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(Huntington, WV) After 20 years, Ohio Valley Physicians has rebranded itself and changed its name to OVP Health.

Ohio Valley Physicians, founded in 1999 as an emergency department staffing company by local physicians Dr. Robert A. Hess and Dr. Stephen Shy, has changed its corporate identity in response to the company’s significant growth and expanded geographic reach over the past two decades.

“Our growth has been nothing short of amazing,” said Stacey Shy, OVP Health’s chief executive officer. “And as a consequence of that, we realized we had outgrown our name and brand. While our previous name served us very well for 20 years, it didn’t adequately describe who we are as a company today or represent the broad customer base we now serve.”

Shy said he felt like the company was losing brand equity and a change was necessary.

“People didn’t realize the scope and size of our practice because we were expanding into lots of different geographic areas,” he said. “For our continued growth and expansion we felt this rebrand and name change was a necessity.”

On Feb. 4 this year, the company opened a new clinic at 2550 Carter Ave. in Ashland, Kentucky. It was the first location to be branded with the new OVP Health identity.

Shy said Jade Maddox, owner and executive director of Counselor’s Clinical Cottage since 2009, will continue to lead her experienced team of physicians, counselors and social workers in providing a wide range of behavioral health, counseling and medication-assisted treatment services for a growing volume of clients in the Ashland and Ironton area.

“We are so excited to be part of the OVP Health family,” Maddox said.

Maddox said she became interested in the partnership because her practice had outgrown its 29th Street facility and she had also established positive relationships with OVP Health counselors Micca Ratliff and Dawn Rowe on the board of directors of the Kentucky Counseling Association.

“I am extremely confident this is going to be a great combination of teammates,” she said.

Maddox says the partnership will allow her team to provide continuity of care to their existing clients; to serve additional clients through the acceptance of a broader range of insurance plans; and to provide expanded primary care services due to the addition of a family nurse practitioner.

“We’re going to have a bigger service area, a better range of services and more providers to serve our clients,” said Maddox.

The rebrand and name change also includes new signage and logo, which has already been completed at both the 20th Street location in Huntington and the corporate headquarters building downtown in the 300 block of 3rd Avenue in Huntington.

Shy says over the coming weeks, signage at all locations across West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and South Carolina will be changed and all locations will carry the OVP Health name, eliminating current names such as Eastern Kentucky Primary Care Specialists, WV Primary Care Specialists, Southern WV Primary Care Specialists and South Carolina Primary Care Specialists.

Shy says OVP Health provides an extensive range of emergency department and hospitalist services for hospitals; operates primary and urgent care facilities; and offers an accredited medication-assisted treatment and counseling program for people suffering from opioid addiction in a growing number of communities across West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and South Carolina.

The company’s first South Carolina location was opened in Myrtle Beach in 2017. Recently, OVP Health was awarded a nearly $4 million grant to establish more outpatient addiction treatment facilities across the state.

“Within 12 months we went from one location in South Carolina to seven,” he said. “Now, we are looking to add 15 more for a total of 22 by Sept. 1 of this year.”

Shy says OVP Health will also roll out a new website and Facebook page as part of the rebranding effort.

“We are also looking at a new location in Gallipolis, Ohio, as well,” Shy added.

Shy says the feedback on the rebrand and name change has been positive.

Shy says 20 years ago the company started with five employees and by the end of this year will have over 300.

“Back in 1999, we never would have imagined that, in less than two decades, we’d become the successful, growing company we are today,” he said.

Shy says the company also has a goal of opening a couple more locations in the Huntington area.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the potential we have for even greater growth over the next 20 years.”

For more information about OVP Health, visit its website at www.ovphealth.com.