Darlene Litton, M.D.
Horizon Family Medicine
103 Bristol East Road
Bristol, Virginia 24202

Phone: (276) 642-0623
Fax:     (276) 642-0208

Darlene Litton is a board-certified family physician who practices at Horizon Family Medicine in Bristol, Virginia. She is joined in this practice by Brittney Vestal, a family nurse practitioner who sees walk-ins and patients with acute illnesses.

Dr. Litton was born on October 28, 1948 in Alameda, California. She graduated from Duke University in 1969. She attended the Medical College of Virginia and earned an MD degree in 1973. After completing a one-year internship at Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Dr. Litton associated with the Dickenson-Wise Medical Group of Big Stone Gap, Virginia. In 1978, after two years of office practice, she became board-certified in Family Practice. Dr. Litton continued working with the Dickenson-Wise Medical Group until 1991, when she entered private practice with the Abingdon Medical Group in Abingdon, Virginia. She has extensive outpatient practice with Holston Valley Medical Center Quick Call Clinic, Mountain Spring Family Clinic, and MedExpress. She has been practicing with Horizon Family Medicine in Bristol, Virginia since May 2004.

Dr. Litton works in an office setting from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. five days a week. . The office suite has four exam rooms, a waived medical laboratory, and facilities for emergency care and minor surgery. Dr. Litton sees a number of patients with thyroid disease, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Located close to several schools, including college campuses, she conducts numerous routine physicals and sees a lot of mononucleosis, strep throat and influenza. Typical procedures performed in the office are the suturing of lacerations, mole and wart removal, biopsy of skin lesions, PAP smears, and foot care for those with diabetes.

The doctor sees an average of 20-25 patients a day in the summer months and an average of 30-35 patients during the winter. The nurse practitioner sees walk-ins and patients with acute illnesses. About 35% of Dr. Litton’s patients are geriatric adults; 35% are adults; 15% are children; and 15% are adolescents. The majority of the patients seen by Dr. Litton (60%) are privately insured; 30% are covered by Medicaid or Medicare; and 10% are uninsured.

Dr. Litton maintains courtesy privileges at Johnston Memorial Hospital, where she may admit 15 patients a year. She generally concentrates on out-patient care and prefers to refer patients to hospitalists for in-patient services. There will be no call expectations for residents.

Involvement in the local community is a major priority for Dr. Litton. She is been active with the Children’s Advocacy Center and served on a child abuse trauma team. She is a commissioned Lay-Pastor at Grace Presbyterian Church in Glade Springs, where she directs the adult and children’s choir. Dr. Litton enjoys music and dancing, including line dancing and ballroom dance. She is an avid Duke University alumna and basketball fan. She is very interested in all performing arts and volunteers with these groups. Dr. Litton has five daughters born between 1973 and 1990. She has five grandchildren. She is active with the Abingdon High School Choral Booster group.

Dr. Litton has considerable experience in precepting third-year medical students and nurse practitioner students from East Tennessee State University, the University of Virginia, and the Medical College of Virginia. She enjoys teaching and looks forward to precepting residents. Dr. Litton professes to be very low-key. Many patients use her given name, and many patients have followed her to Horizon Family Medicine from her previous practice sites.

Residents who train with Dr. Litton may stay in reasonably priced bed and breakfasts (3 in Bristol) or motels (22 in Bristol). GMEC can attempt to secure furnished apartments or houses for residents, but we can offer no guarantees because short-term rentals are hard to find in rural areas.

Bristol, Virginia is the smaller of two cities named Bristol on the Virginia/Tennessee border. The Virginia population of Bristol is 18,426 and the Tennessee population is 23,682 for a combined total of 42,108. Bristol is a Tennessee Valley town, graced with hills and hollows and watered by several small streams. U.S. Interstate 81 bisects the community from North to South.

Major elements of the Bristol, Virginia economy include manufacturing, transfer income (retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits), retail trade, and personal services. In 1995, the largest employers were Electrolux New Corporation (vacuum cleaners), Fidelity Personnel Services, Diverso (building, maintenance services), Wal-Mart, Morrison Molded Fiberglass, and Reynolds Metals (metal cans).

There is a large shopping mall in Bristol, Tennessee and both cities offer a full complement of department and discount stores, restaurants, groceries, cinema screens and specialty boutiques. Barter Theater – Virginia’s state theater – is in Abingdon, less than 20 minutes from Bristol. The Bristol Motor Speedway hosts important NASCAR races each season. There are several outdoor recreational areas in the area – Rocky Mount, Warrior’s Path, Creeper Trail, Watauga Lake – with facilities for swimming, boating, sailing, water skiing, hiking, biking, camping, picnicking, horseback riding, fishing, and general frolicking. Gourmands should enjoy visits to several excellent restaurants in the area, including The Troutdale Dining Room, Shelby Street Station Restaurant, The Parson’s Table, The Peerless, and Scoby’s.

For more information about Bristol and the surrounding area, see our profiles for the City of Bristol and Washington County.