Rockville Pike Animal Hospital to open at Towne Plaza

Rockville Pike Animal Hospital is coming soon to 12248 Rockville Pike in the Towne Plaza shopping center. This is the former Navy Federal Credit Union space, which still has a Navy Federal ATM embedded in the storefront. There are at least three other animal hospitals on the Pike currently: Caring Hands at Wintergreen Plaza, Dr. Boyd's Veterinary Resort, and the 24-hour Metropolitan Animal Emergency and Specialty Center.

Rockville biotech receives patent for tech that can identify patients at-risk of opioid addiction

HSR.health CEO Ajay Gupta

Rockville-based HSR.health announced this morning that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent for the firm's novel use of geospatial tech, advanced AI models, and sets of social determinants of health data to identify patients at risk of opioid addiction. The technology also can identify patients at risk of having an overdose in the next 12 months. Overall, the purpose is to mitigate these negative outcomes before they happen, the company said.

HSR.health CEO Ajay Gupta said this morning that the issuing of the patent "is an acknowledgement of the uniqueness of our health-focused spatial data infrastructure." The now-patented tech can also be applied to pre-diabetic patients. Other areas of focus for the firm are reducing hospital readmissions, and assisting countries with pandemic response efforts.

Six additional HSR.health patent applications are now before the USPTO, related to geospatial tech, data and AI models. Montgomery County's biotech sector continues to be the bright spot amid an otherwise-moribund county economy.

BioTec USA opening Montgomery Mall location

BioTec USA, a skin care clinic offering a range of products and spa services, is expanding to Montgomery County. A new location will be in Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Founded by Science Director Tanya Gospodinova, BioTec has an existing location in the Foxhall area of Northwest Washington, D.C. Look for BioTec soon on Level 2 next to Avalon, right outside of Nordstrom.

MoCo's first privately-operated residential addiction treatment center opens in Rockville

A new type of residential addiction treatment center has arrived in Rockville. The Valley is the first privately-operated residential addiction treatment center in Montgomery County. It is located on a five-acre campus at 19120 Muncaster Road. 

The Valley accepts private and commercial insurance plans. It features 3 residential houses, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness and recreation facilities, and a horse sanctuary. The homes include common areas, private bathrooms, fully-stocked kitchens, patios, decks, and furnished bedrooms with flatscreen televisions and game systems. Dual diagnosis patients who have underlying mental illness can also be treated on-site. 

Patients are now being accepted. For more information, visit The Valley's website or call 301-355-7455.

Rockville approves mandatory vaccine policy for City employees

Rockville's Mayor and Council unanimously approved a resolution mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all City employees at their meeting last night. Exceptions for documented religious or medical reasons will be allowed; those receiving approved exemptions will have to be tested weekly for the virus. Those not fully vaccinated or exempted by November 15, 2021 will face disciplinary action, or termination.

Hogan orders all Maryland restaurants, bars to close at 10 PM, new restrictions on retail, hospital visits, sporting events, places of worship

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced additional restrictions on businesses and activities this afternoon, as the coronavirus pandemic worsens in the state and around the world. Effective Friday at 5:00 PM, Hogan has ordered all restaurants and bars statewide to close at 10:00 PM nightly. None will be allowed to open between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM. 

Hogan also ordered most hospital visits to be suspended with some exceptions, and nursing home visitors will be limited to compassionate care visitors, who have to be tested 72 hours before visiting. The governor also banned all attendance at professional and collegiate sporting events, just weeks after fans were allowed to return to stadiums in the state.

Under the new restrictions, all retail stores and places of worship must reduce capacity to 50%. Hogan urged any students returning from college, or who plan to be around elderly relatives for Thanksgiving, to get tested for Covid-19 first. 

The governor asked hospitals to postpone any elective procedures or treatments where possible. He said hospitalizations are up 100% since November 1. The number of patients in ICU beds is the highest since June 2020. Maryland's Health Department is issuing an order to allow hospitals that are full, or nearing capacity, to transfer patients to other hospitals.

"We are in a war right now, and the virus is winning," Hogan said. "Now more than ever, I am pleading with the people of our state to stand together a while longer to help us battle this surging virus.”

Rockville to join Great American Smokeout November 19

Rockville City Council member
David Myles

The City of Rockville will officially join the American Cancer Society's annual Great American Smokeout nationwide event on November 19, 2020, to discourage smoking and usage of vaping products. Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton and the City Council will issue a proclamation to this effect, and residents are being directed to ACS smoking cessation advice and resources.

Rockville has already banned smoking in bars and restaurants, and in recent years on outdoor dining patios and on all City-owned property, including city parks. “While there is so much that is out of our control in this unprecedented moment, we can make individual decisions to improve our lives and the lives of those around us,” Rockville City Councilmember David Myles - who is also a physician - said in a statement Tuesday morning. “In addition to wearing a facial covering, stopping smoking has been shown to improve one's health and the health of those around you. Be a good neighbor and be good to yourself.”

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Maryland releases draft Covid-19 vaccination plan

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) released a draft of the state's Covid-19 vaccination plan this morning. Like all states, Maryland must submit a plan like this to the federal government for how it will store, distribute and administer any future approved vaccines for the coronavirus.

The Maryland vaccination plan is split into three phases: the initial period when vaccine supply may be minimal and who should have priority to receive it must be determined, a second phase when large amounts become available and there is a more general rush to administer it to a large number of people, and a third, ongoing phase when one or more Covid-19 vaccines continue to be distributed like a flu shot in the future.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R)

The Maryland Department of Health Center for Immunization (CFI) will orchestrate the operational side of implementing the plan. MDH's Office of Preparedness and Response (OP&R) will focus on planning, coordination and logistical matters. And other MDH programs and agencies such as the Maryland Emergency Management Agency and Maryland State Police will take on other roles "as the operational needs evolve," the plan draft states.

Will you, the average Montgomery County citizen, be one of the first to receive a Covid-19 vaccine? No, according to the plan. In phase one, only high-risk members of the population and workers at hospitals, long term care (LTC) and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are anticipated to be vaccinated. 

The plan states that two doses of the potential vaccine(s) will likely be required, with a period of three or more weeks between shots. Maryland plans to use its PrepMod and Maryland MyIR online portals to send recipients a reminder that it is time to come in for the second dose. PrepMod will also initially be the main vaccine management system, 

PrepMod is an online clinic management and appointment scheduling system. It is used by Maryland local health departments to conduct mass vaccination drives and vaccinations at school-located clinics. Maryland's ImmuNet will play a central role as the one-stop shop for health care providers to register as an official Covid-19 vaccine provider, order their vaccine supplies, track vaccine deliveries, report doses administered, and to determine scheduling of second doses.

Maryland's first priority in public messaging when a vaccine becomes available will be assuring the public that it is a safe and effective vaccine. Public communication will then emphasize vaccination of the most-vulnerable first, and then the general population.

One of the other key points covered in the report is the necessary training of providers in the handling, storage and administration of this new vaccine or vaccines. This training will have to be rapid. Among the required training efforts, Maryland plans to utilize state, federal and CDC materials and webinars to get providers up to speed quickly.

Rockville cancels Lunar New Year celebration due to coronavirus fears

Fears of an escalating coronavirus pandemic are growing in China and abroad. Student trips at local universities have been canceled in some cases, and Chinese celebrations of the Year of the Rat have been severely curtailed by quarantines. In this climate, the City of Rockville has decided to cancel its planned Lunar New Year celebration that had been scheduled for this Saturday, February 1, 2020 at Rockville High School.

A statement released by the City Monday stated that "[t]he decision to cancel the event was made out of an abundance of caution in response to concerns about the coronavirus that have arisen from community members, event participants and the city’s Asian Pacific American Task Force, which partners with the city to organize the annual celebration."

The event will not be rescheduled, the statement added. A growing number of suspected coronavirus cases in the Washington D.C. region, including Maryland and Virginia, have increased concerns in recent days. The City noted that it is far from the only jurisdiction to cancel planned Chinese New Year festivities this week.

Graphics via CDC.gov