Va. ER physician spearheads intubation PPE production
Virginia College of Emergency Physicians President Dr. Scott Hickey turned to the owners of contracting companies in Powhatan — Michael Potter of Village Building Co. Inc. and David Dowdy of Interior 2000 — to produce boxes designed to protect emergency health care workers while they intubate patients with COVID-19. Designed[...]
Va. coronavirus cases to surge between late April and late May, Northam says
Virginia is making preparations to establish temporary overflow medical facilities, with the expectation that coronavirus cases in the commonwealth will surge between late April and late May, Gov. Ralph Northam said during a news briefing Wednesday. “For now, we are at the beginning of this virus, and that is why it is s[...]
Sheetz to offer free meals to children starting April 2
Pennsylvania-based Sheetz Inc. gas stations and convenience stores will start providing free lunches for children in need at 21 locations in Virginia on Thursday, April 2. The program is set to last for two weeks, but the company says it will evaluate community need and will extend the program if need persists. Sheetz is running[...]
Kroger to hire more than 800 in Virginia during COVID-19 crisis
Kroger Mid-Atlantic, which owns grocery stores in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio, has more than 1,500 immediate openings — 825 of which are in Virginia, Kroger corporate affairs manager Allison McGee says. The mid-Atlantic division has already hired more than 500 people — including people from the rest[...]
Va. coronavirus cases nearing 1,500
9:30 p.m. April 1 update: A man in his 80s has died from COVID-19 in a travel-related case, Chesapeake Health Department reported Wednesday night. This is the first death in this district, which covers the city of Chesapeake. The man had underlying health issues and died from respiratory failure, according to the news release. [...]
City of Richmond reports first two COVID-19 deaths
Two men in their 70s who were hospitalized have died from COVID-19, the Richmond City Health District reported Tuesday evening. They are the first virus fatalities in the city. Both had underlying chronic health conditions, according to a news release from Mayor Levar Stoney’s office, and had recently worked in New Jersey. “The Richmond City […]
Arlington tech company names COO
Arlington-based tech company Excella Consulting Inc. announced Tuesday it has named Sandy Gillespie as its chief operating officer. Gillespie was most recently COO and executive vice president for Reston-based NCI Information Systems Inc. since April 2018. In her new role at Excella, she will oversee client delivery and growth s[...]
Roanoke construction company promotes senior VP
Roanoke-based construction company Branch Builds announced Tuesday it has promoted Cathy Underwood to senior vice president and regional business unit leader. Underwood was most recently vice president at the company, and in her new role she will pursue new business opportunities and manage the Roanoke and Charlotte, North Carol[...]
Chesterfield County furloughs 500+ employees
Chesterfield County will furlough more than 500 part-time and full-time county employees starting April 4 until further notice, the county announced Tuesday in a released statement. Employees were notified last week of the furloughs. “Unfortunately, we find ourselves in unusual circumstances as the national, state and local economies continue to be negatively impacted by COVID-19 […]
Hearing call for telehealth, audiologist steps up
Virginia Business virtually sat down with audiologist Dr. Kristin Koch at Evolution Hearing, a private audiology practice that has Charlottesville and Richmond locations. This is part of an ongoing series of conversations with Virginians about how their work lives and businesses have changed during the pandemic. Virginia Busine[...]
Bon Secours Mercy Health furloughs 700 employees amid coronavirus
Bon Secours Mercy Health —which operates 11 hospitals in the Richmond and Hampton Roads regions — has furloughed 700 full-time employees across seven states and 12 markets, the health care system announced Tuesday. The health care system said in a released statement that the furloughs come as a result of fewer people seeking primary care, […]
Thomas Jefferson Health District reports first COVID-19 death
A woman in her 80s is the first person in the Thomas Jefferson Health District to die from the COVID-19 coronavirus, officials there announced Tuesday. The district includes the city of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. The Virginia Department of Health updates its COVID-19 stats daily at 9 a.m., […]