Gov. Ralph Northam recently announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Virginia to receive three Battelle Critical Care Decontamination Systems (CCDS) that can collectively sterilize up to 240,000 units of personal protective equipment (PPE) per day for reuse. The three systems will be operational in the Town of Blacksburg, the City of Newport News, and Chesterfield County within the middle of May. The Battelle CCDS uses a concentrated hydrogen peroxide vapor to decontaminate N95 masks, which can sustain up to 20 decontamination cycles without degrading filtration performance. This technology will help address the national shortage of critical PPE…
Browsing: Health
Brown gets a playful rub from Sara Babb. (Dianne Merryman) When Chesterfield resident Sara Babb discovered she could intertwine her career in social work and counseling with her love of horses, she jumped at the chance to combine both of her passions. So she started a nonprofit: emPOWER Equine Assisted Services. The program uses horses as part of a team to help people find understanding, solutions and empowerment in their daily lives. Each session tells a story about how the client is feeling and what is influencing his or her behavior. Influences may be recent or an expression of a…
Amanda Moody and Frances Murphy are training for the Chicago Marathon. (Ellie Browning photo) Accumulating miles on foot around Chester is just one small task for two friends who have decided to prepare for the Chicago Marathon. Chesterfield resident Frances Murphy is running to raise funds for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Murphy’s friend Amanda Moody will be running to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society because her husband, Art, suffers from Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Murphy originally found her passion for running over 25 years ago from a friend, but she recently began showing her support as a marathoner for the…
Tabatha F. Mitchell is the new admissions nurse at Crater Community Hospice. The Chesterfield resident is a graduate of the Bon Secours Memorial School of Nursing. (Courtesy photo)
Alicia Amsler Models are pictured during a previous Runway 2 Life event. (Instagram) Alicia Amsler knows far more about mental illness and depression than she ever thought she would need to know. She knows the statistics like the back of her hand, but the real gem in a conversation with her is her passion for helping people who have thoughts about suicide. In 2012, Amsler, owner of Alicia’s Salon and Day Spa at 6241 Centralia Road in the Chesterfield Meadows Shopping Center, lost one of her employees to suicide. A year later she lost a dear friend to suicide. At…
Private water sources like wells and springs are unregulated in Virginia, but Chesterfield County is offering homeowners an affordable opportunity to find out what’s in their water. Chesterfield’s Cooperative Extension Office is offering confidential water testing and education through the Virginia Household Water Quality Program. Water sample kits are available to residents of Chesterfield and surrounding counties at a cost of $60 per kit. Samples are collected by homeowners and analyzed for 14 parameters including bacteria, metals, nitrate and hardness. Testing results are kept strictly confidential and are reported only to the homeowner. Recommendations for water system care and maintenance…
The Chesterfield Health District is investigating an increase in the number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease. Since May 1, there have been 11 confirmed cases among older adults and persons with medical conditions. Legionella bacteria has been found at the U.S. Defense Supply Center, Falling Creek Middle School, Reynolds Metal Co., Johnston-Willis Hospital, Ice Zone and two schools in the Midlothian area, Midlothian Middle and Greenfield Elementary, according to the Chesterfield County Department of Health. Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia (lung infection) caused by Legionella bacteria, which naturally occurs in lakes and streams. Legionella can become a health…
Chris Accashian, Bon Secours St. Francis CEO It looks as if Chester may finally be getting an emergency room. Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center received notice that a Certificate of Public Need application it filed with the state last October was approved May 21. “We’re absolutely thrilled this was approved,” Bon Secours CEO Chris Accashian said last week. He thanked the Chesterfield County Fire and EMS and members of the public who helped by submitting public comments in favor of the application. Thirty-nine people submitted letters in support of the application, according to Bon Secours spokeswoman Jenna Green. “We’re…
Meadowbrook High student Liz Hernandez helped plant broccoli and cabbage at Shalom Farms, 2676 Venita Road, on April 25. She was part of Gwendolyn Goode’s Family and Consumer Science class. Students studied the roles of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and the importance of good nutrition. “It was such a rewarding experience,” Goode said. Locals interested in helping can email [email protected].
June Peat (Radiant Snapshots photo)June Peat hiked at the Grand Canyon. Peat’s dog Honey walks too. June Peat has been virtually walking for nearly 12 years, and she enjoys it. In the summer of 2007, Peat and her family took their usual trip to Duck, N.C. “We were on the beach, and I looked so horrible in a bathing suit that I decided I needed to do something,” the 75-year-old said. That July, Peat began walking, and she hasn’t stopped. At the time, Peat worked for Lucy Corr, and Chesterfield County’s Government Center Trail system was new. “My daughter, Beth,…