HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Hundreds of children and their families "put the squeeze" on childhood cancer this summer by selling lemonade to earn more than $95,200 for CHKD's cancer program.

More than 600 stands popped up all over Hampton Roads during Anthem LemonAid weekend, during which Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield raised both awareness and funds for the fight against childhood cancer at CHKD.

To support the success of each LemonAid stand, participants received a free LemonAid kit that included lemonade mix, cups, a pitcher, signs, and more. Lemonade was sold for a $1 donation with 100 percent of local proceeds going to CHKD’s cancer program.

Six-year-old Gideon Thompson of Chesapeake raised $357.96 with the help of family, friends, and classmates. Gideon, pictured below, was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 1 year old, and received treatment at CHKD. He now regularly raises money for CHKD's cancer program.

About CHKD’s cancer program

CHKD follows 500 local childhood cancer patients, ranging in age from newborns to survivors in their mid 20s. Nearly 70 new cases are diagnosed each year. The CHKD team of pediatric oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, pediatric oncology nurses, and nurse practitioners provide the nation’s most up-to-date treatments through CHKD’s participation in the world’s largest cancer research consortium. Learn more at CHKD.org/Cancer.

About CHKD

CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region.  

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. (serving Virginia excluding the city of Fairfax, the town of Vienna and the area east of State Route 123). Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its affiliate, HealthKeepers, Inc., are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Anthem® is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia is available at Anthem.com.

The 14-story facility will ease statewide shortage of children’s psychiatric beds

WHAT: Groundbreaking ceremony for CHKD mental health hospital.
WHEN: 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, September 17, 2019.
WHERE: 400 Gresham Drive, Norfolk.
SPEAKERS: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam; Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox; Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander; CHKD President and CEO Jim Dahling; Eric and Michelle Peterson, mental health advocates; Lighting the Way Campaign Chair John Lawson II; and CHKD Health System Board of Directors Chair Chris Neikirk.

NORFOLK, Va. – Gov. Ralph Northam will join state and local legislators, community leaders, and CHKD officials at a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, September 17, to launch a $224 million mental health hospital expected to transform mental health care for children across the state.

The 14-story building on Gresham Drive will be the centerpiece of a bold new initiative that will provide a full spectrum of mental health care for children, filling a critical gap in a statewide shortage of pediatric mental health services.

Northam, a pediatric neurologist at CHKD before becoming governor, will be the keynote speaker at the ceremony that will showcase plans for the mental health hospital. The 60-bed facility will offer a new level of care, standing out among the nation’s top pediatric mental health hospitals, with innovative patient- and family-centered design, research-based treatments, academic training programs for the next generation of child psychiatrists, and unparalleled support and community involvement. All inpatient rooms will be private, with sleeping accommodations for a parent. Other facility highlights include an outdoor recreation area, an indoor gym, a music room and recording studio, a rooftop garden, a soothing multi-sensory room and family lounge areas.

The facility, scheduled to open in 2022, will also provide outpatient therapy and a “partial hospitalization” program that provides intensive care to children who will spend most of the day at the hospital, but still reside at home.

Nationally, 20 percent of children have a diagnosable mental health condition. At CHKD, the number of outpatient therapy visits and mental health consultations increased by 300 percent over a recent three-year period. Virginia's only state mental health hospital for children, Commonwealth Center for Children & Adolescents in Staunton, has seen an alarming increase in demand. An increasing number of children who turned to CHKD for care waited days for a bed or even left the state to find care.

CHKD will focus programming on children who have the hardest time finding treatment, including children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders as well as children with eating disorders, chronic medical and co-occurring mental illness, and children ages 2 to 5.

CHKD has a long history of stepping in to close gaps in the care of children in this community. The mental health crisis facing our community is no different. As daunting as it is to create a new system of care for these children in need, CHKD is committed to lighting the way toward healing, not just in our community, but for children everywhere.

“This is what CHKD has done throughout its history,” CHKD President and CEO Jim Dahling said. “Identify needs, and craft visionary solutions that make this health system a true champion of the children.”

Artist’s rendering of the exterior of CHKD’s new mental health hospital.
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CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region.

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters is pleased to welcome two new psychiatrists, Dr. Anisha Garg and Dr. David Meyer, to its mental health program during a time of unprecedented growth in demand for psychiatric services.

Dr. Anisha Garg earned her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Cupecoy, St. Maarten. She did her residency at Temple University in Philadelphia, and her fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond, Va.

From a young age, Dr. Garg was interested in helping children. Throughout medical school, she was torn between specializing in pediatrics or psychiatry. Finally, she decided to combine the two. She enjoys working with children and their families and using a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to mental health care.

Dr. David Meyer earned his degree in osteopathic medicine from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif. He did his residency in family medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond, Va. He completed a residency in psychiatric medicine at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Va., where he also completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Dr. Meyer was previously a psychiatrist at the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents in Staunton, Va., and at Augusta Psychological Associates in Fishersville, Va. His clinical interests include autism spectrum disorders, childhood psychosis, mental health issues in athletes, eating disorders, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

  
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CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers and satellite offices throughout its service region.

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters is pleased to welcome Dr. James Bennett to its professional staff.

Dr. James Bennett is an orthopedic surgeon who joined CHKD’s orthopedics and sports medicine program. Dr. Bennett earned his medical degree at St. George's University School of Medicine and Northumbria University in Newcastle, England.

Dr. Bennett completed a research fellowship in pediatric spinal deformity at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. He also completed orthopedic surgery training at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, and then pursued advanced training in pediatric orthopedics with a focus on spinal deformity at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where he also served as a clinical instructor in pediatric orthopedics at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

His clinical practice specializes in the treatment of complex spinal deformity and trauma.

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CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers and satellite offices throughout its service region.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – Howard Hanna Real Estate Offices are hosting an annual “Party in the Park” on Saturday, October 5, at Chesapeake City Park, from noon to 4 p.m., with proceeds benefiting CHKD.

This will be the second annual Party in the Park, a festival of family fun that will include a live concert with the group “Buckshot,” food, a beer truck, a cornhole tournament, and silent and live auctions.

“Last year’s event was a big success, so we decided to make it our annual fundraiser for CHKD,” said Howard Hanna Regional Vice President Dennis Cestra, Jr. “Our office managers and agents work tirelessly for months getting things for the event underwritten and donated as well as lining up sponsors and vendors. We truly believe in the impact of helping local families with medical care costs for their children. We hope to raise $100,000 this year from ticket sales, so please join us October 5th!”

Established in 1988, the mission of the Howard Hanna Children’s Free Care Fund is to assure that children never be denied the best medical care available, whether helping families without insurance afford care for their children or to fund cutting-edge care that insurance may not cover.

What: Howard Hanna’s 2nd Annual “Party in the Park”
When: October 5, 2019
Where: Chesapeake City Park, 900 City Park Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia
Why: Fundraising event benefits Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters

For more information, email KathyLamm@HowardHanna.com or call 757-499-9663.

To purchase tickets online, please visit HannaFreeCareFund.com. Adult tickets, $25, and children, $10.

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About Howard Hanna Real Estate Services

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services is the 3rd largest real estate company in the United States, the #1 privately owned broker in the nation, and the largest home seller in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and the Carolinas. The family-owned and -operated real estate company specializes in residential and commercial brokerage service, mortgage, closing and title insurance, land development, appraisal, property and casualty insurance, corporate relocation, and property management. In early 2019, Howard Hanna completed a partnership with the Allen Tate Companies, the 14th largest real estate company in the nation. The combined company has 312 offices across PA, OH, NY, VA, MI, WV, MD, NC and SC, with more than 11,000 sales associates and staff who are guided by a spirit of integrity in all aspects of the real estate process. For more information, visit www.howardhanna.com or www.facebook.com/howardhanna.

About Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters

CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The pediatricians of CHKD Medical Group are pleased to welcome Dr. Ertle Jones to Pediatric Associates of Williamsburg.

Dr. Jones earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He completed his pediatric residency at CHKD.

Dr. Jones grew up in Lumberton, N.C., and has been living in Virginia with his wife and two children since 2012. He’s done research on low birth weight babies, and his clinical interests include obesity prevention and management, nutrition, and disorders of growth and development.

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CHKD Medical Group is part of the not-for-profit CHKD Health System, which operates Virginia’s only freestanding children’s hospital, along with surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. CHKD Medical Group operates 19 pediatric practices in 30 locations. 

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters is pleased to welcome Dr. Micah Lamb to CHKD’s sports medicine program.

Dr. Lamb earned his medical degree at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, followed by a residency in pediatrics at Maine Medical Center. He is a board-certified pediatrician and completed a sports medicine fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Lamb played soccer at Wheaton College, where he earned his undergraduate degree, which gives him personal insight to his specialty. His clinical interests include sports injuries, overuse injuries, stress fractures, and concussions. "Having been an athlete, almost every interaction I had with medicine growing up was sports-related,” Lamb says. “Working at CHKD offers me a chance to provide the same care that was so formative in my life, in a wonderfully vibrant community."

 
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CHKD is the only freestanding children’s hospital in Virginia and serves the medical and surgical needs of children throughout greater Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit CHKD Health System operates primary care pediatric practices, surgical practices, multi-service health centers, urgent care centers, and satellite offices throughout its service region.