Around Town

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, the Alexandria Health Department is partnering with a dozen local businesses to offer discounts customers who book a sexual or reproductive health appointment this month.

AHD is offering 5% “Cupid Coupons,” valid for up to $10 off at 12 local businesses to customers who book the appointments during the February Love Safely and Save promotion.


Around Town

CVS Pharmacy has closed a location in Potomac Yard, bringing the pharmacy’s locations within the City of Alexandria to 12.

CVS’ last day at 2601 Richmond Highway was Jan. 21, CVS spokesperson Roslyn Guarino confirmed to ALXnow. Prescriptions from the pharmacy have been transferred to the CVS Pharmacy at 415 E. Monroe Avenue in Del Ray, and employees were offered similar roles within the company.


News

Health officials are advising of potential measles exposures after confirming a case that traveled through Washington Dulles International Airport last Saturday.

A person with measles traveled through the Dulles airport and took a shuttle bus to its rental car facilities on Saturday, Jan. 24. Health officials “are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed, including contacting potentially exposed passengers on specific flights,” the Virginia Department of Health said in a release today (Saturday).


Around Town

As the cost of health care continues to be a nationwide issue, an Alexandria couple has launched a fundraiser to help regional residents burdened by medical debt.

Scott and Kara Pitek introduced the campaign through the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, which was established by former debt collectors to purchase and eliminate medical debt. Funds raised through the campaign will help residents facing medical debt in the City of Alexandria and Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William counties.


News

The Alexandria Health Department is alerting city residents to recent measles exposures that occurred in Northern Virginia last week.

A preschool-aged child in the region who recently traveled internationally was confirmed to have measles, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The child visited three health care sites across Woodbridge and Falls Church from Jan. 13-18, which AHD notes may have led to potential exposures.


News

Improving mental health across the city will be in focus in Alexandria’s next Community Health Improvement Plan.

Mental wellness is one of three topics that will be addressed in the city’s new CHIP, AHD announced last week. The topic was selected for further engagement after 47% of 2,020 respondents in the city’s 2025 Community Health Assessment survey selected “mental health” as their top community health issue.


News

After a reported uptick in flu, COVID-19 and other illnesses in the city, the Alexandria Health Department is recommending the flu shot and and other preventative measures to stay healthy.

Flu-related emergency department visits more than tripled in Alexandria during the last two weeks of December, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health. Alexandria’s current flu vaccination rate is low, sitting at less than 30% of the population, AHD spokesperson Eve Elliott told ALXnow.


News

Inova Alexandia Hospital has been named one of the top hospitals in the country for maternity care in an annual ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

Alexandria’s hospital at 4320 Seminary Road was joined in the publication’s Fifth Annual 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care list by its sister hospitals, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital and Inova Loudoun Hospital. The facility was recognized as a birthing-friendly hospital, a designation measured by C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates and birthing-friendly practices, among other measures.


News

Northern Virginia residents and Alexandria officials gathered last night (Monday) for the city’s annual World AIDS Day commemoration to encourage public health education and community testing.

The event featured musical performances by the Northern Virginia World AIDS Day Choir and musician Tony Craddock, a Q&A panel and free HIV testing available afterward. Mayor Alyia Gaskins also read a proclamation acknowledging the day “to show solidarity and strength against HIV stigma.”


News

The city of Alexandria plans to honor World AIDS Day with an evening of choir performances, testimonies and education next week.

The city’s annual World AIDS Day Commemoration invites residents to remember those lost to HIV/AIDS, celebrate progress made for people at risk or living with HIV/AIDS and stand in solidarity against stigmas surrounding the virus. The event is scheduled from 6:30-8:30 p.m. next Monday, Dec. 1, at the Nannie J. Lee Recreation Center on 1108 Jefferson Street.


News

An Alexandria man with dementia who wandered more than a mile from his home was recovered by the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office earlier this month.

ASO Lieutenant Victor Ignacio noticed an Alexandria Police Department dispatch for a missing person on Nov. 3, identifying the man as a participant in Project Lifesaver. The program provides free, trackable bracelets for residents at risk of wandering due to conditions like Alzheimer’s or autism.


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