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Phone: (276) 445-4826 Andy Bell is a board-certified family physician with added qualifications in geriatric medicine. He practices at the Western Lee County Health Clinic in Ewing, Virginia. Western Lee is a community health center that belongs to a network called Stone Mountain Health Services. Community health centers receive federal funds to create access for low income patients through a sliding scale of service charges. The Western Lee practice includes two family physicians, a nurse practitioner, and a general dentist. Dr. Bell's partner AnnMarie Mackway, D.O. also precepts residents through GMEC. Born October 18, 1957 in Goldsboro, North Carolina, Dr. Bell is a citizen of the United States. He is married to Beth Whitton Bell. They have two daughters and one son - Christina, Laura, and T.J. Dr. Bell holds a BA degree in Chemistry and Zoology, awarded in 1980 by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned an MD in 1984 from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill. In 1987, Bell completed a three-year residency program in Family Practice at Richland Memorial Hospital Family Practice Center in Columbia, South Carolina. He spent almost a year as a family physician with Doctor's Care in Columbia, South Carolina before moving with his family to Litein, Kenya in 1988 as a medical missionary. He served almost two years as the sole physician in Litein Hospital, a 60 bed acute care facility in rural Kenya. The Bells returned to the United States in December 1989. Dr. Bell has been practicing full-time at Western Lee since 1990.
Dr. Bell sees 15 to 20 patients per day and the other providers of medical care see an additional 30-40 patients per day. The practice has a computerized management information system that can track the number and diagnoses of patients seen by residents. No computer or dedicated phone line is available for the Internet. About 15% of Bell's patients are children under the age of 10; another 5% are adolescents; 40% are adults; and 40% are over the age of 65. 75% of his patients are covered by Medicaid or Medicare; 5% have commercial insurance coverage; and 20% are uninsured but enrolled in the sliding fee program.
Dr. Bell enjoys the full range of general family practice. Responding to the psycho-social needs of patients has prompted him to concentrate somewhat in counseling and psychiatry. His personal interests include reading, piano, classical music, opera, hiking, and spending time with his family. For the past few years, Dr. Bell has spent a week each summer in Honduras as a medical missionary. Residents who train with Dr. Bell can expect to become acquainted with the psychosocial needs of people in rural communities. He can offer training in the evaluation and management of patients with depression and anxiety in addition to a full range of medical problems. Many of his patients also suffer the effects of tobacco use and abuse. Residents may choose to stay in a number of motels in Middlesboro, Kentucky or Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. There is one bed and breakfast in Ewing. Local citizens may offer room and board in their homes. GMEC can attempt to locate furnished houses or apartments for residents, but we cannot guarantee results; short-term housing is extremely difficult to secure in rural areas. Ewing is an unincorporated town of about 500 people in the westernmost tip of Virginia, wedged between Tennessee to the South and Kentucky to the North. Though located in Ewing, the Western Lee County Health Clinic serves a large geographical area with a population of about 7,000. Ewing lies in a pastoral valley at the base of Cumberland Mountain. The clinic is on a small hill facing the fabled white cliffs of Cumberland Mountain: it is a scene of unrivaled beauty. Tobacco agriculture, cattle farming, and personal services dominate the economy in the vicinity of Ewing. However, the Lee County economy is based on manufacturing, coal production, retail trade, personal services, and transfer payments (retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits). In 1995, major employers included the public school system, Lee Regional Medical Center, DeRoyal Industries (surgical appliances and supplies), and several small garment factories. Ewing is located near the point of convergence for the states of Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The four lanes of U.S. Highway 58 link Ewing with larger communities Cumberland Gap and Harrogate in Tennessee, and Middlesboro and Pineville in Kentucky. These towns are 15-20 miles west of Ewing. There are several shopping centers in Middlesboro with department stores, cinema screens, discount stores, groceries, restaurants, and specialty boutiques. There is a particularly good restaurant in the historic district of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee. Lincoln Memorial University is located in Harrogate, Tennessee. From the Gap in Tennessee to the White Rocks of Ewing, Cumberland
Mountain is owned by the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.
A 3.5 mile hike (or horseback ride) up the mountain from the
Civitan Park in Ewing leads to three remarkable places in the
national park: the White Rocks Overlook, Sand Cave, and Hensley's
Settlement. The overlook allows a full-circle view of the countryside
for miles around. The Sand Cave is an enormous cavern carved
by water and wind from the side of the mountain and floored with
vari-colored sands. Hensley's Settlement is an abandoned farming
community with original log buildings maintained by the National
Park Service.
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James Andrew Bell, III, M.D.
Dr. Bell's office hours are 8:30 a.m. to
3:00 p.m., four days a week (M,Tu, Th, F) and 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
on Wednesdays. There are six exam rooms and one procedure room on the
premises, shared by three providers of medical care. There is a lab
of moderate complexity at Western Lee, along with x-ray facilities and
a full service pharmacy. Dr. Bell is licensed to dispense pharmaceuticals.
The clinic is equipped to provide emergency care during operating hours.
A mental health counselor sees patients on the premises part-time. Home-based
nurses regularly visit three categories of patient: frail elderly adults
at risk of losing their independence, pregnant women at risk of poor
birth outcome, and infants at risk of poor health status. 
Dr. Bell maintains courtesy admitting
privileges at Lee Regional Medical Center in Pennington Gap,
Virginia. This 80-bed acute care hospital is 28 miles from Ewing.
Bell does not routinely admit patients to the hospital and he
has no call responsibilities there. He visits some frail elderly
patients in their homes. There are no call expectations for residents.