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After two-year hiatus, the Sentara 3D mammography van returns to communities in Northern Virginia.

You can spot the van in under-served communities across the region. Employees inside the van provide screenings to help detect breast cancer — to 20 appointments a day.

If you would like to schedule the 3D mobile mammography van, send your request to [email protected] or call 703-523-1997.

More in a press release:

Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center announces that its 3D mammography van will begin visiting communities throughout its service area beginning March 30, 2023. Challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues for parts needed for repair kept the van out of service in 2021 and 2022.

The 3D mammography van brings the same state-of-the-art technology that a patient would receive in a Sentara facility into area communities. 3D mammography is the current standard of care for breast cancer screenings and has been proven to find smaller tumors at earlier stages than traditional 2D mammograms. The mobile unit is designed for comfort, with private dressing rooms, central air/heating, and a platform step for safer entry.

“We know that detecting breast cancer early, before it has spread, saves lives,” said Melissa Botelho, manager of radiology at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center. “By coming into the community or directly to a workplace, the mobile mammography van will bring screening services to those who might not otherwise get this necessary care.”

“The mobile mammography team is committed to organizing as many screening events as possible to underserved areas and businesses in Northern Virginia throughout the year,” added Botelho.

Mammograms will be available to all individuals. If a patient has health insurance, that information will be gathered in advance over the phone and on-site, and if a patient is uninsured or underinsured, they can complete an application to qualify for financial assistance. Lack of insurance will not be a barrier to receiving care.

Up to 20 mammography appointments can be scheduled in a single day. The mammography van is available for events Monday through Friday. Sentara will also focus on partnering with community organizations and local businesses to provide convenient screenings for employees. In the past, the 3D Mammography Van has gone to local businesses in Northern Virginia that have included Microsoft, Raytheon, and GEICO.

In 2022, Sentara Healthcare provided nearly 17,000 mammograms and more than 2,800 community members participated in cancer screenings through prevention and early detection events held across Virginia and North Carolina. To learn more about Sentara’s mobile mammography services,Ā click here.

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[Photo: Stafford County Sheriff’s Office]
Two children have been returned to their father due to multiple law enforcement agencies work after an abduction on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in Stafford County.

At 3:30 p.m., deputies responded to a call of parental abduction. Rosa Gregg, 32, of Virginia Beach, picked up her two children from Stafford Elementary School. Gregg had an active child protective order from Virginia Beach, stating she was not allowed contact with the children without supervision.

Information from Child Protective Services in Virginia Beach indicated Gregg could threaten her children’s safety, as the sheriff’s office states.

During the investigation, deputies learned Gregg might be heading to Rocky Mount, N.C. As an Amber Alert was being implemented in Virginia and North Carolina, Detective J.G. Wright traveled to Rocky Mount to join up with a U.S. Marshals Task Force to locate Gregg.

This morning, March 22, police found Gregg in Rocky Mount at a Quality Inn. At 4:32 a.m., the Stafford sheriff’s office received confirmation Gregg was in custody and the children were safe. During a search inventory of her vehicle, multiple wigs and other disguises were located, as well as a loaded firearm, police said.

Both children were reunited with their father. Currently, Gregg is being charged with two counts of abduction across state lines; however, more charges are pending. She is incarcerated in North Carolina without bond pending extradition to Virginia. an investigation is ongoing, police said.

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Patrick Pate, the man who oversees the Manassas City Government, is making more money.

The city council approved a 3% pay raise for Pate, whose been the city’s manager for the past 10 years. Pate’s annual salary is now $248,207, which the city council approved late last month.

As city manager, he is responsible for an operating budget of $328 million and a capital budget of $205 million, providing all aspects of local government service delivery.

This includes water, sewer, electric utilities, police, fire, rescue, public works, engineering, social services, a regional airport, economic development, planning, community development, and staff services.

Pate has overseen several public works projects during his tenure, including a newly-opened, four-story police department, an $6 million addition to the city museum, and the current $12 million city hall overhaul.

Pate also lives in Manassas.

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Virginia Senator Tim Kaine (center) tours a feature crisis receiving center in Woodbridge. [Photo: Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey]
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine toured the old Gander Mountain Store near Potomac Mills mall in Woodbridge.

The store will be the future site of a new Prince William County Government crisis receiving center designed to help residents experiencing a mental breakdown. The center will provide a place, other than a hospital or jail, for patients to receive help and recover.

More in a press release:

As Prince William County’s new Crisis Receiving Center and Community Services Building continues to be built, Prince William County and Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey welcomed Senator Tim Kaine for a tour and round table discussion on Monday, March 20, 2023.

The Crisis Receiving Center, located on Worth Avenue in Woodbridge, will address the well-being of people experiencing a behavioral health crisis. The walk-in center will have 16 beds for adults experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis who need intervention and 23 recliners where people can receive assessment and treatment for up to 23 hours. The CRC will also help divert people from the criminal justice system.

Supervisor Bailey and Community Services Director Lisa Madron led Senator Kaine and other stakeholders on a tour of the Crisis Receiving Center. Following the tour of the facility, Senator Kaine joined Supervisor Bailey and Madron, as well as several county and state officials, community leaders and subject matter experts, for a Mental Health Round Table Discussion. The discussion focused on rising mental health issues and resources to combat this crisis affecting Prince William County residents and Virginians.

“We were honored to host Senator Kaine and share the county’s progress on the Crisis Receiving Center,” said Supervisor Bailey. “Champions of this project have helped to secure federal, state and local funding essential in opening the Crisis Receiving Center later next year.”

Funding for the facility was announced in a press conference in July 2022, and Connections Health Solutions was selected as the vendor to operate the Crisis Receiving Center in November 2022. On May 11, 2023, the Department of Community Services will host a Dedication and Intention Setting Ceremony on-site. The ceremony is intended as the first step in actualizing the vision of the CRC in changing how the community sees, treats and supports those in mental health crisis.

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Residents will have the chance to speak out about a plan to introduce red light and speed cameras to roads in Prince William County.

The Board of County Supervisors voted to set a public hearing, likely scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, 2023. In a proposed pilot program, supervisors want public feedback on adding speed cameras at 13 school zones and red light cameras at eight interactions to get drivers to slow down.

Our valued members ensure we can write more great stories like this one about the people in our communities.Ā 
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The Marine Corps Marathon Organization 17.75K will take place Saturday, March 25 at Prince William Forest Park near Dumfries, causing some road closures and delays.

Over 3,000 runners will take to the 11.03-mile course at 7 a.m., with the last participant estimated to finish about 11 a.m. Significant delays should be expected between 4:30 a.m. and noon on the day of the event.

More in a press release:

Road Closures and Time:
The biggest delays will be seen on Route 234 between Waterway Drive and Country Club Drive. Closures and times will follow as such:

Pleasant Road will be closed to vehicular traffic from 5:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
One southbound lane and one northbound lane of Route 234 will be closed from 3:45 a.m. until end of the event, estimated to be around 12:00 p.m.
Southbound Route 234 will be fully closed to all traffic from 6:30 a.m. until the start line clears, estimated to be around 7:30 a.m.
Event Day Detours:
South Route 234 traffic will be detoured onto Waterway Drive starting at 6:30 a.m. Traffic will be rerouted to Route 234 at Country Club Drive.

Parking and Shuttle Information:
Participants and spectators will be able to utilize several parking lots along Route 234. It is highly recommended for runners to carpool and park at the following parking lots and use the provided shuttles:

Route 234 Commuter Lot, 17300 Dumfries Road, Dumfries, VA
Quantico Center (Fettler Commercial Buildings), 3850 Fettler Park Drive, Dumfries, Va.
Grace Church, 17100 Van Buren Rd, Dumfries, Va.
Secondary parking is available at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, 1775 Semper Fidelis Way, Triangle, VA.

The designated shuttles will transport participants back and forth between the start/finish area at Montclair Tabernacle Church of God before and after the event. On event morning, the free shuttles will begin operating at 4:30 a.m., with the last pre-event shuttle departing the parking lots at 6:20 a.m. Post-event shuttles will begin running shortly after 8:30 a.m. from the 17.75K finish area and return to the designated parking lots. Each bus will be labeled with a specific parking destination.

There are also a limited number of parking spaces at Moncure Park and Montclair Commuter Lot. Due to the closer proximity to the start/finish area, there will be no shuttle service to these parking lots. Therefore, participants who choose to park in these areas are expected to walk to the start/finish area.

There is no participant parking at John F. Pattie Elementary School, Washington-Reid Preschool Center or Montclair Tabernacle Church of God.

Prince William Forest Park campground guests have been notified and provided detail through the park.

A very limited number of entries remain for the Marine Corps 17.75K. Interested runners can register at marinemarathon.com until Friday, March 24.

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The emergency department at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge.

Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center is rolling out a new policy that requires visitors to show a government-issued ID and have their photo taken when they visit the hospital in Woodbridge.

The new Visitor Badging System (VBS) is now in effect for all visitors entering the hospital at 2300 Opitz Boulevard.

Sentara provides medical services to those in eastern Prince William, northern Stafford, and southern Fairfax counties.

More in a press release from the medical center.

Visitors will be asked to:

• Show a photo ID at reception, such as a driver license, state-issued ID, or military ID.
• Tell receptionists at the visitor badging station their destination.
• Have a photo taken for a visitor badge, to be worn visibly at all times.

Additionally, all individuals must lock firearms, knives, and other weapons in their vehicles before entering the hospital.

Sentara hospitals are seeking the balance between being welcoming and being safe. Visitor badging has been shown to reduce violence against staff and limits opportunities for theft of personal items from patients or employees.

The VBS expands a long-standing badge protocol in Family Maternity Centers, which helps ensure that everyone entering those secure units is appropriate. The broader goal is to have every person in Sentara hospitals wear a badge, including employees and providers, vendors, outpatients, and visitors.

Health care workers suffer 73 percent of all workplace violence, mostly from patients and visitors. The Visitor Badging System encourages respectful interaction between visitors with staff. Sentara leaders believe that most visitors will welcome VBS to help them enjoy a safer experience.

The first Sentara Commitment to our patients is to ‘Always keep you safe.’ This includes quality care and a safe healing environment. Visitor badging is one tool to help us keep that promise.
Sentara Healthcare is rolling out the new VBS at its 12 hospitals in Virginia and North Carolina.

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Ragtime has rolled onto the stage at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts.

The show tells the story of three groups in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th Century — blacks, white suburbanites, and European immigrants in New York City.

The show is based on a 1975 book, “Ragtime,” by Terrance McNally. The book was later adapted into a 1979 film, and the film into a show that enjoyed a Broadway run from 1998 to 2000.

Riverside describes the show:

At the dawn of a new century, everything is changing… and anything is possible. Set in the volatile melting pot of turn-of-the-century New York, three distinctly American tales are woven together – that of a stifled upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant, and a daring young Harlem musician – united by their courage, compassion, and belief in the promise of the future. Together, they confront history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair, and what it means to live in America. With a Tony-winning score featuring musical theatre show-stoppers “Your Daddy’s Son” and “Make Them Hear You,” Ragtime is filled with pageantry, emotion, and hope, bursting onto the stage like no other musical.

The show at Riverside runs until May 7, 2023, and features a 25-member cast.

Tickets for the show are sold online and at the box office and range between $60 and $75 each for adults, $55 and $70 for children between ages three and 12, and $55 and $75 per ticket for seniors aged 55 or older. Those who purchase the higher-priced tickets will enjoy meal service before the show.

Thursday to Saturday, meals are served at 5:45 p.m. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Ticket holders who want to see the show should arrive at 6:45 p.m. Riverside charges a $5 fee per ticket purchased online.

Riverside offers two matinee performances on Wednesday and Sunday. On Wednesday, meals are served at 11:30 a.m., and the show begins at 1:30 p.m. Those who come only for the show should arrive at 12:45 p.m.

On Sundays, dinner is served at 1 p.m., and the show starts at 3 p.m.

Riverside Center sits at 95 Riverside Parkway in southern Stafford County.

Later this year, the center plans to produce “Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat” and “42nd Street.”

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