State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, a Democrat representing a portion of the county, has revamped and revived a bill that, if approved, would add Fairfax County to the list of localities eligible to host a casino.

A similar bill, also introduced by Surovell, died in a House of Delegates committee last year.

鈥淲e鈥檙e also losing a couple hundred million dollars a year to the MGM Casino over in (Prince George’s) County, and I can鈥檛 stand seeing all that Virginia money going over the bridge to Maryland,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to get that money back in Virginia.鈥�

The sprawling entertainment venue would feature a hotel, a performing arts center, a convention center and a casino.

At the request of Tyson鈥檚 residents, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted against the proposal last month. Homeowners fear the complex could bring unwanted traffic and congestion.

, Paula Martino, president of the Tysons Stakeholders Alliance聽opposition group, said the reintroduction of a bill backing the casino is disappointing.

鈥淭his proposal represents the wrong kind of development for Tysons and ignores the voices of the people who live and work here,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淭his bill is an attempt to use the same failed legislation as before to get a different result, and Tysons residents will react in the same manner as in previous years.鈥�

State lawmakers have failed to pass consecutive legislation on the issue since 2022. But Surovell said with high real estate taxes and a lack of a large convention center, Fairfax County still needs a way to make more cash.

鈥淭he board of supervisors have been asking for decades for more ways to raise money,鈥� he told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淭his project would return about $300 million per year, or about $3 billion per decade, to Fairfax County so they could have that money to support our teachers, firefighters, our first responders, police, and help fund services at the level Fairfax County citizens expect.”

Surovell said the bill requires a referendum, giving voters a final say on the casino.

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For years, prosecutors say Jule Huston recruited school-aged children from low-income neighborhoods in D.C. through the “Maryland Youth Club of America” to carry out phony candy sales.

The children told buyers that the money would go toward scholarships, field trips and other kid-friendly adventures. But the kids never saw a dime of the money or a reward for their labor.

鈥淔or too long, Maryland Youth Club and Huston engaged in an illegal scheme that exploited both DC children and the generosity of DMV residents,鈥� Schwalb said in

The D.C. Office of the Attorney General partnered with prosecutors in Maryland and Virginia to investigate Huston. They discovered that between 2018 and 2022, the bogus candy sales raked in more than $850,000.

Prosecutors say Huston, a New York resident, diverted the funds to his personal bank accounts, to his mother and to a second fake nonprofit, the “Virginia Youth Club.”

Huston is also accused of destroying the nonprofit鈥檚 financial records.

鈥淚鈥檓 glad they鈥檝e been shut down in the DMV,鈥� said Joshua Comstock, a Baltimore County resident who came across a 10-year-old boy selling candy.

Back in 2021, Comstock said the boy knocked on his front door. Comstock noticed that the boy was alone but bought $20 worth of candy in support of the cause.

鈥淚t seemed weird to me,鈥� he told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淗e told me to donate to a Venmo link. So, I thought that was weird.”

Afterward, Comstock said he looked into the organization, and a quick search of the group鈥檚 social media page yielded comments from other concerned buyers that Huston was exploiting children. Comstock reported it to a county council member.

Four years later, he鈥檚 glad the nonprofit is shut down, but is still concerned that another bogus youth club will pop up in another state.

鈥淚t makes me really angry,鈥� Comstock said. 鈥淜ids already have enough to deal with without predatory child labor rackets trying to hustle away their summers.鈥�

Huston was also to pay a $5,000 fine to real youth nonprofit organizations.

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But an old life hack is surging that’s designed to eliminate anxiety linked to making perfect choices and spark quick action.

It鈥檚 called “satisficing,” a combination of making choices that are satisfying and suffice with the information that鈥檚 readily available.

Dr. Tina Thomas, an adult psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente, said it means a quick escape from analysis paralysis for many perfectionists.

鈥淎s humans, we have this desire to want to make the right choice all of the time. And not do something until we are 100% prepared. But in that desire, we end up not really achieving a lot,鈥� she told 小萝莉影视.

The decision-making strategy was first used back in the mid-1950s by Dr. Herbert Simon. He taught patients to make choices based on their first 鈥済ood-enough鈥� option that met their needs, rather than the perfect choice. It helped reduce anxiety and rumination.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about being good enough rather than perfect,” she said.

In addition to the method, Thomas advises her patients to set and stick to clear deadlines, and once a decision is made, don鈥檛 second-guess it.

鈥淏e happy. You鈥檝e made a good choice,鈥� she said. 鈥淜now that your task is done and you can move forward.鈥�

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Nearly 200 women from D.C. and Maryland danced the day away on Thursday at a community center in Prince George鈥檚 County.

For them, Mother鈥檚 Day came early this year thanks to a nonprofit based in Maryland that hosted its 15th annual pamper party for women struggling with homelessness and drug addiction, among other hardships.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really uplifting,鈥� said Brianna Hundertmark, who lives at Hilda鈥檚 Place, a drug recovery facility in Carroll County, Maryland. 鈥淚 got to sleep in late.鈥�

Volunteers treat the women to manicures, pedicures, new hairstyles and massages.

But that鈥檚 not all, Hundertmark said. She relapsed two months ago and quickly joined the treatment program, leaving her 12-year-old son in his father鈥檚 care.

鈥淚 needed bras, so I got bras,鈥� she told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淚 needed clothes, and I got that. Because I came into the recovery house with nothing.鈥�

That鈥檚 common for many of the women, said Porshia Everett, the organization鈥檚 founder and program director. She started the celebration 15 years ago as a picnic in a local park. The mom and former accountant got the idea after volunteering at several nonprofits for women.

Since then, it鈥檚 morphed into something much bigger.

鈥淚 would go and see the same ladies at different shelters,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 began engaging with them and at Mother鈥檚 Day, there was nothing for them. Every year, we use a different color scheme and theme.鈥�

This year鈥檚 motif is: “She rocks Anew seed.”

Everett said it means women who are ready for a change, knowing that they鈥檙e supported because motherhood doesn鈥檛 end because of hardships.

鈥淪ome of them are in mental health facilities and in recovery from domestic violence,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey are still mothers. We look to embrace them and just treat them special all day. I want them to feel and be seen.”

Everett, who is also a nail technician, said pampering the women is key.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing the work on the inside with the counseling, therapy,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut if you don鈥檛 look good on the outside 鈥� I don鈥檛 care what someone is telling you 鈥� you鈥檙e not going to feel good. I鈥檓 a woman and I enjoy that, and I know they do too.鈥�

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But just two healthy money habits can get rid of debt fast, according to Erin Cox, the financial and community economic specialist for Virginia Cooperative Extension.

鈥淚 will tell you from personal experience. I don鈥檛 know that there have been too many better feelings than calling a credit card company and saying, 鈥業鈥檓 paying it off today,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淎 lot of this is about freedom with your money.鈥�

The Virginia Cooperative Extension is a 110-year-old partnership between Virginia Tech and Virginia State University offering educational programs to Virginia residents. In addition to learning about personal finance, students can delve into gardening classes, mental health courses and a nutrition and wellness series.

Cox said the first thing students learn about eliminating debt quickly is the importance of going back to the basics with a budget.

鈥淵ou need to look at your budget and see where your leaks are. Where is our money going?鈥� she said. 鈥淩eally do that financial check.鈥�

The second thing regretful holiday shoppers need to quickly wipe out credit card debt is a snowball payment.

鈥淲hen you use the snowball method, you line your bills up from smallest to largest,鈥� Cox told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淎nd you start making those payments.鈥�

For people who stick to a debt reduction plan, the 2025 Christmas shopping season is far enough into the future to start saving for gifts now. Cox said instead of a holiday season filled with buying gifts, consider giving handmade presents instead.

鈥淚 have a very special neighbor who gave me seeds from her garden one year for Christmas,鈥� Cox said. 鈥淚 planted them, and I see them often and they鈥檙e just the most special gift.鈥�

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The research, which was , tracked the sleep habits of more than 90,000 people and found that those who sleep-in on Saturday and Sunday mornings may reduce their chances of developing heart disease and stroke by 19%.

And the longer the dream time, the better.

鈥淭hose who got the most 鈥榗atch up鈥� sleep on the weekend, tended to have the lower incidents of cardiovascular outcomes,鈥� said Dr. Joe Lodato, a cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente in D.C.

Researchers found lower rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke among the group.

The study doesn’t detail how much extra sleep is enough. But it’s good news for people with busy schedules and not enough time to get some shut-eye during the week, Lodato said.

But he warned against making a habit of sleeping-in on the weekend.

鈥淥ptimal sleep really is 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the take-home point. We really should be getting good sleep every night, because it鈥檚 really critical to overall health.鈥�

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It was a mysterious illness until his doctor got a hunch and ordered a heart X-ray. The doctor gave the Leesburg, Virginia, father of three a surprising diagnosis.

鈥淭he cardiologist came into my hospital room and said, 鈥楲ook, you have congestive heart failure,鈥欌�� Vang told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淚 was pretty scared at that time.鈥�

Vang didn鈥檛 fit the mold of a typical heart failure patient. At 41 years old, he was young, a nonsmoker and had no family history of the condition.

But the discovery was a relief for him because doctors had a path to wellness. It included getting on a long heart transplant list. And last year, he got an artificial heart pump, giving him more time with his wife and three girls.

鈥淚鈥檝e been feeling better than I have the last five or 10 years,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 realize how sick you were with your heart not pumping enough blood to the rest of your organs. Now that my heart is pumping full speed, I can be active and play with my kids.鈥�

Sunday is World Heart Day, when doctors and patients around the globe bring attention to heart disease and explore ways to make the organ healthier.

Vang said his journey is a message to others to get checked for heart failure early.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 tell a person who鈥檚 having heart failure,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 show. It鈥檚 not like you break your leg and you can see it. With the declining of your heart, you can鈥檛 tell.鈥�

Nearly seven million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with heart failure each year, . Many live undiagnosed for years, battling puzzling symptoms, which include:

• Shortness of breath
• Extreme fatigue
• A constant, dry cough
• Swelling in the legs, ankles and feet

Dr. Robert Kormos, a cardiothoracic surgeon and professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh, said many times heart failure masquerades as cold symptoms because fluid from the heart builds up in the lungs, causing an incessant cough and congestion.

Kormos said patients and doctors could get to the root of the illness faster with tests designed to spot heart failure.

鈥淗eart failure is lethal. It kills more people than the cancer we treat,鈥� Kormos told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淭he important thing is if you have symptoms, you need another level of investigation. You need to go deeper.鈥�

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That was until speedy multicookers hit shelves.

鈥淚 got fired,鈥� O鈥橠ea said with a chuckle. 鈥淭hen I had this out-of-body voice say, 鈥楬ey, Steph, just because you can do something fast, doesn鈥檛 mean you should.鈥欌��

So, she started doing more slow living.

It鈥檚 a fast-growing movement that promotes a slower, attentive approach to life and decision making.

Her new book , details how to get started.

“‘Go, go, go’ doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e actually being more productive,” she said. 鈥淏ut when you take the time to slow down and purposefully plan your day, and your life, you鈥檒l end up meeting and even exceeding your goals. But in a sustainable way.鈥�

She said beginning slow living starts with decluttering. That includes the decision to say “no” to the greedy demands of a stuffed calendar.

“Cut out what isn鈥檛 working,” she told 小萝莉影视. “This could be the physical clutter in the house because the more you have the more anxious you are because you鈥檙e always trying to mentally inventory your things. Really decide what鈥檚 feeding your soul.”

Slow living picked up steam during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the pace of life had suddenly slowed down, forcing many people to scrutinize nearly everything, including relationships, careers and health goals.

The push to live slowly hasn鈥檛 stopped.

O’Dea’s book is filled with acronyms to help people easily practice the lifestyle, she said.

For instance, many people struggle with slow living as the anxiety linked to missing an interesting event also called fear of missing out, or FOMO for short, kicks in.

O’Dea has a creative way to encourage people who choose slow living.

鈥淚 rewrote FOMO. So, it鈥檚 not fear of missing out. It鈥檚 ‘Figure Only Myself Out,’鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really going within and asking, 鈥業s this serving me? Is this really what I want?鈥� It’s OK to say ‘no’ and feel uncomfortable.鈥�

But slow living isn’t living slow every day. The lifestyle can help with some time management strategies when life moves at a faster clip, O’Dea said.

Two tips that work well for her are preparing for events the night before and using timers in the moment.

鈥淚鈥檓 a huge fan of timers and setting yourself up for the next day,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 doing things that you know from experience work and consistently following through. It equals success.鈥�

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A new study found that people who exercise fewer days a week experience similar decreased risks of dementia, stroke, Parkinson鈥檚 disease, depression and anxiety as people who work out five days or more a week.

鈥淭he findings are pretty impressive,鈥� said Dr. , an internal medicine and geriatrician at Kaiser Permanente in McLean, Virginia.

鈥淲e know that exercise is beneficial, but it seems like this study is saying even if you pack it in and do it in spurts, you can still get a lot of those benefits from exercise.鈥�

Among weekend warrior study participants, researchers saw a reduction in:

• Dementia: 23%
• Stroke: 13%
• Parkinson鈥檚 disease: 49%
• Depression: 26%
• Anxiety: 28%

Doctors recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise a week to reduce the risks of heart disease, chronic disease and stroke. The study did not address the best way to divide the suggested time or the ideal type of fitness routine, Hsu said.

But earlier studies have found that people who exercise more than the suggested amount each week see better health outcomes, she said.

The study is good news for people whose rigid schedules have less time for fitness.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hugely empowering,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nything you鈥檙e able to do to move your body is good. And if you鈥檙e able to do it in a way that works with your schedule, it鈥檚 going to have benefits for your brain and body long term. So, go for it.鈥�

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Eating disorder diagnoses have steadily increased nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic. That trend is not slowing down among one group: older Americans.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I was sick enough,鈥� said Dawn Gross, a mom of three who was diagnosed at 38 years old.

Gross told 小萝莉影视 she was “spiraling” during that period of her life: 鈥淚 think I had a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old and a one-year-old, and I was planning my day around getting rid of the food I had eaten. I was so focused on me and this drive to control my size and weight.鈥�

Eating disorders are mental health conditions marked by harmful eating habits and an unhealthy focus on losing weight or staying fit. The most common eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.

Roughly 90% of people diagnosed with eating disorders are women and teen girls, most commonly starting between 12 and 25 years old, according to the .

Eating disorders are a hidden condition that can strike anyone at any time, said Gross, who is now 57.

鈥淚t makes me so angry to think about the picture that we have is the emaciated, young white girl,鈥� she said. 鈥淣o. There are lots of people who are struggling. Eating disorders come in all different shapes and sizes, or even one age.鈥�

Gross believes her eating disorders started when she was about eight or nine years old. She received a constant message to stay thin from her mother, who also struggled with weight.

鈥淪he meant well, but her desire to help me stay in a small body was certainly a focus,鈥� Gross told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember a time in my life where I wasn鈥檛 on a diet. So, I was really groomed to be focused on my body.鈥�

Then in 2005, after going through many difficult and expensive rounds of fertility treatments, she gave birth to her third child.

It was then that old bad habits of hidden binge eating and restrictive rules came roaring back. So Gross decided to get help at a seven-week, inpatient program at The Renfrew Center, a national treatment center that also offers virtual support groups for women 30 and over.

“What I know now, looking back and having lots of therapy, is all of those emotions just had nowhere to go,鈥� Gross said of her fertility journey. 鈥淚 had so many emotions around having a baby. I couldn鈥檛 handle the emotions, so I just stuffed them.鈥�

For some older adults, eating disorders that show up in midlife can be triggered by common stressors like menopause, divorce and empty nest syndrome, said Cecilia Perez-Zamora, a lead clinical therapist at the Renfrew Center, which has a location in Bethesda, Maryland.

For others like Gross, eating disorders linger, going undiagnosed for years.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 tell that someone has an eating disorder just by looking at them,鈥� Perez-Zamora said. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 really important is the eating disorder takes up a lot of your time and it really impacts your ability to do things in the day to day because of how much you鈥檙e thinking about food.鈥�

She said there are some unmistakable signs that can alert concerned friends and family members to people suffering from eating disorders.

鈥淚f they鈥檙e restricting the amounts of food they鈥檙e eating or talking about a negative body image more often,鈥� Perez-Zamora said. 鈥淭hinking about your meals and what everything is going to look like takes up a lot of time.鈥�

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The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced an additional $23.1 million in federal aid to the agency’s national Home Visiting Program in the District, Maryland and Virginia.

The extra money is the first time in a decade that the program has received an increase in federal funds, HRSA administrator Carol Johnson said.

鈥淲hat those resources mean is that we鈥檙e able to support nurses, social workers and trained home visitors, and help with those early days of being a new parent,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淎ll of this has been shown to really make a difference in kids鈥� outcomes. Kids are so much stronger because they get these kinds of supports.鈥�

Johnson said the program鈥檚 success hinges on convenient health visits in a comfortable at-home setting.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e a new parent, if you have to take off from work and take a few buses to get to an appointment, you鈥檙e probably not going to do it,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut if that person comes to your house and they鈥檙e full of resources and knowledge, it鈥檚 going to make a huge difference to you.鈥�

Rockville, Maryland-based HRSA spearheads the national program, teaming up with local health organizations to target and reach parents.

Home health care workers can provide breastfeeding support, safe sleep tips and developmental screening for babies. They can even help parents find key services like affordable child care or job and educational opportunities.

鈥淚t鈥檚 changed my life,鈥� past program participant Fatima Ray said.

Ray said she was introduced to the program in 2015 when she needed help with her infant daughter. She and her husband were first-time parents and stumbled through the first few months with a newborn.

鈥淚t felt good, like I had someone on my team,鈥� Ray said. 鈥淭hose questions you forget to ask the doctor sometimes, she would answer them.鈥�

The experience impressed Ray so much that she became a home health visitor. She is the maternal health coordinator at Primo Center, a homeless shelter for families in Chicago.

鈥淭he same care that was given to me, I just want to pass it on,鈥� Ray told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淚 know how much it made a difference in my life. Home visiting matters.”

President Joseph Biden signed bipartisan legislation in 2022 that doubles funding for the program over five years. The move was part of a campaign promise to lower risks linked to pregnancy and improve maternal health, especially among women in rural, tribal and low-income communities.

The national home visiting program will receive $440 million Maryland鈥檚 local programs will get $10 million of those funds. Virginia is slated to receive $11 million and D.C.鈥檚 home visiting programs will see a $2.5 million increase.

鈥淭his will push home visiting forward a lot more,鈥� Ray said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just going to help tremendously.鈥�

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鈥淭hey are feeling that void of not having their child in the house anymore,鈥� said Dr. Kathryn Ziemer, clinical director at in Alexandria.

鈥淪o, it feels emptier. But it鈥檚 not uncommon for parents to feel a sense of loss.鈥�

Empty nest syndrome is marked by a range of emotions, including sadness and loneliness, that turn up after a child leaves home.

Ziemer said the shift can be jarring for parents who 鈥渉ave built their identity around being a parent and raising children.鈥�

Many parents don鈥檛 know what to do next.

鈥淭hey can kind of have an identity crisis sometimes,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey say, 鈥極h, my gosh, I don鈥檛 have this as the central role in my life anymore.鈥欌��

Francine Ellis remembers becoming an empty nester about 20 years ago. First, her daughter enlisted into the Air Force. A few years later, her son got married, joined the Navy and moved away.

Her house was quiet.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e at home and you鈥檙e by yourself, that loneliness sets in,鈥� she said.

鈥淪ome people say, 鈥榃hen I鈥檓 at home, I鈥檓 not lonely.鈥� But let鈥檚 be honest, we are. And binge watching Netflix doesn鈥檛 always help.鈥�

Ellis, a self-described social butterfly, needed something to do with like-minded people. She volunteered at local sports stadiums, started an event planning business with a friend, and, finally settled on traveling.

鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to travel. And I found my people,鈥� said Ellis, who also hosts Meetup and Facebook groups for empty nest parents in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. 鈥淧eople that were like me, who didn鈥檛 have children at home and needed something to fill the space.鈥�

She enjoyed traveling with other empty nesters so much that she launched a travel agency seven years ago. In addition to booking for clients of all ages, offers domestic and international vacation packages aimed at empty nest parents.

Her popular, mostly adults-only trips are even attracting people who are on the cusp of becoming empty nesters soon.

So far, her travel buddies have visited Jamaica, St. Croix, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. And every year, her clients snatch up spots for her annual trips to the Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York and a New Year鈥檚 Eve getaway.

Dubai is in the works for next year, she said.

鈥淭his absolutely was a way of coping,鈥� said Ellis, 60, who started the agency after retiring early.

Ziemer tells parents struggling with empty nest syndrome to put their experience into perspective. The uncomfortable emotions linked to a child leaving happen to many parents, she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 normal to feel sad about leaving your child at school,鈥� Ellis told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淏e aware of what you鈥檙e feeling and let yourself feel it. But then start to shift gears.鈥�

She next advises them to rethink their situation.

鈥淥K, yes, it鈥檚 a loss but your kids are still your kids,鈥� she said. 鈥淩eframe this as an opportunity. You鈥檙e going to have more freedom, more time and less responsibility.鈥�

Ziemer also tells parents to keep the lines of communication with their children open. But set boundaries, too.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all about finding the right balance,鈥� Ziemer said.

鈥淵ou can still be there for them. And be real with them, that you miss them. But let them have their own autonomy to spread their wings a little bit.鈥�

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But as they travel back home, the post-vacation blues could set in for many of them.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 the most stressful is coming back and feeling so unprepared,鈥� said Dr. Christina Lee, a psychiatrist and the regional medical director of mental health at Kaiser Permanente. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e feeling like you鈥檙e not ready to go to work the next day and be flooded with all of the things and responsibilities you have to do.鈥�

Vacations have many benefits for travelers, including improving heart health, lifting mental well-being and boosting creativity. But too much stress upon return can cause the perks to fade, Lee said.

She said there are several ways to keep the good vacation vibes flowing and it begins before ever leaving home.

鈥淭he more you can prepare yourself for re-entry and not leave things for the last minute, the better it will be,鈥� she told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淔or instance, if you come back and you have tons of laundry to do, that can be super stressful. Get those little, small menial tasks out of the way. It can really help reduce stress.鈥�

Lee also encourages travelers to continue the same activities they enjoyed while on their getaway.

鈥淕ive yourself a mini version of your vacation,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e a person who likes to read a lot on vacation and you read tons of books, don鈥檛 stop doing that when you come back.鈥�

Another tip: Be present and mindful while on vacation and revisit vivid sights and sounds from a pleasurable, relaxing trip.

She tells clients to have vacation memories ready to recall during stressful times, she said.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to hear the water on the sand and feel the wind blowing on you,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淭hose are the kinds of things you want to introduce when you鈥檙e in stressful situations. If you can engage your sense, that will actually evoke relaxation.鈥�

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So far, doctors at the have treated more than 1,100 patients, which is well beyond what they initially expected.

“We were hoping that we could fill up the schedule in a few months,” said Dr. Jorge Ramallo, the clinic’s medical director. “And we were overwhelmed with the amount of need that was not being met. When they come in, we ask them their name and pronouns and let them lead the conversation.”

Cassandra Dowty, a married trans woman, was looking for a place like Inova Pride Clinic and having a similar chat. An online search guided her to the clinic in Falls Church, a one-stop shop offering everything from mental health care appointments to virtual doctor鈥檚 visits.

“I wanted to be a girl for a long time,” she told 小萝莉影视. “And I needed somebody to walk alongside of me and help me unpack my own journey.”

Dowty, 45, began her shift into womanhood last year. At first, she used the clinic’s counseling services because she didn鈥檛 know how to have tough conversations about her journey with her wife, who supports Dowty鈥檚 transition.

“I needed to really understand what was going on up here,” she said, pointing to her head. “The hardest thing I had to do was find the tools to be able to communicate with my wife.”

Five months ago, Dowty decided to continue her gender-affirming care with hormone therapy. Ramallo had an open spot on his schedule.

“It was kismet,” she said. “It’s a safe space. You can talk with them about anything. No judgment. It’s the first place I was able to confidently say my name and say my gender.”

Ramallo said about half of patients who visit the clinic are like Dowty, seeking gender-affirming care. The other half are members of the LGBTQ+ community who want high-quality care without the stigma or scrutiny.

“For a lot of our patients, they have to make a very calculated risk assessment,” Ramallo said. “They think, ‘If I come out to my doctor, how is that going to go?’ Unfortunately, it’s a real fear.”

Ramallo said most patients hear about the clinic through word-of-mouth in the tight-knit gay community. They make first-time appointments for one health care concern and continue coming to address other needs.

The goal is to build long-term, comprehensive care for patients, Ramallo said.

“For a lot of our patients, their main concern was gender-affirming care and that鈥檚 the reason why they鈥檙e coming into the doctor,” he said. “But since I’m also a primary care doctor, I say, ‘Hey, let’s talk about mammograms and your cholesterol because it鈥檚 a bit high.'”

Inova tapped Ramallo, who identifies as gay, to lead the clinic two years ago. During his medical residency, he decided to focus exclusively on the range of health issues facing the LGBTQ+ community.

“Each letter of the LGBTQ+ acronym has its own set of health challenges,” Ramallo said.

For instance, studies show that members of the LGBTQ+ community struggle with wide gaps in health inequities. Gay men struggle with higher rates of sexually transmitted infections and many of them visit the clinic requesting HIV-prevention prescriptions. Lesbian women have a greater risk of obesity and often forego lifesaving screenings like Pap smears and mammograms.

also tracked higher rates of heart disease among transgender and gender-diverse groups because of stress linked, in part, to transphobia and discrimination.

As clients step into the clinic, the effort to make them feel welcome begins. Workers decorate walls with rainbow flags and a receptionist flashes an easy smile to patients who are checking in.

“They continue to feel more comfortable every time they come in,” Ramallo told 小萝莉影视. “That continuity of care is really critical for us to address the needs that many of them have been keeping to themselves for a long time.”

Inova Pride Clinic is growing so fast that Ramallo is planning to add more doctors to the staff, expand services and even identify and register patients for leading-edge clinical trials.

The clinic also has a new cardiovascular clinic to study heart health among people identifying as gay, lesbian and transgender.

“The LGBTQ+ community has historically been excluded from medical research,” he said. “And the health care community is trying to do better.”

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“I had heavy sweats,” she told 小萝莉影视. “It was like a flush. But it would happen during exercise, and I attributed it to that. I had no idea.”

An in-depth conversation with her doctor at DiscoverHER Health in Alexandria, Virginia, revealed Kissal was in perimenopause 鈥� the transitional period before menopause.

Menopause occurs 12 months after a woman’s last period, ending her reproductive journey. In these years leading up to the change of life, women begin experiencing physical symptoms like hot flashes, weight gain and difficulty sleeping.

Now, new research published in the finds women in this stage are 40% more likely to also develop depression.

“I’m actually not surprised,” said Kissal, 47, who said she hasn鈥檛 experienced depression. “All the anecdotal stuff I hear from my friends, I’m not surprised. You physically feel different. You don鈥檛 feel good about yourself. So much more attention needs to be paid to it.”

Dr. Amy Banulis, a gynecologist at Kaiser Permanente in Falls Church, said women can blame the depression and mood swings on “a big fluctuation of hormones.” She also said it’s difficult for some women to detect when they’re in perimenopause because it strikes amid other pressing life pressures like caring for aging parents, raising children and juggling demanding work schedules.

“It’s something we hear from women all the time in our day-to-day practice,” Banulis said. “It’s tricky. It’s that time in your life where you’re just being stretched thin.”

Kissal, a busy consultant and mom to three teenage and tween girls, agrees.

“It all makes sense,” she said.

But there’s something women can do to ease the physical symptoms of perimenopause and keep depression at bay, Banulis said.

“It starts with things you can do for yourself,” Banulis told 小萝莉影视. “Healthy diet and regular exercise are super important. And, you have to prioritize your sleep at this time.”

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