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More violations found at beagle breeding facility in Cumberland
A recent federal inspection report found new violations at a controversial Cumberland beagle breeding facility that’s become the subject of scrutiny among state and federal lawmakers. A March 8 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found five additional violations at the breeding center, owned by Envigo, a global biotechnology company. All were repeat violations, […]
With nowhere else to go, some Virginia foster children have been sleeping in government offices
Over a six-month period last year, 163 children in Virginia spent at least one night in hotels, emergency rooms or local government offices due to a shortage of foster homes and other permanent housing, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Friday. In response, Youngkin’s administration is launching a task force charged with bringing government partners together to […]
Virginia’s new behavioral health director orders strategic plan for struggling state agency
For the first time in nearly a decade, Virginia’s beleaguered behavioral health agency is developing a strategic plan to pull the state’s system out of an ongoing crisis in psychiatric care. Nelson Smith, appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to lead the state’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, announced the plan at a Wednesday […]
As Congress debates COVID-19 funding, it’s Virginia’s uninsured who are most at risk
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a federal program has reimbursed more than $99 million to Virginia providers for offering testing and treatment to uninsured patients. But state health officials said they were notified this week that the program, administered by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, had run out of money, bringing […]
Virginia receives ‘C’ ranking for protections offered to living organ donors
The American Kidney Fund gave Virginia a “C” ranking this year for its available protections for living organ donors, a valuable source of transplants as Virginia — like many states — struggles to match supply with demand. However, legislation that’s awaiting Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s signature could improve Virginia’s grade in the future. According to the […]
Citing FOIA exemptions, the Youngkin administration is withholding hundreds of pages of documents
Since Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s inauguration in January, the Mercury has made more than half a dozen Freedom of Information Act requests related to some of his biggest policy decisions, from revised guidance on masking in schools to a report on “divisive concepts” in K-12 education. The governor’s office and multiple state agencies have withheld hundreds […]
As state mental hospitals struggle, lawmakers eye the agency overseeing them
Virginia’s state-run psychiatric hospitals have been in crisis mode for years. But the last nine months have brought a series of new emergencies, from the July decision to temporarily close to new admissions to a recent lawsuit against the state for failing to admit a juvenile patient going through a mental health crisis. The turmoil […]
Amid a renewed push, vaccine uptake is still lagging among Virginia Medicaid members
Virginia health officials are still struggling to boost vaccination rates among the state’s Medicaid members, a major concern as the shots, once seen as the path to ending the pandemic, are increasingly the main public health tool for managing COVID-19 as cases persist. Less than half of eligible enrollees — 41 percent in total — […]
Va. superintendents push back on Youngkin administration’s ‘divisive content’ report
Local school administrators are pushing back on an interim report that rescinded equity initiatives at the Virginia Department of Education and calling on Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration to terminate a tipline for “divisive” teaching. In a Thursday letter, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents said the recent report made “gross assumptions” about public education in […]
Virginia county sues state behavioral health system for failing to admit psychiatric patient
Virginia’s state-run psychiatric hospital system was hit with a lawsuit this week after failing to admit a juvenile patient who was going through a mental health crisis. Instead of receiving care, the patient — a foster child under the custody of the Giles County Department of Social Services — spent four days confined in a […]
Legislators want to expand eligibility criteria for health district directors
Virginia legislators want to expand the potential pool of candidates who can take charge of local health departments — a position that’s become increasingly central amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After a Tuesday vote, both chambers of the General Assembly have approved legislation from Sen. Monty Mason, D-Williamsburg, that would allow applicants with master’s or […]
Virginia lawmakers pass new regulations for controversial beagle breeding facility
After a series of federal animal welfare violations — including more than 300 puppy deaths attributed to “unknown causes” — Virginia lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to impose new regulations on a controversial beagle breeding facility in Cumberland. Tuesday’s vote marked a victory for animal welfare advocates, who have spent years attempting to bring the breeding center […]