2025 Bristolian of the Year

Healing Hands Director Helen Scott continues to fight for those in need.

Written by David McGee | Bristol Herald Courier | January 3, 2026

Bristol, TN - Thousands of people have received life-saving and life-affirming health care during Helen Scott's 22 years at the helm of Bristol's Healing Hands Health Center.

Scott herself has no formal medical training but -- as the clinic's longtime executive director -- she is responsible for ensuring its clinicians, staff and medical students have every resource needed to meet the medical, dental, vision, supportive, and now behavioral health care needs of area families without health insurance coverage.

For her tireless efforts, Scott has been selected to receive the Bristol Herald Courier's 2025 Bristolian of the Year Award. The newspaper presents the award annually to individuals who go above and beyond to enhance, enrich or improve the lives of people in the greater Bristol area. Now in it's seventh year, former winners include a nationally recognized educator, a Virginia health care leader, Virginia State Police helicopter pilots who rescued over 40 people from a hospital rooftop during Hurricane Helene and the founders of the Bristol/Hard Rock Casino.

"I am deeply honored and grateful, but this recognition really belongs to so many others," Scott said. "Healing Hands exists because of an extraordinary group of staff, volunteers, students, church partners, donors, foundations, local and state government partners and community collaborators. I may be at the helm, but the true health care heroes are the people who show up every day to serve patients with skill and compassion."

Yet it is Scott who has marshaled the operation's expansion from one building to three, oversaw a ten-fold increase in staffing, navigated and leveraged relationships with health care entities, education institutions and government entities; managed capital campaigns raising millions of dollars while continually unlocking new ways to offer more services to more people and meet more needs.

"It's been such an honor and a privilege to have witnessed this tremendous growth and the overwhelming support we receive is just amazing," Scott said. "We are a United Way agency and we're in our third capital campaign. The community has just really stepped up to show us they know we're needed."

As one recent example, Scott's sister Retta Vance Poynter died Dec. 6, so the family asked anyone wishing to make a memorial gift to support Healing Hands.

"The outpouring of suppose from memorials, from all over the country, has been amazing - people wanting to help. We're going to name medical exam room one of our new medical/behavioral health building in her honor. It's been overwhelming and we're so grateful for all of the support," Scott said.

Healing Hands will shift its medical clinic to the new, adjoining building at the end of January, combining physical care with emotional support for any patient who needs it. Dental care will remain in the existing clinic.

"A patient comes in and is treated by the physical who then introduces them to our psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner," Scott said. "They do the warm handoff right there instead of having to refer out. Your mental and emotional well-being are connected - so much more than people realize. We treat a lot of people for anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction or overwhelming life stresses."

Since 1997, Healing Hands has recorded over 123,000 patient visits and helped over 16,500 individuals from Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

"We have three buildings. We didn't even own a building when I started. And, really, it's not enough. More is needed. More help is needed because the need is so huge."

Healing Hands doesn't maintain a waiting list but, if they did, there are thousands more local people needing their services, she said.

"Health care is so expensive," Scott said. "Not every business or every person who is self-employed; not every person can afford health insurance. When you don't have health insurance and you have to pay cash it's just our of reach for most people.

"Dental in particular, some people have a culture of not taking care of their teeth," she said. "A lot of people don't realize how iportant it is and how it can affect your total health."

She said allies like Bristol Regional Medical Center have been supportive since the doors opened.

From a small clinic with a volunteer doctor and a staff of three, Healing Hands now employs 30 people and has a student dormitory that sleeps 14. Dental student work alongside clinicians in the 13 state-of-the-art operatories and, in late January, the medical clinic will move into the larger space.

Today, Healing Hands typically has about 125 student enrolled in health care programming from:

University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis

ETSU Quillen College of Medicine

Appalachian College of Pharmacy

King University

Tennessee College of Applied Technology

Wytheville Community College

"In my first year, our annual operating expenses were well under $100,000. Our 2026 operating budget will be $3.2 million," she said. "My biggest challenge every year is making sure we meet our budget, meet our campaign goals."

"We always need more help. We can always use more physicians. We need more volunteer help. We always need more funding," she said.

Scott said the expressions of appreciation she receives from patients, families and the community are her greatest rewards.

"I am thanks so much, especially by grateful patients. I'm the face of Healing Hands and I get thanked so much. I represent the employees and the volunteers and it's nice to be thanked. I've had people cry and tell me how grateful they are for the work we do. It feels good to help people," she said.

Photos of smiling faces cover one wall in the dental clinic - showing people before and after major dental work and the self confidence that accompanies those changes.

"It helps people feel validated. It gives them hope. I love it when people come for the final fitting of their dentures. It helps their self-esteem. It helps them be able to eat again. It helps them do better in their job, It makes them look better and feel better," Scott said.

"And we really are saving lives. People come here and they're not feeling right. They are told they have cancer and this is what you need to do. Or telling people 'You have diabetes and this is what you need to do to change your life."

Despite years on the job, Scott has no plans to retire.

"I am so blessed to have had this great job," she said. "It's a blessing to come to work every day."

dmcgee@bristolnews.com | Twitter: DMcGeeBHC

By David McGee

Editor