CIRS Mold Toxicity Treatment in Falls Church, VA
Experiencing mold toxicity is a terrifying thought for most people. Although it may seem like an interesting concept for a medical drama, nobody wants to experience the effects of mold exposure firsthand.
Mold is a fungus that thrives in wet environments, such as under tiles, wood floors, and ceilings, pipes, and roofs. While several types of mold exist, some are more hazardous than others, and some individuals may be allergic or sensitive to mycotoxins, the toxins that mold naturally produces. Exposure to excessive amounts of mold, or the types of mold that trigger health problems, can lead to mold toxicity and even CIRS - Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. This acute and chronic systemic inflammatory response syndrome is typically acquired after exposure to mold or other producers of biotoxins, usually from damaged water buildings.
If you believe that you're suffering from mold toxicity or mold illness, it can seem like the world is folding in on you. No matter what you do, your symptoms persist, lowering your quality of life and eliminating your peace of mind. Fortunately, there is reason to be hopeful: Proactive Wellness Centers now offers a research-backed, highly effective mold illness poisoning treatment in Falls Church, VA for men and women just like yourself and your children as well if they have been impacted.
Service Areas
Understanding
CIRS and Mold Toxicity
CIRS and mold illness are on the rise, and accurate diagnosis of the issue plays a major role in this trend. Thanks to Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, there is a huge body of evidence that covers diagnosing and treating patients with CIRS. Dr. Lawson is one of less than 30 practitioners in the United States that are fully certified by Dr. Shoemaker for diagnosing and treating CIRS. The body of evidence by Shoemaker and many associates is the largest body of scientific evidence that is published in major medical journals. Around 80% of CIRS/Mold cases are caused by indoor air contaminated with mold toxins and other triggers. However, it's important to note that CIRS can also be caused by biotoxin producers such as cyanobacteria and a marine dinoflagellate that produces the Ciguatera toxin found in certain types of fish.
When mold or biotoxins are not processed effectively, a series of biochemical changes known as the Biotoxin Pathway occur. Genetic studies have revealed that approximately 24% of individuals have a genetic makeup that makes them susceptible to developing an illness related to mold or biotoxins. The remaining 76% of the population can typically eliminate these toxins from their system and avoid the development of the Biotoxin Pathway that can lead to various diseases.
CIRS and Mold Poisoning Misdiagnosis
CIRS and mold exposure symptoms overlap with many other chronic illnesses, which makes diagnosis challenging and can even lead to missed diagnosis of CIRS. Based on research from Proactive Wellness Centers, CIRS is frequently misdiagnosed. Some of the most common misdiagnoses include:
- Lupus
- Chronic Pain Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Parkinson's Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- PTSD
- More
Lyme disease, in particular, is often misdiagnosed. We have treated a number of patients whose symptoms were in line with Lyme disease. Fortunately, we were able to confirm the presence of CIRS and mold and were able to successfully help those patients using CIRS treatment in Falls Church, VA.
Note that many of these patients have CIRS and Lyme disease and in that case, it is necessary to treat both in order for full recovery. Treating one or the other will invariably leave the patient with debilitating symptoms and even more frustration with their medical team. At Proactive Wellness Centers, we are skilled In diagnosing and treating both.
CIRS and Mold Poisoning Symptoms
If you're reading this page, chances are you're concerned that you might have CIRS or some form of mold poisoning. You may be wondering what you have - is it CIRS, or is it something else like Lyme disease? We can't provide the answer to that question without consultation and testing at our wellness center in Virginia. However, there are common symptoms of CIRS and mold toxicity you should know.
Some of the most common symptoms of CIRS include:
- Fatigue
- Decreased Word Finding
- Headaches
- Difficulty Concentrating
- Morning Stiffness
- Tremors
- Excessive Thirst
- Tingling
- Night Sweats
- Frequent Urination
- Confusion
- Mood Swings
Proactive Wellness Centers'
Tools for Diagnosing Mold Sickness and CIRS
Identifying and confirming if a patient is being impacted by CIRS and identifying the cause and source of the biotoxin are the two main steps in diagnosing CIRS and Mold Exposure. To diagnose CIRS and Mold Exposure, the following diagnostic tools are commonly used:
To learn more about the debilitating symptoms of mold sickness and to find out whether you have CIRS or something else, contact Proactive Wellness Centers. Our team of medical professionals is here to help you every step of the way.
Hope for Patients with CIRS: Proactive Wellness Centers' Mold Illness Treatment in Falls Church, VA
Our approach to treating CIRS utilizes integrative and functional medicine, The Shoemaker Protocol along with the latest evidence-based approaches to treating mold illness and the related secondary issues that it causes. We begin by utilizing advanced diagnostics to confirm the presence of the condition and identify the specific environment causing continued exposure to biotoxins. Next, we take a stepwise approach to halt the progression of the disease, eliminate biotoxins from the body, and reverse any damage to cellular structures. Our goal is to help patients achieve a full recovery.
To do this, we not only have to identify the primary condition like CIRS or Lyme disease, but we then have to continue looking to see if you have any of the common secondary conditions like reactivated EBV, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), and others. Once we understand the totally of your condition, then we can implement a treatment plan tailored for you. Yes, it will leverage the Shoemaker protocol, but we have found that we have to extend the protocol to cover the secondary issues that we uncover.
The steps we follow to reach that goal include:
- VIP
- TGF Beta 1
- MMP9
- ADH
- Antigliadin
- Androgen Imbalance
- C4a
- More
- Barley
- Cottonseed
- Peanuts
- Corn
- Black Pepper
- Figs
- Rice
- Bread
- Beans
- More
Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue, and Chronic Pain Syndrome are examples of illnesses that are often diagnosed without such confirmatory tests. If you are experiencing unexplained health issues or have been exposed to water-damaged buildings, it is possible that you are suffering from CIRS or a mold illness.
The good news is that we can diagnose and address this disease with a mold illness treatment program in Falls Church, VA tailored to your body and your symptoms. That way, we can help you regain your health as soon as possible.
Be Wary of These
5 Symptoms of Mold Exposure
Mold spores can easily be brought into your home on your shoes or clothing or through open windows or doors. If these spores can find a warm, damp, humid environment, they can begin to multiply. Soon, your home can be filled with toxic mold. If you think mold has invaded your home or another environment, like in an office or warehouse, it's important for you to know about the symptoms.
Unfortunately, diagnosing mold issues can be exceptionally difficult. But why? The answer can be quite frustrating.
Understanding the Difficulty of Diagnosing Mold Symptoms
Many doctors fail to recognize the impact of mycotoxins emitted by certain indoor mold species, which can lead to chemical and inflammatory reactions. While conventional medicine acknowledges that mold can cause allergies, it may overlook this crucial aspect of mold-related health issues.
This can happen for several reasons:
- Standardized treatment protocols for mold toxicity are offered mostly by Functional/Integrative physicians as the conventional physicians are not on board despite over 20 years of published research. Due to this issue, patients spend precious months/years going from doctor to doctor in the conventional channel with no answers.
- Though ERMI testing has been accepted in the integrative/functional medical community, there isn't a "gold standard" in mold testing that is universally accepted.
- Mold symptoms can manifest in vastly different ways depending on the patient.
After understanding the points above, it's no wonder that mold poisoning can be hard to diagnose. Fortunately, integrative and functional holistic medicine providers and wellness centers like Proactive Wellness are flipping the proverbial script. Unlike traditional clinics, our team considers environmental factors that can affect patient health and has advanced training to provide mold poisoning treatment in Falls Church, VA.
Now that you understand why mold symptoms are so hard to diagnose let's take a closer look at five of the most common indicators of mold sickness.
Fatigue
Fatigue is probably the number one symptom of well over 90% of CIRS patients. The level of fatigue varies from 5 on a 10 point scale all the way to 10 on a 10 point scale. Many patients can no longer work or remain productive as in the worst cases, the fatigue is overwhelming. College students living in moldy dorms frequently have to drop out of school until the illness is treated effectively. Older adults have to retire or stop working due the fatigue. If you have overwhelming fatigue, CIRS may be a major contributor to your illness.
Breathing Problems
Exposure to mold can cause a host of respiratory problems, such as breathing difficulties, allergies, and asthma, especially in individuals with a weakened immune system. Mold can worsen asthma, irritate the nasal passages, lungs, and throat, and lead to symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, and nasal congestion. Other health issues such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis, sinus congestion, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis have also been associated with mold sickness.
Sadness and Depression
Mold can cause a variety of illnesses that can show up in different ways, such as psychological symptoms like anxiety, depression, insomnia, concentration problems, and memory loss. It has been reported that nearly 40% of people who live in moldy homes experience depression. Researchers suggest that exposure to toxic mold and dealing with the physical symptoms of mold illness can contribute to mental health issues.
Due to this phenomenon, many mold patients are given antidepressant medications in the conventional channels.
Feeling "Pins and Needles"
Numbness, twitching, or tingling in the extremities, such as hands, feet, legs, and arms, is another symptom of mold illness. The sensation is similar to pins and needles, which are often felt when the body is held in an uncomfortable position for a long time. While this sensation can indicate serious nerve damage or disease, it can also be a symptom of mold sickness.
Digestion Problems and Disorders
When exposed to mold, individuals may experience various digestive problems. Some may lose their appetite, leading to unintentional weight loss. Others may suffer from stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Furthermore, the influx of mold spores may trigger systemic inflammation, causing bloating and weight gain due to the digestive system's exposure to harmful mold.
Ask Us Anything
Top Tips for
Controlling Mold in Your Environment
It's not possible to completely eliminate all mold and mold spores from your home or place of work. However, since mold spores need moisture to grow, the best way to prevent or get rid of growth is to reduce the moisture in your environment. If you already have mold growing there, it's important to clean it up and address the issue causing dampness. If you only clean up the mold and don't address the underlying problem, the mold is likely to return.
Here are some tips to help reduce moisture throughout your home or office:
- Use A/C or Dehumidifiers. This is especially important if you live in a hot, humid area of the United States.
- Ensure A/C drip pans are clean, dry, and obstruction-free.
- Thoroughly dry areas that are damp or wet within 48 hours.
- Be sure to install insulation in cold areas like your home's exterior walls and windows. Doing so will reduce condensation.
- Work with an HVAC company to check your HVAC system. Doing so can help ensure your unit is removing as much humidity as possible.
- Keep the humidity in your home below 60% whenever possible.
Here are some tips to help reduce moisture in your kitchen:
- Check for leaks near your ice makers, sinks, and anywhere else water is present.
- Make sure your exhaust fans are directing moisture outside, not into your attic.
- If you notice your appliances are causing moisture on windows and other surfaces, turn them off as soon as you're done using them.
Here are some tips to help reduce moisture in crawlspaces:
- Use a plastic covering on the dirt in your crawlspace. Doing so will prevent moisture from saturating the ground.
- Ensure that your crawlspace or basement is ventilated well.
- Check your home's gutters. Make sure they're directing water away from your property, not toward your foundation or crawlspace.
Your Top Choice for
Mold Toxicity Treatment in Falls Church, VA
Trying to "tough it out" through life with CIRS isn't any way to live. If you're suffering from the effects of biotoxin illness, you should know that there are solutions available to help you reclaim your health and your life. With the help of a can-do attitude, healthy living, and mold illness treatment from Proactive Wellness, there's light at the end of the dark tunnel you're trapped within. Contact our office today to get started on your first step toward recovery!
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Latest News in Falls Church, VA
Mary Catherine Chase Named City of Falls Church Director of Communications
FCNP.comhttps://www.fcnp.com/2024/05/03/mary-catherine-chase-named-city-of-falls-church-director-of-communications/
Friday, May 3, 2024 – Today, City Manager Wyatt Shields announced the hiring of Mary Catherine Chase as the new City of Falls Church Director of Communications. Chase will join the City in this leadership position on June 17, 2024.“I am pleased to welcome Mary Catherine Chase to the City of Falls Church team,” said Shields. “Throughout the interview process, it was clear that Chase possesses the knowledge, skills, and experience to strengthen City communications. Clear information sharing with employees, commun...
Friday, May 3, 2024 – Today, City Manager Wyatt Shields announced the hiring of Mary Catherine Chase as the new City of Falls Church Director of Communications. Chase will join the City in this leadership position on June 17, 2024.
“I am pleased to welcome Mary Catherine Chase to the City of Falls Church team,” said Shields. “Throughout the interview process, it was clear that Chase possesses the knowledge, skills, and experience to strengthen City communications. Clear information sharing with employees, community members, and stakeholders in a user-friendly and accessible way is critical to the City’s success. Chase is poised to lead the City well in this effort.”
Significant achievements mark Chase’s career. She spearheaded the strategic communications activities at The George Washington University School of Business, where she serves as the Director of Marketing and Communications. She led in planning, developing, and executing various initiatives, including media relations and refreshing brand campaigns across websites and social media.
Prior to her time at GW, Chase served for seven years with the International Student Exchange Programs (ISEP) based in Arlington, VA, where she rose from the Director of Membership for Europe and Southern United States to the Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships. In addition, she worked for several years at The British Council, British Embassy in Washington, D.C.
“I am honored to have been chosen as the Director of Communications for the City of Falls Church. This position leverages my experience building inclusive communities through communications and my love for The Little City as a decade-long resident,” said Chase. “In my career, I have realized a need for responsible and inclusive leadership, and leading the City’s communications efforts is an opportunity to advance inclusivity, equity, and belonging in our community.”
Chase earned a Master of Science in Media and Communication from the London School of Economics and Political Science and completed the Creating and Managing Strategic Alliances Executive Course in managing strategic external partnerships from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. She currently teaches a course in business leadership at GW.
This announcement follows a comprehensive recruitment campaign for the new Director of Communications. Two panels with internal and community stakeholders interviewed three finalists and provided the City Manager with valuable input in the selection process.
Maggie Redden has been serving as the Interim Director of Communications since March 1, 2024, and will continue in this role until Chase assumes office on June 17, 2024.
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Virginia Tech’s West Falls Church campus sold for redevelopment as construction hub
Angela Woolseyhttps://www.ffxnow.com/2023/11/17/virginia-techs-west-falls-church-campus-sold-for-redevelopment-as-construction-hub/
The remaking of Virginia Tech’s campus near the West Falls Church Metro station as a futuristic mixed-use development can officially begin.The university and Falls Church City completed a sale of the 7.41-acre ...
The remaking of Virginia Tech’s campus near the West Falls Church Metro station as a futuristic mixed-use development can officially begin.
The university and Falls Church City completed a sale of the 7.41-acre Northern Virginia Center site to developer Converge West Falls LLC last week, the city announced Wednesday (Nov. 15).
Approved by the Falls Church City Council in August 2022, the $25 million sale required the city to terminate Virginia Tech’s 40-year lease on the property at 7054 Haycock Road. Falls Church retains about $8.4 million of the proceeds from the sale, with the remaining $16.57 million going to the university, according to agreements authorized on July 25, 2022.
The sale paves the way for the academic center’s transformation into a new headquarters for HITT Contracting, a construction company currently based in Fairview Park near Merrifield. The development will also include a construction research lab for Virginia Tech and apartments with ground-floor retail.
“This closing marks an important milestone in a decade-long planning effort initiated by the City of Falls Church,” Falls Church Mayor David Tarter said in a statement. “We are excited about having the national headquarters of HITT Contracting and the Virginia Tech Coalition for Smart Construction as neighbors to our West Falls project.”
Part of a push to revitalize the West Falls Church Transit Station Area, the Northern Virginia Center redevelopment has been in the works since 2019 but stalled in early 2021 after Virginia Tech and HITT decided not to move forward. The lease termination and sale agreements with Falls Church helped revive the project last year.
Converge — a joint venture of HITT and the developer Rushmark Properties — submitted a development plan in September 2022 that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved on July 25.
In a formal unveiling this week, HITT shared that its new six-story, 270,000-square-foot headquarters will emphasize sustainability and serve as a “hub for education and innovation in construction,” while also providing better access to mass transit for its more than 900 local employees.
Features will include a 100,000-square-foot rooftop solar panel array and 40,000 square feet of ground-floor space for Virginia Tech’s new Coalition for Smart Construction, a research center that “will advance building practices and ultimately shape the industry’s future.”
HITT says its research and development team already has over 20 projects that it plans to work on at the new headquarters.
Notable ventures already in progress include a newly patented prefabricated building skin that reduces weight, increases speed to market, and creates more efficient buildings. HITT is pioneering the first use of the Caracol Heron AM robotic arm installed in the US for 3D printing, aimed to augment traditional construction methods, and implementing robotics on-site to support an enhanced experience for HITT’s field team through technology-enabled workflows.
“As an industry, we have to do better to tackle the challenges of rising costs, labor shortages, and our environmental footprint,” HITT Co-Chairman Brett Hitt said. “I believe that Virginia Tech will push the boundaries of construction by bringing its brilliant students to a space where they can work alongside our industry’s brightest minds. Bringing industry and academia together under one roof will help us effect real change.”
Outside the construction world, the project will also deliver a 13-story, 440-unit apartment building with up to 18,000 square feet of retail, 55,000 square feet of urban parks, and a portion of West Falls Station Blvd, a new road that will link the also-redeveloping West Falls and Metro station properties.
HITT CEO Kim Roy said the company is “ecstatic” that it will “continue growing in Fairfax County.
“We’re thankful to the City of Falls Church, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Fairfax County for supporting our plans to build this cutting-edge development,” Roy said. “We’re deeply committed to being good stewards of the local community and the environment.”
According to HITT, construction on its headquarters is expected to begin in early 2025 and finish in late 2026.
Falls Church is an underrated culinary hot spot: Here’s a chance to try it
Jeff Clabaughhttps://wtop.com/business-finance/2024/01/falls-church-is-an-underrated-culinary-hot-spot-heres-a-chance-to-try-it/
There are several great restaurant weeks around the D.C. metro area every year, including the City of Falls Church, which is holding its first-ever restaurant week this month. And if you’re a foodie and you’ve never been to the Virginia city, you are missing out.There are more than 160 restaurants within a very walkable 2 square miles in Falls Church, and just about every possible cuisine has a corner.“Last I checked, we ha...
There are several great restaurant weeks around the D.C. metro area every year, including the City of Falls Church, which is holding its first-ever restaurant week this month. And if you’re a foodie and you’ve never been to the Virginia city, you are missing out.
There are more than 160 restaurants within a very walkable 2 square miles in Falls Church, and just about every possible cuisine has a corner.
“Last I checked, we have over 40 different types of cuisines available. Irish, Italian, Jamaican, Japanese, Mexican, Peruvian, Salvadoran, Thai, Vietnamese and a ton more,” said Sarah Swinton, marketing manager with the City of Falls Church’s economic development office.
Falls Church restaurants have won awards and been recognized on lists in publications, including The New York Times, Washingtonian and DC Eater.
Many of those restaurants are clustered along the main street in Falls Church, East Broad Street and West Broad Street. More than 40 of them are participating in the inaugural Falls Church Restaurant Week, which is actually 10 days, running from Jan. 19 to 28.
You haven’t earned your local foodie badge if you have not been to one of the main attractions in Falls Church; the 200,000-square-foot, two-level Eden Center is the largest Asian mall on the East Coast, with more than 120 shops and restaurants
“If people haven’t had a chance to explore it, they really should,” Swinton said. “It’s been a major destination for Vietnamese food and culture in Northern Virginia for nearly 40 years. Today, the Eden Center has expanded beyond Vietnamese fare to include other types of Asian cuisines.”
Falls Church is using pandemic-era federal government American Rescue Plan Act money from the Virginia Tourism Commission to promote its first Restaurant Week.
“We are really trying to use this as a way to feature our restaurants and give back this money to them, since they are still probably under a deficit from money lost during the pandemic,” Swinton said.
Here’s a list of participating restaurants in this month’s Falls Church Restaurant Week.
The City of Falls Church is also an under-the-radar standout in the D.C.-area economy. Homes in Falls Church consistently see the highest-median selling prices in the region. It has some of the highest median household incomes, and 75.1% of its adult population have at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest educational attainment rate in the nation.
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Santamobile 2023: See Schedule For Visits Around Falls Church
Falls Church, VA Patchhttps://patch.com/virginia/fallschurch/santamobile-2023-see-schedule-visits-around-falls-church
FALLS CHURCH, VA — Before Santa makes his final preparations for Christmas, he will make visits to Falls Church earlier this year.The Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department will bring back its Santamobile from Dec. 8 to 16. Santa will visit different City of Falls Church neighborhoods each evening from Dec. 8 to 12. The remaining days will be set aside for surrounding neighborhoods of Fairfax and Arlington counties."This festive community tradition shouldn’t be missed," said Jenny Quinn, the Falls Church V...
FALLS CHURCH, VA — Before Santa makes his final preparations for Christmas, he will make visits to Falls Church earlier this year.
The Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department will bring back its Santamobile from Dec. 8 to 16. Santa will visit different City of Falls Church neighborhoods each evening from Dec. 8 to 12. The remaining days will be set aside for surrounding neighborhoods of Fairfax and Arlington counties.
"This festive community tradition shouldn’t be missed," said Jenny Quinn, the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department’s Santamobile coordinator. "We can’t wait to see everyone starting December 8.
During the visits, Santa will ride atop his "sleigh" on a fire truck. Santa's elves from the volunteer fire department will hand out candy canes and fire safety information. When residents see the holiday lights and heat the sirens and holiday music, they can step outside to greet Santa.
Here's the tentative schedule, weather permitting:
Residents can find Santa's real-time "Santa Tracker on the volunteer fire department's website, Facebook, and Instagram pages with a real time "Santa Tracker." Any schedule changes and cancellations will be shared on social media.
Questions about Santamobile should be directed to santamobile@fallschurchfire.org. The volunteer fire department asks residents to avoid calling the fire station about Santamobile.
The volunteer fire department thanked the Bitici group at KW Metro and The Freshman Group with Atlantic Coast Mortgage for sponsoring the Santamobile.
Commentary: Virginia must prioritize justice for survivors of childhood sex abuse
A. WRAY FITCH AND ROBERT K. JENNERhttps://richmond.com/zzstyling/view-oped-sig/childhood-sex-abuse-victims-deserve-justice-in-virginia/article_434b6708-0336-11ef-b531-43b8f195492d.html
Last week, a prominent Northern Virginia church, The Falls Church Anglican, released the findings of its investigation into a former director of youth ministries who sexually abused children for more than a decade while serving as the church’s youth director and subsequently as director of adult discipleship. This horrific, years-long abuse by Jeff Taylor highlights the need for change in how Virginia enables survivors of childhood sexual ab...
Last week, a prominent Northern Virginia church, The Falls Church Anglican, released the findings of its investigation into a former director of youth ministries who sexually abused children for more than a decade while serving as the church’s youth director and subsequently as director of adult discipleship. This horrific, years-long abuse by Jeff Taylor highlights the need for change in how Virginia enables survivors of childhood sexual abuse to seek justice against their abusers and the organizations that turn a blind eye.
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse face immense challenges in coming forward and seeking justice. Many suffer in silence for years, grappling with shame, fear and trauma. This is especially true for men who were abused as children, as we’ve seen in many cases of clergy sexual abuse. When survivors do summon the courage to seek legal recourse, they are often met with daunting statutes of limitations and similar restrictive laws that prevent them from filing civil claims against their abusers and the institutions that enabled the abuse. These statutes and related laws serve as barriers to justice, shielding perpetrators and complicit organizations from accountability and allowing them to evade responsibility for their reprehensible actions.
Virginia lags behind many other states in providing justice to survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The civil justice system in Virginia has not kept pace with the needs of survivors seeking recourse. Unlike 29 states and three territories that have enacted revival legislation for the applicable statute of limitations — including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and North Carolina — Virginia has yet to provide survivors with a meaningful opportunity to pursue civil claims against their abusers and the institutions that facilitated their abuse.
It is long past time for Virginia to take action and prioritize survivors.
A crucial step in addressing this injustice is the enactment of permanent revival legislation for filing civil claims. Passing such a law in Virginia would lift the statute of limitations, allowing survivors whose claims were previously time-barred to pursue legal action. Revival legislation has been implemented successfully in other jurisdictions, enabling survivors to access the justice they deserve and holding perpetrators and institutions accountable for their misconduct. By enacting a similar law, Virginia would signal its commitment to supporting survivors and not the perpetrators and enablers of those crimes.
It is also critical that employers are held to account for the actions of their employees whom they knew, or should have known, were perpetrators of child sexual abuse. Currently, survivors have a limited ability to seek justice against these employers, many of whom are large institutions that failed to safeguard against abuse. As a result, even assuming a claim is not time-barred by the current statute of limitations, Virginia law often prohibits institutional civil liability for the enabling entities. New legislation aimed at providing survivors accessibility to the civil courts must include provisions that hold the institutional enablers responsible for the conduct of their employees.
The time for action is now. Virginia must stand on the side of survivors and ensure that they have access to the civil justice system. Eliminating the statute of limitations or enacting sufficiently viable revival legislation and holding institutional enablers accountable are necessary steps toward achieving this goal. It is incumbent upon the Virginia General Assembly to prioritize the needs of survivors over the demands of powerful corporations and organizations. By taking decisive action, Virginia can demonstrate its commitment to justice, accountability and compassion for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.