Reston-based Maximus gets $951M contract for national COVID hotline
Reston-based government services company Maximus has received a potential $951 million contract to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 national surge support and vaccine assistance hotline. In the early months of the pandemic, Maximus staffed a 500-person CDC call center to respond to call and emails from health care providers and the […]
COVID roundup: Northern Va. could reach herd immunity by June/July
According to the University of Virginia Biocomplexity Institute, estimated rates of “vaccine acceptance” — residents’ willingness to be vaccinated — differ regionally and could delay herd immunity in some parts of the state. The U.Va. report, released April 30, shows that an estimated 88% of Northern Virgin[...]
Aditxt to produce 300 jobs in Richmond
A biotech company is setting up shop in Richmond and is expected to produce 300 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday. California-based Aditx Therapeutics Inc. (Aditxt) has pledged to invest $31.5 million over the next three years in its first AditxtScore Center, a facility that will monitor patients’ immune systems. The company plans to open […]
‘An awakening’
The headaches of getting to a doctor’s appointment in traffic on Northern Virginia roads drove the Virginia Pediatric Group to invest in telehealth capabilities years before anyone had heard of COVID-19. “I felt it was a way to improve access and to conduct follow-up visits with adolescents who were busy with after-school ac[...]
Northam partly rolls back Va. mask mandate
Virginians will still need to wear masks indoors and at large, crowded events outside, but Gov. Ralph Northam amended his executive order Thursday to allow fully vaccinated people — meaning those who received their final COVID-19 vaccine dose at least two weeks earlier — to remove their masks outdoors in small gatherings, fo[...]
UVA Health taps chief ambulatory operations officer
UVA Health has named John C. Bennett its new chief ambulatory operations officer, overseeing all UVA Health clinical outpatient operations effective July 1. Bennett comes from PeaceHealth, a nonprofit health care system with facilities in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, where he was chief executive of ambulatory services. “UVA [...]
VCU names two vice presidents
Matthew A. Conrad and Karah L. Gunther will become vice presidents starting May 1 at Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System, the university announced Wednesday. Conrad has been named vice president for government and external relations for VCU and VCU Health System, a promotion from his previous position as e[...]
Sentara Healthcare named one of top 5 U.S. large health systems
Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare was named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in an annual ranking by Fortune and IBM Watson Health released Tuesday. Sentara landed in fifth place, receiving five stars for clinical outcomes and operation efficiency and three stars for patient experience. This is the second year Sentar[...]
LewisGale to open standalone ER in Roanoke
On Monday, LewisGale Regional Health System held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new freestanding emergency room in Roanoke. Located at 1423 West Ruritan Road, the nearly 10,000-square-foot facility will be named LewisGale Medical Center Blue Hills ER and be staffed with board-certified emergency room physicians and nurses 24 ho[...]
COVID roundup: AG says Va. public colleges can require vaccine
As more Virginians get vaccinated, the attorney general has issued an opinion concluding that the state’s public colleges and universities can require COVID-19 vaccinations for in-person attendance this fall — although it remains up to individual institutions. “There is no question that the General Assembly could enact[...]
Bar seating reopened statewide, governor declares
For the first time in more than a year, Virginians are now allowed to sit at bars for service as long as they stay at least six feet apart. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam amended Executive Order 72 on Wednesday without an announcement, making the following policy change for restaurants, breweries, distilleries, wineries and tasting[...]
Virginia colleges mull legality of mandatory COVID vaccine
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia universities plan a return to campuses in the fall, but there are questions if the COVID-19 vaccine can be mandated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration only authorized the vaccine for emergency purposes, according to Lisa Lee, professor of public health at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The vaccin[...]