Faith-based congregations can now join Virginia's 100 Congregations for Million Hearts, an initiative focused on raising awareness and preventing cardiovascular disease. The #MillionHeartsChallenge is in full swing with a goal to sign up 100 Virginia congregations during 2015. 14 Virginia congregations have already committed to the initiative; invite your faith-based organization on board today! All denominations and geographical locations welcome!

UVA, January 20, 2015

Dean Dorrie K. Fontaine of the University of Virginia's School of Nursing is the recipient of the Health System's Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for 2015. 

The award - presented annually to a School of Medicine, School of Nursing or Medical Center faculty or staff member who best embodies King's values - recognizes exceptional abilities in areas of cultural competence, healthcare disparities, and/or fostering an environment of caring, diversity and inclusivity.

The Atlantic, January 22, 2015

Donald Rose has no teeth, but that's not his biggest problem. A camouflage hat droops over his ancient, wire-framed glasses. He's only 43, but he looks much older.

 

I met him one day in October as he sat on a tan metal folding chair in the hallway of Riverview School, one of the few schools-few buildings, really-in the coal-mining town of Grundy, Virginia. That day it was the site of a free clinic, the Remote Area Medical. Rose was there to get new glasses-he's on Medicare, which doesn't cover most vision services.

Virginia.gov, January 23, 2015

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Virginia veterans who face barriers accessing the Veterans Administration health system will have more health care options - thanks to new provider agreements between the VA and community health centers. 

Through the recently passed Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act, veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA facility or who would otherwise have to wait more than 30 days for an appointment can now be seen at a participating community health center. The legislation provides $10 billion over three years to the VA to pay private providers to care for eligible veterans. 

News Advance, January 18, 2015

Hospitals across the nation are financially stressed, none more so than those in states whose legislatures have not expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. And Centra - the parent of Lynchburg General, Virginia Baptist, Bedford Memorial and Southside Community (Farmville) hospitals - is no different. 

Increasingly, leaders of hospitals across the commonwealth are becoming more outspoken about the fiscal futures their institutions face in the coming years as the nation's health care system changes. Walker Sydnor, the chairman of Centra's board of directors, is front and center locally in the discussion about the nation's health care system and his advocacy for the General Assembly to find a way to expand Medicaid rolls in Virginia. 

Hays Post, January 25, 2015

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, has introduced legislation, the Veterans Access to Community Care Act of 2015 (S. 207), requiring the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to utilize its authority to offer community care to veterans who currently are unable to receive the healthcare services they need from a VA medical facility within 40 miles of where they live. The bipartisan bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Angus King (I-Maine), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).