A graduate of Grundy High School in Grundy, Virginia, Fran Minton went on to graduate from Southwest Virginia Community College with an Associates Degree in Science, from Wytheville Community College with an Associates Degree in Nursing, and from Bluefield College with an Bachelors Degree in Business, all in Virginia. Fran has worked for over twenty-eight years as a Registered Nurse in many areas of healthcare in Buchanan County and the surrounding areas, including as a floor nurse and a nursing supervisor, and working in home health, hospice care, and industrial medicine. She founded and currently works at Appalachian Family Care, LLC, in Grundy, Virginia, the first urgent care clinic in Southwest Virginia that submits billing to insurance. The clinic has been open since January of 2006.

Fran grew up accompanying her father, Dr. Robert Baxter, on house calls throughout the area. This experience instilled a strong belief in the entire family that every person deserves the highest quality of healthcare. Fran's siblings include a sister who teaches nursing, one who is a pharmacist, and another who is a nutritionist. Fran began the Baxter Foundation, dedicated to meeting her high expectations for healthcare in Buchanan County and the surrounding area. She was successful in securing over $400,000 in grants for the foundation during the first year, and this money was used for bringing an obstetric unit to Buchanan General Hospital.

Fran's strong community service orientation also led her to bring Remote Area Medical (RAM) events to Buchanan County, Upper East Tennessee, West Virginia, and other areas in Southwest Virginia. In addition to serving on the University of Appalachia Board of Trustees, she is a member of the Grundy Woman's Club, a member of the Levisa River Daughters of the American Revolution, serves as chair for the board of Southwest Virginia Community College, and is involved with other local organizations.
Fran is a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. She and her husband Rayburn Minton II have a son, Robert, who is a Senior at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.

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