local groceries, and Fridays to the Dunlap Walmart. That post gives 931-246-4222 (call or text) for the grocery routes.
• What’s covered first: medical, preventive and pharmacy trips. Rides just for fun or for errands that aren’t essential generally don’t qualify.

What it means for you: Missing a doctor’s visit because you’ve got no ride is like letting a garden go because the hose won’t reach. The fix is a longer hose, not giving up on tomatoes. If you live in Grundy County, or you have a parent up in Tracy City, Coalmont or Altamont who has quit driving, put that number on the fridge. If you live in Sequatchie County, SETHRA’s regular rural transportation also does medical trips. Call SETHRA’s Sequatchie office at (423) 949-2191 and ask.

👉 Read more (LIFT Grundy: Need a ride?) · Dunlap.Today: Free weekly grocery routes for Grundy County

💵 Tennessee Puts $422 Million Into Country Health Care, With a Few Projects Close to Home

This is statewide news from the Tennessee Department of Health, released Nov. 9. The state’s award list doesn’t name a project just for Sequatchie County, so read this as a heads-up for our region. The Tennessee Department of Health announced 138 projects that will share more than $422 million over five years from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. The goal, the state says, is “better care, closer to home.” The money goes to things like care for mothers and babies, more specialists in rural hospitals, health technology, chronic-disease prevention, a statewide memory-care assessment network and walking trails and parks.

Names on the state’s list that serve our corner of Tennessee include:

• Erlanger Health: “Project ACCESS,” a co-located MRI service expansion for rural Southeast Tennessee ($3.9 million), and “Erlanger Access to Regional Care,” a mother-and-child health project ($9.8 million).
• Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency (SETHRA): the “Southeast Tennessee Health Access Network” ($5.1 million). SETHRA serves Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Marion, Grundy and other area counties.
• Volunteer Behavioral Health, which has an office in Dunlap: a crisis-care expansion and co-location project ($14.5 million).
• Healthy-lifestyle projects for the Town of Tracy City (Littell-Partin Center), the City of Altamont, the South Cumberland Community Fund (trails and parks in southern Grundy County) and the City of Dayton.

What it means for you: This is like the county announcing money to fix the road. It’s good news, but the gravel trucks don’t show up tomorrow. There’s nothing you need to sign up for right now. Projects run over five years, and the state list gives project names and dollar amounts, not start dates or locations. When a local piece opens, like a new service or a new trail, we’ll tell you where and when.

👉 Read more (TDH: $422 million in rural health grants) · TDH: Full list of awarded projects

🦷 Veterans: A Free Cleaning and Checkup This Month

This is a Chattanooga offer from a private dental office, as shared by Dunlap.Today on Nov. 10. For Veterans Day, Prima Dental Premier is offering veterans a free dental cleaning, X-rays and full exam from Nov. 10 through Nov. 30, plus 20% off other dental work during that time. Bring a valid veteran ID to your visit.

• Where: 5959 Shallowford Road, Suite 539, Chattanooga.
• Book: (423) 499-8007. Tell them you’re a veteran when you call. The office’s website lists weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Chattanooga time, an hour ahead of ours).

What it means for you: Teeth are like the shingles on the house. A small check now saves a big repair later. Gum trouble is tied to other health problems, so a cleaning is worth the drive. If Chattanooga is too far, ask your own dentist whether they have a veterans’ offer this month. If you’re a veteran who gets care through the VA, you can also ask the VA whether you qualify for its dental benefits.

👉 Read more (Dunlap.Today: Free dental cleaning and exam for veterans) · Prima Dental Premier

🥬 Groceries to Share and Groceries to Get This Week

This is local news from Marion and Sequatchie counties, reported by Dunlap.Today on Nov. 10. Good food is good medicine, and two efforts this week make it easier to give or get:

• Mineral Springs Baptist Church Food Pantry, Whitwell: open Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 4 to 5 p.m. at 5305 Griffith Highway. The church says it will have bread, fresh vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, leafy greens and canned goods.
• Griffith Elementary Harvest Food Drive, Sequatchie County: students are collecting canned and boxed food or money for the Sequatchie County Food Bank. Send it with your child to their homeroom teacher. Because school is out some days this week, the drive has been extended through Friday, Nov. 20. The grade that brings in the most wins a pizza party.

What it means for you: A food pantry is like a neighbor’s root cellar with the door left open. There’s no shame in taking what you need, and no gift too small to add. If money’s tight this month, the Whitwell pantry has fresh vegetables. If you’ve got a few spare cans, a Griffith student will be glad to carry them in.

👉 Read more (Dunlap.Today: Mineral Springs food pantry) · Dunlap.Today: Griffith Elementary Harvest Food Drive

📅 This Week’s Sticky Notes (all times Central unless noted)

• Today, Tue., Nov. 10: Sunny, near 72. Call in prescription refills today, before tomorrow’s holiday. 6:30 p.m.: free Sequatchie County Health Department talk with administrator Beth Blevins, Cagle Mountain Community Center, 8208 State Route 8.
• Wed., Nov. 11 (Veterans Day): Patchy fog before 8 a.m., so use low beams and leave early. Then sunny, near 68. Parade at 10 a.m. from the courthouse, and the program is at 11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. The health department and library are closed. Mineral Springs food pantry in Whitwell, 4 to 5 p.m. Showers likely, 7 p.m. to midnight. Veterans in crisis: 988, press 1.
• Thu., Nov. 12: High near 56, gusty. MobileMOC free clinic at Purpose Point, Chattanooga, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. our time. UT Extension “Food for All” class, 5 to 6 p.m., Dunlap (423-949-2611). Sequatchie County students learn from home Thursday and Friday.
• Fri., Nov. 13: High only near 48, then about 28 Friday night. Dunlap blood drive honoring Bella Cooper, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Citizens Tri-County Bank, 15699 Rankin Ave. Chair Dancing at the library, 1 p.m.
• Sat., Nov. 14: Sunny, 51, and about 28 again Saturday night. CHI Memorial lung coach at Nutrition World, Chattanooga, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. our time (423-495-5864).
• Thu., Nov. 19: Great American Smokeout. 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
• Fri., Nov. 20: Last day of the Griffith Elementary Harvest Food Drive.
• Mon., Nov. 23: Possible MobileMOC stop at Lewis Chapel (call 423-425-1657 to confirm). First “Cooking Small, Living Well” class, 5 p.m.
• Thu., Nov. 26: Thanksgiving.
• Mon., Nov. 30: Last day for the veterans’ free dental cleaning offer.

✅ Your Healthy Valley Checklist

• ✅ Write two backup care numbers on the fridge: Pikeville Urgent Care (423) 447-2992 and MobileMOC (423) 425-1657.
• ✅ Pikeville Clinic patient? Answer that phone call, email clinicpk@bledsoe.net about your records, and check your refills this week.
• ✅ No regular doctor? Call MobileMOC about Thursday’s free clinic in Chattanooga.
• ✅ Know someone in Grundy County without a ride? Give them LIFT Grundy’s number: (931) 315-1100.
• ✅ Veterans: call (423) 499-8007 before Nov. 30 and bring your veteran ID.
• ✅ Wednesday morning, leave early and use low beams in the fog on the way to the parade.
• ✅ Send a few cans to school for the Griffith Elementary food drive.

Practical rule: know your backup door before you need it, write the number where you can see it, and don’t let a missing ride or a closed office keep you from care.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor, pharmacist or health department about your own situation. In an emergency, call 911.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Health Glossary

• Urgent care: A walk-in office for problems that need attention today but aren’t emergencies, like a bad sore throat, a sprain or a small cut.
• Nurse practitioner (NP, APRN or FNP-C): A nurse with advanced training who can examine you, diagnose problems and prescribe medicine. “FNP-C” means a certified family nurse practitioner.
• Medical records transfer: Asking your old office to send your health history to a new provider so your care picks up where it left off.
• Mobile clinic: A doctor’s office that travels to senior centers, churches and parking lots on a set schedule.
• Memory screening: A short, simple check of memory and thinking. It isn’t a diagnosis, but it can show whether a follow-up visit would help.
• Fall and balance screening: A quick test of how steady you are on your feet, with tips to lower your chance of a fall.
• Co-located services: Different kinds of care offered under one roof, so you can get more done in one trip.
• MRI: A scan that uses a strong magnet, not X-rays, to take detailed pictures inside the body.
• Grant: Money given for a set purpose that doesn’t have to be paid back.
• Food pantry: A place that gives free groceries to neighbors who need them.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pikeville Clinic closed for good?

The clinic calls it a temporary closure caused by a sudden staff shortage, and it hasn’t given a reopening date. Staff are calling patients who had appointments this week. For records or urgent questions, email clinicpk@bledsoe.net.

Is Pikeville Urgent Care the same office?

No. Pikeville Urgent Care is a separate office at 344 E. Church St. It posted on Nov. 10 that it’s open, fully operating and taking walk-ins, with nurse practitioner Bruce Compton seeing patients. Call (423) 447-2992.

Who can use the MobileMOC free clinic?

UTC says MobileMOC is open to anyone 18 or older, whether or not you have insurance. It serves 10 Southeast Tennessee counties, including Sequatchie, Bledsoe, Marion and Grundy. Call (423) 425-1657 to book. Thursday’s clinic is at Purpose Point Community Health, 2800 N. Chamberlain Ave., Chattanooga, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern.

I live in Sequatchie County. Can I ride with LIFT Grundy?

LIFT Grundy says its free rides are for Grundy County residents. In Sequatchie County, ask SETHRA about its rural public transportation for medical trips at (423) 949-2191.

Will the $422 million in grants change anything for me right away?

Not right away. The awards run over five years, and the state list gives project names and dollar amounts, not start dates. There’s nothing to apply for as a patient. We’ll share local details as projects open.

What do veterans need for the free dental cleaning?

A valid veteran ID and an appointment. Call Prima Dental Premier at (423) 499-8007 between Nov. 10 and Nov. 30 and say you’re a veteran.

🔗 Other Resources

• Dunlap.Today: Pikeville Clinic temporarily closes
• Dunlap.Today: Pikeville Urgent Care remains open · (423) 447-2992
• UTC MobileMOC free clinic calendar · (423) 425-1657
• Dunlap.Today: MobileMOC Veterans Day schedule
• Dunlap.Today: MobileMOC honors Becky Miller, APRN
• LIFT Grundy: Free rides for Grundy County residents · (931) 315-1100
• Dunlap.Today: Free weekly grocery routes for Grundy County
• SETHRA (Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency) · Sequatchie office (423) 949-2191
• TDH: $422 million in Rural Health Transformation grants
• TDH: Full list of awarded projects
• Dunlap.Today: Free dental cleaning and exam for veterans · (423) 499-8007
• Dunlap.Today: Mineral Springs food pantry, Whitwell
• Dunlap.Today: Griffith Elementary Harvest Food Drive
• Dunlap.Today: Free health department meeting tonight · Sequatchie County Health Dept. (423) 949-3619
• National Weather Service forecast for Dunlap
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (veterans press 1)

🌻 A Backup Door, a Free Ride and a Number on the Fridge

None of this needs worry. When one office closes for a while, others are open down the road. When there’s no ride, there may be a free one. When the state sends money to country health care, some of it heads our way. The job for this week is small: write two phone numbers on the fridge, answer the phone if a clinic calls, and give a can or a ride to somebody who needs one. Enjoy one more sunny afternoon near 70 before the weekend cold.

For more calm, useful news for the Sequatchie Valley every morning, read Dunlap.Today. To find local clinics, pharmacies and businesses, visit Dunlap.Directory.