MLILY Mattresses in Richmond, VA

Many Veterans find staying active a rewarding and challenging part of their treatment. When you add-in competition, comradery, and entertaining activities, you have a recipe for successful rehabilitation and a good time.

Adaptive sports recreation therapists at the Richmond VA Medical Center hosted the 2nd Annual Richmond Tournament of Champions here September 25-27, 2023. Veterans competing in the games tested their skills at 9-ball billiards, cycling, air rifle marksmanship, bocce ball, disc golf, and bowling.Richmond VA recreation therapists, Jennifer Vass, Nicole Shuman, and other rec therapy team members organized the multi-day event. The idea originated when many of the games VA patients were accustomed to attending were cancelled during the COVID pandemic.“We have a group of Veterans who love to travel to national Veterans' events,” Vass said. “During COVID, that stopped.”The logistics of getting Veterans and staff to these events during this period became much more complex and, in many cases, ceased altogether.Veteran athletes who were unable to travel for their beloved games became disheartened.Having gained ample experience working and attending many VA national games, Vass and Shuman decided to take matters into their own hands by organizing an event on their home turf.“It’s exciting to be able to have this here, and it’s good practice for our Veterans who are going to the big games,” Shuman said.She also stated that these games provide an opportunity to those Veterans who are not able to travel to compete, as well as introducing new patients and many of the facility’s inpatients to enjoy the experience.With just three months of preparation, the therapists were set to kick off the three-day tournament with 28 competitors and six separate events.One of the main goals of these games is to help those Veterans who are recovering from injury to regain independence and quality of life. Vass and Shuman both remarked that one such person who participated in the games is competitive recumbent racer, Mike Brooks. Brooks was injured in a cycling accident and did physical rehabilitation at the Richmond VA hospital.“I think it was four or five years ago that we gave him his first trike through the equipment program,” Shuman said. “He put 8,000 miles on it.”Through hard work, treatment and physical therapy, Brooks was able to return to a sport that he loves.“Being part of helping someone get that ability back is extremely exciting and rewarding,” Shuman added.This year’s event concluded with a fellowship dinner and awards ceremony for participants and their families. The ceremony included special guest speakers and awards for the top three competitors in each sport.Matthew Reed competed in five of the six events and took home the coveted Triple Threat Championship crown for being the top competitor in three events.“I’m legally blind,” Reed said. “Through Nicole’s [Shuman] assistance, and the whole team’s assistance, it truly became an adaptive experience for me.”Reed appreciated the opportunity to be able to compete with his friends at the VA.“The team here is just fantastic,” he said. “It’s so much fun to be part of this adaptive sports program.”Vass, Shuman, and the rest of their team already have their sights set on next year's games. Their goal is to expand the Tournament of Champions with more participants, more fellowship, and more fun.

The fate of slots-like skill games in Virginia convenience stores and truck stops remained in limbo Wednesday as the state Senate voted to reject Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s sweeping changes to a proposal to legalize and tax the gambling machines.

The Senate voted 34-6 to reject the governor’s tougher amendments to the bill, sending the legislation back to Youngkin in its original form.

The bipartisan move raises the risk Youngkin could veto the legislation, an outcome that would leave skill games prohibited throughout Virginia by a ban enacted under former Gov. Ralph Northam. But lawmakers also announced Wednesday that they’re planning a special session later this spring to reach a deal on the state budget, creating an opening to reconsider the skill game issue over the next few weeks.

“I recognize that this bill faces an uncertain future if it goes back to the governor’s desk,” said Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, the bill’s lead sponsor in the Senate. “But… I stand with small businesses in every corner of our commonwealth urging the governor to do right by small businesses and sign this bill.”

Virginia’s skill game ban — which was passed in 2020 but didn’t take effect until 2021 after lawmakers gave the industry a one-year grace period due to COVID-19 — was suspended for nearly two years as the skill game industry fought it in court. The Supreme Court of Virginia reinstated it late last year, rendering the machines illegal and prompting the industry to launch a new lobbying push to change the law.

Things appeared to be going well for skill game supporters until the bill got to Youngkin, who had signaled in February that he had “serious concerns” with the proposal. Last week, the governor unveiled amendments that would impose a higher tax rate on the machines, more regulatory safeguards and strict geographic limits that would effectively ban the machines in most of the state’s metro areas.

The governor wanted a 35% tax rate on the machines, while the General Assembly approved a 25% tax rate. Skill game supporters claim Youngkin’s amendments would create a tax rate of up to 45%, but the administration has said that’s a misread of the bill and the suggested rate is indeed 35%.

In a statement Wednesday evening, Youngkin’s office reiterated its qualms about the legislation while indicating the governor is open to revisiting the geographic limits skill game backers took issue with.

“The governor’s concerns with the bill remain and his amendments addressed those concerns,” said Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez. “He is open to continuing discussion to alleviate issues with both perimeter provisions.”

Proponents of legalizing skill games have portrayed it as a matter of fairness, arguing that since Virginia has legalized numerous other types of gambling there’s no reason the machines that generate revenue for small business owners should be treated more harshly. Opponents of the bill say the state shouldn’t allow a gambling free-for-all or reward businesses that exploited a legal loophole to profit from gambling machines that have been unregulated and untaxed for most of their existence in Virginia.

The Senate appeared to consider a second vote on the skill game bill to preemptively override a potential veto. But the body didn’t follow through on that effort, which would have required two-thirds votes in both legislative chambers. The House of Delegates, which had approved the skill game bill by a narrow 51-45 margin, didn’t take up the skill game bill Wednesday. Because the bill originated in the Senate, the Senate’s decision to reject Youngkin’s amendments sent the bill straight back to the governor.

The policy specifics of what the governor recommended drew little discussion in the Senate, which completed its action on the skill game bill Wednesday in about five minutes.

Rouse, the only senator who spoke on the bill, said the “most egregious” elements in Youngkin’s proposal were the geographic limitations that would outlaw the machines in the state’s most populous regions. Youngkin’s version of the bill would have prohibited skill games within 35 miles of licensed casinos and Rosie’s facilities affiliated with the Colonial Downs horse racing track. The governor also suggested banning skill games within 2,500 feet of schools, day cares and places of worship.

In a seemingly less controversial amendment, Youngkin proposed giving cities and counties the ability to ban skill games locally. The bill sent to him had no provisions for local control, legalizing the machines statewide with no ability for communities to opt out.

The governor had also suggested tougher regulations requiring the industry to verify the identity of players before they put money into the machines, a system that could help prevent minors and people seeking help for gambling addiction from playing skill games. The bill the legislature passed also bars people under 21 from playing and has provisions for gambling addiction, but was less clear on how those rules would be enforced since skill games aren’t as closely supervised as slot machines on a casino floor.

Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, a skill game critic who has pushed for tougher regulations on the industry, said the legislature could have avoided a veto by rejecting the 35-mile rule while leaving the rest of Youngkin’s suggestions.

“I’m a big believer that half a loaf is better than no loaf,” Krizek said. “I’m sure there’s things that the governor could meet them halfway on.”

A large group of convenience store owners gathered at the Capitol Wednesday morning to applaud lawmakers seen as skill game allies and criticize Youngkin for amendments they felt were overly harsh and not in tune with reality.

Munir Rassiwala, who owns several convenience stores around Virginia, said he voted for Youngkin but was disappointed the governor seemed to think protecting the investments casinos have made is more important than helping smaller entrepreneurs like him.

“There should be a compromise,” he said. “There are lives at stake.”

Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, a skill game supporter, encouraged the crowd to keep up the fight.

“Hopefully cooler heads prevail both in the governor’s office and here in the legislature,’ said Stanley, a lawyer who has done work for Pace-O-Matic, a major skill game company lobbying for the legalization bill. “I think ultimately a solution for the budget and for skill games is in the works.”

Virginians Against Neighborhood Slot Machines, an anti-skill game advocacy group funded by casinos, urged Youngkin to veto the bill.

“That is the only course of action to ensure public safety, protect vulnerable communities and to prevent every neighborhood in Virginia from becoming a mini-Las Vegas,” the group said in a statement. “It should tell Virginians everything they need to know that ‘skill games’ proponents threw a tantrum at the mere prospect of modest regulatory protections.”

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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — All Virginia hospitals with an emergency department will have to have at least one doctor on-site at all times instead of on-call starting in July 2025.

Two identical bills proposing the staffing requirement from Del. Patrick A. Hope (D-Arlington) and state Sen. Stella G. Pekarsky (D-Fairfax) easily passed out the General Assembly and were signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).

“The bill just requires that there be a treating physician on site for all emergency rooms,” Hope said when the Senate bill was before the House of Delegates on Feb. 20.

Under the state’s current law, hospitals with emergency rooms must have a licensed physician on-call, but not necessarily on the premises, at all times.

Del. Wren Williams (R-Patrick) voiced his concerns over the proposal, specifically about its impact on short-staffed hospitals in rural areas like the one he represents. Williams asked Hope if thought about the “unintended consequences” it could have on rural hospitals.

Hope said that’s why the bill was put forward with a delayed effective date, July 2025. He said this would ensure all hospitals can adapt to the pending law.

“I know this bill comes from good intentions,” Williams responded. “I mean, who wouldn’t want a doctor in the ER at all times?”

In his Feb. 20 House floor speech, an emotional Williams said there is only one practicing physician in Patrick County, who also makes rounds in the ER and nursing home.

“In my district, we have one emergency room,” Williams said while choking up. “Over 1,500 square miles. And I’m afraid that one might close, too.”

The total fiscal impact the bill would have on the Virginia Department of Health cannot be determined, per the fiscal impact statement accompanying the legislation.

“VDH does not have readily available data to estimate the potential volume of complaints that may be generated from this legislative change and cannot estimate whether it can be absorbed with existing resources,” the fiscal impact statement reads. “If the provisions of the bill lead to an appreciable increase in complaints against hospitals, VDH may need additional Health Care Compliance Specialists II to handle complaint intake and investigation; this would increase personnel, travel, and lodging costs for the agency.”

The statement adds that costs to amend regulations are estimated to be less than $5,000, which it says can be “absorbed with existing resources.”

The Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM) within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is revolutionizing healthcare for Veterans using 3D printing and other advanced technologies.

By creating customized solutions for Veterans in need of assistive technology (AT), OAM helps individuals maintain, increase, or improve their functional capabilities. AT helps Veterans perform a variety of tasks, from complex movements like driving and playing sports to everyday tasks like using a phone or turning on a light.

A new library of VHA OAM hosted on the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) 3D page currently contains a collection of design packages, which include CAD files and detailed instructions available for use within a clinical setting. Specific areas of interest include Assistive Technology, empowering individuals with disabilities to improve their independence.

“The website is a design library of files for assistive technology devices that we've created here at Richmond [VA Medical Center] that came out of two things:” said Melissa Oliver, assistive technology program director at Richmond VA Medical Center. “One, a patient need, a Veteran need, but then we were hearing from people across other VA sites that said, ‘hey, we would love to be able to have this Item.’”

The idea for the library began as a link on Shopify through VA’s Innovation Spark, Seed, Spread project where someone could order the actual AT product before moving to the current setup before the proliferation of 3d printers became widespread.

“When everybody Started getting 3D printers, they just wanted the files and so then that's how we got to the design library, and we partnered with NIH,” said Oliver. “We already had a platform for the design files and so we partnered with them to have a place to manage it and house it for us.”

There are currently 31 designs on the site with plans to expand and grow the number of design packages available for download, according to Oliver. The library's second goal of connecting VA clinicians with engineers is also incredibly important. By fostering collaboration between these two groups, the VHA OAM Design Library is helping to drive innovation in the field of assistive technology. These innovations have the potential to greatly improve the quality of life for Veterans with disabilities.

“That covers the primary goal of it, but I think it also serves as a sort of a portfolio of or starting point of ideas for other VAs to look at and say, hey, if we, you know, modify this existing design a little bit, you know maybe we could meet the need for another Veteran,” said Brian Burkhardt, Richmond office of advanced manufacturing hub site lead. “So, it's a nice way to not only share the designs, but to be a jumping point of, you know, for creativity.”

The impact of OAM's AT digital library is profound, with many Veterans experiencing life-changing benefits. For example, 3D-printed toothbrush holders aid in independent personal hygiene, while 3D-printed stylus palm grips make it easier for Veterans to write. These tailored solutions make a significant difference in the lives of Veterans, enabling them to perform tasks that were previously difficult or impossible. OAM's innovative approach to healthcare transforms the way VA approaches patient care and sets a new standard for the industry.

The VHA OAM Design Library is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in assistive technology. Its commitment to providing detailed instructions and fostering collaboration between clinicians and engineers is helping to drive innovation and improve the lives of people with disabilities.

“The traditional method for sharing out things that we produce in VA is tech transfer. So that's great and works for many things, but this is a way to share things that either maybe aren't appropriate for tech transfer, or there's just not a big enough market for,” said Burkhardt. “So, we're sharing something that might help a few people out there but there's just not a big enough market for.”

The new online library provides access to a vast collection of CAD files for use in clinical settings. The library is primarily focused on assistive technology and improving the independence of individuals with disabilities. By providing detailed instructions on how to uniformly fabricate and use these devices, the VHA OAM Library is helping to ensure that these designs are accessible to as many people as possible.

“Anybody, whether you're a federal employee or Joe Schmoe, can get to the NIH site. It's a public open facing outward facing site than anybody can do that. So, it's not only accessible for our Veterans to be able to utilize, but the public at large,” said Oliver. “It has the general picture, then it has a description, then you also have the PDF here and you also have more pictures too, so they can see what it looks like,” Oliver said.

“I think it's also a way for smaller VA's that are making things to be able to share what they're doing because I think a lot of times, they don't feel like they can get that word out to other people, but it might benefit of a Veteran or any therapist that is looking for a potential solution,” she said.

Check out the collection at:https://3d.nih.gov/collections/oam/at 

Jonathan Zachary Berlinerman, son of the late David Berlinerman and Helena Tyszler, aged 66, of Richmond, Virginia passed away on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. Jon touched the lives of those around him with his passion for life and his unwavering dedication to the things he held dear. His memory will forever be carried in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to know him.

Jon was a man of many interests with a wholehearted love for music. His extensive music collection was a testament to his eclectic taste, with every song representing a moment, a memory, and a melody that Jon shared throughout his lifetime. His love for music transcended time, which will forever be attached to his memory. Beyond his musical pursuits, Jon had a unique affinity for ties. His collection was not just a display of fashion, but a treasure trove of memories. Every tie held a special place in his heart, each one associated with a fun fact, a story, and a smile. Jon had an exceptional ability to infuse joy into the simplest things, turning each tie into a precious keepsake of a life filled with laughter and love. Additionally, Jon’s dedication to his faith was steadfast. He found solace in the teachings of Judaism, guiding him through life’s ups and downs. Jon’s commitment to his faith was a reflection of his character, rooted in love, compassion, and a profound sense of purpose.

Jon was deeply devoted to his friends and family. His family was his greatest accomplishment, and he cherished them more than words can describe. His devotion to his friends and family was boundless. He had a true gift - the ability to make people smile effortlessly. His infectious laughter and radiant spirit lit up every room he entered. His legacy will forever live on through the love and memories he shared with those closest to him. As we mourn his passing, let us also celebrate the vibrant life of a man who touched our hearts and made the world a brighter place. Jon leaves behind his beloved wife Annie “Dell” Berlinerman; and his son Adam Berlinerman (Jacqueline Drazner). Sister, Rose P. LeRoy (Sam); Brothers in law, Edward Ipock (Tammy), W. James Ipock, George Ipock (Sandy), Charles Ipock. Sister in law, Sarah Jane Spence (Roger); Jon also leaves behind his nieces and nephews, Joel LeRoy (Ashley), Tamar LeRoy, Rebekah Ipock, Kristin Ipock, Josh Ipock, Brooke Doss, Sarah Beth Spencer, Jesse Ipock, Wyatt Ipock, Ethan Ipock, Caraline Ipock; Uncle, Oscar Berlinerman.

A graveside service for Jon will be held Wednesday, January 24, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Greenwood Memorial Gardens, 12609 Patterson Avenue, Richmond, VA 23238.