Providing Natural Solutions for Male Sexual Health
There’s not much we can count on in life, but if there’s one guarantee, we can bet that our bodies change as we grow older. That’s especially true for men as they age. One moment you’re partying at the club, waking up refreshed, and hitting the gym. The next moment, getting out of bed is a chore. You’re sore in places you never thought before, and hangovers don’t just go away after a hot shower and a big breakfast.
And while sore joints and backaches can be treated with aspirin and ice, other signs of aging aren’t as easy to treat. Of course, we’re talking about erectile dysfunction or ED for short. Hearing those words sends shivers down most men’s spines. It makes sense – looking through your search history and finding phrases like “ED doctor near me in Newington, VA” is a scary thought.
If you’re beginning to suffer from ED or you’ve been dealing with performance issues for some time, it may seem like nobody understands your stress. However, ED is very common. More than 18 million men suffer from the condition in the U.S. Unfortunately, many of those men hide their performance issues without ever addressing them. If you’re one of those men, and it feels like you’re stuck in a rut with no help, we’re here to tell you you’re not alone. Proactive Wellness Centers, PLC is here to provide you with a long-lasting solution to help you regain confidence and perform like you used to.
The Proactive Wellness Center Difference
Our programs are all about reversing and slowing the aging process, preventing disease, and treating chronically ill patients. We utilize a three-pronged approach:
01. We equip patients with the knowledge required to take charge of their health and achieve optimal well-being.
02. We focus on disease prevention by providing a thorough evaluation using comprehensive diagnostics and the information provided on the patient’s health history form.
03. We work with patients to implement a rejuvenation program consisting of various science-based treatments that reduce cellular degeneration, promote tissue regeneration and healing, and slow down the aging process.
Unlike some anti-aging clinics, we do not replace the family physician’s role. Instead, we work with primary care physicians, internists, and other medical professionals to provide optimum levels of integrated care. We consider every individual as physiologically unique. As such, we don’t subscribe to a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Instead, our programs focus on a customized approach, addressing risk factors that, if avoided or modified, could have beneficial effects for reducing many chronic conditions that men suffer from year-round.
Our vision is to provide the latest in scientifically-validated therapies for reversing the aging process, preventing chronic disease, and optimizing health. That way, men can stop searching for ED clinic near me in Newington, VA and instead, start living their lives to the fullest.
Our Services
- Providing Natural Solutions for Male Sexual Health
- The Proactive Wellness Center Difference
- What is GAINSWave Therapy?
- What Makes GAINSWave Therapy in Newington, VA Work?
- Other Treatments and Programs from Proactive Wellness Centers, PLC
- Achieve Your Wellness Goals at Proactive Wellness Centers, PLC
Service Areas
What is GAINSWave Therapy?
If you have ED or even a minor decline in sexual performance, there's a good chance you've already seen your primary care doctor. You've talked to them about the issues you're facing. And, if they're like many doctors, they prescribed you some pills and sent you on your way. Unfortunately, going this route doesn't do much to solve erectile dysfunction - you're just putting a band-aid on the problem. Plus, you're putting strange chemicals in your body via a "little blue pill" that may cause adverse side effects.
At the end of the day, you need a real-deal solution to ED, not a quick fix. The good news? A safe, non-invasive, injection-free answer to your problems exists. It’s called GAINSWave therapy, and according to recent studies, it has shown an 85-92% success rate for mild to moderate cases of erectile dysfunction.
Reports from men who have been looking online for “ED treatment near me in Newington, VA” report the following benefits:
- Stronger, Longer Lasting Erections
- Improved Sexual Pleasure
- More Blood Circulation and Flow
- Better Girth and Length
- Less Rest Needed Between Orgasms
- Enhanced Intimacy in the Bedroom
Unlike many ED treatments, you don’t have to worry about surgery or drugs when you choose GAINSWave. This revolutionary treatment uses acoustic wave technology, also called pulse wave therapy, instead of surgery or pills, which boosts erectile strength and, by proxy, confidence.
But the benefits of GAINSWave don’t end there. This therapy also breaks up micro plaques and boosts nitric oxide, which forms new blood vessels and collagen. That’s exciting news for men suffering from Peyronie’s disease, which is another condition specific to male sexual health.
Contact Us For Services
What Makes GAINSWave Therapy Work?
With time, men’s blood flow decreases, sensitivity isn’t what it once was, and blood vessels start to get thinner. With GAINSWave, high-frequency, low-intensity shockwaves rejuvenate areas of the penis that have suffered with age. For instance, micro plaques are removed, new blood vessels form, and blood flow increases. According to several clinical studies, enhanced blood flow from GAINSWave translates to more sustainable, rigid erections in 75% of men. For males who have struck out countless times looking for an “ED doctor near me” online, these stats are exciting.
Ans while we’re only beginning to realize the benefits of GAINSWave, it’s a treatment that has been used for over a decade around the world. Backed by science and proven to rejuvenate vasculature in male erections, GAINSWave works without any pain or recovery time. In fact, it’s possible to pop into Proactive Wellness Centers on your lunch break for a therapy session.
Proactive Wellness Centers’ GAINSWave treatments feature:
- Low-Intensity Pulse or Shockwaves
- All Natural
- No Needles
- No Pills
- No Pain
- No Surgery
- Little-to-No Recovery Time
- Quick Procedures
Because this procedure is needle, surgery, and drug-free, most men don’t have to suffer through costly insurance claims or unsightly scarring. With GAINSWave and our comprehensive and personalized ED treatment plans, all you need to focus on is enjoying life, knowing your erectile dysfunction is a thing of the past.
Who Are the Best Candidates for Gainswave Therapy in Newington, VA?
If you’re a man over the age of 30 and have been searching high and low online using phrases like “ED clinic near me” GAINSWave may be for you. That’s even more true if other treatments never worked. For many men, those unsuccessful solutions include pills like Viagra. If prescription pills don’t solve your ED problems, GAINSWave is a great option to consider. Academic studies show that shockwave therapy is successful where PDE5 inhibitors (like Cialis) fall short.
In fact, many urologists now consider shockwave therapy the greatest revolution in ED treatment in over a decade. Even men without erectile dysfunction use GAINSWave as a preventative therapy to keep their bedroom performance strong and avoid compromised blood vessels.
Some of the key benefits of GAINSWave procedures over other ED treatments include:
- No Drugs
- Backed by Clinical Studies and Extensive Medical Research
- Vast Record of Success
- FDA-Approved for Enhanced Sexual Wellness
- Available at Proactive Wellness Centers, PLC
What Should I Expect from GAINSWave Therapy at Proactive Wellness Centers?
If you’re ready to begin your journey to a healthier, happier sex life, getting started at our wellness clinic is as easy. There’s no need to look up “ED treatment near me in Newington, VA” online – all you’ve got to do is follow this three-step process.
Make an Appointment: Give our office a call at (703) 822-5003. One of our Clinical Intake Coordinators will answer any question you have and get you started. If you prefer, you can text “gainswave” to 833.341.0170, and our Clinical Intake Coordinator will get back to you personally and confidentially.
Prep: Once the intake process is complete, any needed blood work is returned, and your initial appointment with Dr. Lawson is complete, you’ll schedule a time for GAINSWave therapy. You’ll arrive at our wellness center for treatment at least 30 minutes before your appointment time. Procedure time is usually no longer than 30 minutes and occurs in our wellness center.
Enjoy the Benefits: Once your GAINSWave therapy session is over, you can get right back to what you were doing beforehand. Studies show that approximately 75% of men enjoy positive results like stronger, longer-lasting erections after treatment. Most men only need 6-12 sessions for optimal results.
Other Treatments and Programs from Proactive Wellness Centers, PLC
As the premier wellness clinic in Virginia and the metro D.C. area, we provide patients with a comprehensive list of treatments to slow the process of aging and treat chronic conditions. Our vision is to provide the latest in scientifically-validated therapies for reversing the aging process, preventing chronic disease, and optimizing health.
Some of the most requested services we offer include:
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for Women
Like men, women’s bodies change as they grow older. Often referred to as menopause, this time in a woman’s life can be stressful when the body uses energy differently, fat cells change, and hormones decline.
Many of the common symptoms and conditions associated with menopause are widely known and discussed, but there are many that are overlooked. At Proactive Wellness Centers, we’ve seen patients misdiagnosed with other illnesses that were actually caused by a decline in hormone levels. Our BHRT program for women focuses on the unique needs of women who are suffering from the common as well as the lesser-known symptoms of menopause.
Those symptoms may include:
- Hot Flashes
- Mood Swings
- Depression
- UTIs
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Weight Gain
- Indigestion
- Osteoporosis
- Vertigo
- Anxiety Attacks
- Vaginal Dryness
- Fatigue
- More
What are Bioidentical Hormones?
Bioidentical hormones are also known as natural hormones. They are substances with the same chemical makeup as the hormones produced in your body. Hormones are not drugs – they occur naturally and are found in every human on earth. BHRT replaces hormones at a physiologic level that is not harmful to the body.
If you’re suffering through the symptoms of menopause, taking Midol isn’t going to solve any problems. Fortunately, our BHRT program for women is designed to eliminate many menopausal symptoms. That way, we give women a chance to recapture their energy levels and vitality with drugs or surgery. Contact our office today to learn more about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and how it can help you recapture the joys of your youth.
Bredesen-Protocol Strategies for Improving Brain Health
We believe that a healthy brain is paramount to overall well-being. Unfortunately, little is known about promoting brain health, lowering the risk of dementia, or stabilizing symptoms for patients experiencing early signs.
After much research, however, Dr. Lawson from Proactive Wellness Centers determined that the Bredesen protocol provides the best evidence-based approach to diagnosing and treating cognitive decline.
The approach, created by Dr. Dale Bredesen, is called ReCODE. This protocol involves multiple strategies to pinpoint specific health issues contributing to Alzheimer’s Disease. The results of each strategy are measured using blood tests, dementia tests, cognitive evaluations, and other signs of overall health improvement. Now a Bredesen Certified doctor, Dr. Lawson now offers patients the full Bredesen ReCODE protocol to help them recover from debilitating illnesses like Alzheimer’s.
Through this exciting approach, patients have shown dramatic improvements in cognitive function. In some cases, they achieve a reversal of symptoms and have even returned to work.
Proactive Wellness Centers’ ReCODE program uses significant functional medicine experience and includes:
- Lifestyle Interventions
- Targeted Nutrients
- Therapeutic Diets
We’re thrilled to add this promising Alzheimer’s disease treatment for qualifying patients at Proactive Wellness Centers.
Chronic Disease Treatment
Long-term diseases like Lyme disease and Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) can ruin a person’s life and often leave them afraid to leave the house. To make matters worse, these chronic diseases are often initially misdiagnosed, complicating treatment and leaving the patient depressed and hopeless. And while some medical prescriptions can help, many chronic disease sufferers live without finding true relief.
At Proactive Wellness Centers, our innovative doctors have developed a comprehensive treatment program to address chronic diseases like CIRS and Lyme disease. Generally, our Chronic Disease Treatment follows SSRP protocols as defined below:
- Stop the progression of the disease while strengthening the immune system
- Stabilize patients by balancing hormones and restoring energy
- Reverse cellular, mitochondrial, and other damages caused by chronic diseases, based on lab markers and/or symptomatic expression
- Prevent further development of the chronic disease processes
Our SSRP protocol provides patients with a promising program based largely on the emerging bodies of evidence in the chronic disease space. This evidence is supported by peer-reviewed medical journals, clinical studies, and even double-blind placebo-controlled studies.
When choosing chronic disease treatments for patients, our team of doctors and clinicians focus on safety and efficacy before anything else. Typical therapies associated with our chronic disease treatment programs include:
- IV Vitamin Therapy
- Targeted Nutritional Supplements
- Compassionate Care and Personalized Service from Qualified Doctors
As an integrative practice, we use conventional medications when indicated, especially in cases of underlying co-infections and other areas where traditional medication offers the best course of treatment.
If you're at your wit's end living with a chronic disease, call Proactive Wellness Centers today. Our innovative treatments and therapies may be the key you need to unlock a new, healthy life.
Achieve Your Wellness Goals at Proactive Wellness Centers, PLC
If you haven’t been successful finding a compassionate, highly-trained doctor for erectile dysfunction using terms like “ED clinic near me in Newington, VA,” don’t give up. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it begins at Proactive Wellness Centers. From GAINSWave therapy to Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for women, our doctors are here to serve you with care, compassion, and a commitment to your health.
That’s because, at Proactive Wellness Centers, we take a patient-first approach to every service we offer. Unlike some anti-aging clinics, we focus on your goals, your experiences, and how we can address your health and well-being needs. We believe with a full heart that your story matters, and we’re ready and waiting to listen. If you’re looking for personalized, functional, regenerative treatments that address root causes, you’re only a phone call away from living a healthier life.
Hours Open Monday through Friday 9AM to 5PM
Latest News in Newington, VA
Helping Veterans with migraines and headaches
VA Newshttps://news.va.gov/104790/helping-veterans-with-migraines-and-headaches/
Every day of the year, the VA Connecticut Headache Center of Excellence (HCoE) focuses on treating Veterans suffering from migraines and headaches.The mission for the HCoE team is to provide quality headache care to Veterans. They do this by taking a holistic approach to treating Veterans. This can include physical therapy, exercise, diet and nutrition changes, Botox injections, medications and other advanced therapies.Leading the charge in the fight against headaches at VA Connecticut is Dr. Emmanuelle Schindler, a neurologist...
Every day of the year, the VA Connecticut Headache Center of Excellence (HCoE) focuses on treating Veterans suffering from migraines and headaches.
The mission for the HCoE team is to provide quality headache care to Veterans. They do this by taking a holistic approach to treating Veterans. This can include physical therapy, exercise, diet and nutrition changes, Botox injections, medications and other advanced therapies.
Leading the charge in the fight against headaches at VA Connecticut is Dr. Emmanuelle Schindler, a neurologist who has been with VA since 2016. “I always found the brain really interesting,” he said. “When I did my rotations during medical school, I liked seeing headache patients. That’s because there are a lot of treatments out there and you can make peoples’ lives much better.”
VA Headache Centers of Excellence were approved by a Senate Appropriations Committee. The committee recognized that over 350,000 Veterans sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI) during the Global War on Terror. It also recognized that chronic migraine/post-traumatic headache is the signature symptom of TBI.
“Headaches now manageable so they can enjoy life.”
“I would tell Veterans if you are getting headaches regularly, tell your primary care physician, and from there you can be referred to the HCoE,” said Schindler. “It’s been very rewarding working at VA. I’ve had several patients who weren’t able to work and didn’t have much of a life due to their headaches. While we haven’t gotten these patients down to zero headaches, we have able to make their headaches manageable so they can enjoy life.”
Posttraumatic headaches occur in up to 92% of military personnel who have sustained mild TBI and is associated with chronic daily headaches. The prevalence of chronic daily headaches in returning soldiers after a deployment-related concussion is 20% higher than that seen in the general U.S. population.
At the HCoE’s satellite office at the VA CBOC in Newington, CT., Dr. Ashish Adlakha runs what he calls a headache bootcamp. “Officially, it is a multi-disciplinary clinic we run every week to treat patients. I work part-time in the private sector as well. I can confidently say that what we offer here with a multi-disciplinary approach to treating Veterans, with availability to different doctors, treatments and medical devices, is unique to VA. You will not find that level of care in the private sector.”
Four-pronged approach: clinical care, education, research, innovation
HCoE’s strategic plan to treat Veterans suffering from headaches and migraines includes a four-pronged approach in which they utilize clinical care, education, research and innovation to treat Veterans. At its helm is National HCoE Program Director Dr. Jason Sico.
“One of the reasons I love neurology is that our brain, our nervous system, makes us who we are in large part,” Sico said. “When people have headaches, it impairs their quality of life. It can be disabling and prevent them from doing the things they love most, like spending time with family, friends and loved ones. That’s one of the many reasons while I’m drawn to treating patients with headaches.”
Almost half of adults have had a headache at least once within the last year. Migraine is the most common type of headache that led patients to seek medical care. In 2017, approximately 380,000 Veterans sought care in the Veterans Affairs system for a headache disorder.
“When you look at the numbers, for patients under the age of 55, headaches are one of the most disabling neurological conditions in the world, not just the United States. When you look at that age group you could argue that’s when people are at their most productive,” Sico added.
Nineteen headache centers across America
“This is when people are having families and managing careers. When you look at such an important time of life, how could you not want to help those people?” said Sico. “What I really love most about VA’s Headache Center of Excellence program is [that] it really demonstrates VA’s commitment to caring for and serving Veterans living with headache disease.”
The HCoE program started with seven centers. The program has been so successful, there are now 19 centers across the country and at least one in every Veterans Integrated Services Network. Over the next year, Congress has asked VA to grow to at least 28 centers total.
If you suffer from headaches, contact your primary care provider for a consult. You may be referred to a VA HCoE.
UConn Students Gift 100 Mini Air Filters to the VA
Lauren Woodshttps://today.uconn.edu/2024/02/uconn-students-gift-100-mini-air-filters-to-the-va/
On February 23 UConn students drove from Storrs to the VA to deliver student-made small, portable air purifiers.UConn’s cross-campus Indoor Air Quality Initiative gifted 100 miniature, portable air purifiers to the Newington Veteran’s Administration Medical Center to help bring relief to its ...
On February 23 UConn students drove from Storrs to the VA to deliver student-made small, portable air purifiers.
UConn’s cross-campus Indoor Air Quality Initiative gifted 100 miniature, portable air purifiers to the Newington Veteran’s Administration Medical Center to help bring relief to its neurology patients who suffer from headaches.
The smaller, portable versions of the do-it-yourself (DIY) “Corsi-Rosenthal” air purifiers were built by UConn engineering students as part of their curriculum’s ENGR 1166 class as a public service learning project. These mini air purifiers are only 10″ in size.
On February 23 the “Tiger Team” of UConn students drove a UConn box truck from Storrs and the UConn College of Engineering to the VA to deliver the 100 engineering-student made air purifiers.
The students were supported at the drop-off donation event by their UConn and UConn School of Medicine faculty including Dr. L. John Greenfield, chair of the Department of Neurology, as well as State Senator Matthew Lesser.
The donation was received by Dr. Ashish Adlahka, director of the VA’s Headache Disorders program and the VA team.
“We are very grateful to UConn engineering students and UConn Health Neurology for your donation of Corsi-Rosenthal air filters, which will help in studying the role of indoor air quality in headache disorders. This could be a significant step towards understanding and mitigating the impact of air quality on veterans’ health,” shared Adlahka of the VA Connecticut Headache Centers of Excellence.
UConn’s hope is that this low-cost, public health intervention air purifier tool will help VA patients in need to reduce the frequency and intensity of their disabling migraine headaches.
“This is a wonderful example of a UConn cross-campus initiative, joining together UConn students of medicine and engineering from the state’s flagship university with the federal VA program with the end goal of providing support and innovative solutions to debilitating health challenges,” shared Marina Creed, APRN, director of the UConn Indoor Air Quality Initiative and a neuroimmunology nurse practitioner at UConn Health.
The state and federal collaboration between UConn Health and the VA will also allow for medical students and residents in training to track results of this health care quality initiative to show research results on how they can improve patient outcomes.
VA serving more veterans in N.H.
ROBERT M. COOK Staff Writerhttps://www.fosters.com/story/news/local/2008/04/20/va-serving-more-veterans-in/52441750007/
Victor McLean says he never hesitates to use the Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic at the Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington.The Vietnam War veteran has sought primary care and preventive medicine there since the clinic first opened in 1998.On Thursday morning, he waited to see registered nurse Cindy Anderson after he was bitten by a tick, which he brought along in a sealed plastic bag."I love this place," said McLean, a Newington resident who lives just five minutes away.There ar...
Victor McLean says he never hesitates to use the Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic at the Pease Air National Guard Base in Newington.
The Vietnam War veteran has sought primary care and preventive medicine there since the clinic first opened in 1998.
On Thursday morning, he waited to see registered nurse Cindy Anderson after he was bitten by a tick, which he brought along in a sealed plastic bag.
"I love this place," said McLean, a Newington resident who lives just five minutes away.
There are five VA outpatient clinics in New Hampshire. They are located in Newington, Somersworth, Tilton, Conway and Littleton.
The state also has three mental health clinics, known as veterans centers, which were established after the Vietnam War. Those centers are in Manchester, Auburn, and Berlin. Maine has centers in Springvale, Bangor, Caribou, Lewiston and Portland.
The five New Hampshire outpatient clinics are serving more veterans today than at any other time since they opened over the last decade, according to Dr. Marc Levenson, the top VAofficial for New Hampshire.
"More New Hampshire veterans are getting their VA health care right here at home than ever," he wrote in an April 3 letter to Foster's, adding that visits at the VA Medical Center in Manchester also had skyrocketed. "In 2007 nearly 21,000 veterans had over 184,000 outpatient visits at our medical center. This is a huge increase from 1997, when only 11,000 veterans used this medical center for a total of 103,000 outpatient visits."
With the opening of clinics, Veterans like McLean no longer have to drive to Manchester for routine exams and lab work. The clinic's staff regularly checks his blood sugar levels for any traces of diabetes, along with his blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They also do exams to check for colon cancer.
Like many Vietnam veterans, McLean, who served in the Marines in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970, was exposed to Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant used by the military to clear jungles.
He also was injured after the war.
"I came out of Vietnam without a scratch. I went to Parris Island and got screwed up," he said.
He tore tendons in his right hand while on a night infiltration training exercise in 1977. He still receives treatment for the injury, he said.
He is one of 4,000 veterans in who get primary care services at the VA outpatient clinics in Newington and Somersworth, according to Jim Thompson, a spokesman for the Manchester VA Medical Center.
The Newington clinic treated 46 patients Thursday morning.
Shilo Hutchins, a nurse practitioner there, said the demand for services is strong.
She's assigned to 950 of the 2,000 veterans who seek treatment there. Veterans travel from all over New Hampshire and as far away as Biddeford, Maine, and Haverhill, Mass., to be treated there, she said.
She added that she also sees her share of men and women who've returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The veterans seeks treatment for everything from mental health counseling to traumatic brain injuries.
Hutchins said in the next six months, she hopes to offer more women's health care for female veterans so they won't have to travel to Manchester for those services.
Hutchins said volunteers also are needed to drive veterans to clinics.
Thompson said the number of combat veterans returning from the Middle East annually has increased in New Hampshire from 800 in 2005 to 1,300 in 2007. Overall, the entire VA system in New Hampshire treats about 20,000 veterans, he said.
The number of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans has increased from 700 in 2005 to 1,400 in 2007 in Maine, Jim Doherty, a spokesman with the Togus Veterans Administration Medical Center in Augusta, Maine, said in an October interview. He said then that Maine's VA system serves about 38,500 veterans overall.
Thompson said veterans who live in the southwestern part of New Hampshire hope an out-patient clinic will open there soon.
"There is a demand for an out-patient clinic in Keene, and the veterans would like to see one in Berlin," Thompson said.
Levenson said some lawmakers and veterans groups would like to see a full-service VA hospital in Manchester. The VA reduced the facility to a medical center in 2000 because it wasn't being used enough.
Dr. Brian Matchett of Rochester, legislative director for New Hampshire's chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., Inc., is one of those people.
"Our veterans should be treated right here and not out of state," he said Friday. "Why is it that we're the only state in the U.S. that doesn't have a full service veterans hospital?"
Thompson said by the time the hospital was changed to a medical center, "our average in-patient census was down to eight."
At one time, the former hospital had 135 beds. Thompson said the outpatient clinic model works better for vets and their families than the former VA hospital did.
"A lot of veterans were really too distant to take advantage of it," Thompson said.
But groups such as the New Hampshire Vietnam Veterans of America, the New Hampshire State Veterans Council and others say care has suffered.
Matchett said too many older veterans still have to make a difficult trip to Boston to get services that could be provided in state.
Thompson said many of those services, such as cardiac surgery or joint replacements, never were offered in Manchester when the hospital was open, and veterans always have had to travel to Boston for them.
Levenson said the Manchester VA Medical Center also may offer more acute care services through contractual agreements with nearby hospitals such as the one it has with the Catholic Medical Center, also in Manchester.
That may be the most cost-effective approach, Levenson said.
Matchett said he'd like to see the VA Medical Center enter into such contracts with Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester or Wentworth-Douglas Hospital in Dover, which also has the Seacoast Cancer Center.
A 14,350-square foot addition that will add 40 new specialty clinic exam rooms is being constructed at the Manchester VA Medical Center. The center also will have a 15-bed end-of-life care unit. The addition is due to be finished within 18 months, Levenson said.
The expansion will let the medical center provide more specialty clinics and same-day surgery clinics, he said. More services focused on neurology, orthopedics, podiatry and pain management will be offered, along with a women's health clinic, he said.
He said it's also possible VA officials could expand the state's five existing out-patient clinics.
"As demand increases, we will grow to meet the demand," he said.
What’s included in Northern Virginia anyway? I created a survey to find out.
ggwash.orghttps://ggwash.org/view/64966/whats-included-in-northern-virginia-anyway-i-created-survey-to-find-out
Some months ago, I was at a party where one attendee lamented not living in Northern Virginia and having to drive back home all the way to Centreville. This led to an animated discussion about whether that town was part of NoVA, and what constituted the region. I started to wonder if it’s possible to come up with a unified definition to end the arguments once and for all.I created a Google Forms survey where I gave people a list of 50 places in Virginia, ranging all the way from Arlington to Ashburn to Richmond, and asked them i...
Some months ago, I was at a party where one attendee lamented not living in Northern Virginia and having to drive back home all the way to Centreville. This led to an animated discussion about whether that town was part of NoVA, and what constituted the region. I started to wonder if it’s possible to come up with a unified definition to end the arguments once and for all.
I created a Google Forms survey where I gave people a list of 50 places in Virginia, ranging all the way from Arlington to Ashburn to Richmond, and asked them if they considered each one part of “NoVA”. I also gave them the option to include their ZIP Code so I could analyze the data by the respondent’s location.
If one were to go by majority rule, the border of Northern Virginia would run from Woodbridge to Manassas, along the Fairfax County border to Dulles Airport, and then northwestward to Leesburg. There’s an over 20 percentage point dropoff from those places to anywhere outside that boundary. Overall, it would be a fairly reasonable definition, with the exception of perhaps including South Riding to make the border look prettier.
The government’s definition doesn’t really work so well
According to the Office of Management and Budget, the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area contains Front Royal (10 percent NoVA), Warrenton (11 percent), Fredericksburg (9.6 percent), and even Spotsylvania (2.6 percent). Fewer than one percent of respondents included all four of those places. While those towns may not feel like a part of Northern Virginia, they still contribute to the region. Residents of Fauquier, Spotsylvania, and Stafford Counties all have longer average commute times than those in Fairfax County as people move further and further away from DC.
On the other hand, I have heard people who claim that Northern Virginia only consists of land within the Beltway. Despite that, the most frequently-included place was the City of Fairfax, a good five miles away from the proposed demarcation. Reston, even further out, was considered NoVA by over 95 percent of respondents. Going by the survey results and population density data, one could argue for a restrictive definition of the area that contains McLean, Tyson’s Corner, Vienna, Fairfax, Burke, Springfield, and points closer.
Why is a place part of Northern Virginia?
Now that we have all the percentages and raw data, is there any method behind the madness? To figure out what drove people’s responses, I ran regression analyses on the results with various census data and got the following significant factors, starting with the most important:
Newington? Never even heard of it! Newington is a census-designated place located about halfway between the Beltway and the Prince William County line and is closer to DC than Fairfax City. About 13,000 people live within its borders, and it has a respectable 2800 people per square mile. Yet, just under a third of respondents considered it to be part of Northern Virginia.
The problem is that few people have heard of such a place. The only time I’ve seen it mentioned with any regularity is the exit sign for it while driving down I-95. I don’t know of anyone who says they’re from Newington, there are no attractions in Newington that I know of, and if I were to talk about that location I’d be more likely to use something like “south of Springfield” or “near Lorton” instead.
Several other places ran into the issue of name recognition. Bailey’s Crossroads, adjacent to both Arlington and Alexandria and the densest place surveyed, was selected by only 73 percent of people. However, if we just consider those who live inside the Beltway, that number jumps to 92 percent. Woodbridge is at 69 percent while a couple miles down the road Dale City lies at just 40 percent. I suspect that number might be higher had I instead asked about the latter’s most defining feature, Potomac Mills.
We’re part of Northern Virginia too!
Unsurprisingly, people who were from the outer suburbs were significantly more generous with their definition of Northern Virginia than those who lived within Fairfax County. Those residing in Loudoun or Prince William Counties included on average four more locations as than those within the Beltway. This is even more evident when we focus on the further-out towns.
While those in Loudoun County are more willing to include themselves in Northern Virginia, they don’t tend to extend the same courtesy to those in Prince William County (and vice versa). Gainesville, South Riding, and Aldie are notable exceptions, due to them all being closer to the county line than, for example, Purcellville or Woodbridge.
Can a gas station settle this once and for all?
Sheetz is a chain of gas stations with locations ranging from North Carolina to Pennsylvania and Ohio. Similar to Wawa, they pride themselves on serving “made to order” food, which earns them their popularity during college student road trips, having spoken from experience. They also don’t have a single location inside Fairfax County. In fact, the nearest Sheetz locations to DC make for a rather accurate frontier of Northern Virginia.
The one exception to this rule is the Sheetz between Sterling (77 percent) and Dulles Airport (91 percent). Oddly enough, when I zoomed in on that location, it did not appear to exist. I’m just going to assume that there was a glitch in Google Earth and that location was added in error.
Conclusion
There will continue to be disagreements over what defines the exact borders of Northern Virginia. If we were to extrapolate our findings, we could say that over 100,000 people in the area would include Fredericksburg while another 100,000 would leave out Springfield (and 10,000 would do both, apparently). However, there is still a fairly reasonabe compromise to be found and hopefully we can all agree on it and never have to deal with this argument ever again.
Okay, maybe I’m a bit too optimistic.
Crossposted from Harry's blog.
More information about the data:
There were 944 total responses, of which 859 entered a local ZIP Code. Aldie was not included on the map or analysis because it’s not a census-designated place. Dulles Airport was excluded from analysis because it has no population. There were no attempts to weight the sample by location, but if that were done responses from Loudoun and Prince William Counties would count about double. There were also no attempts to get a representative sample, and I do not pretend that this is the pinnacle of polling science. It’s unlikely that 2.2 percent of the population does not believe Arlington or Alexandria are part of Northern Virginia; rather it’s probable that some people misclicked, intentionally trolled the survey, or misunderstood the prompt. I’m looking at you, guy who selected Herndon and nowhere else. Raw data can be found here.
A Costco bid for gas pumps sets off Tex-Mex, Italian restaurant musical chairs from Springfield to Alexandria
Washington Business Journalhttps://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2023/03/21/costco-del-ray-elos-dos-amigos-gas.html
Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) is advancing plans to add gas pumps to its Springfield store, and in the process spurring the relocation of a Tex-Mex restaurant to a new home in Alexandria where it will replace a relatively new Italian joint.The wholesale giant has put a 2.81-acre property at 7375 Boston Blvd., home to a largely vacant, roughly 30,000-square-foot office building, under contract. Costco already owns 14 adjacent acres, where it operates a 144,000-square-foot warehouse.Pending Fairfax County’s approval...
Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) is advancing plans to add gas pumps to its Springfield store, and in the process spurring the relocation of a Tex-Mex restaurant to a new home in Alexandria where it will replace a relatively new Italian joint.
The wholesale giant has put a 2.81-acre property at 7375 Boston Blvd., home to a largely vacant, roughly 30,000-square-foot office building, under contract. Costco already owns 14 adjacent acres, where it operates a 144,000-square-foot warehouse.
Pending Fairfax County’s approval of a comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning and special exception, Costco will immediately raze the office building and replace it with 12 gas pumps for its members, and additional parking to support the store, according to recent testimony before the Fairfax County Planning Commission.
The gas pumps are moving through Fairfax County’s site specific plan amendment process, a biannual opportunity for individual property owners to propose changes to the county’s long-range land-use plan. On March 2, after a public hearing that saw one community member testify strongly in favor, the planning commission preliminarily offered its support for moving that amendment forward in the SSPA process. A more extensive review of the proposed amendment would follow.
“The ability to acquire additional abutting land has eluded Costco at this location for many years,” per the SSPA application. “There is now an opportunity to accomplish this and upgrade and revitalize the overall operation of a successful business that was established thirty years ago.”
Dos Amigos, which sits on the ground floor of the office building, announced it will close March 31 in advance of its move to 1603 Commonwealth Ave. in Alexandria. There it will rebrand as Dos Hermanos, but hold to the same concept and menu, the restaurant said March 5 on Facebook. Dos Amigos already operates a restaurant in Alexandria, at 535 E. Braddock Road by the Braddock Metro station.
The Commonwealth Avenue storefront is currently home to Elo’s Italian, which co-owner Jeremy Barber confirmed Tuesday would close, also on March 31. Barber and co-owner Justus Frank plan to focus for now on the beer garden they're working to open in historic Occoquan, then perhaps relocate Elo’s closer to Barber’s home in the Springfield-Burke area. In the meantime, the Elo’s lease will be assigned to the Dos Amigos team in a deal, Barber said, that came together very quickly.
Elo's launched in 2021 as a pop-up in the space formerly occupied by Live Oak Restaurant, which had closed earlier in the pandemic. It became the permanent Live Oak replacement only last year. The space was occupied from 1996 to 2015 by Monroe's, an American trattoria.
Finmarc Management Inc. acquired 7375 Boston Blvd. last June as part of a $127.5 million deal with Boston Properties Inc. (NYSE: BXP) that included a cluster of 11 buildings in Springfield's larger Virginia 95 Business Park. Separately, Finmarc is working with Halle Cos., also through the SSPA process, to convert other parts of its Virginia 95 Business Park assemblage to residential.