health | ARLnow.com

County Boosts Suicide Prevention Efforts, Launches Youth Program

Published December 30, 2016 at 11:00AM | Updated March 21, 2017 at 11:04AM

The county’s Dept. of Human Services is enhancing its suicide prevention strategies based on the Zero Suicide initiative. The overall goal is to reduce the number of suicides in the county — there were 41 reported between 2013 an 2015 — to zero and improve care and outcomes for those seeking help.

Over the summer some county staff attended a seminar to learn more about implementing the Zero Suicide methods. They’ve applied the strategies and have been teaching other employees about them so everyone is on the same page in the new year.

Around Town

JRINK Now Open Near Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published October 24, 2016 at 10:15AM

Photo via Twitter

Cold-pressed juice bar JRINK is now open in the Clarendon area.

The store, at 3260 Wilson Blvd, held its grand opening on Sunday. It offers 100 percent cold-pressed, all-natural juice that’s produced locally, at a price of $9-10 per bottle.

Opinion

Morning Poll: County Studying AMA Report on LED Streetlights

By ARLnow.com

Published October 3, 2016 at 11:45AM | Updated October 3, 2016 at 12:03PM

LED streetlight

“Some cities are taking another look at LED lighting after AMA warning.”

That was the headline from a Washington Post article last Sunday, discussing the pushback against modern Light Emitting Diode streetlights in local communities. While the new streetlights are more energy efficient, last longer and save money compared to older sodium lights, some say they are too bright or cast to harsh of a light.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 27, 2016 at 9:00AM | Updated September 27, 2016 at 7:04PM

Average Lifespan in Arlington — Arlington and Fairfax county residents have a higher average lifespan than residents of D.C., Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, according to newly-released data. The average life expectancy in Arlington and Fairfax is 86, compared to a nationwide average of 78. [Washington Post]

Protesters Arrested Outside Pentagon — A total of 21 demonstrators were arrested during an anti-war protest outside of the Pentagon yesterday. According to Pentagon police, those who were arrested were attempting to block an employee entrance near the Pentagon transit center. [Patch]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 26, 2016 at 9:45AM | Updated September 26, 2016 at 10:10AM

Board Funds Westover Apartment Purchase — The Arlington County Board on Saturday approved a $10.9 million loan that will allow the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing to purchase 68 affordable but aging apartment units in the Westover neighborhood. Separately, an effort to designate Westover as a protected historic district, with the goal of preserving other affordable apartments, is continuing. Arlington’s Historic Affairs and Landmark Review Board will hold a key meeting on the topic in November. [Arlington County, InsideNova]

Outreach Planned for Bluemont Baseball Project — Following a raft of complaints and letters from nearby residents, county officials will be holding a community meeting Oct. 5 to discuss an approved contract to renovate one of the baseball fields at Bluemont Park. County Board members on Saturday chastised county staff for inadequate neighborhood outreach on the project prior to its July approval by the Board. [InsideNova]

Around Town

Arlington Named Third ‘Healthiest City in America’

By Adrian Cruz

Published August 4, 2016 at 2:30PM

Arlington has been named among the nation’s healthiest places to live.

The county was called the “third healthiest city in America” by Niche.com, the rankings site that previously called Arlington the No. 2 “Best City for Millennials,” “Best City to Live in America” and the No. 7 Suburb to Live in America.

Around Town

Twitter Users in Arlington Complain a Lot About Being Sick

By ARLnow.com

Published April 6, 2016 at 2:55PM

Kleenex box (file photo)

An analysis by the firm Bay Alarm Medical looked at half a million geotagged tweets and found that Arlington sees about 265 sickness-related tweets per 100,000 residents. That puts Arlington No. 10 on a list of the “sickest cities” in the U.S.

New Orleans, Miami and Atlanta are No. 1-3 on the list, respectively.

Around Town

Arlington Ranks High for Excessive Drinking, Lower for STDs

By ARLnow.com

Published March 17, 2016 at 11:15AM

Arlington County is one of the healthiest places in the Commonwealth of Virginia, but doesn’t quite top the list.

That’s according to new 2016 rankings from countyhealthrankings.org, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published February 8, 2016 at 9:00AM

Authorities Still Investigating Oil Sheen on Potomac — In an effort to find the source of an oily sheen on the Potomac River near the Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary, the Coast Guard, state authorities and the Arlington County Dept. of Environmental Services will be conducting a “dye test.” Non-toxic dye may be seen in the river today. At least 23 birds were were sent to a wildlife rescue organization for cleaning as a result of contact with the oil. [U.S. Coast Guard, Facebook, WJLA]

Two Displaced By Fire Near Clarendon — A structure fire Friday night on the 1200 block of N. Kirkwood Road, near Clarendon, has left two residents displaced. No one was injured in the blaze. The residents are being assisted by the Red Cross. [Twitter, Twitter]

News

County Board Struggles Over Antibiotics Resolution

By Jennifer Currier

Published November 19, 2015 at 4:45PM

The primary goal of the resolution is to “establish a tiebreaker preference in County procurement policies for the purchase of meat and poultry that has been raised according to responsible antibiotic use policies.”

The resolution also calls for working with Arlington Public Schools on a similar antibiotic policy, which would — other things being equal — prefer the purchase of responsibly produced meats for school lunch programs.

News

County to Offer Free Flu Shots on Election Day

By Heather Mongilio

Published October 27, 2015 at 6:00PM | Updated October 27, 2015 at 8:47PM

Flu shots will be offered from 9-11 a.m. at Key Elementary School (2300 Key Blvd) on Nov. 3.

To get a free shot, people will have to volunteer for a public health emergency simulation, which lasts about 30 minutes.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published July 28, 2015 at 9:00AM | Updated July 28, 2015 at 10:04AM

Fundraiser for Arlington Store Owner — The owner of Maley’s Music (2499 N. Harrison Street) has been hospitalized with a rare disease, just weeks after his wife suffered a debilitating stroke. That has prompted the couple’s daughter to start an online fundraiser to help the family pay its expenses. [Facebook, GoFundMe]

Arlington’s Inaccessible Bus Stops — About two thirds of Arlington’s 1,100 bus stops are not fully compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Metro estimates that the average cost of upgrading a bus stop to ADA standards is $10,000. [Washington Post]