Author: The News Feed

by Savannah Webb-

The Virginia Department of Health released data suggesting that the New River Valley experienced an increase in visits to emergency departments (ED) for drug overdoses in 2022.

Overdoses spiked during the pandemic, but the state has since reported decreased overdose rates. Conversely, rates are steadily increasing in the New River Valley, with prescribed opioids causing a majority of overdoses.

by Cyna Mirzai-

The Virginia Rural Health Association, a non-profit health advocacy group serving people living in rural Virginia, is fighting against racism and inequity in the healthcare system.

An affiliate of the National Rural Health Association and with over 1,000 members statewide, the VRHA states a mission to “improve the health of rural Virginians through education, advocacy, and fostering cooperative partnerships.” This mission is especially present in their efforts to reduce health inequity.

The Virginia Department of Health defines health inequity as “disparities in health that are a result of systemic, avoidable and unjust social and economic policies and practices that create barriers to opportunity.” 

There are many health disparities that affect rural Virginia, including a lack of primary and emergency care, barriers in access to health insurance and a mortality rate that is 30% higher than urban areas, says Beth O’Connor, the executive director of the VRHA. She explains these disparities are found across all levels of the healthcare system, especially among non-white communities.

“We still see disparities in people of color when it comes to being accepted into medical schools, in how they are treated throughout their educational process as both students and residents and in how they are treated as employers,” O’Connor said. 

According to the VRHA website, health disparities for black citizens in Virginia include higher rates of diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Black women in Virginia are also three times more likely to die after giving birth than white women. 

A 2021 study also shows that rural black Americans are more likely to have risk factors for severe COVID-19, influencing their increased risk of hospitalization. 

As an advocacy group, the VRHA works to address racism in various facets. In 2015, their board of directors made a commitment to address multiculturalism and rural health. Since then, the organization has increased diversity in its membership and included health equity topics in its educational programs.

While the VRHA is currently focusing on addressing health inequities in regards to race, Danielle Montague, a program coordinator for the VRHA, hopes people from all kinds of identity groups receive health equity. 

“It is important that we educate people about what equity really means,” Montague said. “I often remind people that equity and racism are not synonymous. Equity is actually about making sure everybody’s needs are met, whether it is in regard to their race, gender, sexual orientation or a disability.”

The VRHA is continually working on new advancements towards health equity. They are currently in the process of applying for a grant from the CDC to uncover the inequities in maternal health in Danville, Virginia. They hope to hire and train doulas to work with pregnant women, as Danville has one of the highest populations of non-white citizens in rural Virginia, and yet their maternal mortality rate is the highest in the state. 

by Anthony Cusat-

Despite over one billion visits to doctor’s offices in 2021, different forms of medical anxiety continue to affect patients in need of care. White-coat hypertension, a temporary spike in blood pressure when in a doctor’s office, is just one example of the results of medical anxiety on physical health, and has implications for future heart troubles.

While some amount of anxiety is normal, too much anxiety in a medical context creates challenges for receiving proper treatment.

Medical test anxiety is most commonly broken down into fear of needles, the fear of the doctor and the fear of tight spaces for evaluations like magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs). These different medical anxieties have the potential to affect both health outcomes and physician practices. According to the National Library of Medicine, the fear of needles is higher in younger populations but still accounts for 16% of adult patients avoiding influenza vaccination.

The avoidance of medical testing, even when exhibiting symptoms of an illness, is also something medical professionals commonly see on the job. “A lot of people will refuse to actually get the tests,” said Alonda Johnson, a medical office technician in the New River Valley. Medical tests are not forced on patients so some still walk away without confirmation of a diagnosis.

Johnson also said that there can be additional anxiety created from testing illnesses that coincide with societal stigmas like sexually transmitted diseases. For example, the labeling of monkeypox as a disease mainly spread by men who have sex with men during the 2022 outbreak created concerns among experts that attempting to get the vaccine would carry a stigma similar to the one surrounding HIV treatments.

In terms of medical professionals’ responses to these various fears, Brendan Huang, a medical assistant, said that anxiety in patients is something that those who work in the field experience every day and were taught how to handle. 

“We’ll have normal conversations with the patients just to get a vibe of how their anxiety is if they do show any signs, then try to talk things through as much as possible.”

Along with fostering comforting environments, new advancements in technology look to continue to reduce the extreme anxiety those undergoing medical tests and procedures may face. VR technology has already been shown to reduce pain and anxiety during puncture procedures in children. 

Additionally, letting physicians know about concerns and general anxiety management techniques like breathing exercises can help with milder worries. For overwhelming anxiety, talking to a mental health professional might be the best course of action.

by Deanna Driver-

The coronavirus impacted almost every facet of life in 2020, including travel. Most modes of public transportation were affected, leaving employers and travelers alike in a state of disarray. According to the World Tourism Organization, international arrivals decreased by 74% in 2020. The past three years experienced a great deal of drastic change in terms of health/safety protocols, traveler numbers and price fluctuations in all spheres of transportation.

Air travel was greatly affected by the pandemic and quickly had to adapt to the changing environment. Heather Ream, Director of Marketing and Communications at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD) said the airport immediately began implementing safety measures to keep passengers safe in 2020. 

“We had been working on an expansion of our sterile area with the addition of a glass partition wall that could be raised or lowered to accommodate larger passenger loads. This extra space came in handy during the pandemic because it allowed passengers to spread out more.”

Ream stated that due to its small size, the airport maintained its air service connectivity and continued servicing individuals, especially through corporate aircraft usage which reduced exposure. This was not true for all airports, however; according to an article on the Insider website, 2020 had the lowest passenger numbers in over a decade, and a lot of employees and passengers suffered as a result. 

Despite the severity of the pandemic, people still needed to travel, and Amtrak remained one of those resources. Amtrak’s Senior Public Relations Manager, Kimberly Woods, like Ream, said the organization worked quickly to make passengers feel safe. 

“It was important for customers to be aware of the enhanced safety and cleaning measures. We worked to simplify and safeguard the travel experience, and several cleaning, contact-free and convenience measures were implemented into every part of the customer journey.”

In July 2021, SHD saw an all-time high in number of passengers serviced as travel resurged. However, surprisingly, the most drastic shift for SHD’s air travel came in March 2022. A large number of older pilots retired after being furloughed, and additionally, finding staff for the mechanical portion of plane maintenance was difficult. 

“Unfortunately, the regional airlines were hit the hardest by these workforce issues and many had no choice but to decrease the number of markets served due to no crews to operate the flights,” Ream stated. 

In this same period, Amtrak didn’t note any issues with staffing. Some routes discontinued according to an AP article, but other than mask mandates, physical distancing guidelines, and an emphasis on reservation systems, Amtrak services operated relatively normally in 2021 and 2022.  

Now, in 2023, a sense of normalcy has returned to the travel sphere, but certain practices and policies from the peak pandemic era stuck around. For one, ticket prices increased as a result of higher demand and lower number of available pilots and employees. Additionally, certain safety measures still exist. 

“We are still using the glass partition wall to give passengers extra space post screening. Our hand sanitizer stations are still in place throughout the terminal and our building maintenance team maintains the additional cleaning procedures put in place during the pandemic,” Ream said.

Amtrak has seen a wave of new customers utilizing their services since travel has surged again.

“We are seeing customers who are traveling on Amtrak for the first time. New riders skew younger with less income and education and slightly more racial diversity. Our ridership has returned to 84% of pre-pandemic levels and continues to improve,” Woods said. 

COVID-19 dismantled the way the world operated for a significant time, but by adapting guidelines to make everyone as safe as possible, travel institutions navigated the ever-changing landscape.