Relay for Life Brings Community Together
Participants walked laps at Workhouse Arts Center in support of a cure for cancer.
Fairfax County: Kaine Requests Funding for School Drinking Water Testing
FCPS developing testing plan; last test was 2004.
In response to the lead contamination of drinking water of Flint, Michigan, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine joined 24 other senators asking Congress for funding to have school drinking water tested for lead and other toxins.
Farmers Markets in Fairfax County
Fairfax County’s Farmers Markets opened in May. There are 11 locations of the county’s Park Authority’s Farmers Markets.
Alexandria: Cancer Survivor Hosts Karaoke Fundraising Event
Lisa Gray of the Hayfield Farms area of Alexandria, a 16-year cancer survivor, hosted her second “Karaoke for the Cure” fundraising event at Lucky’s Sports Theatre & Grill on April 12.
Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Springfield: Brain Injury Services honors volunteers and community partners
Maya Simbulan of Fairfax is thankful for being normal. The Lake Braddock Secondary School freshman would like to pursue work with computer graphics and plays electric wheelchair soccer.
Springfield Veterinary Holistic Center offers extension to conventional medicine
Bettejeanne “BJ” Hammond much prefers the term “body work” to massage. “Open wine and get out the candles, that’s what people think of massage,” she said. “They think it’s to relax, but it’s so much more than that.”
NOVA Medical Education Campus Holds Dental Service Event
The Medical Education Campus (MEC) of Northern Virginia Community College hosted the 2016 Give Kids a Smile event (GKAS) on Friday, Feb. 5.
Springfield's Gamache Honored for Battling Breast Cancer
Redskins honor 31 area women.
Michelle Gamache, the Communications Manager at Greenspring retirement community in Springfield, recently participated in the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation’s eighth annual All-Star Survivors Celebration. Gamache was one of 31 women battling breast cancer to be honored at the event.
Rabid Fox Found Near South Run RECenter
Less than a month after a woman was injured by a rabid raccoon, police responded to reports of a fox “acting abnormally” in the same area: the South Run/Burke Lake Trail near the South Run RECenter.
Fairfax: Northern Virginia Training Center Property Put on Market
Facility for people with disabilities scheduled for March 2016 closure.
According to the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, 63 residents still live and receive treatment at the Northern Virginia Training Center, located in Fairfax alongside Braddock Road.
Healthcare Events
Fairfax County is offering a free six-week Chronic Disease Self-Management Program workshop Series. Learn and share positive strategies to better manage overall health, increase self-confidence and improve the skills you need to take control of your health and happiness! Tuesday, June 2, 6:30-8:30 p.m. First Baptist Church, 450 Orchard Street, NW. Vienna. For more information, call 703-324-5489, TTY 711, or email colleen.turner@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Del. Filler-Corn’s ‘CARE Act’ Passes the House
Del. Eileen Filler-Corn’s (D–41) HB 1413 passed the full House of Delegates on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015. HB 1413 or the “CARE Act” addresses the important role of the informal and family caregivers and improved communication with them and medical providers. Specifically, the bill looks to improve healthcare and reduce preventable hospital revisits by having hospitals formally acknowledge a patient’s family caregiver at the time of admission and provide critical home care instruction before discharge.
Seniors in Burke and West Springfield Look for More Activity Space
Larry Mark is 83, lives in West Springfield and practices tai chi with his wife Mary. They go to a class that meets once a week at the Burke Conservancy on Burke Centre Parkway. “It’s interesting,” he said. “It helps your balance and strengthens your neck and other muscles. Everybody needs better balance.”
Lyme Disease, ‘The Great Imitator’
Lyme disease association holds forum on impact of disease on Fairfax County students.
Kate Sheridan was a star athlete and an A-student up until the fifth grade when she suddenly developed flu-like symptoms and one day woke up with a rash on her face in the shape of a bullseye. Her parents took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Soon, she was in a wheelchair and was transferred to a special needs class. “Losing control over your body and feeling yourself sliding backwards and there’s nothing you can do to stop it,” have been her experience since she was diagnosed.
Herrity Calls for Heroin Problem Update
“Heroin is here, it’s on our doorstep, it’s in our communities and it often goes unnoticed,” said supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield). Citing a 163 percent rise in heroin overdoses in Northern Virginia between 2011 and 2013, Herrity proposed a successful motion to the Board of Supervisors last week, asserting the County Executive report back to the board on just how bad the heroin problems in Fairfax County are and how they could be dealt with.