Virginians Advised to Safely Get Needed Health Care Without Delay in New Public Service Announcement from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, Virginia Dental Association

June 23, 2020

Public Service Announcement is Airing on Network Affiliates and Cable Television Stations Across Virginia Including in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Roanoke, Charlottesville, Bristol, and the Shenandoah Valley; Encourages Virginians to Get Needed Care for the Good of their Personal Health

RICHMOND, VA – Virginians who need medical treatment should contact their health care provider to schedule an appointment with the confidence that they can receive care in a safe environment. To help convey that message, the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) and the Virginia Dental Association (VDA) have debuted a new public service announcement (PSA) on television stations across the Commonwealth encouraging Virginians to seek out needed care. The PSA is airing on network affiliate television stations and cable networks in regions across the state including Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Roanoke, Charlottesville, Bristol, and the Shenandoah Valley.

In March, Virginia hospitals, dental offices, and many other health care facilities moved to postpone non-emergency medical procedures in an effort to slow community spread of COVID-19, and in the case of hospitals, to free up bed space to accommodate the treatment needs of incoming patients. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that those procedures would be allowed to resume in May. Footage from an April 29 news conference announcing the resumption of scheduled health care procedures is featured in the PSA, which includes remarks from Governor Northam, Dr. Michael P. McDermott, the President and CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare and the Chairman of VHHA’s Board of Directors, and VDA President Dr. Elizabeth Reynolds. The footage in the PSA is used courtesy of Virginia Public Media.

“This spring, many Virginians had to forgo scheduled medical procedures to address important health conditions and needs including cancer and cardiac care and preventive services such as vaccinations for babies and children, mammograms, colonoscopies, or other screenings,” said VHHA President and CEO Sean T. Connaughton. “While many of these procedures have now resumed, clinical data indicates that many patients are delaying care and avoiding care, perhaps due to fears associated with COVID-19. People should know that it is safe to schedule and receive medical treatment in health care facilities. As a health care community, our message to the public is that people should not further delay needed care because doing so could compromise their personal health.”

“Your oral health impacts your overall health, and Virginia dentists are safely resuming patient care,” added VDA Executive Director Ryan Dunn. “We urge Virginians to schedule an appointment to take care of dental issues now and prevent a small problem today from becoming more serious problem tomorrow.”

The PSA builds on a message conveyed in an April 28 Richmond Times-Dispatch column from Dr. McDermott and Carilion Clinic Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Arner, the VHHA Board Vice Chairman. VHHA has also shared digital messaging on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to convey the notion that it is safe for Virginians to seek timely health care treatment when it is needed.

About VHHA: The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association is an alliance of 110 hospitals and 26 health delivery systems that develops and advocates for sound health care policy in the Commonwealth. Its mission is to achieve excellence in both health care and health. Its vision is through the power of collaboration to be recognized as a driving force behind making Virginia the healthiest state in the nation. Connect with VHHA through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About VDA: The Virginia Dental Association represents and serves 3,900 member dentists across the Commonwealth by fostering quality oral health care and education. The VDA provides continuing education, advocacy and practice support for its member dentists to further that mission. The VDA is marking its 150th anniversary this year. Connect with the VDA through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Julian Walker
Vice President of Communications
(804) 297-3193 office
(804) 304-7402 mobile
jtwalker@vhha.com