Meet Behnam Goudarzi, MD, FCCP. He’s a Board Certified in Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Internal Medicine and Sleep Medicine. Dr. Goudarzi is the President of the Medical Staff at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center.
What are your thoughts as a physician working during a pandemic?
During this devastating pandemic, as a physician, I’d like to urge everyone to stand as one and follow strict social distancing and healthy hygiene guidelines. We have all seen what happens otherwise. This virus spreads fast.
We are in an evolving scenario. Now is the time for mitigation. Every person’s concern should be to try to decrease the number of people that are affected in a short period of time. This way, we can get more and more prepared in terms of PPEs, testing, treatment and vaccination.
What are your concerns as a pulmonologist?
Patients with certain chronic diseases are at higher risk, despite their age. The hallmark of this disease is respiratory failure due to lung inflammation, a type of pneumonia. Chronic respiratory illnesses put patients at a disadvantage. Patients, who suffer from respiratory illnesses should be extra careful to avoid contracting the virus.
Though it’s still early, what are the potentially-lasting effects of COVID-19 on both patients with and without existing lung conditions?
Currently, there is no evidence that this kind of pneumonia has any different long term effects than other types of pneumonia. In general, every time somebody catches pneumonia, varying degrees of scars can develop in the lungs. There are no proven curing treatments at this time, though certain long-existing medications have shown some promising effects.
What do you want patients and the community to know about COVID-19?
Information and knowledge about COVID-19 are increasing by the moment. Recent research from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, says the “maximum transmission distance of SARS-CoV-2 aerosol” could be up to 13 feet. Coronavirus does not walk or fly. It is spread by humans, so let’s defeat it by not spreading it.
To learn more about COVID-19, visit sentaraupdates.com.
Every day, the news is filled with the numbers of new coronavirus cases, and grim stories about those who died from the disease.
Local businesses are shuttered and people out of work. Some may never recover from this.
All of this comes as the coronavirus has shattered the budgets of our local governments due to the stay-at-home orders issued by the state and federal governments.
We’ve been reporting on all of this news.
But we’ve also been working hard to find good stories that bring us together—the ones that make us smile, and those that give us hope.
- Like this one, we published today, about a woman who learned how to sew so she could donate masks at one of our area hospitals.
- Or the one of a woman who dresses up in a pink bunny suit, walks her dog and waives to passersby to make them smile.
- Or, how about the story of how this restaurant brought a little joy to its employees that were now stuck inside due to social distancing.
We’re trying out best to cover the entire community. But it’s not easy.
Like many businesses, we’ve lost some paying customers — in our case their advertisers — and that has affected our operation.
So, I’m asking — if you value great, local, original journalism delivered to you daily, please consider becoming a Potomac Local News subscribe.
Our subscription rates have not changed — $6 a month, or SAVE $13 by choosing to subscribe for a year for $65.
All it takes is one click to keep this trusted community news coming to you every day.
Thank you,
Uriah Kiser
Founder/President Publisher
Potomac Local News
With the overuse of plastic bags, the Prince William County Solid Waste Division encourages residents to reduce their use of them and to properly recycle them.
The Problem With Plastic Bags
The Prince William County Solid Waste Division is responsible for coordinating the county’s solid waste planning. They also operate the Prince William County Sanitary Landfill and the Balls Ford Road Compost Facility.
In 2013, the Solid Waste Division conducted a study on the trash going into the landfill. They found that plastic film made up 7% of trash flowing into the landfill. Plastic material can take years to degrade, and the wind often blows them into the trees and roads.
In addition, they also end up in the waterways and into farmers’ crops.
“When they get into the waterways, I found that the fourth most common article of marine debris was plastic bags. They also cause problems to farmers when they get into their crops. They get airborne and you see them in trees, you see them lying around the roads everywhere,” said Scott Macdonald, the Recycling Program Manager at the Prince William County Solid Waste Division.
According to information from Penn State, millions of barrels of oil are used to produce plastic each year in the U.S. The majority of them are not biodegradable, and the average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
How the Solid Waste Division Plans to Solve This
With these problems, the Solid Waste Division is urging people to use reusable bags and teaching them how to recycle them properly.
“Using media, sharing the information through articles, sharing information through public education. We try to stress the use of reusable bags. If we do an event, oftentimes, reusable bags will be one of the items that we have as a free promo. It’s really all about changing your habits,” said Deborah Campbell, Public Information Specialist of the Recycling Program.
The Solid Waste Division has also given out information on the proper way to recycle plastic bags. One common mistake people make is putting their plastic bags in the regular recycling bin. However, plastic bags cannot be recycled in the same way as any other material.
“They actually cause lots of trouble when they’re placed in the curbside bin because when they get to the material recovery facility or the recycling center, materials are sorted and separated by machinery, and those plastic bags get tangled up in the equipment and they have to shut down production. People have to physically clean that out so it’s not productive and dangerous,” said Campbell.
What people need to do instead is take their bags to a grocery store or retail outlet that has a plastic bag recycling program to be collected.
“There are a number of stores that have programs. Large-discount stores like Target, Walmart, Safeway, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Home Depot, and Kohls have programs. It’s really convenient, and once you get in the habit of taking your bags back when you go to those stores, they can be recycled in those programs,” said Campbell.
If you want to know more about what types of plastic film can be recycled, and where you can take them to be recycled, visit plasticfilmrecycling.org.
Many of us are now working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But that doesn’t mean we should forget the people in our work lives who make our days better, and our jobs a little easier.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020, is Administrative Professionals Day, a time when we recognize those who, in many ways, are the backbone of our businesses.
Administrative professionals take on important tasks.
- Bookkeeping and accounting
- Bill collections
- Customer service
- Answering phones
- Word processing
- Filing
- Maintaining records
- Answer 911 calls and dispatch police, and fire and rescue crews
- Sort and deliver mail
- Serve as your front-desk receptionist
- Process routine transactions at your bank
- Generate reports
- Take dictation
- Books conference calls, flights, hotels
- Keeps track of your employee birthdays and other important office dates
- Make photocopies
- Oversee junior staff
- Help to maintain a team atmosphere
- And much, much more.
On April 22, Potomac Local News will publish a special unlocked post recognizing Administrative Professionals Day. This is your opportunity to say thank you for those who are by your side, helping your business win.
Please use this form to include the name of your business, the text of your thank you, and a photo of your administrative professional or your team.
Don’t forget to include the name of your administrative professional, and to tell us how long they’ve worked for your business.
- It’s only $49 to have your well-wishes shared with our entire Potomac Local News community.
- If you have a paid subscription to Potomac Local News, it’s FREE to include your message.
Once we receive your email, we’ll send a quick invoice that is paid electronically.
We’ll be sure to include you in our post!
Bonus: Include a link to your business website in your email and I will also include it in our post here on Potomac Local News. Our website is highly ranked on search engines, so that’s a fantastic SEO value for your business just for saying “thank you” to those who help you the most.
It’s not easy selling goods to the Federal Government.
With all of the procurement rules and regulations involved, businesses hoping to do business with Uncle Sam often find the process can be a labyrinth of long corridors that — in some cases — can lead to a dead end.
Since 1967, Interface Inc. has helped their customers navigate the maze, helping big and small firms sell everything from HVAC filters, to chemicals, to environmental services that help the U.S. Army dispose of used oil and antifreeze after repairing its fleet of automobiles.
Until the late 1980s, all of the company’s important information — client notes, proposals, invoices — were all kept on paper. The firm later began digitizing those documents using a Lotus Notes program, and that data lived on servers at the company’s offices.
And it went on like that for years. More data being digitized meant the company needed to purchase and maintain larger, more expensive computer servers that had to be stored in the company office.
Move to the cloud
Interface, Inc. has trusted JTC, Inc., an IT solutions company in Manassas, Virginia, since the early 1990s. Five years ago, however, Interface, Inc. took a big leap forward into the future of IT security and performance by putting all of the company’s secured data on JTC Sky, a secured, private cloud solution from JTC.
“When they started talking about the cloud, I didn’t know what they were talking about, but we trusted them, and I said ‘tell me how to do this transition, and we’ll do it,” said David Knapp, Interface, Inc. president.
Overnight, the company’s data was in the cloud, and Knapp’s employees could access their information from anywhere in the world.
“As our company has grown, the size of our physical office has shrunk,” said Knapp. “After we moved to the cloud, I had to ask myself, ‘why are we sitting in an office all day when we should be out selling to the government?”
Cost savings
Interface Inc.’s move to the cloud not only proved efficient, but it was clearly a cost-saving move.
The company was able to shrink the size of its 3,500 square feet corporate office that had been located in Alexandria, Va. down to a smaller office that now has room for two employees.
Those two employees are now the only staff that is required to be in the office as the rest of Knapp’s team works remotely from multiple states.
The company not only slashed its rent costs but with JTC Sky, it also no longer needed to buy and maintain expensive servers and computers, as all of those services are now provided to it — in the cloud — by JTC, Inc.
The company was also able to switch their telephone service provider to JTC Voice Over IP — a customized telephone solution that provides the comfort and reliability of traditional phone service at a fraction of the cost, without the need to regularly replace expensive desk phones and backroom office equipment.
JTC’s VOIP solution provides many features that make working remotely very easy. Faxing from email and the smartphone application allows users to have their business phone system with them at all times.
“I was spending between $5,000 and $10,000 every two years on new equipment, plus the cost of internet services,” said Knapp. “We’ve seen as much as a 40% cost savings after we switch to JTC Sky.”
Monthly support, regular replacement of servers — those things are all bundled into one price for JTC Sky — meaning it’s one less thing for Knapp to worry about.
Disaster recovery
The onset of the COVID19 pandemic led to the federal and state governments ordering residents to work from home. That left many companies without a Business Continuity Plan scrambling to get their employees working from home on a secured data solution.
During this chaotic time, however, it was business as usual for Interface, Inc. As the virus spread, Knapp had the peace of mind that his company could continue to operate as normal. He didn’t have to risk contracting the virus and go to an empty office to backup computer servers, or risk exposure to the sickness by unlocking the office door to let in employees who needed to retrieve files or equipment.
“How do you put a cost on that?” asked Knapp. “This service is efficient, and it has saved us time and money.”
JTC Sky not only provides a continuous solution during the coronavirus pandemic, but also during fires, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters that could negatively impact a business.
“If you’re going to make this move to the cloud, do your research. Make sure you know you have someone who knows what they’re doing, and that company has a track record of performance to show you,” Knapp concluded.
About JTC, Inc.
JTC has just released its 5th generation of Private Cloud Hosting Services. The firm owns and operates its own Private Cloud Infrastructure located in multiple data centers, as noted in this exclusive LeaseWeb article: Leaseweb USA Accelerates JTC’s Infrastructure Update
Dataverstiy has also highlighted JTC’s work to build a trusted IT cloud infrastructure: Case Study: JTC Grows its Cloud Services Core through Trust and Teamwork
JTC was also named “Tech Company of the Year” for 2020 by the Prince William County Chamber.
Founded in 1996 and incorporated in 2002, Jewell Technical Consulting is a leading provider of technology-based business solutions to small and medium-sized businesses in Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area.
Headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, Jewell Technical Consulting services the business needs of a variety of clients and employs Cisco and Microsoft Certified full-time professionals that are truly some of the best in the business.
Our staff has many years of experience and strives to continue learning all of the new products and features the technology world has to offer. Every JTC employee is committed to making your technology function the best way possible, so you and your company get the most out of it.
Contact JTC, Inc. today by visiting their website, by calling 703-794-1225, or by visiting them on Facebook.
The Fauquier Bank has continued its “Charity of Choice” program for 2020.
For every new account opened, the bank will donate $25 to a Charity of Choice and for every “Tell-A-Friend” coupon redeemed, the bank will donate $10 to the selected charity.
A total of 10 charities have been selected for the program, which focuses 80% on local charities and 20% on larger charities that the bank believes are important to the community.
This week, we’re highlighting the Charity of Choice Central Virginia Housing Coalition.
Central Virginia Housing Coalition works with community leaders to prevent homelessness.
The nonprofit provides resources to families to assist them in becoming successful renters or homeowners. Such resources include education, counseling, community management, and casework. The Coalition offers several programs where families can get financial assistance for their homes, rent directly from them at fair market rate and counseling on budgeting and credit concerns.
The Coalition also offers a voucher program that enables very low-income individuals to acquire safe, sanitary housing. The Coalition started in 1988 and today has a full staff serving the counties of Caroline, Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George, Fredericksburg, and Caroline.
You can support their efforts by giving a monetary donation or volunteering for one of their programs.
It’s Virginia Restaurant Takeout Week, and restaurants in the state are reeling due to lack of business following the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Gov. Ralph Northam has limited the number of people who can be inside a restaurant at one time to 10 people, so customers this week are encouraged to call ahead to their favorite restaurant and order out.
Starting Saturday night and into Sunday, I spent hours collecting and compiling the names of area restaurants, in Fredericksburg, Gainesville, Haymarket, Manassas, Stafford, and Woodbridge, and their Twitter accounts. I sent each a message, inviting them to share any specific takeout week specials they might be offering to their customers — at no cost to the business.
One restaurant — Smoothie King of Woodbridge, located at 4296 Merchant Plaza in Woodbridge — responded:
@PotomacLocal @SKWoodbridge Thank u for supporting the restaurants of PWC! I was born&raised here &there’s no better place to have a small business.We’re a large county with small-town roots & take care of each other.We r offering a free immune builder enhancer in all smoothies.
— SKWoodbridge (@SkWoodbridge) March 30, 2020
Smoothie King, we’re happy to share this with our Potomac Local News community. Good luck, and we hope you sell a lot of smoothies this week.
Virginia Takeout Week runs today through Sunday, April 5.
VA takeout week: Tweet us your specials and we'll share! @panchovillava @jukeboxdiner@lnbtaphouse @winerylagrang@phillytavernva@thebonebbq@uptownalleymva@outoftheblueva@DunbrisCafe
— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) March 29, 2020
VA takeout week: Tweet us your specials and we'll share. @Okras @CapitalAleHouse
— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) March 29, 2020VA takeout week: Tweet us your specials and we'll share. @Okras @CapitalAleHouse
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The staff here is trained to greet everyone who comes through the dining room door with hearty “Welcome to Chick-fil-A!” But now that the dining room is closed to the public, that phrase isn’t being used there as much as it was only a few short weeks ago.
The staff now at Chick-fil-A Bristow have been working to serve their customers from the drive-through window and utilizing curbside pick up.
That means that, despite the coronavirus pandemic, Chick-fil-A’s faithful customers have continued to come to the restaurant to support their favorite eatery.
So with an empty Dining room, on Monday the Marketing Director, Karen Allam came in to brighten things up literally by setting up a table display of spring colors and Easter-themed decorations for the Team Members accented with Easter gift baskets that she made. Since their store Easter Egg Hunt and Store Anniversary celebration had to be canceled, she brought the prizes to them.
So instead of hunting for a golden egg to win the baskets, she set it up as an entry. Each Team Member, by dropping their entry blank into the entry box, has a chance to win one of the two smaller baskets or the big grand prize basket. The winners will be selected by random drawing.
The baskets, however, provided a nice change of scenery for the staff who have been focused on getting the orders out expeditiously through the Drive-Thru and complying with all the COVID-19 guidelines for customer safety and not much else.
Chick-fil-A Bristow is located at 9939 Sowder Village Square in Bristow, near Manassas. Its hours of operation are now 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. The restaurant is and always has been closed on Sundays.
All orders will be now be picked up outside.
