Culpeper Star Exponent article below.

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In late spring, there was no shortage of problems facing our nation’s public health. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic created a need for increased testing, education on prevention, and contact tracing efforts to stem growing infection rates. Of course, all areas of the country were faced with similar issues, but at varying levels. In Virginia’s Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District, conversations between health-focused foundations and area colleges and universities led to a creative solution for a contact tracing program, bridging the gap as the state mobilized efforts to meet this incredible and unexpected need.

The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Culpeper Wellness Foundation and the PATH Foundation partnered to fund a contact tracing program, in collaboration with nursing programs at George Mason University and Lord Fairfax Community College.

With oversight from the Virginia Department of Health and clinical instructors from the nursing programs, eligible students could volunteer for the contact tracing program and earn up to 24 hours of clinical experience. This collaboration meant students who were unable to continue their studies because of pandemic restrictions could pivot to gain experience in public health, while helping the community.  The contact tracing program allowed the local health department to focus on case investigation and other essential services.

Virginia’s Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District covers five counties: Fauquier, Rappahannock, Culpeper, Madison and Orange. The students not only communicated public health information to residents in all five counties, but they also assisted wherever needed in connecting residents with county resources from childcare help to picking up groceries in the event they were told to quarantine.

The nursing students’ primary responsibilities involved reaching out to community members in the five counties who had been exposed to positive COVID-19 cases, assessing their symptoms, providing education, and asking about any other potential concerns. During slower times, faculty were able to offer instruction on public health, pharmacology and more. Students gained valuable experience by learning how best to educate others on health issues, assess needs faced by those contacts, and gain a true understanding of how social determinants impact public health. Perhaps most importantly, they learned how to best communicate and interact with the public during a health crisis.

We know from studies that hands-on learning provides the greatest educational opportunity. While classroom instruction is necessary, being able to spend time in the field is extremely valuable and working alongside professionals during a crisis provides an invaluable life experience. The sad fact that this pandemic could be eclipsed by others in the future, makes this work even more important.

Navigating the extremes of the past six months has been challenging at best, and our foundations have been fortunate to be in a position to act quickly and respond in critical situations. Individually, we work to support our communities; but working together and collaborating with GMU and LFCC led to the creation of a regional program as statewide efforts were established.  Partnering for the greater good of our communities not only met the needs of public health, but also furthered the education of future nurses and health care workers.

We’ve learned from this experience that we all need to think more collaboratively in times of crisis; especially when financial resources and human capital are limited. Our colleges and universities hold a plethora of smart, capable young adults enthusiastic to help tackle international as well as local community problems and issues. The ability of this collaboration to effectively mobilize quickly was also of great importance. Once the three foundations got together, everything else rapidly fell into place. All of this was a lesson in the importance of working together and being able to not only reach out to other organizations, educational institutions and government agencies, but to also be able to connect the dots for rapid deployment.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then partnership and collaboration certainly share some of the same DNA. All three aspects – necessity, partnership and collaboration – were critical components in the program’s success.

Christy Connolly

PATH Foundation President & CEO

Dr. William Hazel

Claude Moore Charitable Foundation Senior Deputy Executive Director

Former Commonwealth of Virginia’s Secretary of Health and Human Resources (2010-2018)

Shari Landry

Culpeper Wellness Foundation President

This letter was printed in the Richmond Times Dispatch on September 28, 2020

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For the Winter 2020 Culpeper Quarterly, some of our staff shared tips to consider for a healthy new year.

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Written by Robin Earl

Published December 26, 2019 in the Fauquier Times.

As of the first of the year, the region covered by the Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board will have its first Oxford House. Jim LaGraffe, executive director of the RRCSB, said an Oxford House is a resident-run sober living house. There are 2,754 of the residences in the U.S. – 13 in Winchester alone – but none in Fauquier, Culpeper, Orange, Madison or Rappahannock, until now.

Through donations from the PATH Foundation and the Culpeper Wellness Foundation, the RRCSB was able to purchase a home in Culpeper, which it will lease to the Oxford House. It will provide housing for seven men as they continue their recovery from alcohol or drug abuse. 

LaGraffe emphasized that peer-led recovery is evidence–based. He said, “Peer-supported recovery is very effective. Such a supportive environment, with people who understand what you’ve gone through, with those who committed to a sober lifestyle, leads to a greater likelihood for maintaining sobriety.” 

Oxford House has men-only homes, women-only homes and homes for women with children. LaGraffe said that in Culpeper, the greatest need was for a home for men. 

No staff will live at the home, but Oxford House resources are available to its residents. He said that the residents will have help in setting up the house, with deciding how they want to handle the sharing of expenses and the upkeep of the home. “The Oxford staff has regional staff who can provide support,” said LaGraffe. 

After an Oxford house is established, the residents decide together if someone has to be asked to leave and when to accept someone new into the house. All residents must be employed and must agree to remain sober and pay the collective expenses – heat and water and sewer, for instance. 

The Culpeper house is located within walking distance of services and public transportation.  

Recovery treatment is not a requirement for admission, but some residents seek treatment while they are living there. 

Sean Polster, Warrenton Town Council member (at large) and president of Piedmont CRUSH (a 100-member group working to help fight drug addiction and help those who are recovering from addiction), said that his organization would like to “help create opportunities for job training, maybe an apprenticeship program,” for Oxford House residents. 

The news about the Culpeper home was announced at the CRUSH holiday meeting Dec. 5 and was viewed as an important accomplishment. “If people don’t have a place to go when they get out … they go right back doing what they did before,” said Polster. He said the project included many different organizations. “So many people have their fingerprints on this.” 

Finding an appropriate property in the RRCSB region has been difficult, said LaGraffe. “The Oxford House doesn’t own the houses under its umbrella; they look for long-term leases, which can be difficult to obtain.” He added that no special zoning or permits are required. According to a Supreme Court decision under the American Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act, “these are seen as single-family units.” 

He added, “It’s not a hugely burdensome process because it is not a licensed home. It’s not that hard if you find a willing homeowner to lease or gift a house.”  

Admission to an Oxford House is obtained through recommendations of RRCSB case managers, who identify people who would be a good fit. 

“The Oxford House regional coordinator works with the case management team,” said LaGraffe. “I believe we are actively engaged with people who will be in the (Culpeper home) group.” 

Polster said CRUSH members would very much like to have an Oxford House in Fauquier. He said, though, that a Fauquier resident would be eligible to live in a house in another county; it might even be beneficial. 

LaGraffe added, “It can be helpful not to return to the same environment you left when you were struggling.” But, he added, “if people have to leave their community, that means they are leaving the good stuff behind, too.” Some people, for instance, don’t want to leave the community where their children are. 

LaGraffe said, “I’ve had groups talk about bringing an Oxford House to Fauquier. It is our organizational hope that will have more of them. We need more of them. We’d like to use the Oxford House in Culpeper as a seed for further houses.” 

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A unique Culpeper County organization that provides little-known assistance behind the scenes, Culpeper Wellness Foundation is celebrating its fifth anniversary this month.

“We’re here for the long term,” foundation President Shari Landry said in a recent interview. “We work in partnership with other key organizations to address current needs—with the flexibility to adjust as those needs change—for the foreseeable future.”

In late August, the private, nonprofit foundation celebrated with a barbecue dinner in the town’s Rockwater Park. CWF gave $210,000 toward the park’s new splash pad, track, obstacle course and climbing boulder. Other groups that contributed include the PATH Foundation of Fauquier County, giving $30,000, and the Northern Piedmont Foundation, which donated $20,000.

While deciding what recreational facilities would be included in the new park, CWF initiated a survey that asked middle- and high-school students what features were most needed and would be the most used by young people in Culpeper.

“The survey we did on local youth and our investment in Rockwater Park I see as a real success,” Landry said. “We were able to identify interest and make it happen by working with others and partnering with the Town of Culpeper.

“We’re absolutely thrilled with how it turned out,” she added. “These features provide a place that can be used by sports teams or individuals to improve health in a fun way. You don’t find a place like this in most communities. It’s a huge benefit for Culpeper.”

The foundation was created in 2014, when the University of Virginia Health System became the sole owner of Culpeper Regional Hospital. That change established the foundation as an independent 501©(3) nonprofit focused on improving the health and well-being of residents in Culpeper, Madison and Orange counties.

Prior to the university’s purchase of the hospital, Powell Wellness Center and the Free Clinic of Culpeper had been part of the hospital’s parent company. The foundation was created to oversee these institutions with the help of an endowment set up for that purpose, along with funds raised by foundation employees. Culpeper Sport & Fitness joined the CWF community in 2017.

“Culpeper Wellness is unique in its three functions,” Landry said. “It provides needed services for community members young and old, we work as a partner and collaborator with a range of public and private agencies and donors, and we are a grant-maker.”

The foundation’s diverse efforts include health-care services to those who cannot afford services; grants to nonprofits throughout the three-county region to support health and wellness programs; traditional fitness and medically integrated fitness; fitness opportunities for local youth and youth organizations; fitness scholarships; free community health & wellness programming; and collaborative response and information sharing with other area health-related organizations.

Over the foundation’s first five years, CWF distributed $3 million in grants and strategic investments, the Free Clinic accepted 10,000 patient visits, more than 1,000 people enrolled in local medical fitness programs, and nearly $100,000 was awarded in fitness scholarships.

Landry became president of the organization in 2016, after moving to the area from New Hampshire with her husband, David Sears. Together, they bought a farm on the Rapidan River in Orange County, where they live.

Landry brought with her a wealth of expertise. She had served as vice president of philanthropy and donor services at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, helping coordinate child welfare and juvenile-justice services statewide. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s in human services administration from Springfield College in Massachusetts.

“The foundation works with many local organizations to improve the quality of life for all ages in Culpeper,” Landry said. “We hope members of the community will continue to help identify health issues that need to be addressed and will continue to support our work—and the efforts of other local nonprofits—through charitable donations and gifts, and through donating their time in volunteer work.”

The three-county region includes people who are exceptionally dedicated to helping others, she said.

“I really see it as remarkable—the number and passion and commitment of organizations, churches, state and county staff in supporting one another, everyone’s desire to work together, their creativity in solving problems and addressing local issues, and their untiring commitment to making things better,” she said. “It’s a wonderful community and I’m very glad to be here and be a part of it.”

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Biking for education

Culpeper County Public School students get to ride their bicycles this year – thanks to a new grant.

Culpeper County Public Schools received $7,500 from Culpeper Wellness Foundation and the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation to start a new cycling program at both Culpeper County High School and Eastern View High School.

A total of 50 bikes, 25 at each school, will be used in advanced physical education classes for lifetime sports.

“By introducing mountain biking in the schools, we are offering kids an opportunity to get involved with a lifelong sport,” Culpeper Wellness Foundation President Shari Landry said. “They’ll learn new skills, see improvement in their abilities over time and increase self confidence.  With concerns about obesity, heart disease and diabetes on the rise, we are pleased to help fund this initiative that promotes a fun and relatively low-cost outdoor physical activity.

“CCPS believes this a great example of community organizations giving back and it demonstrates that partnerships are essential to creating more opportunities for our students,” the school district said in a release.

At Eastern View, physical education teacher Paul Lutz has had students out on the bikes three times now. He said the enthusiasm they’ve shown for the program is contagious.

“They are getting the cardio aspect from it but it’s also a whole body workout,” Lutz said. “If I was to say ‘hey guys, we’re going to go out for a run,’ they would all be boo-hooing. If I say ‘we’re getting on the mountain bikes,’ they’re excited. They don’t realize they’re getting the exercise benefit from it.”

The Trek bikes were purchased, with a discount, through Haymarket Bikes. The EVHS students have been riding trails around the campus, normally putting in between 3.5 to 4 miles per ride.

“We’re incorporating it into what we have, this semester we’re just using our physical conditioning classes to see what works and what doesn’t work,” Lutz said. “Hopefully next semester we’ll used them in the lifetime activities class.”

Logan Ashwell, a junior, said he enjoys going out for rides.

“You’re working everything,” Ashwell said.

Senior David McMillion said his class looks forward to going out on the bikes.

“It turns the workout into something fun, you get to see the campus,” McMillion said.

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