Press Release
PEDIATRIC SPECIALISTS OF VIRGINIA

Contact:  Patricia Harger, Director of Marketing (703) 848-6650, pharger@psvcare.org
                 Justin Jones, Communications Coordinator  (845) 642-5517, jrjones@psvcare.org

TELL ME TOWN FOUNDATION

Contact:  Cindy Chambers, Founder/President (703) 582-1614 cindychambers@tellmetown.org
                                    

PRESS RELEASE

Release Date:  June 20, 2016

New Partnership Promoting Children’s Health

Fairfax, VA – Tell Me Town Foundation (TMT), led by Cindy Chambers, president, is nationally recognized and dedicated to finding innovative ways to provide comfort and education to children and their families on health, safety and medical issues.  

Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV) is a not-for-profit, medical group that is, likewise, dedicated to caring for the needs of children in Northern Virginia and surrounding areas.  Created by Children’s National Health System and Inova in 2013, PSV’s mission is to provide superb pediatric specialty care through clinical excellence, innovation, education, research and family-centered care.

Cindy Chambers, award winning author, and the Tell Me Town Foundation have been nationally recognized for “Excellence in Explaining Health Issues”.  With 12 published books, and more on the way, Tell Me Town continues to translate complex information into easy to understand and endearing analogies and stories.  In these stories, doctors and other experts become loveable cartoon characters, teaching important subjects on health and safety.   Jim Huber illustrates each endearing story with creativity and talent.  The books address such topics as Type I Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, having special needs,  going to the emergency room, going to the dentist, and fire safety, to name but a few.  Beamer, Tell Me Town’s beloved therapy dog, is one of the most well-known characters from Tell Me Town Books and is the star of the award winning “The Beamer Book Series.”

Now the Tell Me Town Foundation and Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV) have entered into an agreement to work together to expand the range and type of patient education materials available on children’s health issues.  Beamer will partner with Pounce, his new friend the PSV lion cub mascot, to introduce children to PSV physicians and clinical specialists serving as expert resources for Tell Me Town books, pamphlets and online educational materials.  They will join other characters in these engaging stories that increase understanding and help reduce anxiety about many health problems and treatments.

PSV specialists are currently collaborating with TMT on five education projects including:  Type I diabetes, Type II diabetes, traumatic brain injury, anesthesia (preparing for surgery), and healthy living for children, with more on the way.

“We are thrilled to be moving forward with the Tell Me Town-Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (TMT-PSV) partnership!” says PSV’s Chief Education Officer, Dr. Patty Seo-Mayer.  “As pediatric specialty providers, we are teachers to our patients and families, to primary care physicians and to each other.  We need innovative tools to help reinforce complex information in meaningful ways.  The talent represented by Cindy Chambers and Jim Huber in this endeavor is a great complement to PSV’s specialty medical knowledge. Together we will continue to help children and families understand and cope with their conditions.”

PSV’s CEO Leon Moores agrees:  “This is a terrific collaboration which will help thousands of kids and parents deal with the stress and unknowns of numerous important health matters.”

Cindy Chambers voiced her enthusiasm for this new partnership by stating, “Tell Me Town is honored to be working with PSV.  You may see your favorite PSV doctor as a cartoon character very soon, as Beamer and Pounce explore new healthcare topics together, bringing comfort and education to children.”

For more information about Pediatric Specialists of Virginia and Tell Me Town and their new partnership, visit their websites:  www.psvcare.org and www.tellmetown.com.  Both the TMT Foundation and Pediatric Specialists of Virginia are charitable organizations under IRS Code Section 501(c)(3) and accept tax exempt contributions to further the work they are doing to benefit children.

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About Tell Me Town Foundation:  The Tell Me Town Foundation is a qualified 501(c)(3) public charity. Through The Beamer Book Series and Tell Me Town Books, author Cindy Chambers writes stories about health, medical and safety-related subjects with experts who become cartoon characters as they teach this important information in a way that is easy for children to understand. The stories are illustrated by talented artist, Jim Huber.  Tell Me Town is a delightful place where the characters live and the stories take place.  With over 47,000 fans on Facebook and recognition growing throughout the United States and other countries, Tell Me Town is well positioned to bring comfort and education to children and their families for many years to come.

About Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV):  Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV) was collaboratively created by Children’s National Health System and Inova in 2013 as a pediatric specialty group that is dedicated to caring for the needs of children in Northern Virginia and surrounding areas.  Its mission is to provide superb pediatric specialty care through clinical excellence, innovation, education, research and family centered care.  As a medical group practice with tax exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, our specialists care for children during hospital stays at Children’s National Medical Center and Inova Children’s Hospital and throughout their childhood on an ongoing, outpatient basis.  Many are recognized as “Top Docs” by The Washingtonian and Northern Virginia Magazine, and have appeared in U.S. News & World Report as leading experts in their fields.  For more information about PSV, please visit www.psvcare.org. 

Hope Veazey, 9-years old, was awarded the Regional Girl of the Year Award during the National Capital Area Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Grand Finale Gala at the J.W. Marriott in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 13, 2015.

Hope has been under the care of PSV’s Hematologist/Oncologist Jennifer Dean and the medical team at PSV’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (Falls Church, VA) since her diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in July, 2013.

“I have been Hope’s primary oncologist since her diagnosis in 7/2013. She has been a joy to care for,” said Dr. Dean. “She and her family have been very positive since the beginning of her treatment – they have been incredibly supportive of Hope as well as the larger community of children with cancer. I enjoy seeing Hope (and her stuffed Panda) when she comes to her clinic appointments – it always brightens my day.”

PSV would like to congratulate Hope and the Veazey family on the award and offer a special thanks to Hope for serving as an inspiration for many children and families in the region.

Congratulations to PSV’s Ambulatory Surgery Center on receiving full AAAHC accreditation. AAAHC, the Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Health Care, is the most prestigious and highest level of accreditation for ambulatory surgery centers. To qualify, rigid standards must be met in patient safety, emergency equipment, anesthesia instrumentation, procedural policy and quality control.

With this accreditation, the ASC is the only Ambulatory Surgery Center in Northern Virginia and one of very few in the country dedicated exclusively to children. This accreditation also means that most insurance carriers and payors will include PSV in their preferred networks.

The ASC held a successful open house event on March 19 that provided guided tours of the ASC for PSV practitioners and outside surgeons already using the ASC, as well as other local surgeons who might be interested in utilizing the ASC moving forward, effective April 1.

A special thanks goes out to the ASC staff and all PSV employees who had a helping hand in making this all possible!

                                       

Fairfax, VA, February 20, 2015 – Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV) is proud to announce that it is now officially a public charity with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code.  All donations to Pediatric Specialists of Virginia are fully tax-deductible retroactive to the founding of the organization on September 30, 2013.
PSV is also now eligible to apply for government and foundation grants specific to public charities, which will further expand its access to resources that strengthen the organization’s ability to better serve children in and around Northern Virginia.

“We are fortunate to be able to proceed down paths forged by our parent organizations, Children’s National Health System and Inova, as charitable organizations furthering education and research into the care of children.  With PSV’s status as a public charity, individuals and organizations may make tax exempt contributions toward pediatric research, education and care to the underserved and families experiencing hardship,” said Dr. Leon Moores, PSV Chief Executive Officer.

Since inception, Pediatric Specialists of Virginia has focused on its mission of providing high-quality pediatric specialty care to the children of Virginia through clinical excellence, innovation, education, research, and family-centered care.  With continued growth in the number of services and specialties PSV can offer, and the top notch providers and staff it maintains, PSV will be able to “Make It All Better” for even more children.

For questions or to request a copy of the IRS letter granting PSV tax-exempt status, please send your email request to psvcommunications@psvcare.org. 

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About Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV): Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV) is a 501(c)(3) public charity that was initially formed as a unique joint venture by Children’s National Health System and Inova.  The vision of our founding partners was to create a Northern Virginia-based, physician group practice dedicated exclusively to the needs of children.  In 2013, these two pediatric powerhouses drew from their resources to form Pediatric Specialists of Virginia, offering children and families in Northern Virginia access to the best specialty care possible.  Pediatric Specialists of Virginia launched with five specialties and has tripled in size over the last 18 months.  In the next several years, PSV will grow with additional specialties and services for those we serve, including the expansion of a state-of-the-art pediatric Ambulatory Surgery Center in Spring, 2015.  For more information about PSV, please visit psvcare.org/aboutpsv. 

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Media Contacts: 

Patricia Harger, Director of Marketing (PSV) 
703-848-6650
pharger@psvcare.org

or

Justin Jones, Communications Coordinator (PSV) 
703-848-6651
jrjones@psvcare.org

 

Fairfax, VA, February 20, 2015 – Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV) announced that William Judd will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective Monday, February 9.  Mr. Judd is the newest addition to PSV’s C-suite, which consists of Dr. Leon E. Moores (Chief Executive Officer), Dr. Jeffrey Hanway (Chief Surgical Officer), and Dr. Ian Leibowitz (Chief Medical Officer).  

Mr. Judd’s primary focus will be on guiding PSV through its next stage of development and growth by applying his breadth and depth of experience working with ambulatory healthcare practices, as well as utilizing the operational leadership knowhow that he’s acquired while working at a variety of health care facilities and medical practices over the course of his distinguished career. 

“I have worked with Bill in the past and know him to have a strong track record in achieving process and performance improvement results,” Dr. Moores said.  “He also has a leadership style that is very personable and team oriented.  He has the right mix of experience, skills, and personality to fit PSV’s needs in optimizing how care is delivered to children through clinical excellence, innovation, education, research, and family-centered care.”

Mr. Judd comes to Pediatric Specialists of Virginia with decades’ worth of healthcare and practice operations management experience within both the military and the private sector.  Most recently he served as the Regional Vice President for the Maryland Operations of National Spine & Pain Centers, the nation’s largest interventional pain management practice with 16 clinics and 14 ambulatory surgery centers.  His prior experience includes COO for Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center & Regional Health System in Fort Meade, MD; COO for DiLorenzo TRICARE Health Clinic-Pentagon, Arlington, VA; Sr. Health Policy Analyst within the Office of the Army Surgeon General, Falls Church, VA; and several other healthcare operations management positions. 

“I am delighted to be joining PSV to support the mission of providing exceptional specialty care to the children of Virginia.  I look forward to being part of the PSV leadership team as together we chart the course for a successful future of service and growth,” said Mr. Judd. 

Mr. Judd holds a BA in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH and an MHA in Health Administration from Baylor University in Waco, TX.  He is also certified as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. 

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About Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV): Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV) is a 501(c)(3) public charity that was initially formed as a unique joint venture by Children’s National Health System and Inova.  The vision of our founding partners was to create a Virginia-based, physician group practice dedicated exclusively to the needs of children.  In 2013, these two pediatric powerhouses drew from their resources to form Pediatric Specialists of Virginia, offering children and families in Virginia access to the best specialty care possible.  Pediatric Specialists of Virginia launched with five specialties and has tripled in size over the last 18 months.  In the next several years, PSV will grow with additional specialties and services for those we serve, including the expansion of a state-of-the-art pediatric Ambulatory Surgery Center in Spring, 2015.  For more information about PSV, please visit psvcare.org/aboutpsv. 

 # # #

Media Contacts: 

Patricia Harger, Director of Marketing (PSV) 
703-848-6650
pharger@psvcare.org

or

Justin Jones, Communications Coordinator (PSV) 
703-848-6651
jrjones@psvcare.org