December 30, 2010
Start the New Year Off Right Urges Virginia Health Commissioner – Get a Flu Shot!
(Richmond, Va.) “Make it your New Year’s resolution to get vaccinated against the flu,” says State Health Commissioner Karen Remley, MD, MBA, FAAP. “It’s one of the healthiest resolutions you can make and one of the easiest to keep.” more>>
December 20, 2010
SEASONAL FLU VACCINE AVAILABLE AT DECEMBER CLINICS
(LEBANON, Va.) – In the setting of rising flu activity in our region and a continued good supply of flu vaccine, the Cumberland Plateau Health District will offer seasonal flu vaccine to everyone ages six months and up at a series of vaccine clinics in December. more>>
December 20, 2010
RING IN THE NEW YEAR VACCINE CLINICS
— LENOWISCO Health District provides FREE vaccine clinics —
As the New Year approaches, many folks often think of ways to improve their health, and the health of their loved ones. While families are together during the holidays, encourage family members to get the recommended vaccinations for themselves and for their children, including the annual flu vaccine if they have not received it yet this year. more>>
December 16, 2010
STATE HEALTH COMMISSIONER ANNOUNCES DROP IN PREMATURITY AND TEEN PREGNANCY RATES
RICHMOND – State Health Commissioner, Karen Remley, M.D., MBA, FAAP, announced today a decline in both premature births and teen pregnancies in Virginia. In the last five years, 1,085 more babies were carried to term, over 39 weeks of gestation, and the teen pregnancy rate in Virginia decreased 22% between 2000 and 2009. more>>
December 10, 2010
RABIES CONFIRMED IN MINIATURE HORSE IN TAZEWELL COUNTY, VIRGINIA
(TAZEWELL, Va.) – The Tazewell County Health Department received confirmation December 9, 2010 that a miniature horse from the Goose Creek Estates area of North Tazewell tested positive for the rabies virus. This is the eighth confirmed case of animal rabies in Tazewell County this year and the ninth within the Cumberland Plateau Health District, which includes the counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell and Tazewell. more>>
December 7, 2010
SEASONAL FLU VACCINE AVAILABLE AT DECEMBER CLINICS
(MARTINSVILLE, Va.) – The West Piedmont Health District will offer free seasonal flu vaccine to everyone ages six months and up at a series of vaccine clinics in December. more>>
December 2, 2010
FREE FLU VACCINATION FRIDAY DECEMBER 3RD AT CUMBERLAND PLATEAU HEALTH DISTRICT CLINICS
(LEBANON, Va.) – The Cumberland Plateau Health District will offer free seasonal flu vaccine to everyone ages six months and up as part of preparedness exercises at the following clinics on Friday, Dec. 3, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. more>>
December 1, 2010
RABID ANIMALS CONFIRMED IN BOTETOURT COUNTY VIRGINIA
(ROANOKE, Virginia) – Officials from the Virginia Department of Health have confirmed a significant local increase recently in rabid animal cases. In Botetourt County 14 rabid animals have been confirmed so far in 2010, as compared to four rabid animals in 2009. Eight of the 14 animals confirmed in Botetourt County were confirmed in November, as follows. more>>
November 30, 2010
VIRGINIA TECH AND THE NEW RIVER HEALTH DISTRICT HOST WALK-UP FLU CLINIC DEC. 3
(Blacksburg, Virginia) – The Virginia Tech Office of Emergency Management and the New River Health District will conduct a seasonal flu vaccination clinic on Friday, December 3, 2010. The clinic will be open to the general public and will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rector Field House. Parking will be available adjacent to the softball field. more>>
November 30, 2010
RABID SKUNK IN BLUEFIELD AREA OF TAZEWELL COUNTY VIRGINIA
(TAZEWELL, Va.) – The Tazewell County Health Department has received confirmation that a skunk collected November 24, 2010 from the Little Town area of Burkes Garden tested positive for rabies infection. This is the seventh confirmed case of animal rabies in Tazewell County this year. more>>
November 29, 2010
HOLIDAY FLU CLINICS
LENOWISCO Health District provides flu vaccine in the community
(WISE, Virginia) – Holidays give us a special opportunity for spending time with our families. Making sure that our families are healthy is a special way of showing that we care. During the month of December, encourage family members to get their annual flu vaccine if they have not received it yet this year. It’s still not too late to get a seasonal flu vaccine. Historically, the highest flu activity in our area tends to occur in the latter winter months of January, February and March. more>>
November 19, 2010
BE SAFE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts partner with Valley Metro to offer flu shots downtown
(Roanoke, VA) – The Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts, in partnership with Valley Metro will offer seasonal flu vaccine to everyone ages six months and up, at the Valley Metro store front on Campbell Avenue.more>>
November 19, 2010
FREE FLU VACCINATION AT CUMBERLAND PLATEAU HEALTH DISTRICT CLINICS
(Lebanon, VA) – The Cumberland Plateau Health District will offer free seasonal flu vaccine to everyone ages six months and up as part of preparedness exercises at the following clinics on both Wednesday, November 24 and again on Friday, December 3, 2010. more>>
November 18, 2010
VIRGINIA AWARDED A $1.93 MILLION HEALTH WORKFORCE GRANT
Virginia Only State in Nation to Receive
(Richmond, Va.) The Virginia Department of Health has been awarded a State Health Workforce Development Implementation grant in the amount of $1.93 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Virginia is the only state in the nation to receive this grant, which will be used to implement and administer the new Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority and to make available funds for regional health workforce planning and implementation efforts. more>>
November 17, 2010
VIRGINIA TECH AND THE NEW RIVER HEALTH DISTRICT HOST WALK-UP FLU CLINIC DEC. 3
(Blacksburg, Virginia) – The Virginia Tech Office of Emergency Management and the New River Health District will conduct a seasonal flu vaccination clinic on Friday, December 3, 2010. The clinic will be open to the general public and will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rector Field House. Parking will be available adjacent to the softball field. more>>
November 17, 2010
FREE FLU SHOTS AT LENOWISCO HEALTH DISTRICT CLINICS
(Wise, VA) – The Lenowisco Health District will offer free seasonal flu vaccine at the following Health Department clinics on Wednesday, November 24, 2010. more>>
November 12, 2010
CUMBERLAND PLATEAU HEALTH DISTRICT PROVIDES TIPS TO PREVENT CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
(LEBANON, Virginia) – The Cumberland Plateau Health District (serving Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, and Tazewell Counties) is pleased to offer carbon monoxide poisoning prevention brochures at all four health departments and at participating stores that sell generators. In Virginia there were 79 deaths in 2009 due to accidental carbon monoxide inhalation. Of those, three were in our health district. more>>
November 1, 2010
VACCINATE & VOTE: SEASONAL FLU SHOTS AT ELECTION DAY CLINICS IN SALEM, NEW CASTLE AND ROANOKE CITY
(Roanoke, VA) – The Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts will offer seasonal flu vaccine to everyone ages six months and up, at three clinics on Tuesday, Nov. 2. more>>
November 1, 2010
VOTE AND VACCINATE: FREE FLU VACCINE AT ELECTION DAY CLINICS
(Lebanon, VA) – The Cumberland Plateau Health District will offer free seasonal flu vaccine to everyone ages six months and up at the following clinics on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 2. more>>
November 1, 2010
FREE FLU SHOTS AT ELECTION DAY CLINICS
(Wise, VA) – The Lenowisco Health District will offer free seasonal flu vaccine to everyone ages three and up, at the following clinics on Tuesday, Nov. 2. more>>
October 25, 2010
ROANOKE AREA FLU CLINICS FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 25
(Roanoke, VA) – The Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts offer daily seasonal flu vaccine clinics throughout the Roanoke Valley and vicinity, including special clinics at Valley View Mall, the Salem Civic Center, and the Dabney S. Lancaster Community College Armory in Clifton Forge. These clinics accept all insurances, and also have vaccine available at no cost to those without insurance. more>>
October 22, 2010
NEW RIVER HEALTH DISTRICT SCHEDULES FREE, DRIVE-THROUGH FLU CLINICS FOR ADULTS, OCTOBER 29
(CHRISTIANSBURG, Virginia) – The New River Health District is kicking-off the 2010 influenza vaccination season with drive-through dispensing clinics FOR ADULTS ONLY (age 18 and over) on Friday, October 29, from 9 a.m. until noon, at the Montgomery County Health Department, 210 S. Pepper St., Christiansburg, and at Randolph Park, 5100 Alexander Rd., Dublin. Because these drive-through dispensing clinics are a required Virginia Department of Health Office of Emergency Preparedness exercise, the vaccine is FREE! The vaccine will be available in both nasal mist and injectable forms. more>>
October 14, 2010
AUTUMN LEAVES AND THE FLU VIRUS: IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR…GET VACCINATED!
(Farmville, VA) As the weather cools and the trees begin to glow, we’re pleasantly reminded about the cycle of the seasons. Other, less pleasant, things come in cycles too. Yes, it’s time to get ready for flu season again.more>>
October 5, 2010
GET YOUR FLU VACCINE AT ANY LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA HEALTH DISTRICT
(Lynchburg, VA) – The Central Virginia Health District (CVHD) is now offering flu vaccine to the public. The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone six months of age or older. This year’s seasonal flu vaccine contains three components, one of which provides protection against the 2009 H1N1 virus that caused the pandemic last year.more>>
October 4, 2010
Arlington County Public Health Division Informing Travelers of Possible Measles Exposure at Reagan National Airport on September 23, 2010
(Arlington, Va.) Out of an abundance of caution, Arlington County Public Health Division (ACPHD) is informing people who were at Reagan National Airport on Thursday, September 23, 2010 from 8:45 AM to 12:30 PM in Terminal C that they may have been exposed to a person with measles. People at risk for exposure on the plane have been identified and are being contacted by their state and/or local health officials. more>>
October 4, 2010
VDH AND UVA PARTNER TO PROVIDE MATERNITY CARE
(Staunton, Virginia) — The Lexington/Rockbridge Health Department, Virginia Department of Health, is pleased to announce a new partnership with the University of Virginia Medical Center to provide maternity care for area clients. more>>
September 30, 2010
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CLOSES TRIBUTARIES IN THE HAMPTON ROADS AREA TO SHELLFISH HARVESTING
(RICHMOND, Va.)— The Virginia Department of Health announced today that major tributaries in the Hampton Roads area will be closed to shellfish harvesting due to intense rainfall. The emergency closure is effective midnight tonight through October 6, 2010. more>>
September 28, 2010
CENTRAL VIRGINIA HEALTH DISTRICT AND LOCAL VETERINARIANS URGE PET VACCINATIONS AGAINST RABIES
(Lynchburg, Va.) – The Central Virginia Health District and local vets are urging people to ““Protect the Ones You Love. Vaccinate Your Pets.” This important message is the focus of this year’s Rabies Awareness Week, September 27-October 3. more>>
September 21, 2010
Federal grant boosts Virginia public-health training
Statewide partnership to be led by joint EVMS/ODU MPH Program
NORFOLK, Va. – A $2.5 million, five-year grant to the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS)/Old Dominion University (ODU) Graduate Program in Public Health from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will create a statewide public-health training center aimed at developing a highly trained public-health work force. more>>
September 1, 2010
STATE HEALTH COMMISSIONER ANNOUNCES NEW GUIDANCE FOR IMPROVING PATIENT CARE AND SATISFACTION IN HOSPITALS
(RICHMOND, Va.)— State Health Commissioner Karen Remley, M.D., MBA, announced the completion of new guidance intended to assist hospitals wishing to develop policies and procedures for boarding admitted patients. This new guidance is an important tool that will help hospitals in their ongoing efforts to better manage their boarded patients, which will in turn promote improved patient satisfaction and quality of care. more>>
July 9, 2010
WATER TREATMENT PLANTS RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE
(RICHMOND, Va.) – Eighty of Virginia’s water treatment plants have been recognized for excellence in their filtration and treatment processes, and for their everyday operations.
The Virginia Department of Health‘s 2009 Excellence in Granular Media Water Treatment Plant Performance Awards were presented to 79 of the 131 treatment plants in the state that use “granular media gravity flow filters” to clean public water supplies. Granular media filters use sand and/or anthracite, garnet, activated carbon or other media to filter impurities from drinking water. more>>
May 27, 2010
HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN AGAINST COSMETICS CONTAINING MERCURY
(RICHMOND, Va.)— The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is investigating cases of mercury exposure linked to a homemade “skin lightening” cream imported from Mexico. Ten people, including both children and adults, have shown laboratory evidence of exposure to excess mercury and are being evaluated for health effects from the cream. VDH discovered this problem while assisting California health officials in following up on an investigation of a California family exposed to the same cream. more>>
May 26, 2010
RECOMMENDATIONS TO REDUCE THE RISK OF SWIMMING POOL DROWNING FOR VIRGINIA CHILDREN
May is National Water Safety Month
(RICHMOND, Va) – More children in Virginia drown in swimming pools than in any other location. Over the past 11 years, nearly 50 percent of the 172 swimming pool drownings in Virginia occurred in children 14 years of age or younger. Many, if not all, of these deaths could have been prevented. more>>
May 6, 2010
VIRGINIA PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES: CARING TODAY FOR A HEALTHIER TOMORROW
National Nurses Week is May 6-12
(RICHMOND, Va.) – Ann Rickard, R.N.,N.P., of Broadway, Virginia has been named Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) Nurse of the Year as part of the recognition surrounding National Nurses Week May 6 – 12. Ms. Rickard has been a public health nurse for 13 years. A Nurse Practitioner with the Central Shenandoah Health District and a graduate of George Mason University and the University of North Carolina, Ms. Rickard works for her community both on the job for VDH and during her “free” time – volunteering at the local free clinic and serving as a parish nurse. She will serve as an ambassador for VDH in 2010. more>>
April 14, 2010
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROMOTES STATEWIDE CHILD SAFETY SEAT PROGRAM
Richmond, Va. –Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the number one cause of unintentional injury death of children between 1 and 8 years old in Virginia. Crash data for 2008 shows that 58% of children who were killed in a car crash were not properly restrained. more>>
April 8, 2010
VDH CAUTIONS PARENTS AND COACHES ABOUT SPORTS RELATED CONCUSSIONS
(RICHMOND, Va) – April is not only the beginning of spring but the start of the spring sports season. It’s also a good time, according to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), to remind coaches and parents of what they can do to prevent concussions in youth athletes and what to do when these injuries occur. more>>
April 1, 2010
MORE THAN A QUARTER OF VIRGINIANS VACCINATED AGAINST H1N1
State Health Commissioner commends response to flu pandemic by public, private sectors
(RICHMOND, Va.)— State Health Commissioner Karen Remley, M.D., MBA, announced today that through January more than 26 percent of Virginia’s population has been vaccinated against H1N1 influenza virus, according to an interim report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This compares favorably with vaccination rates for that time period of 23.9 percent for the national median and 23 percent for the region that includes Virginia, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. more>>
February 24, 2010
LT. GOVERNOR BOLLING ANNOUNCES 44 PERCENT DROP IN VIRGINIA’S HEART ATTACK DEATH RATE OVER LAST TEN YEARS
(RICHMOND, Va.)—Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling announced today that Virginia’s Acute Myocardial Infarction (heart attack) mortality rates have declined 44 percent from 1998-2008.
“Through strong and collaborative efforts in both the public and private sector, Virginia has achieved great success in reducing the rates of death from heart attacks,” said Lt. Governor Bolling. “With cardiovascular disease the leading cause of death in the Commonwealth, this is good news. However, we need to keep working hard to get out the message that eating a balanced diet and getting more exercise can help reduce the risk of heart disease significantly.” more>>
February 17, 2010
COUNTY HEALTH RANKINGS
(Richmond, VA)— The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, today released the first ever nation-wide County Health Rankings. These rankings show how cities and counties within Virginia compare on many factors that influence health and provide a snapshot of residents’ health in each locality. The purpose of the County Health Rankings is to compare counties and cities within states; the report focuses on state-specific rankings and does not provide rankings among states. more>>
February 9, 2010
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SPONSORS FIRST FREE MOBILE PHONE HEALTH SERVICE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AND NEW MOTHERS
Virginia Conducted Pilot Program and is Model for the Country
(Richmond, Va.), February 10, 2010 – Today, the Virginia Department of Health announced its participation in text4baby –a new free mobile phone information service providing timely health information to pregnant women and new mothers during pregnancy and through a baby’s first year. Virginia was the only state in the country to pilot text4baby and serves as the model for the nation. more>>
February 5, 2010
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REVISES JAMES AND RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER SHELLFISH CLOSURES
(Richmond, Va.)—The Virginia Department of Health announced today that the existing shellfish closures in the James and Rappahannock Rivers have been revised opening large portions of areas previously closed for shellfish harvesting. The effective dates of these revised emergency shellfish closures are February 4, 2010 for the Rappahannock River and February 5, 2010 for the James River. more>>
January 26, 2010
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CLOSES THE JAMES RIVER AND A PORTION OF THE RAPPAHANNOCK RIVER TO SHELLFISH HARVESTING
(RICHMOND, Va.)— The Virginia Department of Health announced today that the James River and a portion of the Rappahannock River will be closed to shellfish harvesting due to flooding in those rivers. The emergency closure is effective January 27, 2010. more>>
January 14, 2010
YOUNG ADULTS URGED TO GET H1N1 VACCINATION
(RICHMOND, Va.)— The Virginia Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognize January 14, 2010, as Young Adults Vaccination Day in conjunction with National Influenza Vaccination Week. more>>
January 9, 2010
H1N1 IS FOCUS OF NATIONAL INFLUENZA VACCINATION WEEK
Vaccination clinics scheduled January 10-16, 2010
(RICHMOND, Va.)— The Virginia Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will recognize January 10-16, 2010, as National Influenza Vaccination Week. more>>