McDonnell touts $100M additional investment in education in new state budget

AFP

Surrounded by students, legislators, business leaders, and presidents of public and private colleges and universities statewide, Gov. Bob McDonnell today announced his proposed new higher education funding package which includes $100 million per year to prepare Virginians for top jobs, boost job-creating research and innovation, make college degrees more affordable for students, and advance toward…

Jon O’Brien: President Obama, don’t turn your back on women

AFP

When healthcare reform was first proposed, you promised the American people that under your administration we wouldn’t lose the healthcare coverage we already had if we were happy with it. You said that we would get the healthcare coverage we wanted and needed. You promised that you would make decisions based on science and medically…

Pilot line for new PGI technology is located at Waynesboro plant

AFP

Polymer Group Inc. today unveiled a new platform technology to produce nonwovens containing submicron fibers that can deliver improved performance properties for healthcare, industrial, filtration and new emerging market applications. PGI’s proprietary Arium™ technology produces a matrix of fibers predominately sized under one micron in diameter. “Arium is a completely new technology platform for the…

Hospital opens Staunton Outpatient Center

Chris Graham

Augusta Health will open the Staunton Outpatient Center—a facility that will include an urgent care clinic, a laboratory and imaging services in one location—at 851 Statler Boulevard in February 2012. The urgent care clinic will be open seven days a week and staffed by Augusta Health Emergency Department physicians to treat acute illnesses, acute injuries…

Augusta Health breaks ground on new heart and vascular center

Chris Graham

Augusta Health broke ground today for its new Heart and Vascular Center, a four-story, 67,500 square foot addition.  The construction project will also include renovations to 19,000 square feet in the existing hospital.  The project budget of $30.6 million will be funded through reserves; no money will be borrowed to finance the project. “This is…

Staunton wins national award for development brochure

AFP

The Staunton Department of Economic Development received an Excellence in Economic Development Award for its Economic Development Recruitment/Quality of Life Brochure in the category of General Purpose Brochure for communities with populations of less than 25,000 from the International Economic Development Council. The honor was presented at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, September 20 during…

Free clinics see uptick in visits

AFP

The Virginia Association of Free Clinics reported a sharp 11 percent increase in the annual number of state residents seeking healthcare services from member clinics. The free clinics now serve 80,254 patients on an annual basis, compared with 72,191 in fiscal year 2010. The total number of patient visits for 2011 was 388,786. The Association…

Telemedicine grant to improve health-care access

AFP

To help patients in the Mid-Atlantic states access specialty care and reduce the burden of travel for healthcare, the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth will collaborate with a coalition of healthcare providers to expand telemedicine services with support from a federal grant. This month, the UVA Center for Telehealth was awarded a nearly $1…

Psychology office relocates in Harrisonburg

Chris Graham

Commonwealth Psychological Services, PLC (CPS) and CPS NeuroCare, LLC, has responded to increased requests for services adding additional staff and relocating from its former 900 square foot office on Blue Stone Hills Drive to a 3200 square foot office on Neff Avenue. Staff additions include Dr. Rowland Shank, Jr., PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist from…