LETTER TO YOU

nursinginva@mediageneral.com

As Virginia's population grows, so do we.

With summer solstice officially upon us, we are pleased to bring you the 11th issue of Nursing in Virginia. The circulation of our magazine has grown by more than 3,000 since its fi rst issue in December 2006. This growth is because of you, either because you’ve visited our Web site, www.nursinginva.com, and requested to receive the online edition or you’ve asked to be put on the print mailing list. Thank you for supporting this magazine and for being the reason why we deliver timely and relevant articles to support you and your career choice.

For our cover feature, Doug Childers discusses the growth of Fort Lee and how doubling the size of this military base by 2011 will bring an additional 13,000 people to the Tri-Cities area. This growth of the Petersburg, Hopewell and Colonial Heights area will not only increase the demand for nurses at several facilities in this region, but it will also impact the infrastructure development and school systems. In the second of a two-part series, Angela Woodford continues her report on ethics and discovers why many hospitals make it commonplace to encourage nurses to have a questioning nature. Joan Tupponce takes a look at VCU’s Hume-Lee Transplant Center, which is one of the oldest, continuously active transplant programs in the country, and we learn about the unique challenges of liver transplants and the reasons behind increases in living donor usage.

On matters of lifestyle, Joan Tupponce also looks at Virginia companies that have encouraged their employees to adopt a healthier lifestyle by conducting "Biggest Loser"-type competitions at work. We include a recipe on grilling up a healthy meal full of beta carotene and protein to encourage you to get outside and fi re up the grill as the weather has turned warmer. And lastly, don't forget to take some downtime this summer by relaxing at one of Central Virginia’s day-spa destinations.

Thank you for your continued praise for Nursing in Virginia. We look to your continued feedback and story ideas. Our next issue will be published in September. Please share your ideas for it by Aug. 1, via e-mail to nursinginva@mediageneral.com