The future of health care in Fairfax County will be the topic of atown meeting Monday at the county Government Center that will includea panel of health and government leaders.
Among the topics are the increasing cost of prescription drugs andhealth care, access to health insurance and care, needs for long-term care, the future of Medicaid and Medicare, and liability issuesfacing hospital emergency rooms.
Juan Williams, senior correspondent for National Public Radio,author and former Washington Post reporter, will be the panelmoderator. Scheduled panelists include Fairfax Board of SupervisorsChairman Katherine K. Hanley (D) and Jane H. Woods, VirginiaSecretary for Health and Human Resources.
Also, Russell Libby, president, Fairfax County Medical Society;JoAnn Volk, legislative representative, AFL-CIO; Patricia Schmehl,senior director for women's and emergency services, Inova FairfaxHospital; Victoria Wachino, associate director, Kaiser Commission onMedicaid and the Uninsured; Damion Briggs, president, Maryland HealthPartners; Jorge Figueredo, executive director, Hispanic Committee ofVirginia; and John Luehrs, AARP national coordinator for stateaffairs.
Sponsoring the meeting are the Fairfax County Community ActionAdvisory Board, Fairfax County Health Care Advisory Board and InovaHealth System.
The meeting is from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The Government Center is at12000 Government Center Pkwy. More information is atwww.co.fairfax.va.us/service/dfs/caab/healthcare.htm.
The addition of ballfields at Clermont Park in the Alexandriasection of the county will be celebrated at a ribbon-cutting ceremonySaturday, officials said.
The park's redevelopment included an irrigated 60-foot diamondfield, with a larger parking lot and additional landscaping. Theproject also added two irrigated 60-foot diamond fields and anirrigated 90-foot Babe Ruth League diamond field.
New bleachers, dugout roofs, benches, field signs and protectivefences also were put up.
'The struggle to make these fields a reality while preserving therest of the property as woods was worth the effort,' said SupervisorT. Dana Kauffman (D-Lee). Bond money, local sports groups anddevelopers' proffers paid for the improvements.
The ribbon-cutting is set for 1:30 p.m. Clermont is at 4100Franconia Rd.
The first police officers reported to work last weekend at theSully District police station, the county's first new police stationin 27 years.
The $7.5 million station on Stonecroft Boulevard, just off Route28, is the eighth police district in the county.
The Fair Oaks police district essentially was sliced in half tocreate the Sully District. Its boundaries generally are Route 50 tothe north; the Loudoun County line to the west; the Prince WilliamCounty line to the south; and Stringfellow Road, Braddock Road, OxRoad (Route 123) and Wolf Run Shoals Road to the east.
The first meeting to discuss the future use of Ossian Hall Park inAnnandale has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday. The Fairfax CountyPark Authority wants ideas on how the park can best serve communityneeds.
The meeting is in the cafeteria of Annandale Terrace ElementarySchool, 7604 Herald St.
The Board of Supervisors has appointed Willard K. Garnes asdirector of the Department of Administration for Human Services.
Garnes, who has been acting director since September 2000, willoversee the department and coordinate work in financial management,human resources, contracts management, physical resources andstrategic planning for information technology. His annual salary is$104,486.
Garnes began working for the county 20 years ago when he was hiredas a coordinator for mental health by the Fairfax-Falls ChurchCommunity Services Board. He is a native Virginian and a Viennaresident.
Beginning next Thursday, Cox Communications Northern Virginia willlaunch ESPN, the all-sports network, in high definition, companyofficials said.
The new channel, ESPN HD, will cost $5.99 a month and will feature100 live telecasts including Major League Baseball, NationalBasketball Association, National Football League and National HockeyLeague games.
The company currently offers its high-definition TV service for$9.99 a month, which includes WRC-TV (Channel 4) and WJLA-TV (Channel7). HBO and Showtime are also available in high definition bysubscription.
Customers must live in an area where cable service has beenupgraded and must have an HDTV-compatible television with a monitorthat supports 1080i HD signals.
'Sample Annandale,' a community day celebrating the anniversary ofthe George Mason Regional Library's reopening, will be held Tuesday.
The event, from 1 to 3 p.m., will give people a chance to sampleinternational food, listen to free entertainment and obtaininformation about various community organizations and Inova HealthSystem.
The 35-year-old library added 3,000 square feet, as well as newwiring, cable, shelving and furniture.
The library is at 7001 Little River Tpk.
For more information, call 703-256-3800.
Supervisor Gerald W. Hyland (D-Mount Vernon) has relocated hisoffice to the renovated Mount Vernon Governmental Center, 2511Parkers Lane.
The telephone and fax numbers are the same: 703-780-7518, fax 703-780-1491. Hyland's e-mail address is mtvernon@fairfaxcounty.gov.Office hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.
The 19th annual Ms. Virginia Senior America pageant will be heldfrom 1:30 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Fairfax High School.
The winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the Ms. SeniorAmerica pageant in Reno, Nev., in November.
The school is at 3500 Old Lee Hwy. Tickets are $8 in advance and$10 at the door. For more information, call 703-481-1715.
-- Compiled by Diane Mattingly
and Stephen C. Fehr
