2022 Year in Review: Healthy, Safe and Thriving Community

HEALTHY

First in Region:

Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services/VB Rescue became the first ground transport agency in Tidewater to administer whole blood treatments to eligible trauma patients in the field.

Fitness Champions:

VB’s first AARP-sponsored outdoor fitness park, FitLot^TM, opened in June at Williams Farm Park.

MPOX Vaccinations Begin:

Virginia Beach Department of Public of Public Health (VBDPH) conducted 52 MPOX clinics providing more than 2,100 MPOX vaccinations to Virginia Beach’s most vulnerable populations. These vaccination efforts greatly contributed to the reduction in the spread of MPOX throughout the City.

COVID-19 Vaccinations Continue:

VBDPH continued COVID-19 vaccination campaign efforts by partnering with community-based organizations to provide more than 4,500 COVID-19 vaccines in 2022. Seven hundred influenza shots were also provided.

Getting Out in the Community:

VBDPH, Emergency Medical Services, and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers provided 861 homebound vaccinations to those that are unable to leave their homes to access care.

Advanced Medical Care:

EMS launched its first ever academy to earn an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) certification. Twenty-one VB Rescue volunteers will graduate from the program in March 2023.

SAFE

Safety Prioritization:

Emergency Communications and Citizen Services upgraded the Emergency Medical Dispatch software to APCO Intellicom, a cloud-based system that allows call takers to prioritize EMS calls and provide live saving instructions until first responders arrive.

Life Saving Efforts:

While on deployment for two weeks to Fort Myers Beach, FL, FEMA’s Virginia Task Force Two (VATF-2) provided rescue and recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Ian, searching 12,153 homes and interacting with 161 victims.

Time Saved on Inspections:

The Fire Prevention Bureau launched a new initiative where fire inspectors notify businesses ahead of their annual inspection by providing information to help them identify and correct common violations. This initiative reduces staff time and saves money on re-inspecting businesses for fire code violations.

Don’t Panic:

The Office of Emergency Management launched use of the Rave Panic Button app to help City employees rapidly notify 911 of a critical emergency and reduce the time before help reaches them across the municipal complex.

Knowledge Shared:

The Fire Department hosted 146 structural collapse technicians from across the country for a training class in advanced urban search and rescue techniques.

New Tech:

The Police Department introduced several new technology initiatives designed to enhance officers’ ability to serve the community efficiently and effectively. Those include Automatic License Plate readers to provide instant alerts on stolen vehicles and license plates, Signal Sidearm to wireless alert nearby Axon cameras (in-car and body-worn) to begin recording when an officer’s service weapon is drawn and e-ticketing to reduce the time and paper necessary to issue citations.

THRIVING

Helping with Bills:

Public Utilities distributed $2.9M in bill assistance to eligible accounts through ARPA funds and continued to offer payment arrangement plans until the end of October 2022, extending the program after the state mandate expired in August 2021.

Affordable Housing:

City Council appropriated more than $3M in City Treasury ARPA funds towards four local nonprofits’ affordable housing projects.

Food Stability:

Human Services and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore held two drive-thru food pantries in 2022 distributing 218,040 pounds of food to 3,634 households.

Enrollment Up:

28 adult residents without high school diplomas enrolled in Libraries’ Career Online High School program to earn diplomas and career certificates.

Conveying History:

Planning and Community Development, Parks and Recreation and the Historic Kempsville Citizens Advisory Committee partnered on the development of interpretive signs and the dedication of Patriots Park in Historic Kempsville.

Surpassing Goals:

The Virginia Aquarium welcomed 610,311 people into the facility in fiscal year 2021-22, the highest attendance since the South Building closed for renovations and 28% above the goal of 475,000.

Graduation Records:

For the 14th consecutive year, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) has continued to maintain record levels with respect to the On-Time Graduation (OTG) rate, which stands at 94.9% for the 2022 cohort year, and a low dropout rate of 2.9%. VBCPS also outperformed Virginia’s rates of 92.1% for OTG and 5.2% for dropouts.

Historic Status:

Two 1960s midcentury modern Virginia Beach motels, Crest Kitchenette Motel and the Blue Marlin Lodge, along with the historically African American neighborhood L & J Gardens, were listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Park Service National Register of Historic Places.

Providing Stable Housing:

Housing and Neighborhood Preservation prevented 1,265 individuals from becoming homeless and placed 253 individuals in stable housing.

Breaking Records:

The Stranding Response Team experienced a record-breaking hooked sea turtle season and surpassed 300 total sea turtle strandings for the first time since 2006.

Hands-On Learning:

Virginia Beach City Public Schools are the first-ever recipient of a $500,000 Accelerating Change Together (ACT) Grant from Bayport Credit Union to help students experience more hands-on learning in renewable energy. It will help connect students in grades 9-12 to solar, offshore wind and electric vehicles trade certificate programs.