From small town Ohio to small town Virginia, Dr. Balmoria understands rural health care. And she has the experience of teaching to better educate her patients, putting them in charge of their health care decisions. She comes to VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital (VCU Health CMH) from a federally qualified health center on the Eastern Shore.

Balmoria started her career in education, teaching young special needs students. She was trained to listen, observe and offer customized advice to each student. Intrigued by their physical and mental health needs, Balmoria decided to go to medical school. At first, she thought she’d go into research. Realizing how much she enjoyed one-on-one interactions, she decided to study family medicine. As a community faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, she supplements her love for patient care with her love for teaching.

In fact, Balmoria will be giving a virtual presentation on teen health for the public next month. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 13, from 12-12:30 p.m. Balmoria will go over physical health topics such as sleep, nutrition and sexual health, including gender issues and menstruation. She will also present important information on vaccines, such as the COVID and HPV vaccines. Visit www.vcuhealth.org/cmh-core for the Zoom link. This seminar will be recorded and posted on VCU Health CMH’s website and Facebook page for those who can’t attend the virtual event.

Balmoria is board certified in family medicine and earned her M.D. degree with an honors certificate in underserved medicine from VCU School of Medicine in Richmond, Virginia. She completed her residency at INOVA Fairfax Hospital. Balmoria is a member of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including one for practice recognition and another for community preceptorship. She has special interests in general pediatrics, women’s health, mental health, obesity and end-of-life care. She speaks English and Spanish fluently.

"My patients will tell you I am direct, honest and I care about them," Balmoria said. "I evangelize vegetables, time outdoors and never smoking everywhere I go."

She encourages all her patients to sign up for VCU Health MyChart, the patient portal.

"It’s so much nicer to get a message directly from a patient," she explained. "Seeing your words as you wrote them is incredibly helpful to me. My nurse or I can respond when we’re not with another patient."

Balmoria is in the process of moving from Accomac, Virginia, to South Hill. Her husband is a chef and her son is a high school senior. They are a multi-generational family, with both her mother and her husband’s living with them. They also love animals and have a dog, two cats, chickens and turkeys. She enjoys gardening and canning.

Balmoria practices at CMH Family Care Center in the C.A.R.E. Building next to VCU Health CMH at 1755 N. Mecklenburg Ave in South Hill. Call (434) 584-2273 for an appointment. To view a full list of services, visit VCU-CMH.org.