Seeking a cure
Ashley Apple has advice for those hoping to understand the burden nurses face as COVID-19 surges once again while hospitals suffer staff shortages. “Think of the worst day you’ve ever had at work. Then add in poor staffing and multiple human deaths. Then repeat it every day for 18 months,” she says. “That’s sort of […]
Fluctuating fortunes
The Steward School campus in Henrico County looks a bit different this year. With five mobile classrooms, a tent on the patio and masked faces, the school has noticeably adapted to the demands of teaching students amid a pandemic. “In a lot of ways, we’ve gotten somewhat back to normal,” Head of School Dan Frank […]
Moderna, J&J booster shots now available in Va.
Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 booster shots are now available in Virginia, the Virginia Department of Health announced Friday. Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccination liaison, said in a statement that pharmacies, doctors’ offices, hospitals and other providers are prepared for the rollout of the booster shots, which has been in the works for […]
NoVa biz leaders optimistic about recovery
Northern Virginia businesses are optimistic about economic recovery but are feeling the effects of labor shortages, according to the 2021 Northern Virginia Workforce Index released Wednesday by Northern Virginia Community College and the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Fifty-one percent of employers said that they felt “somewhat optimistic” and 24% felt “very optimistic” abo[...]
Va. rolls out digital proof for vaccinations
The Virginia Department of Health has started adding scannable QR codes to COVID-19 vaccination records, digitizing the proof-of-vaccination process, the state announced Thursday. VDH said QR codes available now cannot be altered or forged, and health information is available from the codes only if and when a person chooses to share it. Businesses or organizations […]
Va. hotels expect $1.5B loss in 2021 biz travel
The Virginia hotel industry expects to take a $1.5 billion loss this year stemming from sharply reduced business travel — 63.5% below pre-pandemic revenue levels, according to projections released Wednesday by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Business travel is expected to generate about $864.5 million for hotels in Virginia for the 2021 calendar year, […]
Valley Health tells workers to get vaccinated
Nicole Clark wants the nurses she supervises to do everything they can to keep themselves, their patients and co-workers safe from COVID-19. That means wearing personal protective equipment, social distancing, frequent hand washing — and getting vaccinated against the disease. Valley Health, a nonprofit health system that includes Winchester Medical Center and five other hospitals, […]
Caution ahead
This year was expected to be a rough one for employers, following predictions of a coming tidal wave of costly employee lawsuits and labor complaints powered by the COVID-19 pandemic and last year’s racial justice protests. So far, though, that onslaught of litigation hasn’t materialized. Why not? Partly because the pandemic itself closed courts for […]
The Great American Labor Shortage
At Dough Boy’s Pizza, summer typically brings a steady stream of job applicants seeking work at one of the restaurant’s three locations on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. But “this year, it’s next to nothing,” says owner George Kotarides. For Kotarides and other restaurant owners, a season that had been anticipated as the triumphant closing act […]
More Va. health systems announce vaccine mandates
Major hospital systems in Hampton Roads and Central Virginia announced Wednesday that they will require all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In Hampton Roads, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, Riverside Health System and Sentara Healthcare jointly announced the requirement and began notifying employees Wednesday morning tha[...]
Va. is ready to deploy COVID vaccine booster doses
As COVID cases are on the rise again, driven by the delta variant of the coronavirus, the Virginia Department of Health has begun administering third COVID-19 vaccine doses to immunocompromised people and is ready to expand third-dose booster vaccinations to more Virginia residents on Sept. 20, the target date set by the federal government, state […]
Preparing for the worst
Read about the 2021 Virginia CFO Award winners. John Brocato’s coveted tickets to the Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament suddenly became void in March 2020 after the ACC canceled the tournament as the COVID-19 pandemic began turning the world on its head. And as the chief financial officer of a small building supply company […]