Health and Medicine
Photo: VDH
A survey recently revealed that a third of parents are ready to have their 5 to 11 year olds inoculated with the COVID vaccine immediately – another third had more of a wait-and-see attitude. How the Virginia Department of Health might deal with that hesitancy, as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
Photo: Va Senate
Virginia Health Commissioner Norm Oliver has issued LewisGale Medical Center in Salem “a certificate of public need” to begin work on their neonatal intensive care unit. LewisGale has been seeking approval to provide intensive care unit level services to babies in Salem since 2011. State Senator David Suetterlein says that request was routinely denied through the regulatory process by Health Commissioners. Suetterlein introduced several bi-partisan bills in the past supporting a Neonatal ICU at LewisGale Medical Center
(release from Senator Suetterlein’s office) SALEM – Fewer Southwest Virginia mothers will be separated from their newborn children who need intensive care services after a big win in Richmond this morning. Virginia Health Commissioner Norm Oliver issued LewisGale Medical Center a certificate of public need to begin work on their neonatal intensive care unit.
“Mothers who delivered in Salem have been needlessly separated from their newborn babies needing intensive care unit services because Richmond wouldn’t grant a COPN to LewisGale. Today represents a great step in getting us closer to keeping mothers with their babies during such an important time,” said Virginia Senator David Suetterlein (R-Roanoke County).
In granting the COPN, Commissioner Oliver said, “The status quo is not an acceptable alternative, as it does not allow, in appropriate clinical circumstances, the reasonable operation of continuity of care and the provision of certain neonatal services conducive to promoting healthy outcomes for the mother-infant dyad; Approval of the project would reduce the frequency of unnecessary, disruptive and risky transport of certain pregnant women and infants that may be reasonably cared for at LewisGale Medical Center if the project would be approved.”
LewisGale has been seeking approval to provide intensive care unit level services to babies in Salem since 2011 and were routinely denied through the regulatory process by Health Commissioners. Senator Suetterlein introduced legislation in 2018 and 2020 that would have exempted a NICU at LewisGale from the COPN process. The first bill narrowly passed the Senate 20-19 only to be derailed in the House of Delegates.
In 2020, Suetterlein’s legislation passed the Senate 34-5 with bipartisan support and a coalition that included vocal support from Senators Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) and Jennifer Boysko (D-Loudoun) who are both mothers of children that received ICU services. Unfortunately the then newly installed Democratic majority on the House of Delegates’ Health, Welfare, and Institutions Subcommittee followed the advice of a Roanoke Democratic Delegate and it was defeated.
On August 24 of this year, LewisGale CEO Lance Jones and Suetterlein testified in support of the Salem NICU COPN at an “informal fact finding conference” in Richmond with Virginia Health Department officials that was cited in Commissioner Oliver’s decision today. “Mothers and babies have long deserved to have intensive care services in Salem and I am glad that we are one giant step closer to delivering these critical services,” said Suetterlein.
(from VDH) Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) will begin providing Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 on November 4, 2021 at the Community Vaccination Center (CVC), located at the former Sears location at Valley View Mall, located at 4812 Valley View Blvd., Roanoke, VA 24012. In addition to the CVC, this pediatric COVID-19 vaccine is also available at local pharmacies and some pediatric provider offices. During the initial roll-out of this pediatric vaccine at the CVC, appointments for this age group will be required.
More information on where to find a vaccine is available at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/roanoke/covid-vaccine/ and https://vaccinate.virginia.gov/ or by calling 877-VAX-IN-VA. Assistance is available in English, Spanish, and more than 100 other languages.
Updated COVID case numbers for the Near Southwest Region, which includes Carilion, Centra, LewisGale, Sovah Health, and the Salem VA Medical Center, as of today: there are 195 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 65 ICU patients. That compares to 231 that were hospitalized in the region a week ago for COVID – and more than 300 at the beginning of October.
MGN
(10/29 4pm) (ROANOKE, Va.) – This afternoon, the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD) announced that they learned that a third adult who was hospitalized with complications has died from hepatitis A. The RCAHD will disclose no further information about the individual to protect privacy and out of respect for the family.
“It is always with extreme sadness that we report the death of an individual,” said RCAHD health director, Cynthia Morrow, MD, MPH. “This heartbreaking loss of life illustrates how serious this outbreak is. Unfortunately, in this situation, we have seen many individuals experiencing severe disease, and in some cases, their symptoms have continued to progress over weeks.”
(earlier) The Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts announced today that a second adult who was hospitalized with complications from hepatitis A has died. This is tied to the Hepatitis A outbreak among people who ate at one of three Famous Anthony’s restaurants in August, when an employee there who had contracted “Hep A” was working. Health district director Dr. Cynthia Morrow said it was, quote, “devastating that we have seen a high rate of severe disease associated with this outbreak.” There are a total of 49 confirmed cases, including 31 hospitalizations. A small number of cases are still under investigation, and no new cases have been reported to the health districts this week. “We grieve the loss of this second individual, who was loved by friends and family,” said Morrow
Linda Kay Simmons-courtesy photo
A fictionalized memoir about a brother and sister who were raised in an abusive home – how it impacted their lives, and what readers might take away from it – is the subject of a new book from a Smith Mountain Lake author – who will sign copies this afternoon for a SARA-Roanoke fundraiser at the tail end of “Domestic Abuse Awareness Month.” WFIR’s Gene Marrano has more in this “Longer Listen” segment:
Click here to find out more about SARA-Roanoke
Photo: Virginia Tech
Confusion about the booster shots and about the efficacy of the COVID vaccines in general. One reason for the “vaccine hesitancy” that has led to protests over mandates and people fired for not being vaccinated? – a lack of clear messaging admits one health district director. The story from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Photo: VDH
(Statement from Virginia State Vaccination Liaison Dr. Danny Avula on CDC Recommendation of Moderna, J&J Booster Doses and ‘Mixing and Matching’) (Richmond, Va.) – On October 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced recommendations for booster shots for certain people who previously received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson/Janssen (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines. Virginians will be able to receive boosters for Moderna and J&J beginning today.
For individuals who received either a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, a single booster is recommended at least six months after completion of their initial series for those populations who are 65 years of age and older, those living in long-term care facilities, and those 18 years of age and up who are at increased risk due to underlying medical conditions or where they work or live. A single booster is recommended at least two months after completion of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines for those 18 years of age and up.
The CDC also announced that there are now booster recommendations for all three available vaccines in the United States. Those individuals eligible for a booster vaccine may choose which vaccine to receive as their booster. Further guidance from the CDC in the coming days to help individuals understand these recommendations is expected.
The following statement is from Virginia’s State Vaccination Liaison Dr. Danny Avula, MD, MPH.
“VDH has been working with our vaccination partners — pharmacies, healthcare providers, hospitals and other institutions — to prepare for the booster rollout. In addition to these vaccination partners, Community Vaccination Centers (CVCs) are strategically located across the Commonwealth to ensure Virginians will be able to access a booster dose when it’s recommended. The move by the CDC to allow vaccine recipients to ‘mix and match’ vaccines for their boosters gives Virginians another level of choice in protecting themselves from COVID-19.
“If you decide to get a booster dose by mixing and matching, VDH urges you to consult with your doctor or healthcare provider who can assist you in making the best decision for your own situation. We also stress that all three vaccines authorized for administration in the United States are highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 illness, hospitalization and death.”