8.3.2026
How a UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center Nurse’s Research Creates Change Across UVA Community Health
8.3.2026
UVA Health Update | Aug. 3, 2026
2026 Annual Retraining
Launches Monday, Aug. 3 | As part of our commitment to excellence and to meet regulatory requirements, all UVA Health team members hired on or before April 1, 2026, who provide patient care, receive training, or participate in healthcare education and research within or for the benefit of the UVA Health University Medical Center — regardless of their employer — are required to take the training.
Operations
Reminder: Vocera Text-Based Messaging Deactivated
As a reminder, please be advised that Vocera text-based messaging feature was deactivated Monday, Aug. 3, at 7 a.m., at which point Epic Secure Chat now serves as our sole primary communication platform for text-based messaging. Voice capabilities through Vocera will remain active. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the HIT Help Desk at 434.924.5334. Training resources and tip sheets are available on the Epic Learning Library. Thank you again for your continued partnership throughout this transition.
Monthly Update: Clinical and Operational Documents
Having a working knowledge of policies and other clinical and operational documents relevant to your role and responsibilities at University Medical Center supports quality patient care and regulatory compliance. Learn What’s New in Clinical and Operational Documents. This month’s highlights include updates to:
- Care of the Patient With Non-Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Guideline
- Bilevel Adult Sleep Center Guideline
- Lumbar Drain TCV ICU SOP
- Adult Vaccine Nurse Protocol Order, and many more.
Questions? Email PolicyTechAdmin@uvahealth.org.
QGenda Scheduling Now Available to Sync With Outlook
QGenda scheduling can now sync directly with Outlook, giving staff — including LIPs, nursing staff, and on-call staff — one place to view their schedule alongside other calendar items. Use the tip sheet to opt in, and use Task Preferences in QGenda to hide any items you don't want cluttering your Outlook calendar. Note: staff in Plastic Surgery, Maxillofacial, and Oral Health; Hospitalists; and Gastroenterology and Hepatology should hold off opting in until their QGenda instance merges into the new advanced scheduling contract. Questions? Contact Colby Minear or Krista DesRoches, QGenda Administrators.
HIT Launches New Portal for Remote Access to Epic and Other Applications
As part of HIT’s commitment to providing you with the modern tools that our work demands, UVA Health is transitioning to a new platform for accessing applications (including Epic) remotely. The UVA Health Citrix Applications Portal (“Citrix Portal”) is live now and will replace the UVA Health Apps Portal (“Apps Portal” or “Portal”). The new Citrix Portal platform is more secure, streamlined, and deliver more consistent connectivity than our current Apps Portal. For now, both portals are available, but the Apps Portal will be retired and redirected to the new Citrix Portal on Aug. 15, so be sure to bookmark the new Citrix Portal and begin using it now.
Users of the new Citrix Portal will notice a slightly modified design and a new web address (URL), but the way you access apps remotely (including Epic) will remain the same. Learn more on Connect.
Epic Care Everywhere Referral Management
Launches Tuesday, Aug. 25 | UVA Health will soon launch Care Everywhere Referral Management (CERM), Epic’s integrated referral solution for Epic organizations. The new tool will streamline referral management by replacing manual processes with a fully integrated digital workflow. Providers and patients will benefit from improved referral capture and routing, faster turnaround times, reduced leakage, and better conversion of existing demand — helping create a more seamless experience for both clinicians and patients. Read more on Connect to learn how CERM will strengthen care coordination and access across UVA Health.
Coming This Fall: New, Epic‑Integrated Patient Education
Clear, effective, patient education should be easy to deliver. This fall, UVA Health is introducing WebMD Ignite on FHIR, a new patient education platform fully integrated into Epic. Easy access to trusted, evidence-based materials will be together in one place in your everyday workflows. It’s a simpler way to connect patients with the information they need — no extra tools or logins are needed. Learn more on Connect.
Happenings
August: UVA Health Team Member and Health Awareness
To support our UVA Health mission of transforming health and inspiring hope — each month, we recognize team member and health awareness months, weeks, and days. See the latest list.
Physicians and APPs: Get a New Provider Headshot
McKim Hall | Ground Floor, Room G045 | No appointment necessary. Bring a white coat if you have one; if not, one will be provided. Photos taken in 10 minutes or less on:
- Monday, Aug. 3 | 1-4 p.m.
- Tuesday, Aug. 11 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 19 | 9 a.m.-noon
- Thursday, Aug. 27 | noon-3 p.m.
2026 Day of Caring: Call for Volunteers and Project Hosts
Volunteer registration deadline: Tuesday, Aug. 4 | Is your UVA Health department interested in forming a volunteer team for 2026 Day of Caring? Register with United Way of Greater Charlottesville to support the region’s most impactful, one-day volunteer effort, set for Wednesday, Sept. 16. Day of Caring sponsors include UVA and UVA Health.
- Volunteer team leaders should register to join a virtual prep meeting on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2:30 p.m., or Friday, Aug. 7, 10 a.m. (Registered team leaders will be sent access to the Zoom link training and the project preview list.) Volunteer team leaders who are unable to attend a training may provide an alternate representative for your team.
- Volunteer team leaders should join Project Selection on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m.; projects are selected on a first come, first served basis during that meeting.
- If you are an individual who would like to participate as a Day of Caring volunteer but do not have a team, please email Markiana Smith.
- Even if you have registered in previous years to volunteer, new registration is needed each year to volunteer.
- See “School Assistance and Volunteer Service” toward the end of this UVA HR web page to learn more about employee eligibility for public service leave.
Project submission deadline: Friday, Aug. 7 | If you know a nonprofit, school, childcare facility, church, or other eligible 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization in Charlottesville or surrounding counties that has a task or project that could use volunteers on Sept. 16 Day of Caring, the organization should email Markiana Smith about creating an account to submit their project.
Annual RN Degree Scholarships
Application Deadline: Thursday, Aug. 6 | UVA Health University Medical Center is offering a scholarship opportunity for eligible University Medical Center employees interested in pursuing any level of nursing degree in the 2026-27 academic year. You do not need to be an RN to apply, and the scholarship is not exclusive to UVA School of Nursing programs — it is applicable to any accredited nursing degree program. Eligibility aligns with the UVA HR Education Benefits Program. Once again, the Office of the Chief Nursing Officer is providing $90,000 in funding to disburse to support our growing nursing workforce. Scholarships are applicable to classes taken January 2026 to June 2027 for:
- ADN degree program
- BSN degree program (classes and prerequisites)
- Higher nursing degree program
2nd Annual Team Wellbeing Day: Bring Down the Temps
Friday, Aug. 7 | 10 a.m.-10 p.m. | University Hospital cafeteria (and patio/lobby area) | You are invited to this annual event featuring resource tables, food, refreshments, and prize drawings. Highlights:
- Cooking demonstrations with Dennis Wingler, Senior Executive Chef, Morrison | noon, 5 p.m., and 11 p.m. | University Hospital Cafeteria
- Free chair massages
- Micro classes offered by FEAP, UVA Mindfulness Center, Occupational Health, and more: yoga, sound baths, and other wellbeing techniques.
- Prize drawings: Win a self-care basket or a “beach break” basket for your team!
- Therapy dogs and music
- Learn more about and register for Wellbeing Spark Spaces, small informal gatherings where you can meet co-workers while taking care of yourself. Offerings will include kitten yoga, Menopause Support Group, divorce wellness, early career professionals, Wellness Book Club, yoga in scrubs, veterans and service members, Walking Around Grounds Group, Stitch Happens, family playground playdates, and offerings from UVA Recreation.
ECHO: Clinical Concerns for Emerging Vape Shop Trends
Tuesdays, Aug. 18, Sept. 1, and Sept. 15 | 4-5 p.m. | Discuss emerging and established trends in substances frequently encountered in vape shops and other similar locations. This series will highlight clinical resources, best practices, and clinical innovations to more efficiently and broadly care for and educate patients on the risks inherent in using these substances. Flyer. Learn more and register.
The Kevin Hines Story: Transforming Crisis Into Resilience, Hope, and Advocacy for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Tuesday, Sept. 29 | noon-1 p.m. | Zoom | Suicide survivor, mental health advocate, global speaker, best-selling author, and award-winning filmmaker Kevin Hines shares his inspiring story of hope, survival, celebration of life, and the lessons he has learned about resilience, recovery, and the lifesaving power of human connection. Part of Hoos Well and FEAP’s Thrive Together webinar series. Learn more.
UVA Medical Device Make-A-Thon
Oct. 15-18 | Frugal Innovations in Sustainable Healthcare (FISH), a UVA student organization dedicated to developing affordable healthcare devices, will host this inaugural event. The first student-led, medical device make-a-thon of its kind on the East Coast will bring together interdisciplinary student teams to design innovative, low-cost solutions to real clinical challenges. UVA Health clinicians, researchers, faculty, staff, residents, fellows, and nurses are invited to serve as mentors, judge final presentations, or submit clinical problem statements for students to address. Learn more and sign up.
Appreciation
Pediatric Clothes Donations
The acute pediatric unit is looking for more clothes donations to fill their closet, so kids have something to wear when they are admitted. The nurses on the floor have created an Amazon list for items that are needed, but they would also appreciate any gently used clothes donations.
Please note: Items should be appropriate for the hospital, such as loose onesies, loose shorts or pants, sleepers, and/or comfy clothes for school-aged and bigger kids. Donations can be delivered to the 7C or 7W nursing stations and given to Haylee Knight or Haley Godfrey.
Thank you to all who donate and to our colleagues who are organizing this effort!
