The Port of Virginia® continues processing record-setting amounts of cargo having handled nearly 318,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in July and in doing so making it the most productive July in the port’s history.

July’s TEU total was ahead of the same month last year by more than 24,500 units, or 8.4 percent. Additionally, July was the fourth consecutive month of TEU volumes exceeding 317,000 units. The combined volume of April, May, June and July is 1.3 million TEUs, resulting in the busiest four-month stretch in port history. Comparatively, the total TEU volume for the same period in 2021 was 1.17 million TEUs, a difference of more than 10 percent.

Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, is expecting business to remain strong during the peak retail months leading up to the holiday season. This, he said, will position the port to have its best calendar year performance on record.

“We’ve brought on 10 new vessel services in the last 12 months and five of those in the last five months, so our growth is attributable to the reworked [and new] ship line services that are calling here and our efficiency is the result of an experienced team maximizing modern terminals,” Edwards said. “What we are seeing is growing interest from ship lines and cargo owners that are working to restore some predictability and reliability to their vessel services and supply chains. We have a proven track-record of success in what remains a challenging trade environment and the result is growth at The Port of Virginia.”

August Cargo Snapshot (2022 vs. 2021)

• Total TEUs – 317,691, up 8.4%
• Loaded Export TEUs – 85,170, up 5.1%
• Loaded Import TEUs – 149,829, up 4.8%
• Total Containers – 176,441, up 7.4%
• Total Rail Containers – 59,143, up 2.6%
• Total Truck Containers – 109,089, up 9.1%
• Total Barge Containers – 8,209, 24.3%

The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VPA owns and, through its private operating subsidiary Virginia International Terminals, LLC (VIT), operates four general cargo facilities: Norfolk International Terminals, Portsmouth Marine Terminal, Newport News Marine Terminal and the Virginia Inland Port in Warren County. The VPA leases Virginia International Gateway and Richmond Marine Terminal. A recent economic impact study from The College of William and Mary shows that The Port of Virginia helps to create nearly 437,000 jobs, and generates more than $100 billion in total economic impact throughout the Commonwealth on an annual basis.

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Northwestern Crisis Intervention Team Assessment Center or CITAC, is celebrating three years of collaboration between the Community Services Board, Local Law Enforcement Agencies, and Valley Health. This collaboration with local Law Enforcement Agencies in our catchment area, began as state and local agencies listened to the needs of the communities and rose to fill a need for those experiencing a Mental Health Crisis. Woodstock Police Chief Chris Baker stated, “With the implementation of CITAC, our community members who suffer from mental illness have been afforded a higher level of care that is immediate and designed to meet them where they are.”

CITAC aims to streamline the process of involuntary detention and preadmission screening in a number of ways to reduce burden on the client, law enforcement, the hospital Emergency Department, and CSB personnel. CITAC provides a client centered environment while facilitating transfer of custody in order to allow local law enforcement to return to duties in the community.

CITAC is staffed by Northwestern Community Services Board as well as area or local Law Enforcement Agencies in the area. Law Enforcement Officers who sign up for shifts at CITAC must be trained through the Crisis Team Intervention Program. This 40-hour training is a collaboration of twenty-one Law Enforcement Agencies, Mental Health Advocacy groups, and Non-Profit Community Service Organizations.

For more information regarding CIT Training, reach out to Donna Trillio at 540-536-2422 or via email at dtrillio@nwcsb.com.

You can also find more information about Virginia’s CIT Programs at: https://virginiacit.org.

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Fauquier Health announced today that Rebecca Segal, FACHE, has been named its new chief executive officer (CEO), effective September 6. She joins Fauquier from Rutherford Regional Health System (RRHS), a Duke LifePoint facility in Rutherfordton, NC, where she has served as CEO since 2017. Segal replaces Tony Young, who has been serving as interim CEO at Fauquier for the past several months.

“We are delighted to welcome Rebecca to Warrenton,” said Steve Wojcik, Chair of the Board of Trustees for Fauquier Health. “She is a Virginia native who is familiar with our region and passionate about its health. She also is a proven leader with the skill set to lead Fauquier Health and expand the services and quality care provided to our region. We thank Tony for his service and look forward to the future with Rebecca’s leadership.”

Rebecca Segal, FACHE, will officially become the new CEO of Fauquier Health effective September 6, 2022.

A strategic healthcare leader with more than a decade of hospital operations experience, Segal joins Fauquier after a five-year tenure as CEO at Rutherford Regional Health System (RRHS). During Segal’s time at RRHS, the hospital made strides in physician recruitment, expanding access to primary and specialty care through their region, and in employee engagement and patient safety and experience. The facility also had improvements in quality outcomes and reductions in preventable harms. Segal also oversaw a $17M master facility renovation plan during her time at RRHS.

Prior to RRHS, Segal served as chief operating officer of Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, a LifePoint Health facility in Somerset, Ky., and as assistant administrator for two other LifePoint facilities in Virginia and West Virginia and has been in the industry since 2001.

“I look forward to joining Fauquier Health and to serving the employees, patients and community in Warrenton,” said Segal. “Being from Virginia, coming to Fauquier is a homecoming for me and I am excited to get to know the team and work towards advancing the care and services we provide here and fulfilling our mission of Making Communities Healthier.”

Segal earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., and a Master of Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. In 2017, she was named one of Becker’s Hospital Review’s “Rising stars: 60 healthcare leaders under 40.” She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS).

About Fauquier Health

Fauquier Health is a community health system dedicated to high-quality, patient-centered care in a unique environment that considers the multiple facets of healing and respects the individuality of each and every patient. Located at 500 Hospital Drive in Warrenton, Virginia, Fauquier Health serves the residents of Fauquier and several surrounding counties. It comprises: Fauquier Hospital, a fully-accredited, 97-bed hospital; Fauquier Health Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, a 113-bed long-term care and rehabilitation facility; the Villa at Suffield Meadows, an assisted living facility; the Wound Health Center and a medically supervised Wellness Center offering health and wellness programs.  Fauquier Health also operates nine physician’s offices, including primary care and specialties. More information on Fauquier Health is available online at FauquierHealth.org or by calling 540-316-5000.

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When Tom McMillen discusses college sports and legalized gambling, he’s straightforward about his concern. He fears a game-fixing scandal that would shake the confidence of fans across the country.

“I would say 99 percent of the sports-betting scandals that have occurred had been in the college market,” said McMillen, a former U.S. Congressman and basketball All American at the University of Maryland.

Two of the most high-profile betting scandals in sports history have occurred at the college level. Boston College’s basketball program was ensnared in point-shaving controversy in the 1978-1979 season. In the 1950-51 season, City College of New York (CCNY) and at least six other schools were involved in a notorious incident involving players being paid to throw games.

With legal betting now an option for most fans, “I think there’s just that general fear that college kids could be exploited in this environment,” said McMillen, now CEO of LEAD1, an organization that represents athletic directors and programs of the Football Bowl Subdivision,

Sports fans generally welcome sports betting, according to a recent poll conducted by the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, in collaboration with the university’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement and The Washington Post.

However, a survey of 1,503 people found less support for betting on college sports compared to betting on professional sports. In the Povich Center-CDCE-Post survey, 66% of respondents approved of legalized betting on professional sports. Just 55% supported legal betting on college sports.

Ryan Ridgeway, a 30-year-old warehouse worker from Laurel, Maryland, supports betting on professional sports but is wary about college sports because of the varying player finances.

“At the professional level, they’re already getting paid millions of dollars, I feel like they’d be less likely to throw a game,” he said. “Since [college athletes aren’t] getting paid millions of dollars, they have more of an incentive to throw a game.”

Richael Faithful, a consultant who lives in the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, DC., also expressed reservations.

“My concerns there are that betting will continue to influence how college officials and the college regulatory bodies treat student-athletes,” they said.

Of the 30 states and D.C. that have passed legalized sports betting laws, 18 have some level of restriction on gambling on college sports. Virginia does not permit in-state betting on college sports. To place a bet on the University of Virginia or Virginia Tech requires crossing a state line into Maryland or West Virginia, for instance. In Maryland, wagering on both college and pro sports is permitted is only permitted at retail locations.

The ubiquity of mobile betting is a concern of gambling-addiction experts. Dr. Deborah Haskins, the President of the Maryland Council on Problem Gambling, said that being able to place bets on a cell phone lowers the barriers for gamblers, particularly those prone to compulsive behavior.

“If they’re betting electronically, they can stay in the game longer,” she said. “You’re seeing more people who are experiencing negative harms from gambling because now they can literally stay in the game 24/7.

“Gambling beyond your means economically … you’re spending more and more beyond what your budget is,” she said, adding that compulsive gamblers sometimes resort to drastic measures like using mortgage and rent money for gambling,” Haskins added.

In the Povich Center-CDCE-Post poll, concerns about sports gambling among younger fans was evident. Sixty-eight percent of respondents supported a minimum betting age of 21, compared to just 32% that supported a minimum age of 18.

Twenty-four states set their minimum gambling age to 21, with six states and Washington D.C. dropping it to 18. In Virginia and Maryland, the minimum age to gamble is 21.

In the poll, 20% of sports fans said they had bet on pro sports in the past five years compared to 17% of all respondents, Regarding college sports, only eleven percent of sports fans said they had bet in the last five years compared to nine percent of all respondents.

By Varun Shankar
The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism

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Nurses at Fauquier Health continue to be honored with The DAISY Team Award For Extraordinary Nurses. The DAISY award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

Kari Schwind, RN, is seen here with Dr. Christine Hart Kress, CNO, after being nominated as Quarter 2 DAISY Award Winner in 2022.

We are proud to announce that the second quarter DAISY Team award recipient for 2022 is Registered Nurse (RN), Kari Schwind. Kari works in Outpatient Special Procedures department as an Interventional Radiology RN. She received several strong nominations from her patients. Her nominations showcased the level of dedication and compassion she provides to her patients.

One nomination from a patient commented, “Kari embraced me with her warming smile. She was so caring and compassionate and made me feel comfortable and relaxed. She touched my heart by sharing her very own private story that day when I was so scared and nervous of what was to come next.” The patient went on to comment that Kari was the best registered nurse they ever had.

Another nomination that Kari received was a true testament to her ability to care for our patients. The patient commented on how Kari exceeded expectations, “[Kari] transmits confidence and professionalism in all she does, but it was her kind heart and dedication to her patients on that day that she was able to transform a potentially negative situation (my nervousness and anxiety) into the possible best outcome.”

Kari Schwind, RN, DAISY Award winner for Quarter 2, 2022 at Fauquier Health, had the opportunity to sign the banner that will hang permanently in the hospital for all to see.

During the surprise presentation ceremony, the hallway in the Outpatient Special Procedures department was lined with fellow team members and leadership who came to applaud Kari and congratulate her.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

Kari Schwind, RN, celebrates with fellow team members to accept her winning nominations.

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses has been adopted by healthcare facilities around the world to celebrate nurses for their extraordinary care and compassion. The DAISY Team Award is for nurse-led teams of two or more who come together to solve a specific situation by going above and beyond. Nursing teams may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues, and they are chosen by a committee of nurses at Fauquier Health to receive The DAISY Team Award. The DAISY Team Award is presented by Nursing Leadership at a surprise presentation. The DAISY Award winner receives a certificate commending them for being an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are and the incredibly meaningful difference your teamwork makes in the lives of so many people.”  The DAISY Award winner also receives a specially engraved plaque engraved with the name of the Team.

To honor these special nurses at Fauquier Health, a banner has been hung in the hallway for all to see. Each DAISY Nurse will have the opportunity to sign the banner recognizing them for their commitment and dedication. For a complete listing of healthcare organizations currently running the program, please go to DAISYfoundation.org.

Kari Schwind, RN, proudly held up her banner. Accompanying her, from left to right, was, Sean Thomson (CFO), Kevin Sale (COO), Christine Hart Kress (CNO), Rich Pinson (Director of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Services), and Anthony Young (interim-CEO).

The DAISY Award and DAISY Team Award are initiatives of The DAISY Foundation in service to the nursing profession.  Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, The DAISY Faculty Award to honor inspiring faculty members in schools and colleges of nursing, and The DAISY in Training Award for nursing students. More information is available at DAISYfoundation.org.

About Fauquier Health

Fauquier Health is a community health system dedicated to high-quality, patient-centered care in a unique environment that considers the multiple facets of healing and respects the individuality of each and every patient. Located at 500 Hospital Drive in Warrenton, Virginia, Fauquier Health serves the residents of Fauquier and several surrounding counties. It comprises: Fauquier Hospital, a fully-accredited, 97-bed hospital; Fauquier Health Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, a 113-bed long-term care and rehabilitation facility; the Villa at Suffield Meadows, an assisted living facility; the Wound Health Center and a medically supervised Wellness Center offering health and wellness programs.  Fauquier Health also operates nine physician’s offices, including primary care and specialties. More information on Fauquier Health is available online at FauquierHealth.org or by calling 540-316-5000.

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An Algal Mat Alert has been issued for the North Fork Shenandoah River for the Town of Strasburg. The alert area begins above the town at approximately Route 644 (Deep Hollow Lane), to include the Deer Rapids Road Bridge, to below the town at approximately Route 611 (Long Meadow Road), for a total of approximately 11.5 miles. Potentially toxic algae mats could be widespread or patchy in areas within this vicinity. Recreational use may continue providing those using the waterway take caution to avoid contact with the algae mats. If mats appear unavoidable in an area, the public should discontinue recreational activities there.

Algal Mat Alert signs have been posted near the boat ramp at Deer Rapids and at public access points along the North Fork Shenandoah River in Strasburg. The area of the river where algal mats have been investigated can be seen on the interactive Harmful Algal Bloom Map.

While this alert applies to this particular area, everyone is reminded to avoid areas in any natural waterway that have algal mats or discolored, scummy water. People should also avoid allowing their pets to swim in areas where mat material is observed. Contact with these mats may cause skin rash and gastrointestinal illnesses, such as upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If mats are producing toxins, consumption of mats could be fatal to dogs and other animals when ingested. Sadly, animal deaths may occur suddenly following exposure. Humans should never consume water or material from a natural waterbody because this water is not treated water and is not suitable for consumption.

Although cyanotoxins were either below or just above detection in water samples tested from these locations, it is important to remember that toxin concentrations within the mats may be much more highly concentrated than those that may be in the water column. Avoiding contact with mats should avoid the release of toxins to the water, if mats are producing them.

VDH has observed no evidence of impacts to drinking water at this time. The Office of Drinking Water is working with drinking water utilities to protect drinking water sources.

The North Fork of the Shenandoah River is a popular local recreation area for boating, swimming and fishing. Please look for Algal Mat Alert signs posted along the river shoreline at public access points and observe the advisory precautions. Recreational uses may continue provided proper caution to avoid mats is observed. It is best to ensure pets, livestock and horses do not have access to this section of the river when mats are present.

Algae blooms can occur when warm water and nutrients combine to make conditions favorable for algae growth. Most algae species are harmless, however, some species may produce irritating compounds or toxins. Avoid discolored water, scums or mat material that are green or bluish-green because they are more likely to contain toxins.

To prevent illness, people should:

• Avoid contact with mats which may be present in North Fork Shenandoah River above and below the Town of Strasburg.
• If mats are unavoidable, do not attempt to recreate in the waterbody.
• WHEN IN DOUBT, KEEP PEOPLE AND PETS OUT! Use your best judgment before recreating in natural waterbodies.
• Do not allow children or pets to drink from natural bodies of water or consume material in the water or along the shoreline.
• Keep small children, pets, and livestock out of the areas experiencing an Algal Mat Alert. They do not understand the risks associated with mats and may drink river water or consume mats which could cause illness.
• If you or your animals experience symptoms after swimming in or near the area under an Algal Mat Alert, seek medical/veterinarian care. You may also contact your local poison control center.
• Additional resources for pet owners and veterinarians are available from the CDC at www.cdc.gov/habs
• To ensure fish filets are safe to eat, properly clean fish by removing skin, discarding all internal organs, and cooking fish to the proper temperature.
• To view the Algal Mat Alert area, view the HAB Map online or the Algal Mat Status Report for the North Fork Shenandoah River 8.5.22.
• To report an algae bloom or fish kill, use the online report form.
• If you suspect you or your animal experienced health-related effects following exposure to a bloom, contact the Virginia Harmful Algal Bloom Hotline at 1-888-238-6154. Please do not call this number for updates on sampling or status reports.

The Virginia Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force, which includes the Virginia Department of Health, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Old Dominion University Phytoplankton Analysis Lab, will continue to monitor mats in the river. In general, Algal Mat Alerts may be lifted following two consecutive observations where mats are not widespread and unavoidable and preferably, as resources allow, when water column cell counts and toxin concentrations are below safe swimming thresholds. An Algal Mat Alert may also be lifted or maintained at the discretion of the health department. For example, after one test an advisory may be lifted if results are within safe levels for swimming if other information indicates exposure or human health risk is low.

For more information about harmful algae blooms, Algal Mat Advisories and Recreational Water Advisories visit www.SwimHealthyVA.com.

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