Tag: health

Board approves medical center to replace retail strip
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a zoning special exception to replace an aging retail center on Arlington Boulevard with a medical building.

Night Watch to offer free tutoring
Night Watch Urgent Care, a pediatric healthcare center in Falls Church, is starting a free tutoring program called Brain Boosters.

Mason Government Center houses the Lions Clubs’ eyeglass recycling operation
When the Lions Club’s Eyeglass Recycling Center of Northern Virginia lost its home in Arlington, Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez stepped up to offer space in the Mason Government Center.

Patient First signs on as a Taste of Annandale sponsor
Patient First, the new health center in central Annandale, is showing its community spirit by signing on as the first sponsor of the 2024 Taste of Annandale. The Taste is an all-day community festival on Sept. 21 at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space and the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department’s social hall on Columbia Pike. Located … Continued

Fairfax County offers resources for surviving extreme heat
With extreme heat blanketing the area this week, Fairfax County is offering resources to help the public stay cool. Temperatures in the 90s combined with high humidity could result in heat indices above 100 degrees. By the end of the week, we could face a heat advisory, which the National Weather Service says happens when … Continued

Animal shelter offers vouchers for pet neutering
The Fairfax County Animal Shelter is partnering with three veterinarian practices to provide vouchers to lower-income households for big discounts on pet spaying and neutering. The goal of the program is to encourage pet owners to keep their pets and not surrender them to the animal shelter, says Lauren Krzywicki, manager of the shelter’s Pet … Continued

The Chris Atwood Foundation helps people struggling with substance abuse
For those burdened by substance abuse addiction, the Chris Atwood Foundation offers a helping hand. The organization helps people get into detox and offers peer recovery coaching and support, harm reduction services, housing assistance, support for the families of addicts, Narcan kits, and help with health insurance, food, employment, and legal documents. The Chris Atwood … Continued

Culmore gets a period pantry
Women and girls in disadvantaged areas will have access to free menstrual hygiene products thanks to an initiative by the Junior League of Northern Virginia. The group recently launched a “period pantry” at the Culmore Family Resource Center in Bailey’s Crossroads and two other locations, in Springfield and Sterling. The Junior League says the period … Continued

Healthcare, education, safety initiatives in the works for Culmore
A new project in Culmore is connecting residents to healthcare, education, afterschool programs, and much more in their own neighborhood. The Culmore and Bailey’s Crossroads Place-Based Initiative (PBI) is creating a hub for community-serving programs at Culmore United Methodist Church. The PBI, run by George Mason University’s College of Public Health, is a coalition of … Continued

Celebration of Acceptance offers mental health resources to LGBTQ youths
A Celebration of Acceptance at the James Lee Community Center on May 3 focused on mental health awareness and inclusion, particularly for LGBTQ+ youths. That’s critical because students in that community are more likely to be bullied, contemplate suicide, and struggle with mental health issues. The event, hosted by the Community Service Board’s (CSB) Equity … Continued

Inova drops redevelopment plans
Inova Health System is not planning to proceed with a massive mixed-use development on its Merrifield campus, the Washington Business Journal reported on April 30. In 2018, Inova proposed redeveloping the 117-acre property that Inova acquired from Exxon Mobil with multifamily housing, retail, restaurants, a hotel, and additional medical facilities. The Fairfax County Board of … Continued

FCPS: middle schools start too early
Fairfax County Public Schools is considering changing middle school start times to a more reasonable hour than the current 7:30 a.m. Research shows that having schools start a bit later in the morning has a positive impact on students’ health and wellbeing. FCPS kicked off a series of community engagement meetings on middle school start … Continued

Cancer survivor launches fundraiser for Culmore Clinic
When Pat Hynes, a two-time cancer survivor, was looking for a way to pay it forward in appreciation for the great healthcare she received, she decided to launch a fundraising campaign to support the Culmore Clinic and its patients. Hynes, a 5th grade teacher in Arlington and a former Fairfax County School Board member, received … Continued

Peterson family donates $20 million to Inova
The Peterson family has donated $20 million to Inova, the hospital system announced April 16. This donation will provide funding for two critical needs: $15 million will support Inova’s Life with Cancer program, and $5 million will go toward the expansion of the emergency room at Inova Fairfax Hospital. Over the past 30 years, Peterson … Continued

Falls Church High School student suffers non-fatal overdose
A Falls Church High School student has suffered a non-fatal overdose, Fairfax County Superintendent Michelle Reid announced on April 15. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 28 requires superintendents to notify the community of all school-connected overdoses. The student’s identity and other details were withheld to protect the individual’s privacy. “We do want to be … Continued