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36th District
Reston, Virginia
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Delegate Plum with Patty Nicoson, President of the Dulles Corridor Rail Association, presenting awards to Northern Virginia legislators for their support of the historic transportation bill passed by this year's General Assembly.
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Delegate Ken Plum's
Virginia e-News
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Commentary
Northern Virginia's Health
Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum The 2.2 million people in the Northern Virginia communities of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties and Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park cities live in the most populous region in the Commonwealth and in some of the wealthiest jurisdictions in the nation. Generally the region is quite healthy. According to the "County Health Rankings" published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, seven of the nine jurisdictions in Northern Virginia ranked in the top ten of 133 Virginia cities and counties on various health measures. As I learned recently, however, by attending the Northern Virginia Health Foundation's Northern Virginia Health Summit, it is important to look in detail at some of the health outcomes to most accurately understand the health of our region. The Foundation's report, "How Healthy Is Northern Virginia? A Look at the Latest Community Health Indicators" provides those details (www.novahealthfdn.org). The most obvious challenge to the region's good health is obesity. More than a million adults and a quarter of all youth can be classified as overweight or obese. At the same time, there is the remarkable statistic that 35 percent of all kindergarten to 12th grade students are eligible for free or reduced priced lunch. Statistics from other reports show that these students are less likely to perform as well as students from more affluent homes. More than 400,000 adults are reported as not having been to a dental visit in the last two years. Also in the region, more than 5,000 pregnant women give birth without receiving early prenatal care. Multiple factors affect the health of any region. Although the Northern Virginia region is wealthy, there continue to be many low and marginal income people in the area. Reston-Herndon, Central Fairfax, Bailey's Crossroads and the Route 1 Corridor have a higher concentration of persons at or below the federal poverty level. For more specific information on the demographics and health of the counties in Virginia, go to www.countyhealthcalculator.org. The population of Northern Virginia is very diverse; about 42 percent of the population is Hispanic, Asian, and African American among other racial and ethnic groups. Many of the conditions that contribute to poor health are preventable. Access to healthy foods and physical activity are critical as are healthy housing, clean air and water, and safe neighborhoods and workplaces. The biggest personal health-related behavior causes of death include tobacco use, poor diet and exercise, abuse of alcohol and drugs, firearms and motor vehicles. Now that the Northern Virginia Health Foundation has provided us with a diagnosis of the region's health, it is up to policy makers and community leaders to do something about it. I will continue to work to ensure that the Medicaid program is expanded in Virginia because it is the single most important thing that can be done to bring the uninsured into medical coverage. Citizen lobbying to accomplish this change by speaking up and voting is very important. From the participants at the Summit, it was obvious to me that the community organizations and government agencies are willing to collaborate to ensure the best health of the Northern Virginia region.
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Virginia Report on Comcast Channel 28
 Tune in to Ken's weekly television program, Virginia Report, on Reston Comcast Channel 28 for public service programming. Ken interviews state and local leaders who are making news by making a difference. Watch these upcoming programs:
TONIGHT - Wednesday, June 26 at 10:30 p.m.-Amy Harris, SySTEMic Solutions, "Preparing Students for STEM Careers"
Tuesday, July 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, July 3 at 10:30 p.m. - Marybeth Hazelgrove and Kendall Smith, Preemies Today, "Supporting Families of Children Born Prematurely"
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Bulletin Board
Health Insurance Exchange Marketplace: Beginning in 2014, most people will need to have health insurance or pay a fine for not having acceptable coverage. According to the federal government, people will be able to shop for plans as of October 1, 2013. Plans selected will become effective on January 1, 2014. To assist in evaluating available plans, an online Insurance Marketplace has been established as a one-stop shopping place with information to compare the various options by cost, benefits, and quality. The Marketplace can be found at: www.healthcare.gov. Another source of information on the health exchanges is the Virginia Health Navigator that can be found online at www.virginianavigator.org. This website provides easy to understand information on health care and health care reform. Some persons with lower incomes may qualify for additional Medicaid enhancements being offered by the federal government to the states, but only if the state agrees to the portion of the new law that covers Medicaid expansion.
It's Lightning Awareness Week: Find out what you need to know about lightning, including myths, facts, science and how to stay safe in a storm. It's all provided by the National Weather Service at their Lightning Safety website: www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov.
Beware of callers claiming to be from Medicare: Medicare beneficiaries need to be aware of scam artists who call claiming to be from Medicare and ask for Medicare and banking information so beneficiaries can "receive their new Medicare card and benefits." These calls are a scam. Medicare NEVER makes calls offering supplies or services, nor do they call and request Medicare numbers. The number one rule is NOT to provide any personal information such as your Medicare number, bank account, or credit card information over the phone. If you think you have been a target of a scam, report it to the Virginia Senior Medicare Patrol Program at 1-800-938-8885 or visit www.virginiasmp.org.
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Calendar of Events
Saturday, June 29, Sibling Workshop, Ready or Not! A workshop designed for the siblings of an individual with special needs. At the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, from 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. For more information or to RSVP, contact Carey Alford by June 27 at 703-865-6502 or calford@financialguide.com. A flyer for the event can be found at Sibling Workshop Flyer.
Family Safety Day, Saturday, June 29, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Cox Communications Herndon Solutions Store, 3080 Centreville Road, Herndon. Along with partner HLN of Turner Networks, Cox will be offering free digital fingerprinting for kids as well as numerous other activities and safety demonstrations. For more information visit www.coxlocal.com/cox-family-safety-fair.
July 6, 7:00 p.m., Mount Vernon Nights Concert. Lively tunes followed by a patriotic fireworks show at dusk. Bring blankets and lawn chairs. The Workhouse Arts Center, 9601 Ox Road, Lorton. Free. Call 703-584-2900 for information.
Reston's First Community Energy Fair will be on Sunday, July 14, 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Walker Nature Center. Fair is free, but there will be a small materials fee for some activities. Will include a Green Living workshop on "How to Build a Solar Generator" (requires preregistration and fee). To volunteer or participate, email klpelliott@verizon.net. Bullying Prevention 101 Facilitators' Training, Wednesday, July 17, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sign-in opens at 8:30 a.m. Pennino Building, Room 734, 12011 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Space is limited. Register at Bullying Prevention 101 - Facilitator Training. Document Shredding, Saturday, July 20, 8:00 a.m.-noon at Oak Marr Rec Center, 3200 Jermantown Road, Oakton. Electric Sunday TV and Computer Recycling, Sunday, July 21, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Road, Fairfax. Wednesday, July 24, 5:00-7:00 p.m., Community Cookout at Hunters Woods Pool, 2501 Reston Parkway. For more information contact Kevin Danaher at kevin.danaher@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-390-6166. Monday, August 5, 8:00 a.m.-8:30 p.m. The Governor's K-12 Education Reform Summit at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles, 14750 Conference Center Drive, Chantilly. For more information about the initiative, visit www.allstudents.virginia.gov. Register at http://govk12summit.eventbrite.com/#. Tuesday, August 6, 5:00-7:00 p.m., Community Cookout at Lake Newport Pool, 11601 Lake Newport Road. For more information contact Kevin Danaher at kevin.danaher@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-390-6166. On August 11 at 8:00 a.m. the YMCA Fairfax County Reston and Reston Association will be holding the third annual Reston Kid's Triathlon. The event is intended to be a fun opportunity for youngsters to stay active through the summer and learn about the fast growing sport of triathlon. In keeping with the missions of the sponsoring organizations, a number of the participants will be from families who might not be able to afford the entry fee and equipment for the event. Through individual and corporate sponsors their costs will be covered. All net proceeds from this event will be used for the Y and RA youth scholarship programs. For more information, visit www.restonkidstri.org.
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Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" PlumDelegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News
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Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia e-News is authorized by Kenneth R. Plum
and paid for by Friends of Delegate Ken Plum. |
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