health department

Legislative Lookback: What Arlington’s State Delegates Accomplished This Year

By Airey
1/5

Arlington’s representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates say they tackled a host of important issues, from criminal justice reform to LGBT parental rights to public health, during this year’s legislative session.

The county is represented in the state House by four elected officials — Democrats Mark Levine, Patrick Hope, Richard “Rip” Sullivan, and Alfonso H. Lopez — all of whom are up for re-election this year.

This year’s session began on January 9 and ended February 23. Here are what the delegates told ARLnow were their biggest legislative accomplishments in that time.

Del. Patrick Hope

Hope has represented Arlington in the House since 2010 and currently faces no Democratic challengers in his campaign for reelection. He says he introduced 12 bills during this year’s session, nine of which passed.

He told ARLnow that it’s difficult to choose his favorite because “I treat all my bills like my children,” but narrowed down his three biggest accomplishments in an email:

1) HB 2384 — making all Virginia schools 100 percent tobacco/nicotine free. This is significant because Big Tobacco has opposed such efforts in the past. It also is a sign that the tide is turning to recognize the dangers of cigarettes and vaping on children.

2) HB 1642 — requiring the Dept. of Corrections (DOC) to collect/report data on inmates in solitary confinement. I’ve been working with DOC for years to get the number of inmates in solitary down. We’ve decreased the number by more than 70 percent. This data collection effort will help us figure out who remains, why they are there, and if we can provide additional mental health resources to get them out.

3) HB 1933 — allow jails to treat people with serious mental illness who are unable to give consent. Current law requires that these individuals be sent to an inpatient hospital setting (mental health institution). This is part of a series of laws I’ve passed to allow treatment to occur in an outpatient or other appropriate setting in order to free up more inpatient psychiatric beds.

Del. Alfonso Lopez

Lopez is Democratic co-whip in the House of Delegates. He has served as a delegate since 2012, but now faces a challenger in J.D. Spain for his campaign for re-election this year.

Spain is a Marine Corps veteran who leads the local NAACP chapter and has said he wanted to “sharply draw a contrast” between his and Lopez’s stances on housing affordability and the achievement gap.

Lopez told ARLnow about his biggest wins this year in Richmond in an email:

  1. Successfully Increased Funding for Affordable Housing. In 2013, my legislation created the Virginia Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Over the years the Trust Fund has become one of the major vehicles for addressing housing instability and homelessness prevention in the Commonwealth […] This year, working with the Governor’s office, we were able to secure an additional $7 million in total revenue for the Trust Fund — increasing the biennial budget amount to $18 million (far above typical appropriations)! This is a great step forward in our efforts to help Virginia families. That being said, I believe that we must do a great deal more to address affordable housing in every corner of the Commonwealth […]
  2. Driver’s License Suspensions. After working on this issue for several years, I was very proud that the General Assembly finally ended drivers license suspensions for individuals who have served their time, but are unable to pay court fines and/or fees (over 600,000 Virginians are hurt by this outdated policy). […] When a person’s driver’s license is suspended, they may face a difficult dilemma: obey the suspension and potentially lose their ability to provide for their families, or drive anyway and face further punishment — or even imprisonment — for driving under a suspended license. I am very happy that this misguided policy has finally been overturned with bipartisan support. This ends what I’ve often referred to as a modern day debtor’s prison […]
  3. Military ID & Passport Security. Before this session, there was no provision in state law that mandated immediate notification to people whose passport or military ID numbers were stolen in an online security breach. This left the information of many Virginians (especially in our area) at significant risk. I’m proud to have introduced and passed a bill, HB 2396, that fixes this glaring hole in the law. Virginia will now require that Passport and military ID information have the same protections as bank information and social security numbers.

(more…)

Progressive Voice: Help Pave the Road to Resilience Among Arlington Youth

By Progressive Voice

Progressive Voice is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations or ARLnow.com.

By Sheila Fleischhacker

“I don’t have any friends.”

“My teachers don’t understand me.”

“The system is rigged so I won’t get in a good college and we can’t afford it.”

Unfortunately, many Arlington youth feel overly anxious or depressed, as they struggle to juggle friendships, academics, athletics and family in our fast-moving, high-expectations world. And, far too many struggle with difficulties like having enough food to eat, housing instability, discrimination of different types and other social concerns.

To address these issues, stakeholders, including Arlington Public Schools, Arlington County staff, and the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families (APCYF), are seeking innovative strategies to identify and support mental health issues facing our young people. But the scale of the problems, coupled with limited available resources, means that we need additional help. We are looking for volunteers to join the partnership in this journey.

Supporting our youth is not a job solely for mental health professionals. APCYF advocates for additional mental health school staff, educates the public on recognizing signs and symptoms of mental illness, and directs families to culturally relevant sources of support.

Arlington is similar to other parts of the country in terms of the prevalence of depression and the factors that may exacerbate its primary symptoms (sadness, irritability, crying and changes in appetite). Indeed, one out of three students in Arlington high schools reported feeling sad or hopeless for two or more consecutive weeks during the prior year, according to the findings from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). And, 6 percent of high school students reported that they attempted suicide during the same time period. Self-reported experiences of depression and thinking about suicide were higher for girls in middle and high school.

The survey highlighted disparities across racial groups, with Latino youth reporting a higher incidence of depression and attempted suicide, and LGBTQ+ youth reporting higher rates of depressive symptoms. Similar to national data, only 30 percent of Arlington youth reporting depressive symptoms said they received the help they needed; black and Asian students reported that they received little to no help. According to ACPYF member Dr. Alfiee M. Breland-Noble, a nationally recognized expert on adolescent depression, “Depression is a universal illness that does not discriminate, but one that has racial disparities in terms of who gets care.”

APS is a valuable partner for increasing access to mental health care and these investments have positive impacts on educational outcomes. Increasing student and staff awareness about mental illness is decreasing stigma and fostering stronger relationships among students, between students and staff, and between staff and mental health allies outside the school system. As one example, Arlington’s Behavioral Health Bureau now offers same-day access to family mental health services.

Emotional and psychological trauma resulting from a one-off event (e.g., date rape) or ongoing events such as child abuse and neglect can induce depressive symptoms. The physiological impacts are not something that many youth can “just get over.” APCYF advocates for improved coordination across the school, county, and other mental health allies. The aim is an approach that teaches all involved to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma; integrates that knowledge into policies, procedures, and practices; and actively resists re-traumatization of our youth.

More than 900 APS staff have been trained in recognizing potential mental health concerns. Recently, APS introduced the “SOS Signs of Suicide” program for eighth and tenth graders to teach teens that depression is a treatable illness, equip them to respond to a friend with suicidal thoughts and provide depression screening for all eighth grade students.

APCYF is also working on prevention, including identifying best practices to build resilience among our youth to help them deal with difficult events that can change their lives. Please consider ways you can partner with us in furthering our research, engagement and advocacy. Learn more by attending our meetings and the Mental Health Roundtable Subcommittee meetings, whose work includes directing youth, families and communities to much needed resources.

Sheila Fleischhacker is the Chair of the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families. Dr. Fleischhacker is a nutrition scientist and public health lawyer with more than 15 years of experience working in academic, government and non-government sectors to strengthen the role of law and policy approaches to improve healthy eating, particularly among high risk, underserved communities. She is the mother of two children living in Alcova Heights. 

Legal Review: Lawsuit Seeks to Hold Atrium Health in Violation of Federal Employment Law

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

By ERISA violation attorney J. Price McNamara of the Law Offices of J. Price McNamara

A lawsuit filed in North Carolina is asking the court to find Atrium Health in violation of federal rules governing retirement and health benefits. The lawsuit, which was filed by five former employees of Atrium, alleges that Atrium has been avoiding its responsibilities to its employees regarding pension funding and has been using its partial ownership of a health insurance company to force its employees to pay more for care, both of which are violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA.

The purpose of ERISA is twofold: protect employees by ensuring that certain aspects of employer benefits are subject to disclosure and monitoring by the federal government and providing employers with a set of rules within which to operate without fear of governmental overreaching. ERISA only applies to private entities; governmental entities are exempt from ERISA, the reason being that governmental entities are subject to mandatory disclosure and oversight.

“The two biggest areas where disagreements arise are pensions and health insurance,” said J. Price McNamara, an ERISA Violation attorney with the Law Offices of J. Price McNamara in New Orleans, Louisiana. The lawsuit in question deals with each of those areas.

The first is that because Atrium is subject to ERISA, it has violated the law by underfunding its defined benefit plan by $379 million. Defined benefit plans are better known as pensions; amounts paid by an employer to a retired employee based on years of service, not based upon any amount contributed by the employee.

Additionally, Atrium has failed to purchase insurance for its pension plan through the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the government entity responsible for administering the pension plans of failed or bankrupt companies, another violation of the law.

Finally, the lawsuit contends that Atrium violates ERISA by requiring five years of service before allowing employees to participate in the pension and retirement plans; entities subject to ERISA can keep employees out no longer than three years.

The second area where the lawsuit claims Atrium to be in violation of ERISA is with regard to health insurance. ERISA prevents most employers from using companies that they own to provide health benefits to employees unless the employer can show to the Department of Labor that the health benefits provider puts the needs of employees first

Atrium offers health insurance coverage through MedCost, which it jointly owns with N.C. Baptist Hospitals. The lawsuit alleges that Atrium used MedCost as a way to ensure that medical expenses could be controlled directly because MedCost would be unlikely to seek rate increases from Atrium and would pass as much of the cost of care onto the patient as possible — as evidenced by comparison with similar plans available in the state.

There is a slight twist in this case. The lawsuit alleges that not only has Atrium violated ERISA, but it did so by falsely claiming that it was a governmental entity, thereby making it exempt from ERISA.

Atrium Health claims that its governmental entity exemption is valid because it was originally a “hospital authority”. Hospital authorities have some statutory recognition in North Carolina as being governmental entities under a 1997 statute that recognized the ability of a county to assign to any hospital authority created prior to 1997 the power to provide public health services.

Whether Atrium will fall under this exception remains to be seen; however, the claims put forth by the Plaintiffs raise interesting questions that must be litigated before we can get a better understanding of how North Carolina’s laws will line up with ERISA.

If you believe that your rights to benefits as an employee have been violated by your employers’ actions, do not wait to contact an experienced ERISA Violation Attorney. Issues related to ERISA are complex and require a deep understanding of the federal rules and regulations. Contact a Louisiana ERISA Violation Attorney today to fight for the compensation you deserve.

Progressive Voice: Medicaid Expansion Offers Pathway to Recovery for Those Suffering From Addiction

By Progressive Voice

Progressive Voice is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations or ARLnow.

By Del. Patrick Hope

Starting Jan. 1, up to 400,000 low-income Virginians will be eligible for the Medicaid program.

In Arlington, that means up to 7,000 people will have health insurance coverage who couldn’t otherwise afford it. To find out if you’re eligible, please visit www.coverva.org.

This is significant for Virginians suffering from the most common chronic diseases — heart disease, asthma, hypertension and diabetes — because they can enroll in the Medicaid managed-care program to help manage their disease. But this is also a significant development for those suffering from the effects of opioid addiction and other substance abuse disorders.

Nationally, about 105 people die every day from a drug overdose. Addiction can affect people from all walks of life. Over 1,100 Virginians died in 2016 from opioid overdose, nearly doubling since 2011.

Count me as someone who wouldn’t have believed the opioid epidemic would have hit my hometown of Arlington as hard as it has elsewhere. But statistics don’t lie. The number of overdoses and related-deaths in Arlington increased sharply from 2015 to 2017 — from 10 to 74 — but there’s hope 2018 will show some progress.

Police Incidents Involving Opioids in Arlington, Va:

Incidents Involving Opioids* Total Opioid Overdoses** Total Opioid Overdoses – Non-Fatal Total Opioid Overdoses – Fatal
2014 No Record 10 6 4
2015 73 10 6 4
2016 122 45 33 12
2017 157 74 55 19
2018 (through 10/1/2018) 121 40 32 8

All police incidents involving heroin (overdoses, possession and distribution cases) in Arlington, Va. **Total Fatal and Non-Fatal Heroin Overdoses

We are seeing progress in large part due to a greater national focus and a robust, coordinated local and state response. This includes working with medical professionals to increase awareness and control of opioid prescriptions, increasing addiction treatment resources, increasing police involvement, providing easy-to-use drug “takeback” centers at certain Arlington fire stations, and strengthening awareness with school officials and families.

Yet I believe what is driving our progress the most is increased funding for treatment. In Virginia, we implemented the Addiction and Recovery Treatment Services (ARTS) program in April 2017 to increase access to treatment for Medicaid recipients suffering from opioid or other substance abuse disorders. With a federal match, Virginia increased spending to $16.8 million, up from $5.2 million the previous year. The ARTS program includes a full spectrum of addiction treatment: inpatient withdrawal management, residential treatment, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs, opioid treatment, peer recovery, and case management. The ARTS program is integrated into the existing Medicaid program.

During the first year of ARTS, more than 20,000 Medicaid recipients in Virginia were diagnosed with an opioid use disorder and about 30,000 have other substance abuse disorders. More than 40 percent of Medicaid recipients with substance abuse disorders received treatment during the first year of ARTS, up from 24 percent in the prior year. Nearly 2 out of 3 (63 percent) with opioid use disorders received treatment during the first 12 months of ARTS, up from 46 percent in the prior year. In Northern Virginia, we went from a 39 percent treatment rate to a 55 percent treatment rate for opioid use.

During that same period, the total number of Medicaid opioid prescriptions for pain management in Virginia has decreased (27 percent); the number of emergency room visits related to opioid use has gone down (25 percent); and with increased reimbursement, the supply of addiction treatment providers has increased (173 percent).

Despite these recent gains in coverage and access to treatment services, we still have much more work to do. We need to remove the stigma of addiction and convince more Virginians struggling with substance abuse disorders to seek help. Despite the progress of treatment, at least 60 percent of Medicaid recipients with substance abuse disorders and nearly 40 percent with an opioid use disorder did not receive any treatment services. We have to do better.

The good news is treatment is available and treatment works. And for those new Medicaid enrollees suffering with addiction, starting Jan. 1, they have a promising pathway to prevention and recovery that will save lives.

Del. Patrick Hope has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2010, representing the 47th District in Arlington County. He is a health care attorney and is the Executive Director at the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. In 2018, he was appointed to the Virginia Substance Abuse Services Council.

Arlington Agenda: October 9-14

By Vernon Miles
Rosslyn Cider Fest

Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out the event submission form.

Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.

Tuesday, Oct. 9

Puzzled Pint
The Board Room (925 N. Garfield Street)
7-11 p.m.

Puzzled Pint is a casual, social puzzle solving event which happens at bars/pubs on the second Tuesday of every month in multiple cities around the world. On the night of the event, show up at The Board Room for puzzles to solve while you enjoy drinks and food. Most teams take between 30 minutes and 2 hours to solve a typical puzzle set.

Wednesday, Oct. 10

Community Forum: The Opioid Epidemic
Virginia Hospital Center (1701 N. George Mason Drive)
7-8:30 p.m.

Virginia Hospital Center Foundation and its Women’s Health Circle are hosting a free Community Forum to discuss the public health concerns around the opioid epidemic. Complimentary parking is available in Zone B (Gold Garage) and pre-registration is requested for this free event.

Thursday, Oct. 11

Rosslyn Cider Fest
Central Place Plaza (1800 N. Lynn Street)
5-8 p.m.

The Rosslyn Cider Fest offers chance to learn more about this alcoholic beverage that’s favored by many who don’t like beer. Eight cideries will be in attendance, along with live music and food trucks. Products are available to sample for $10 (8 samples). Tickets are available online. Attendees can also visit the outdoor bar to purchase beer, wine and full-sized cider bottles.

Desegregating Arlington School Sports*
Marymount University Reinsch Library Auditorium (2807 N. Glebe Road)
7-8:30 p.m.

Arlington’s African-American kids could finally attend white schools starting in 1959, but that was just the first step of a longer battle that played out in government and PTA meetings. A panel featuring local high school athletes will discuss this part of Arlington’s history.

Saturday, Oct. 13

Future with Hope Women’s Conference*
St. Agnes Church (1910 N. Randolph Street)
7 a.m.-7 p.m.

The third-annual conference for Catholic women over 40 will take place Oct. 12-13 at St. Agnes Church. Featured speakers include Mary Elizabeth Sperry, author of “Making Room for God: Decluttering and the Spiritual Life.”

Marymount Farmers Market Oktoberfest
Marymount University Farmers Market (4620 Lee Highway)
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Brats, Liab und Schneid music, raffles, strudel, face-painting and more at the Marymount Farmers Market Oktoberfest. Grilled German sausages will be served and Viennese bakers will be wearing traditional attire. The event is hosted in partnership with the Marymount Farmers Market and Marymount University Homecoming

Live in Arlington Info Fair
Arlington Mill Community Center (909 S. Dinwiddie Street)
10 a.m.-3 p.m.

This event offers free information about housing opportunities in Arlington, providing an opportunity to meet with housing professionals including mortgage lenders, real estate agents, apartment rental professionals, and representatives of government and not-for-profit organizations.

Night of Horror II: Return of the Overdue Books
Columbia Pike Library (816 S. Walter Reed Drive)
8-11 p.m.

Warning: Prepare to be scared! This event is recommended for brave teens and adults. Join the Arlington Public Library on a venture through this haunted library and try to escape the horrors of the stacks, dead authors, and librarians of the living dead. Online registration is required.

Sunday, Oct. 14

Kinhaven 5K & Kids 1K
Bluemont Park (325 N. Manchester Street)
9-10 a.m.

The Kinhaven 5k and Kids 1k will have music, refreshments, face painting and more. The 5k begins at 9 a.m. with a free toddler dash starting at 9:45 a.m. The kids 1k race starts at 9:50 a.m. The adult 5k costs $35, while the kids 1k costs $10. Registration is available online.

*Denotes featured (sponsored) event

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Civic Federation Holds Candidate Forum — The unofficial kickoff to the local fall campaign season took place on Tuesday: the Arlington County Civic Federation candidate forum. Contenders for County Board, School Board and Congress squared off in front of a standing-room-only audience at Virginia Hospital Center’s auditorium. [InsideNova, InsideNova, Blue Virginia]

Drug Take-Back Boxes Deemed a Success — “In June, Arlington County installed three permanent drug take-back boxes to address a crucial public safety and public health crisis facing communities across the country – prescription drug abuse. In the first three months of the program, the public safely disposed of 407 pounds of unused, unwanted or expired prescription medications. Due to the success of the program, the police department is exploring expanding the program.” [Arlington County]

New Commuter Store Opens — A new Arlington Commuter Store opened at the Pentagon on Tuesday, near bus bays 7 and 8. [Commuter Page]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s First West Nile Case of 2018 — “The Arlington County Public Health Division has received its first reported case of West Nile Virus in an Arlington resident for 2018. This case serves as a reminder that West Nile Virus is present in our community and the region.” [Arlington County]

Dirt Bike, ATV Riders Swarm Local Streets — A large group of ATV and dirt bike riders rode through the streets D.C. and Arlington last night. The unruly group rumbled through Rosslyn and stopped at the Exxon station on N. Rhodes Street to refuel. No arrests were made in Arlington, NBC 4 reported. [Twitter, NBC Washington, WTOP]

Police Department Wins Video Award — “Three videos by the Arlington County Police Department… have been selected as winners in the 39th annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and it is judged by leaders from video platforms, television and streaming networks, agencies, and production companies.” [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

County’s Resident Ombudsman Makes a Change, Prompts Search for Replacement

By Alex Koma

Arlington is now looking for a new ombudsman for county residents, a staffer dedicated to helping people sort out problems and access government services.

County spokeswoman Jennifer Smith told ARLnow that former ombudsman Robert Sharpe transitioned out of the role last week. He’s now serving as assistant division chief for the county’s public health division.

Sharpe took over as ombudsman back in 2016, as part of an expansion of constituent service offerings within County Manager Mark Schwartz’s office.

Smith says Sharpe “made significant contributions to the county’s constituent services efforts serving the community” during his tenure and will now be “responsible for operational and managerial aspects” of the public health division. He previously worked as an assistant director in the county’s Department of Human Services.

Brian Stout will serve as the county’s acting resident ombudsman while Schwartz searches for a permanent replacement, Smith added. She hopes to wrap up that process sometime next month.

The county is also currently looking for a permanent “business ombudsman” to work with local businesses to navigate county regulations, after Shannon Flanagan-Watson was appointed deputy county manager in May. Jeanine Finch is currently filling the role on a temporary basis.

Photo courtesy of Arlington County

Peter’s Take: Water Pollution Control Plan Raises Air Pollution Risks

By Peter Rousselot

Peter’s Take is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

As ARLnow.com reported last week, the County Board has approved a Solids Master Plan (SMP) for Arlington’s Water Pollution Control Plant:

The Master Plan will modernize the plant’s solids treatment capabilities over the next decade. The old system and equipment will be replaced with equipment to perform thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion.

Full implementation of the SMP’s “facility plan” phase will include the production, periodic flaring and storage of methane gas and will increase the plant’s air pollution emissions

On July 17, residents and activists alerted County Board members to serious air pollution risks, particularly for increases in dangerous ozone (O3) levels.

In a joint statement delivered by Paul Guttridge, a civil engineer specializing in wastewater projects, the Aurora Highlands, Long Branch Creek and Arlington Ridge Civic associations asked for a two year delay in the facility plan phase to evaluate risks and consider alternatives.

After explaining the risks of the SMP’s facility plan phase, Guttridge noted:

Even exposure to relatively low levels of O3 endangers public health, which prompted the federal government’s recent reduction in ozone limits to just 70 parts per billion (ppb) over eight hours. The nearby Aurora Hills’ EPA air-quality monitoring station frequently records O3 levels above 70 ppb.

Children and babies are especially at risk and studies indicate that each 20-ppb increase of ozone is associated with a 63-percent increase in the rate of school absence for illness and a 0.5 percent increase in adult mortality…

Arlington activist Suzanne Sundburg also cited extensive data illustrating the increased health and mortality risks of O3 pollution:

[T]he county fails to estimate post-upgrade increases in ozone levels resulting from plant operations even though Arlington already fails to meet the federal 70-ppb limit and receives [an] F grade from the American Lung Association…

Without supporting data, staff characterizes future plant ozone increases as “minor.” But recent research tells us that an increase of just 1 ppb in daily ozone levels over the summer can trigger 250 extra deaths per year nationwide.

Prior to the “facility plan” phase’s implementation, Arlington must fully explore an alternative regional solution

Although the County Board declined the request to delay the SMP framework’s approval, the Board directed the County Manager to:

[P]resent an evaluation of alternatives, including an update on regional options with DC Water, to the Board and civic associations surrounding the pollution control plant before finalizing the facility plan (two to three years from now), and awarding a construction contract.

Guttridge’s statement cogently summarized one alternative regional solution that must be fully explored:

[T]ransport the residual solids to DC Water Blue Plains Advanced Waste Water Treatment Plant in southeast DC, where it would be treated in a state-of the art facility that currently has excess capacity. Other regional partners may be available.

Conclusion

Before spending $139 million in the “facility plan” phase of the SMP, Arlington needs to fully weigh all costs, risks and benefits associated with staff’s currently preferred plant upgrades against other options.

For example, DC Water’s nearby Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant, located across the Potomac River (on an industrial waterfront site where emissions more readily disperse) has existing excess capacity to process Arlington’s waste. The scale of the Blue Plains plant (10 times the size of Arlington’s plant) makes DC Water’s treatment process a cost-effective alternative worthy of serious consideration.

Healthy Paws: Leptospirosis

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Editor’s Note: Healthy Paws is a column sponsored and written by the owners of Clarendon Animal Care, a full-service, general practice veterinary clinic and winner of a 2017 Arlington Chamber of Commerce Best Business Award. The clinic is located 3000 10th Street N., Suite B. and can be reached at 703-997-9776.

It’s finally summer time, and nothing means summer quite like playing in puddles, creeks and rivers. But keep in mind that your pup isn’t the only creature that loves fresh water.

Leptospirosis is a bacteria that is on the World Health Organization’s list of Top 10 most important emerging infectious diseases and it thrives in fresh water in warm, humid environments.

It is usually thought of as a tropical disease that is found in other countries close to the equator. Unfortunately, however, our weather here in the United States is becoming warmer and wetter, and public health officials are concerned that it will become more of a problem in the US than it is already is.

The most common times for leptospirosis to be contracted are in the mid-summer through early fall, and after flooding or heavy rains. Confirmed cases of canine Leptospirosis are not uncommon in the DC area. We have even had some outbreaks of human leptospirosis in this area.

It is spread through the urine of infected mammals such as raccoons, deer, rodents (especially city rats and opossums in urban environments), farm animals and dogs.

The most common route of exposure is by drinking contaminated fresh water. Leptospirosis can also enter the bloodstream through cuts in the feet or legs, and it can be found in wet, shaded grass as well. In addition to making your pet very sick, Leptospirosis can be spread to you or your family.

Typically, lethargy, fever and loss of appetite are the first signs that we see of Leptospirosis, but in serious cases, we can also see vomiting, diarrhea and even liver, kidney or respiratory failure. Death can result in those that are very sick.

Treatment means a long course of antibiotics, and in severe cases, hospitalization at a critical care facility may be required. Leptospirosis can be difficult to diagnose in animals and humans.

Veterinarians take Leptospirosis very seriously and fortunately there is a good vaccine for it. Leptospirosis has many different serovars, and the vaccine that we carry here protects against the 4 most common disease-causing serovars in the United States.

The vaccine requires two boosters that are about 3 weeks apart, and then a yearly booster after that.

Other forms of prevention involve avoiding fresh water: creeks, puddles, rivers, and lakes, and avoiding wet shady grass next to bodies of water. Leptospirosis can be contracted by eating infected carcasses, which is another great reason to keep your pooch on the leash while on those wonderful long walks in the woods.

Historically, dogs that contracted Leptospirosis were field/hunting/working dogs as those were the dogs in the most contact with wildlife. However, across the United States that demographic has changed, and dramatically. Now most cases are seen in dogs that live in urban environments and are under 30 pounds (presumably because they were the least likely, historically, to be vaccinated and increased exposures to small urban rodents).

If your own dog has been diagnosed with Leptospirosis, please take precautions at home. Avoid contact with your dog’s urine, and if you have to clean up in the house, wear protective gloves and wash your hands afterwards.

Administer the full course of antibiotics as prescribed by your veterinarian. Avoid walking your dog near bodies of water or places that other dogs congregate, to minimize the spread of Leptospirosis to other pets.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions!

Legal Review: Maryland Attempts to Reduce Gun Violence Through Programs in At-Risk Neighborhoods

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

By Maryland criminal defense lawyer Kush Arora with Price Benowitz, LLP.

Maryland, like many other states throughout the union, is constantly trying to find new ways to address gun violence.

As legislators grapple with the political ramifications of gun control measures, attempts are being made at using alternative dispute resolution methods and other street-level approaches in at-risk neighborhoods as a way to reduce gun violence instead of waiting on consensus related to gun control.

“Programs like these are designed to try and stop disagreements from becoming gun battles,” said Kush Arora, a Baltimore Gun Crimes Defense Attorney with the law firm Price Benowitz, LLP.

These programs are not without precedent or a history of success. Prior to this most recent legislation, the City of Baltimore had implemented the “Cure Violence” public health strategy, which was developed by a doctor with the University of Illinois, Chicago that attempts to understand and treat violence in neighborhoods with the same approach as an infectious disease epidemic by using the following components:

  • Detect and interrupt potentially violent conflicts. Caseworkers are trained to identify situations that can lead to deadly conflicts by, among other things, speaking with members of the community to understand ongoing disputes, working with those involved in disputes to keep the issues under control, and when shootings do occur, immediately acting to try and stop any retaliation.
  • Identify and treat highest risk individuals. Caseworkers in the community work to build relationships with those who are most likely to be at high risk of gun violence and help educate those individuals regarding those risks.
  • Mobilize the community to change norms. Caseworkers act to organize the community against gun violence, the goal being to make the use of gun violence in dispute resolution unacceptable at the community level which should deter future actors.

In carrying out these components, the city employs the use of case workers that are in the streets identifying at-risk groups and individuals and providing counseling and mediation services to head off gun violence.

The program was utilized in four of Baltimore’s most violent communities, and the result was a coinciding decrease in shootings and homicides of anywhere from 34 percent up to 56 percent.

Seeing these results, state legislators moved forward with creating a pool of money from which to issue grants for programs like the one in Baltimore, statewide.

The $5 million in funds represents only a small fraction of the $294 million spent by the public on gun violence consequences each year in Maryland; however, if the impact seen in Baltimore can be replicated state-wide it should provide support for increases in funding.

The program has its opponents — mostly gun-rights supporters — but otherwise has strong support statewide. If caseworkers can continue to use alternative dispute resolution and mediation to decrease gun violence and save even one life, the program can be called a success.

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