Author: Gage Harter

2018 Presidential Initiative: Healthy Virginia Counties in Action – Spotlight on Economic Health

Throughout our explorations of various elements of community health – nutrition, physical activity, mental health, early childhood – financial well-being has been an ever-present factor, underlying questions of access to nutritious food, safe areas to exercise, mental health treatment, and high-quality pre-kindergarten programs. A maxim entering common circulation in the public health field is that […]

Visit Roanoke County and the Virginia’s Blue Ridge Water Tower

The 121-foot tall, 250,000-gallon, water tower was a joint project of the Western Virginia Water Authority and Roanoke County. The tower is located on the site of Roanoke County’s Green Ridge Recreation Center. The project cost approximately $900,000 and was completed in late 2016. The project improves water pressure in Roanoke County and the City […]

School Safety in Virginia Part 2. Virginia’s policies, methods, and protocols

School safety measures and the policy debates surrounding this issue have long been a part of our national conversation. In fact, American society has been widely concerned with protecting children from school-based violence for at least three decades now. High-profile tragedies, and the resulting desperate search for a universal remedy sometimes lead us to overlook […]

Body-Worn Camera Workgroup Begins Discussions

A workgroup convened by the Compensation Board held its first meeting last week to begin discussions about the effects of body-worn camera deployment on Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ offices. Language in the 2018 Appropriations Act directed the workgroup to “investigate how body-worn cameras have or may continue to impact the workloads experienced by Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ offices…and to […]

Go Green Awards Deadline Extended to October 12

Given the high level of participation and submissions, as well as the number of questions we’ve received, the deadline for VACo members to submit their scores for the 2018 Green Government Challenge has been extended by one week to October 12, 2018. The Challenge is a friendly competition designed to encourage implementation of specific policies […]

Proposed Children’s Services Act Policy Open for Public Comment

On September 20, the State Executive Council approved a 60-day public comment period on a proposed consolidated policy regarding the use of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment (CANS), which is the designated uniform assessment instrument required to be administered in order for a child to be eligible for Children’s Services Act-funded services. […]

Aetna’s Guardian Angel opioids program reaching members at critical time

Health care should be personal, and it should help us during our most vulnerable, difficult times. There are few instances when this type of support is more necessary than when people end up in the emergency room because of a problem they can’t control any more. Unfortunately, we are seeing this scene play out more […]

GRAYSON COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Broadband Network Project Grayson County, Virginia (“County”) seeks a qualified private partner (“Vendor”) to construct, deploy, maintain, own and operate a “fee-for-service” broadband network to provide Internet Service to underserved areas throughout the County with the goal to serve as many as possible of the more than 5,222 unserved/underserved homes and businesses. Grayson County, through […]

The Homestead 2018 Annual Conference Message

Valued Homestead Guest, We look forward to welcoming you back to The Homestead for the annual VACo conference! To ensure a smooth and efficient arrival and departure for you, we would like to confirm a few details of your reservation. A. Cancellations and changes need to be made prior to November 1 to avoid cancellation […]

Welcome to Craig County’s Barn Quilt Trail

Since 2014, Barn Quilt squares have been added to buildings around Craig County. The money raised by the sale of the Barn Quilts helps raise money for the Craig County Public Library. If you would like more information or are interested in having a Barn Quilt Square for your property, visit https://www.barnquiltsforbooks.com/. Also check out […]

Upcoming broadband conference focuses on increasing internet access

On October 30, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s BroadbandUSA Program, in partnership with Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology, will host the Virginia Broadband Summit in Roanoke at the South County Library. The purpose of the Summit is to engage the public and stakeholders with information to accelerate broadband connectivity, improve digital inclusion, and support […]