On Friday, the hospital refused to admit a patient who was thought to possibly be infected with the Ebola virus, despite the fact that she was initially transported there. Instead, the Arlington paramedic crew was directed to take the patient to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where she was treated.
It was later learned that the woman did not have Ebola.
Responding to an inquiry from ARLnow.com today, the Arlington County Fire Department confirmed reports that VHC refused the woman — who at the time was thought to potentially have the deadly Ebola virus — when medics brought her to the hospital. She never left the ambulance.
“We were turned away,” said ACFD spokeswoman Lt. Sarah Marchegiani. “We followed our protocol and brought the patient to the closest hospital (VHC), at which point we were rerouted to Fairfax Inova.”
Update at 5:10 p.m. — Arlington County officials say in a press release that the woman who was sick at the Pentagon this morning does not have Ebola.
Based on the public health investigation, which included the travel history of a woman who became ill this morning in a Pentagon parking lot, and on questioning of her by medical staff, medical authorities are confident that she does not have Ebola.
Stormwater Management Ordinance Approved — The Arlington County Board on Saturday approved a new stormwater management ordinance. The ordinance complies with strict EPA standards intended to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay. It’s expected to raise the county’s costs related to stormwater management. [Arlington County]
Gymnastic Boosters Speak Out About Rising Fee — Youth gymnasts and their parents spoke out at Saturday’s County Board meeting about rising fees for out-of-county gymnasts. Starting July 1, the cost for using county facilities is rising dramatically for members of the Arlington Aerials gymnastics team who do not live in the county. [InsideNova]
Police say Roy Anthony Jones, a 30-year-old D.C. resident, raped a 37-year-old female patient in the early morning hours of January 13, 2014, while he was working as a CT Scan Technician.
“The victim was at the hospital as a patient when the incident occurred and reported the crime to police following the attack,” Arlington County Police said in a press release today. “Virginia Hospital Center staff cooperated with detectives throughout the investigation.”
Two cars collided in front of Virginia Hospital Center this morning, and two people involved in the crash were taken inside with injuries.
Just before 11:30 a.m., the two black sedans crashed at the intersection of N. George Mason Drive and 17th Street. According to police on the scene, a black Lincoln collided with a Mitsubishi Lancer as it was trying to turn left out of the hospital.
Beginning Oct. 5 at 6:00 a.m. and continuing until noon, the emergency exercise will include all the aspects of the Arlington County Fire Department’s response to a real fire, without lights and sirens.
From an Arlington County press release:
The hospital, at 1701 N. George Mason Drive, completed a four-year-long renovation of its maternity ward earlier this year, adding beds and capacity to keep up with rising demand. But the number of births at the hospital continues to grow.
In the last five years, the hospital has gone from delivering 3,700 infants in 2008 to a projected 5,000-plus in 2013. In that time, the hospital’s Women & Infant Health Center has added 10 beds, formed a partnership with National Children’s Hospital to expand its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and reorganized the Labor and Delivery unit to add additional capacity.
(Updated at 2 p.m. on 12/23/21) An Arlington man has been arrested and charged with throwing a meat cleaver in the maternity ward of Virginia Hospital Center.
Police say the man, 34-year-old Kareem [Redacted], came to the hospital to deliver a message to a mother who had just given birth. The message: the baby’s father couldn’t make it because he was in jail.
President Visits Arlington Bookstore — President Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia stopped by One More Page Books (2200 N. Westmoreland Street) on Saturday afternoon, on a holiday shopping trip that coincided with Small Business Saturday. The independent book store is located in the East Falls Church neighborhood. [Associated Press, Us Weekly]
Yorktown Season Ends With Loss — The Yorktown High School football team’s first loss of the season came on Friday, as the Patriots gave up a 22-point lead to fall to Stone Bridge 69-50 in the Northern Region 5 championship game. Yorktown also lost last year’s regional championship after an undefeated season. [Washington Post, YouTube]
Arlington County Police are investigating the death of a man found on a park bench across from Virginia Hospital Center.
The man was found unresponsive on a bench in the hospital’s “Healing Garden,” at 1625 N. George Mason Drive in the Waycroft-Woodlawn neighborhood, according to scanner traffic. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
The incident happened just before 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11. The man was found on the ground at the hospital’s Emergency Room entrance, with a gunshot wound to his right foot, according to a police report. He was brought inside and treated by hospital staff.
When police showed up to interview the man, he refused to provide information about what happened. It was at that point that a fingerprint scan revealed that the man was actually a fugitive wanted for a crime in the District of Columbia.
