Newly renovated rooms, family birthing units and an open floor plan is transforming the patient experience for expectant mothers.
On Thursday, November 30, 2017, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center officially launched its Womenâs Health Center. The hospital recently celebrated 45 years of serving the community. This latest development showcases Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Centerâs commitment to women and families.
âFor decades, weâve served the community as Womenâs and Childrenâs services. As we look towards the future, we are focused on the comprehensive needs of women in Northern Virginia. The new Womenâs Health Center provides the infrastructure we need to expand our services and care for women throughout their lifetime,â explains Kathie Johnson, President, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center.
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“Small Business Saturday” was launched in 2010 by American Express to encourage shoppers across America to focus a portion of their holiday shopping on small, local businesses. The program was initially aimed at helping main street businesses survive the economic downturn and cardholders were offered various perks for shopping small. “Small Business Saturday” has since evolved into an annual event featuring tens of thousands of participating shops, restaurants and service providers throughout the country.
Small businesses are the lifeblood of Manassas and significantly contribute to this historic City’s modern beat. The revenues generated from these businesses are what helps enable the City to provide high-quality public services.
On Nov. 25, Historic Manassas Inc. will celebrate Small Business Saturday by “rolling out the blue carpet” for the local businesses. Events are planned throughout the morning to kick-off the local holiday season and discounts will be offered by many merchants. Come out on Saturday, November 25th and support the local small businesses of Historic Downtown Manassas on Shop Small Saturday!
Narcan is often used to "wash out" the effects of opioid use for someone who overdosed.
In the past year, 1,159 doses of the counteracting drug -- which is also an opioid -- were administered at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center to counteract the effects of heroin and other drugs.
That has prompted emergency department doctors Chinye Obidi to use words like "epidemic," and "overdose phenomenon."
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WOODBRIDGE -- Katey Gemmmell just wants you to STOP.
She's a registered nurse at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, and she's put together a new program called Project: STOP -- Speaking Out and Teaching Opioid Prevention.
On Thursday night, she'll join others at a community discussion held at the hospital on the epidemic that has become the opioid crisis not only in the U.S. but in our region.
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Forty-five years ago, Woodbridge looked like a different place.
"There was a little old house at the bottom of Jefferson Davis Highway and Opitz Boulevard where we bought chicken eggs. And there was probably two stoplights on all of two stop lights on Route 1 -- one at Marsumsco, and the other at Longview Drive," said Carol S. Shapiro, director of the Sentara Northern Virginia Wound Healing Center.
She was one of the founders of what was Potomac Hospital, which opened in 1972. On Thursday, the community gathered at what is today Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center to celebrate the hospital's anniversary during a celebration called "45 Years New."
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Good Morning Prince William â The Un-Trim-A-Tree Holiday Gift program is in full swing! We have 1,900 children available for adoption. Share the joy of the season by sponsoring a child and making their wishes come true. Youâll be given the two wishes for toys or clothes valued up to $75 for a little boy or girl up to 12 years old. These children live here in our community. Come join the fun. Please visit volunteerprincewilliam.org for more info and to download the donor form.
· Mark your calendars for the next Volunteer Mobilization Center Training on Saturday, December 9th, 9am-12noon at Volunteer Prince William. Come learn how to man the center to dispatch volunteers in the event of a disaster to best utilize time, talent and meet human needs. Please call Bonnie at (571) 292-5302 to learn more.
· Calling all adult service groups! - The Manassas Christmas Parade needs volunteer marshals to help on Saturday, December 2nd. This is a super fun event kicks off the 2017 Holiday Season in Old Town Manassas. Itâs just a couple of hours in the morning that is sure to put you in the spirit! This is the perfect opportunity for a large group as they need 40-50 volunteers! Please email Nora to learn more at [email protected].
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November is American Diabetes Management month and with more than 30 million people living with diabetes in the U.S., itâs no wonder the American Diabetes Association estimates at least seven million of those people, donât even realize theyâre living the disease.
Health organizations and those working within the field say the disease has reached epidemic portions. Itâs something the Sentara Diabetes Management Program team sees every day.
âThe numbers are increasing, both type one and two are on the rise,â says Registered Nurse and Certified Diabetes Educator Robyn Johanson, âIt is a chronic, lifelong illness that really requires the person to learn the skills to self-manage their diabetes. And with that, they need a lot of ongoing support and the necessary tools to do that successfully.â
Diabetes can be confusing
When you eat, your body turns food into sugars, or glucose. At that point, your pancreas is supposed to release insulin. Insulin serves as a âkeyâ to open your cells, to allow the glucose to enter — and allows you to use the glucose for energy. But with diabetes, this system does not work.
âDiabetes is a problem with your body using the sugar we need for energy, so someone with type one diabetes is unable to get that sugar out of their blood. People with type two, have a bit more difficulty doing so, because of a hormone called insulin. So type one needs to take insulin, because their body doesnât make any. Whereas type two diabetes, they tend to have trouble using that insulin. So clinically, itâs a lifelong management of controlling medicine, physical activity, healthy eating and monitoring blood sugar, as well,â explains Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator Abbie Chesterson.
For more than 30 years, the team at the Sentara Diabetes Management Program has been helping patients understand and learn to live with their disease.
âOur patients come to us through physician referrals. We are a group of nurses, dietitians and community health workers who follow a standard set of blood sugar targets for American Diabetes Educators,â explains Team Coordinator Genevieve Thompson.
Thompson, a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator, oversees the team made up of three full-time and three part-time employees. While the group gets referrals from area doctors, itâs up to the patients to show up and make the commitment to make some changes. But, admitting thereâs a problem can be overwhelming for some just learning they have the disease.
âPeople feel like they failed. Their pancreases failed, the person hasnât failed,â says Johanson. âWhen you say that to somebody, they feel a lot better because they blame themselves.â
Within the Sentara Health System, Northern Virginia has the largest diabetes management program. Not only is this a densely populated region, itâs culturally diverse and those different cultures bring different diabetes management challenges. The team has gone out into the community and sees the type of food which is traditional for each culture.
âWe individualize it. If someone comes in from a Middle Eastern country, we have a list of typical Middle Eastern foods that we can talk about, because maybe theyâre not going to have hamburger buns and French fries. We try to make it as beneficial to the patient as can be,â explains Chesterson.
Some symptoms of diabetes include frequent urination, excessive thirst, nerve sensation changes, blurry vision and slow healing. But, not everyone has those traditional warning signs, and thatâs why community health members go out to the public.
The program, along with a grant from the Potomac Health Foundation has started doing pre-diabetes screenings over the last three years, more than a thousand people have been screened.
âEarly care and detection is so important. The positive side, when you detect it early you can work at preventing the progression of type two diabetes,â explains Community Health Educator, Johanna Segovia, MPH.
Regardless of the type of diabetes, this group is committed to caring. The team wants to empower people so they can live their healthiest life while managing their disease.
âPatients shouldnât be afraid to reach out and get help. If theyâre struggling, we can get them back on track and offer support,â explains Thompson.
Adds Chesterson, âEducation is really important if you donât know what to do it’s going to be even harder, so learn what you can do. Thatâs why weâre here.â
âHaving a chronic disease is very stressful and once you are you in control of it, a lot of that stress goes away because youâre managing it. Itâs not managing you,â adds Johanson.
If you have any questions about managing your diabetes, finding a diabetes support group or learning more about the pre-diabetes program, call 703-523-0590 or email: [email protected].
During the holidays, the Historic Downtown of the City of Manassas becomes an iconic winter wonderland full of charm and excitement. As visitors wander down Center Street, the buildings are outlined in twinkling lights, shop windows are filled with homemade Gingerbread houses and one can smell the season in the air.
This holiday season; spend some time in Downtown Manassas. December 1 at 5:15 p.m., Santa Lights Manassas. Santa will arrive by VRE train to light the City. There will be hayrides, ice-skating, holiday performances and fun for the whole family.
December 2 brings the 72 nd Annual Greater Manassas Christmas Parade. More than 100 floats, dancers, marching bands and assorted characters will travel along Center Street, heralding in the season.
Visitors are invited to take in the holiday charm with free horse-drawn carriage rides on Dec. 3, 10 and 17. Shopping and dining in the Historic Downtown is sure to bring on the holiday cheer, especially with the new Secret Santa registry available in downtown stores. And, if thereâs someone on the list who is hard to buy for, why not get them a ManassasOpoly game.
For more information on these and other events in the City of Manassas, visit visitmanassas.org. Hope to see you around the City of Manassas.
When it comes to helping older adults remain in their homes, bathing can be a challenging issue. But Tessa Lamb of Home Instead Senior Care of Manassas and Herndon has found those concerns can be overcome with the right combination of compassion and experience.
Lamb has been working with seniors since 1996, as long as sheâs been a licensed practical nurse. During that time, she realized there are identifiable, key issues that impact bath time. By recognizing and addressing these concerns, home care providers can help their clients age with greater hope and success.
Respecting privacy and independence
Over the years, Lamb has worked with seniors aged 65 up to âthe beautiful young ageâ of 96 who wanted to age in place. That taught her the value of having a good relationship with her clients, she said.
âThey all cherish their independence,â she said. âGetting into and out of a shower can be difficult as we age and become less flexible. Many times requiring the standby assistance of a home health aid can be very daunting.â
At the same time, privacy is a key concern for clients. âThey have been taking care of themselves for over 60 or more years and now someone needs to help them shower,â she explained. âThis can be both frustrating and embarrassing.â
Neither giving nor receiving this kind of care is easy. Thatâs why cultivating a positive relationship is crucial to protect the dignity of those receiving care, as well as to enhance the quality of life for both seniors and their families throughout the caregiving experience.
Recognizing changes in sensory perception
As people age, the acuteness of the senses decreases, and that can have ramifications for both the person who is bathing and the person who is helping with the process. For example, Lamb pointed out, the ears serve two purposes â hearing and maintaining balance â so the loss of sensitivity affects balance as well as hearing. That can have a significant impact when it comes to bath time.
âIf your balance is off, you are not going to want to go onto a wet, slippery surface,â she said.
The same holds true when it comes to vision loss. âThe bathroom is a major fall risk area, and thus a very scary place for seniors,â Lamb explained.
Other senses also come into play. When the sense of touch changes, it can result in decreased temperature sensitivity. That means it can be difficult to tell the difference between water that is cool or cold and water that is hot or warm.
When the sense of smell is lessened, seniors might not be able to smell the odor of their body when they have not taken a shower in several days or weeks. Understanding these changes in sensory perception and how they affect a personâs ability or willingness to bathe can help offset concerns a senior may have when it comes to bath time.
Accounting for fatigue or dementia
Another factor that can impact the bathing process is the fatigue that can accompany many of the medical conditions or illnesses that seniors may develop. Even medications can cause people to become tired easily.
Helping bathe clients with dementia and memory impairment requires particular care, Lamb said. âIt is very, very important to establish a rapport, trust and a relationship with them before any major task can be performed,â she explained. âConsistency is also key because of the short-term memory loss.â
In Lambâs experience, a little bit of empathy goes a long way when it comes to overcoming the challenges surrounding bath time. âI recommend that you show seniors love, kindness, patience, respect â and allow them time,â she said. âGive them choices.â
Perhaps a client isnât up to a bath at a particular moment. Thatâs when a caregiver should offer alternatives, such as a sponge bath, a warm face cloth, a chair bath or even a bed bath. The bottom line is that there are many options. A good caregiver will understand and offer alternatives, while also respecting the clientâs concerns.
âThere is also the option of âjust not today,ââ Lamb said. âIt is more important to establish a relationship and build trust first than try to obtain the goal of a bath.â
For more information on Home Instead Senior Care in Manassas and to sign up for their newsletter with other helpful articles, visit their website.
Good Morning Prince William â Calling all adult service groups! - The Manassas Christmas Parade needs volunteer marshals to help on Saturday, December 2nd. This is a super fun event kicks off the 2017 Holiday Season in Old Town Manassas. Itâs just a couple of hours in the morning that is sure to put you in the spirit! This is the perfect opportunity for a large group as they need 40-50 volunteers! Please email Nora to learn more at [email protected].
· The Un-Trim-A-Tree Holiday Gift program is in full swing! Share the joy of the season by sponsoring a child and making their wishes come true. Youâll be given the 2 wishes for toys or clothes valued up to $75 for a little boy or girl up to 12 years old. These children live here in our community. Come join the fun. Please visit www.volunteerprincewilliam.org for more info and to download the donor form.
· Our Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is looking for empathetic volunteer age 55+ to assist as a Senior Link Volunteer. This position has flexible hours and can be done at either the ACTS Manassas or Dumfries locations. Duties include calling home-bound seniors to check on them. Training is provided by ACTS and is scheduled in December. Itâs a wonderful way to learn more about your community and reach vulnerable seniors. Please call Jan to learn more at 571-292-5307 to be part of the RSVP team.
· The Live Well Coalition invites you to the next Community Connection Breakfast on Tuesday, November 14th, 8:30-12 noon at the Manassas Park Community Center. Come learn from a panel of experts sharing their knowledge on Community Development, transportation, worksite wellness, eating healthy, healthy congregations and tobacco use prevention. Please visit: https://www.behealthybehappyprincewilliam.com to learn more.
· Donate your used sneakers to MADD! Gather up all those old sneakers from your family and friends and drop them off here at Volunteer Prince William â 9248 Center Street Manassas or bring them to the MADD Walk on November 11th at Burke Lake Park â Picnic Area A. please call Shelley at (571) 292-301 to learn more.
· Brain Injury Services is looking for a volunteer to organize and facilitate a monthly or quarterly get together at Jirani Coffeehouse in Manassas for individuals with brain injuries. Itâs a great opportunity for someone who has an interest in music, small group facilitation and working with people with disabilities. Please call Michelle at (703) 451-8881 ext. 232 to learn more.
· Project Mend-a-House is looking for volunteer leaders for their Chronic Disease Self-Management Program and Live Well with Diabetes Program. You donât need instructional or healthcare experience. Great training is provided to booster your good listening and facilitating skills. Please call Martha at (571) 264-8559 to learn more.
