Tag: Update

  • Weekly update 10/21 – Gale Brewer

    Weekly update 10/21 – Gale Brewer

    Friends,

    It’s Thursday, October 21, 2021. Welcome to my weekly update.

    New York City’s COVID positivity rate is now 1.66{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, down from 1.97{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} last week. Those interested in diving more deeply into local COVID statistics can check the NYC Dept. of Health website or thecity.nyc’s COVID tracker. If you’re not yet vaccinated, find a vaccine site– including those for approved boosters– here.

    Mayor de Blasio has (finally) issued an order to require vaccinations of all municipal workers (beyond the school employees and health care workers already mandated). This will apply to about 160,000 people, including NYPD and FDNY employees, who will need to submit their vaccine card by next Friday (10/29) at 5 pm. The fine print includes paying $500 to those who get vaccinated at City-run clinics; the municipal unions have called for this mandate to be negotiated under labor contracts.

    This week the FDA approved boosters for the Moderna and J&J vaccines to be given six months after a Moderna second shot and two months after a J&J single shot; interestingly, the FDA approved the J&J booster for anyone age 18+ (the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are subject to more restricted age groups for boosters, although there’s reporting that indicates the FDA will lower the recommended age for healthy adults to obtain any booster to 40+ sometime later this fall).

    The FDA also approved “mix and match” for the boosters, saying that it’s acceptable to get boosted with a different brand of vaccine than their initial shot(s).

    NEXT week (10/26) that FDA committee will meet to consider policy on approving vaccines for emergency use for children ages 5–11; they’ll then send a recommendation to the CDC. The White House is preparing for CDC approval of child vaccines in November. The government has already bought enough child vaccines to inoculate the 28 million children in that age group (the vaccine comes in smaller vials and uses smaller needles) and will rely on pediatricians, pharmacies, and school and rural health clinics to distribute and administer them.

    Did you know that one measurable barrier to vaccine acceptance is fear of needles? I didn’t until I read Zeynep Tufekci’s column this week. (I guess this means every time TV news shows a video of someone getting a shot, some people cringe.)

    COMMENT

    The annual “Leadership Development” training series my office put together to better support community board members and the public at large has begun. The classes are free, but require registration at the links below. Everyone is welcome!

    • “Working with Transgender & Gender Non-Conforming Communities”
      Presented by the NYC Commission on Human Rights
      This session creates awareness that transgender New Yorkers face discrimination in all areas covered by the City Human Rights Law and that they must be treated with dignity and respect. The course will cover protections under the City Human Rights Law, briefly addresses federal and state law, and reviews in detail correct terminology when addressing the LBGTQI community.
      Wednesday (10/27) from noon – 1:15 p.m.  Register here.

    • “Manhattan 101: An Introduction to our Borough and Our City”
      Led by Rob Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian
      Manhattan is so dense and dynamic that you can lose sight of its long history. In a short lecture and discussion, Manhattan Borough Historian Robert W. Snyder will describe how big changes in labor and economics, immigration and migration, and the evolution of our island landscape have shaped our own time. We will devote special attention to how the latest Census data affected how we live and work. This cohort will then break into small groups to discuss what these changes mean for our neighborhoods.
      Monday, 11/8 at 6 p.m. Register here.

    • “Human Rights Law & Protections Against Discrimination Based on Race & Color”
      Presented by the NYC Commission on Human Rights
      This session provides a historical context for race and color-based discrimination and how it has impacted the lives of New Yorkers, institutions, and the delivery of services and resources in NYC. This course educates participants on their rights and protections against discrimination under the Human Rights Law. Participants will analyze concepts related to race and color, learn about efforts and resistance to combat racism, and find ways to become the voices for social and racial justice.
      Friday, 11/12 from noon -1:15 p.m.  Register here.

    There are several opportunities to get involved with People’s Tech Assemblies, an ongoing virtual forum to share collective ideas and questions on how technology can and will shape the future of NYC, sponsored by my office, BetaNYC, and the Public Advocate’s office:

    • Wednesday (10/27) at 6 pm: “Workshopping Infrastructure and Reimagined Streets,” register here

    • Next Thursday (10/28) at 6:30 pm: “Workshopping Housing Security,” register here

    • Peoples’ Tech Assemblies office hours, every Friday at noon through 11/12: ask questions about participating in assemblies, hosting events, or using the People’s Tech online platform, register here

    • Take the community survey

    • Contribute input about how tech affects other topics like justice, health, and safety

    Reminder: Early voting begins THIS Saturday (10/23). Find your early voting poll site at findmypollsite.vote.nyc (it’s likely different from your election day polling place). Learn about the candidates and ballot questions in this voting guide from NYC Votes/NYC Campaign Finance Board.

    Early voting hours:

    • Saturday, 10/23 from 8 am – 5 pm

    • Sunday, 10/24 from 8 am – 5 pm

    • Monday, 10/25 from 7 am – 4 pm

    • Tuesday, 10/26 from 10 am – 8 pm

    • Wednesday, 10/27 from 10 am – 8 pm

    • Thursday, 10/28 from 10 am – 8 pm

    • Friday, 10/29 from 7 am – 4 pm

    • Saturday, 10/30 from 8 am – 5 pm

    • Sunday, 10/31 from 8 am – 4 pm


    NEW INFO

    The FDA has proposed a rule that will, hopefully, lead to more affordable hearing aids for millions with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, an estimated 38 million Americans, by creating a new category of over-the-counter hearing aids.

    This is a common-sense reform of current regulations that are over 40 years old (long before the days of headphones and earbuds), which grant only licensed providers permission to sell hearing aids, which require a prescription, audiologist tests, and fittings that increase the cost to several thousand dollars. (That’s probably why hearing aids are not typically covered by Medicare)

    This new regulation could improve a lot of lives by reducing what are called “barriers to entry” that include cost, easy availability, and the shame that some people of a certain age have when it comes to hearing loss. And opening up a large consumer market like this means manufacturers will compete and reduce even the current several-hundred-dollar cost.

    Congress authorized over-the-counter hearing aids in 2017, after a scientific advisory committee in the Obama administration recommended the change in 2015. Here we are in the last quarter of 2021, and the FDA is now addressing this long overdue reform.

    Learn more here, and follow the links on that page to comment on the FDA’s proposed rule change by 1/18/2022.

    State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli created a new online tool to monitor spending of federal recovery aid and COVID relief programs in the state, including funds for excluded workers, childcare providers, emergency rental and homeowner assistance, and small business recovery.


    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    I’ve heard about several job opportunities:

    • East Harlem youth nonprofit Concrete Safaris is hiring after-school assistant group leaders. Applicants must have one year of childcare experience, be vaccinated against COVID, and be able to ride a bike. Send your resume to [email protected].

    • The City Cleanup Corps is still hiring. Corps members wipe away graffiti, power-wash sidewalks, create community murals, tend to community gardens, beautify public spaces, and work with community organizations to clean their neighborhoods. See job openings here.

    • Students ages 16–19 who participated in 2021 SYEP can earn $3,375 over 17 weeks as an intern in the “Environmental Corps Work, Learn, and Grow” program. Apply by next Thursday (10/28).

    • The MTA is hiring full-time bus operators, who earn $23.84–$25.49 per hour. By Tuesday, 11/30 apply directly through job posting 99929 on the MTA Career Site.

    • Registration for the NYPD officer exam is now open through Wednesday, 11/3. Passing the exam is the first step to becoming an NYPD officer.

    Before Medicare open enrollment ends on Tuesday, 12/7, seniors can get one-on-one remote counseling about how to select the best Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, sponsored by Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. Call 212-218-0429 to schedule an appointment.

    The Grand Central NYPL branch (135 E. 46th St.) has reopened for browsing and computer use, Monday from 11 am – 6 pm and Tuesday–Friday from 10 am – 5 pm.

    Tomorrow (10/22) at 5 pm is the last day to apply to the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund, which aims to build the capacity of NYC nonprofits in recognition of the fact that organizations led by people of the community are best equipped to meet the needs of the community. Apply here.

    East Harlem residents have until this Monday (10/25) to fill out the Center for Comprehensive Health Practice’s stakeholder survey so that CCHP can better meet the community’s needs. Complete the survey here.

    Community-based organizations that can provide progressive solutions to respond to and stop attacks on vulnerable Asian New Yorkers can apply for grants of $15,000–$100,000 from the Asian American Foundation’s “Hope Against Hate Campaign.” Send applications to [email protected] by Tuesday, 10/26.

    Learn everything you need to know about applying to 3-K, pre-K, and elementary school through the free InsideSchools+ online course “NYC Pre-K & Elementary Schools: A Primer.” The class is available in English and Spanish and is self paced. Sign up on InsideSchools+.

    Nominations close Monday, 11/15 for the NYS Disability Rights Hall of Fame, which honors people who have helped maximize the leadership, empowerment, independence, productivity, integration, and full inclusion of individuals with disabilities into the mainstream of American society. Submit a nomination here.


    EVENTS

    I’m co-sponsoring a free drop-in flu shot clinic at Lenox Health Greenwich Village (200 W. 13th St., 5th floor) TODAY (10/21) from 4 pm – 7 pm and Monday (10/25) from 4 pm – 7 pm.

    Kids ages 8+ are invited to audition for the free year-round musical theater program from TADA! Youth Theater. No previous training or experience is needed to join this youth ensemble. Auditions are today (10/21) until 6 pm for kids 8–18 and Friday (10/22) from 6:15–8 pm for kids 12–18. Sign up here.

    Tonight (10/21) at 6 pm, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute hosts a virtual talk dedicated to Black poetry and the oral traditions of the African diaspora. Watch it here.

    This is the final week to check out free NYC Artist Corps events, performances, and programs (it ends Sunday, 10/24). See the schedule here.

    Friday (10/22) from 11 am – 3 pm is a health fair at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building (163 W. 125th St.), offering free blood pressure, diabetes, vision, and HIV screenings; dental and podiatry check-ups; medication consultations; healthy eating advice; and “Stop the Bleed” trainings, hosted by Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine.

    Saturday (10/23) at 10 am, plant daffodil bulbs at and help clean the south end of the mall at 138th St. with the Broadway Mall Association, part of New Yorkers for Parks’ Daffodil Project. Register here.

    Saturday (10/23) from 10 am – 3 pm, people 12+ can get vaccinated or get a Pfizer booster shot at the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center (415 E. 93rd St.).

    Saturday (10/23) from 11 am – 3 pm, get screened for U.S. citizenship eligibility by CUNY Citizenship Now! legal staff via Zoom. The staff can advise on eligibility, citizenship for children, fee waivers, and red flag issues (arrests, child support, selective service). For an appointment, call 646-664-9400 or 212-652-2071, or text 929-334-3784.

    Saturday (10/23) from 11 am – 4 pm, enjoy a tea party, writing workshop, music, and an origami class at Maggie’s Magic Garden (1574 Lexington Ave. at 100th St.).

    Saturday (10/23) at noon, “La Celebracion” is a virtual storytelling program in honor of Latinx heritage month, hosted by Yaffa Cultural Arts. Join the Zoom here.

    Saturday (10/23) from noon – 3 pm is the 31st annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade, now held in the East River Park Amphitheater.

    Saturday (10/23) from noon – 4 pm at 23rd St. and 5th Ave. is a free concert featuring 20+ musicians celebrating “Tin Pan Alley Day” and the official landmark designation of Tin Pan Alley, where American popular musical was born on W. 28th St. Register here.

    Saturday (10/23) from noon – 5 pm, meet cats and dogs looking to be adopted from Animal Care Centers of NYC during the Nordstrom block party at 225 W. 75th St.

    Saturday (10/23) and Wednesday (10/27) at 1 pm, Landmark High School is holding an open house for prospective 9th and 10th graders (351 W. 18th St., 4th floor). Register here.

    Saturday (10/23) from 1–4 pm in front of 250 W. 129th St., St. Nicholas Houses residents are invited to vote on how NeighborhoodSTAT/the Mayor’s Action Plan should invest $30,000 in the development to improve quality of life and safety.

    Saturday (10/23) at 2 pm, join Inwood Art Works’ workshop “Cultural Understanding Through the Arts” at Muscata Marsh in Inwood Hill Park. Click here for more information.

    Saturday (10/23) at 7 pm, join a virtual house party hosted by Clark Center, featuring DJs and excerpts from their collection of “Expressions: Black Lives Matter – An Arts Collaboration.” Register here.

    Monday (10/25) from 10 am – 1 pm, I’m co-sponsoring a free flu shot clinic at the Fulton Community Center (119th 9th Ave. at 18th St.) with Senators Brad Hoylman and Robert Jackson, Assemblymembers Linda Rosenthal and Dick Gottfried, and Council Speaker Corey Johnson. Appointments are required; call 212-633-8052 or email [email protected].

    Monday (10/25) from 10 am – 2 pm is a resource fair about infant safe sleep practices in the Union Settlement Community Garden (237 E. 104th St.), hosted by East Harlem Community Partnership and the NYC Administration for Children’s Services.

    Monday (10/25) at 6 pm, join a virtual discussion about architect Emery Roth, the Hungarian-Jewish immigrant who designed many of the definitive NYC hotels and apartment buildings of the 1920s and 1930s. Register here for the event, hosted by Village PreservationLandmark West!Historic Districts Council, and Friends of the Upper East Side.

    Monday (10/25) at 7 pm, the virtual “Tenement Talk: Clairvoyant Housewives of the Lower East Side” explores the neighborhood’s rich history of psychics, palm readers, and fortune tellers in the early 20th century, hosted by the Tenement Museum. Click the title to register.

    Take a free lifeguarding course with the West Side YMCA. The required pre-test is Tuesday (10/26) from 10 am – 3 pm (email [email protected]) to register. The lifeguarding course itself is Wednesdays 11/3–12/15 from 3–8 pm. Participants must be 16 or older.

    Tuesday (10/26) from 2–6 pm is a City resource fair, where you can meet with City commissioners and senior staff to address all your questions and concerns, including, quality of life, public health, and safety at the Police Athletic League Harlem Center, (441 Manhattan Ave.). There will also be a pop-up vaccine clinic on site.

    Tuesday (10/26) at 3 pm is my weekly virtual Manhattan Vaccine and Recovery Task Force meeting, sharing excellent information about the pandemic and New York City’s reopening. To join the Zoom, email [email protected]. You can watch archived meetings here.

    Tuesday (10/26) at 6:30 pm at Gibney Studios (280 Broadway), watch a free open rehearsal of the new play “Threads,” which explores what brings people together and the process of letting go. Click here to reserve a seat.

    Wednesday (10/27) is Assemblymember Robert Rodriguez’s annual senior summit. From 9 am – 1 pm, visit the Union Settlement Community Garden (237 E. 104th St.) for a resource fair. Then from 2–4:30 pm, the summit goes virtual with online workshops about COVID, vaccines, elder abuse, safety, and mental health. Join the Zoom here.

    Wednesday (10/27) at 5 pm, webinar “Ida Recovery Webinar: Navigating Insurance Claims after the Hurricane” features leading insurance attorneys who will address insurance coverage, the claim preparation process, dealing with insurance denials, and available grants and aids, hosted by the City Bar Justice Center. Click the title to register.

    Wednesday (10/27) at 6 pm, health experts hold two virtual discussions about tuberculosis vs. COVID and what you need to know about cancer at every age, part of Community Board 6 and NYU Langone’s “Series on Healthy Living in the Community.” Click the title to register.

    Wednesday (10/27) at 6 pm, experience a virtual sound meditation where you’ll be “bathed” in the sound waves created by wind chimes, brass, and frosted crystal singing bowls, hosted by City Artist Corps grantee Son Chung and mental health awareness nonprofit Darkness Rising. Register here.

    Next Thursday (10/28) from 4:30–7 pm is a superhero-themed costume parade starting at 119th St. (btwn Park–Lexington Ave.), hosted by the NYPD 25th Community Precinct Council.

    Next Thursday (10/28) at 6 pm is a virtual panel about services and gaps for people who are seriously mentally ill, specifically those who are unsheltered, hosted by Community Boards 4 and 5 (covering most of Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, and Midtown). Register and submit your questions here.

    Next Thursday (10/28) at 6 pm, NYPD PSA 5 hosts a community discussion about public safety, quality-of-life concerns, and community-police relations at the PSA 5 precinct (221 E. 123rd St.). PSA 5 covers NYCHA developments in East Harlem and South Central Harlem.

    Next Friday (10/29) and Friday, 11/4 from 9:30 am – 5:30 pm, tenant lawyers, tenant advocates, and tenants are invited to a virtual training program about right to counsel, hosted by the Housing Justice Leadership Institute at New York Law School. Register here.


    News Clippings

    ‘Lurching Between Crisis and Complacency’: Was This Our Last Covid Surge?
    By Emily Anthes, NY Times, Oct. 14, 2021

    NY Pediatricians Group Calls For Requiring Fully Approved COVID-19 Vaccines For State’s Schoolkids
    By Sophia Chang, gothamist.com, Oct. 15, 2021

    Fully vaccinated travelers can come to the U.S. even if their doses are mixed, authorities say
    By Paulina Firozi, Washington Post, O.t, 17, 2021

    The coronavirus is still mutating. But will that matter? ‘We need to keep the respect for this virus.’
    “In recent weeks, scientists who closely monitor the virus have said it still appears to have plenty of room to evolve… Scientists are tracking dozens of ‘sublineages’ in the delta line of viruses, each with a slightly different array of mutations. One of those sublineages has spread with unusual speed in the United Kingdom recently and is gaining attention from researchers.”
    By Joel Achenbach, Ben Guarino, and Aaron Steckelberg, Washington Post, Oct. 18, 2021

    Your coronavirus questions, answered: Which dose of the vaccine will be right for ‘cusp kids’?
    By Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, Oct. 19, 2021

    COVID vaccine makers brace for a variant worse than Delta
    Companies are updating vaccines and testing them on people to prepare for whatever comes next in the pandemic.
    By Emily Waltz, Nature, Oct. 20, 2021

    Mixing covid vaccines? What you need to know about mix-and-match booster shots.
    By Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, Oct. 21, 2021


    As always, get in touch if you have a problem or concern we can help address: 212-669-8300 or [email protected].
    Stay safe.

  • Northern Health COVID-19 Update for Oct. 20 2021

    Northern Health COVID-19 Update for Oct. 20 2021

    There have been 191 new circumstances of COVID-19 documented in Northern Health and fitness right now (Oct. 20) and there are now 864 active cases in the region.

    There are also currently 72 folks hospitalized for COVID-19 the Northern Overall health Authority like 20 individuals in vital care.

    No fatalities happened in Northern Health today, but six new deaths were being claimed in other places in B.C.

    The province is also reporting 696 new conditions of COVID-19 and 4,888 active circumstances. Of the energetic situations 370 persons are in clinic throughout the province and 139 are in intensive treatment. The remaining people today are recovering at residence in self-isolation.

    There is also a whole of 24 active health care facility outbreaks such as two outbreaks at the College Hospital of Northern B.C. in Prince George, the GR Baker Memorial Medical center in Quesnel and Wrinch Memorial Hospital in Hazelton.

    The province is reporting that from Oct. 12-18, men and women not entirely vaccinated accounted for 67.2 for every cent of situations and from Oct. 5-18, they accounted for 74.9 for each cent of hospitalizations.

    New community well being orders were being declared in the Northern Health and fitness Area on Oct. 14 and stay in place right up until Nov. 19.

    In response to these orders the Town of Prince George made the following variations:

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    • Aquafit Courses at the Prince George Aquatic Centre are now cancelled.
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    • The quantity of participants authorized to stroll on the CN Centre concourse as portion of the general public going for walks system has been minimized from 75 to 50.
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    • User groups, these types of as the Prince George Cougars, building use of civic services and arenas are needed to have their personal Covid-19 safety plan that involves vaccine passport checks. Attendance at the amenities is capped at 50 per cent.
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    “The well being of our citizens is of paramount significance to the Town of Prince George,” stated Mayor Lyn Hall.

    “We are continuing to do the job with Northern Wellness to make certain we are in demanding compliance with all Community Overall health Orders. We also keep on to be thoroughly dedicated to having any important steps to ensure our staff members and our citizens are protected and healthy.”

    The new orders in the Northern Wellness area are as follows:

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    • Own gatherings, equally indoor and outside, are restricted to completely vaccinated persons, including at personal residences and family vacation accommodation&#13
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      • Indoor accumulating: up to 5 people today are permitted
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      • Outside collecting: up to 25 people are permitted
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    • All indoor and outside structured functions demand a basic safety program and for attendees to don a mask and current their BC Vaccine Card demonstrating they are fully vaccinated&#13
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      • Indoor event: up to 50 people are permitted
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      • Outdoor party: up to 100 people today are permitted
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    • Worship services: digital services are essential
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    • Dining places:&#13
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      • Fast-foods restaurants and unlicensed cafés devoid of desk company can deliver consider-out only or involve patrons to existing the BC Vaccine card showing they are entirely vaccinated.
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      • Certified establishments and people with table services should not serve alcohol among 10 p.m.-9 a.m. and ought to involve patrons to present the BC Vaccine Card demonstrating they are totally vaccinated.
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      • Bars and nightclubs (no food company) will be shut
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    • Sport occasions spectators (indoor and out of doors) are limited to 50 for every cent capacity, need to have a basic safety strategy, and require attendees to have on masks and existing their BC Vaccine Card demonstrating they are thoroughly vaccinated
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  • Fall 2021 Update: President Guiyou Huang – Western Illinois University News

    Fall 2021 Update: President Guiyou Huang – Western Illinois University News

    Fall 2021 Update: President Guiyou Huang

    Oct 19, 2021


    Fall 2021 Update: President Guiyou Huang – Western Illinois University News

    Pricey University Group,

    As we are now at the midpoint of our Tumble 2021 semester, I want to categorical my gratitude to our pupils, school, and staff members for encouraging us get to this position. Prior to the start of the slide semester, we put into position a obligatory COVID-19 testing method in which college, workers, and students are required to check weekly unless of course evidence of vaccination is provided. Mainly because of your cooperation and your determination to retain our College local community (and individuals further than) safe and sound, we keep on to have an in-person experience as a result significantly, and for that I thank you.

    At this point in the semester, nearly 65 {fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of our scholar body and practically 88 per cent of our faculty and workers have been vaccinated. Having vaccinated assists our communities mitigate the risks of Coronavirus and its variants. Doing work with our McDonough County Well being Division, we have hosted vaccine clinics on our Macomb campus this semester, and have two much more clinics scheduled on Monday, Oct. 25 and Tuesday, Nov. 9. People today who acquire a booster vaccine do not need to resubmit their vaccine card.

    When we are delighted with these vaccination quantities and the point they are expanding weekly, those people who are not vaccinated should proceed to comply with the mandated weekly test. We will go on to function with our local wellness departments in Macomb and Moline to be certain we provide vaccines, checks, and other protection measures to continue to keep the customers of our Leatherneck family members harmless.

    We realize that COVID-19 has established difficulties for quite a few higher education learners and their family members, and we are continuing to do what we can to relieve the economic pressure that is impacting our learners. I want to remind our pupils and people that the WIU Place of work of Economical Help has in position a money circumstance enchantment for a overview of financial assist eligibility working with projected 2021 profits compared to acquired 2019 money. If you have been economically impacted by the pandemic, we really encourage you to total a distinctive instances attractiveness at bit.ly/WIUFinAidSpecialCircumstances. In addition, WIU will allocate Bigger Schooling Crisis Relief funds amongst the Slide 2021 and Spring 2022 semester to learners enrolled in a least of 6 credit several hours who are pursuing a diploma via WIU and conference or have properly appealed satisfactory tutorial development. No software is necessary to implement for the emergency funds nevertheless, students will have to comprehensive the Crisis Help Authorization kind on STARS.

    We will carry on to check WIU’s pandemic-related protocols and treatments, and will make variations and conclusions as essential, based on steerage from point out and federal public health authorities. Make sure you recall to go on pursuing our University’s pandemic-related protocols, such as putting on encounter coverings in all indoor structures/options, registering events and things to do through Scheduling and Occasion Expert services, complying with the University’s vacation guidelines and much more. COVID-19-related information and facts and protocols can be discovered at wiu.edu/coronavirus.

    We recognize what each of you carries on to do to ensure a secure and healthy Western Illinois College local community.

    Be very well,

    Guiyou Huang, Ph.D.
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    President
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    Western Illinois University

    Posted By: WIU Information ([email protected])
    Business of University Relations

  • FUTURE Talks: An Interview with nVoq

    FUTURE Talks: An Interview with nVoq

    This post is introduced to you by nVoq. This interview took location during a live Q&A session with nVoq’s Senior Director of Post-Acute Product sales, Jason Financial institutions, at the HHCN Upcoming function in Chicago held on September 30, 2021. The interview has been edited for clarity, Home Garden USA.

    Home Overall health Treatment News: Jason, previously right now we talked about the operational side of operating a significant submit-acute service provider. For the far better aspect of two a long time, this has been your encounter. What do you see as some of the major trends influencing dwelling health and your clients in the following few of many years?

    Jason Banking companies: Specially now with COVID, there are three main themes in a ton of the shows that we go to, and in our conversations with possible providers or clientele. I imagine the workforce lack is initial and foremost on a ton of the providers’ minds.

    The next factor is regulatory, and the regulatory stress that will come alongside with functioning a post-acute treatment firm, and we’ll speak much more about that, but it is considerable. Then, the 3rd is the change to worth-dependent care. We’ll listen to a ton about this all all through the working day — the clinic, the home, ER diversion, SNF-at-property and all the other models and flavors coming out.

    It would seem like overnight, I was just entering into put up-acute care, and now I have been in the field for more than 20 several years. We have been conversing about, “Hey, we can in all probability do a lot more with these remarkable men and gals that go to people’s properties and just take care of them.” It’s amazing that write-up-acute treatment has grow to be the taste of the day when it arrives to offering care for continual care management, stop-of-lifetime treatment and those kinds of factors in the dwelling.

    Above the past 7 years, I have been imagining about, “What are some of the root will cause of these chances or challenges that providers are dealing with?” One particular of the root triggers or prevalent threads all through are the documentation prerequisites or the challenges affiliated with documentation. Clinicians are expending amongst 30{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} to 50{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of their time documenting.

    If you have observed other environments or explored house treatment and hospice outside of the U.S., you’ve likely identified that the selection drastically decreases for numerous reasons, no matter whether regulatory compliance or other elements. You’ll also discover that the treatment actually is amazing in those environments, the clients are content and the clinicians are pleased.

    A widespread topic that’s been running by my head for perfectly above a decade now is, “How do we get to palms-cost-free documentation?” chiseling absent at some of the issues clinicians are undertaking that really don’t include worth to the affected individual expertise — which is what nVoq does. nVoq is speech-to-text at a 30,000-foot amount, but deep beneath the handles, we’re addressing alternatives these vendors are encountering on a every day foundation with income optimization and earning certain that they’re recruiting and retaining the proper talent.

    I got the cell phone call from Chris Moran, who’s in the audience, and Debbi Gillotti, our COO, about 6 months back, and they stated, “Hey, we’re getting curiosity from these article-acute care providers all over bringing speech-to-textual content to not just the physicians, but also to the frontline clinicians supplying care. The interest is across the board from massive providers, medium, compact companies, nonprofit, for-profit, hospital-based mostly, non-hospital based mostly. We imagine there’s one thing in this article, would you be interested in checking out this?” I stated, “Absolutely. This is accurately what I imagine the field requires.”

    HHCN: That is great. A single of the themes a ton of our purchasers are talking to us about as properly is that shift to price-primarily based care I simply call it every little thing at-property. Converse to us about how you men are positioning what you do in conditions of value-based care from a risk standpoint, and how you are laying the groundwork for price-based care in the extensive phrase.

    Banking institutions: I was told not to say what I’m about to say, but I’m likely to say it in any case in my legitimate mother nature. Some of the people who have labored with me in the past will think this is amusing mainly because I have stated this for a even though. Article-acute, above the earlier 20 many years that I’ve been associated, is related to AA, Alcoholics Nameless. This means, I’ve in no way fulfilled any person going to submit-acute treatment that claimed, “I had a amazing working day. I require submit-acute care.” It’s, “I had a seriously bad working day.” Often the worst day of their lives.

    If medical professionals come in and convey to them there’s absolutely nothing much more they can do and they require to search for out hospice care, it is at times the worst working day of their life. I’ve equated it to AA for the previous five or six a long time in that you have to have a little something bad to come about to go to publish-acute care. Why does it have to be that way? Loads of men and women are dwelling with chronic treatment conditions who can be serviced to prevent people acute events from taking place. In purchase to do that, those people companies will need to operate at the greatest degree of their licensure.

    Advisable HHCN+ Exclusives

    You need to have to have cross-self-control features inside of the home to make confident you’re addressing every little thing from the bodily requirements to the non secular and emotional requirements, to the social determinants of overall health. I often chat about affected person tax. Patient tax, in my head, is anything at all that doesn’t increase value to the client encounter. In value-dependent treatment and the at-dwelling models, the medical center-at-residence, the ER diversion, the SNF-at-house versions — you are seeing a great deal of these affected person taxes being removed.

    Client tax, in my brain, would be doubled documentation. I had the satisfaction of serving in a hospice and palliative treatment organization here in Chicago. I ran the business for about two and a 50 {fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} decades. We would have our nurses documenting two or three occasions in a solitary take a look at. Did it increase value to the individual or loved ones? Completely not. Was it regulatory-compliant? Certainly. There are a thousand of all those points across any service provider organization that you can strip out of the procedure. And by new innovative programs, you will see much more businesses strip people out of the method and include worth to the affected individual expertise.

    HHCN: Let’s commit a moment talking about that regulatory natural environment mainly because it’s transforming. With COVID and the pandemic, new matters have appear about and we’ve experienced some independence and adaptability in specified parts. What does that seem like for you going ahead, and how does that effect companies now?

    Banking institutions: I study an AMA post that reported hospitals have about 96 steady finding out points (CLPs) when article-acute has 288, and they have to comply with all the other complex needs linked with information stability, HIPAA compliance and every thing else. When you are supplying either at-property treatment or treatment in a facility location, there are so a lot of regulatory requirements to take into consideration.

    1 of the points we’re hunting to do is alleviate some of that stress of the regulatory prerequisites by letting the clinicians to be with the individual to choose treatment of them. Then, we’re in fact taking some of those people parts of regulatory compliance off their hands and saying, “Hey here’s anything you could want to add to the note that is both regulatory compliant or likely to include to the individual encounter.” Which is one particular of the issues that we do with nVoq as properly.

    HHCN: Let us converse about workforce shortages. I consider which is permeating into almost everything we include nationwide. How can your voice tech help clinicians and frontline team battle the scarcity concern?

    Banking institutions: This is likely one particular of the strongest worth propositions, albeit not the only for nVoq, but it is a single we’re laser-focused on. At the starting, we talked about three main challenges that vendors are facing with workforce lack, regulatory compliance and the change towards price-based mostly care. The workforce shortage is selection a single, two and a few. You have outstanding leaders in this place that have different degrees of participation in, “How do we remedy for that workforce lack?”

    Factors like choosing. I know there are a variety of corporations in the place that can enable you find and stand out amongst prospective recruits. There are also signal-on bonuses, hiring bonuses, referral bonuses, retention bonuses, increased pay back and cultural points you can do as a company. All those all perform a element, but I consider there’s an fundamental problem with the workforce lack.

    That is, why do clinicians leave companies? Why do they decide on companies? What’s distinct about home overall health and hospice from other configurations they might observe in? A single of the issues I consider a good deal about is, “Why do clinicians find property overall health and hospice as a occupation?” One particular issue jumps correct out to me, and it is that they desire relationships. They like associations with the client and spouse and children about transactional care.

    Once more, the popular thread which is a barrier to relationships are the documentation needs. If they are spending 30{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} to 50{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of their time documenting, either because of regulatory specifications or other explanations, and the full explanation they obtained into write-up-acute treatment in the to start with place was because of that romantic relationship ingredient, that is what is driving them out.

    I’ve noticed that in exit interviews in excess of and around and above once more. “We’re leaving mainly because of the documentation demands. We’re leaving due to the fact of the regulatory burden. We’re not leaving due to the fact of the group, and we’re not leaving due to the fact we never care for clients or families.” These are extraordinary adult men and women of all ages serving our principally elderly population. We’re laser-targeted on assuaging that documentation load for them.

    HHCN: I have just one last issue for you. A person of the matters I like to study about is engineering. Amazon just came out with some new Alexa gadgets and Siri is permeating every little thing that we do. How do you see the proliferation of buyer voice tech have an effect on these who are doing the job with your computer software today?

    Financial institutions: I believe it is great simply because I use voice tech in my personal home. We have Alexa in the home today. I use an Iphone, so I use Siri especially when I’m in a cellular setting in which I want to shoot a quick text or a thing like that. When I’m riding in the passenger seat and I want to shoot a quick textual content, I’ll use voice-to-textual content. We’re viewing that capacity far more and a lot more, and I feel it’s heading to grow to be 2nd mother nature for these clinicians.

    This write-up is sponsored by nVoq. nVoq Integrated delivers a HIPAA and PCI-DSS compliant, cloud-primarily based speech recognition system supporting a wide wide range of health care shipping scenarios which includes put up-acute treatment with an emphasis on property health care and hospice. nVoq’s speech recognition answers convert speech to textual content in seconds and are hugely accurate for most health-related specialties. To learn extra, stop by sayit.nVoq.com

    Visit : https://homegardenusa.com/

  • Dean’s Update | October 15, 2021 – College of Human Medicine

    Dean’s Update | October 15, 2021 – College of Human Medicine

    Dean’s Update | October 15, 2021 – College of Human Medicine

    Mates,

    One of the main initiatives for instructional applications is accreditation. It is usually a lot of work, and it requires a particular staff to deliver the vitality and enthusiasm necessary to successfully get a program accredited. Our Learn of Community Health degree system (MPH) has that team. A 7 days ago, the last of the content updates ended up despatched to the Council on Education and learning for Community Overall health (CEPH). And, on November 11 and 12, CEPH will do a website go to of the MPH at its household foundation in Flint.

    Having the MPH by means of the CEPH accreditation technique has been a prolonged-standing target for the university. It has not been straightforward, which speaks to the top quality of Director Wayne McCullough’s management and the fantastic accreditation staff he has set together. Kudos to Connie Currier for her great perform on this task – if any person has been through the thick and thin of the method over its historical past, it is Connie! (Photo over L-R: Wayne McCullough, Connie Currier, and Lynne Lievens.)

    I have completed a ton of accreditation do the job in my profession, and I have the greatest regard for the MPH faculty and employees as they’ve brought us ideal up to the end line. In truth, persons executing accreditation perform are cautious not to communicate about a web page go to as a complete line. There is usually get the job done to do following the visit, and accreditation nationally has moved toward a ongoing course of action improvement design. That stated, the internet site visit on Nov 11-12 is a great step on the pathway.

    The final pair of many years have been remarkable for the MPH. As an instance, admissions are up from about 30 in 2020, to 80 so much in 2021. Some of that may well be the impression of COVID-19, or learners selecting the program mainly because of accreditation, or the all round operate of the Division of Public Well being. In any case, the plan has a healthful 164 university student enrollment on the path to their MPH levels.

    All students who graduated just after the application entered the ultimate pathway for CEPH accreditation in 2019 count as graduating from an accredited MPH and share in crossing the finish line way too.

    The pandemic has shown how interconnected community well being is with legislation, local community daily life, drugs, conversation, media, and…politics. To aid organized MPH students and clarify the location of general public overall health in our state, MPH faculty Robey Champine, PhD, and John Clements, PhD, have designed MPH programs on the pandemic. HM 862: Global Pandemics and Community Well being Programs, Regulation, and Community Impacts is an elective for undergraduates, MPH pupils, and graduate pupils about our technique of general public health and COVID-19. A no cost, publicly available training course, Endorsing Community Overall health in Michigan in the Face of COVID-19, has helped 230 members of the community understand a lot more about COVID-19 and group wellness in Michigan.

    Quite shortly, the MSU-Henry Ford partnership (HFH+MSU Health Sciences) begins a new section as scientists at Henry Ford start the MSU system for formally making use of for college positions. Men and women like Kathy Huber at Henry Ford and Barbara Forney at MSU have carried out wonderful function revising our school forms and process to be distinct and useful for the more than 100 Henry Ford scientists coming into the school ranks. To be very clear, the departmental acceptance procedure is unchanged, but people have tried using to help obvious the red tape. Right after the scientists full the course of action, we will go on to clinicians and other educating faculty. This is an exciting stage that will even more integrate the institutions and expand the impact of MSU.

    Serving the individuals with you,

    Aron

    Aron Sousa, MD
    Interim Dean

  • Howie Mandel Shares Health Update After Collapsing in Local Starbucks

    Howie Mandel Shares Health Update After Collapsing in Local Starbucks

    Howie Mandel has discovered he has returned residence from medical center and “accomplishing much better,” after passing out for the duration of a stop by to a Starbucks in Los Angeles.

    The America’s Got Expertise star, 65, collapsed though viewing a branch of the coffeehouse chain in Woodland Hills with his spouse, Terry Mandel, and friends on Wednesday morning, TMZ claimed.

    A agent for the Los Angeles Fireplace Section even more instructed Amusement Tonight that they gained a connect with at 10:03 a.m. about a 65-12 months-outdated male encountering a health care problem.

    The former Deal or No Offer host, who TMZ noted recovered on an outdoor cement bench as he awaited help, was then transported to a clinic in close by Tarzana.

    Canadian-born Mandel took to Twitter hrs later to update fans on his health and fitness, as very well as the reasons at the rear of the health and fitness scare.

    “I am house and doing better. I was dehydrated and had reduced blood sugar,” the Television set personality knowledgeable his a lot more than 820,000 followers.

    He then went on to thank the clinical workers that took care of him, as effectively as those people who contacted him as information of the incident circulated.

    “I take pleasure in the terrific medical professionals and nurses that took these excellent treatment of me,” he added. “Thank you to all people who arrived at out but I am performing okay!”

    I am home and performing greater. I was dehydrated and had low blood sugar. I enjoy the wonderful health professionals and nurses that took these types of great treatment of me. Thank you to everybody who attained out but I am undertaking ok!

    — Howie Mandel (@howiemandel) October 14, 2021

    Times before the incident, Mandel was in the clinic for distinctive reasons as he underwent a colonoscopy and endoscopy.

    Sharing video footage of himself in healthcare facility on Instagram right after the treatment, the star wrote: “The affected individual in the subsequent mattress identified my voice and attempted to audition for agt as he was waking up.”

    Mandel has been open up about his well being in the past, particularly his ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    In a 2019 job interview with the Houston Chronicle, he also spoke about his superior cholesterol, which he had been identified with in his early 40s, but did not acquire significantly as he lived a wholesome life style.

    “It failed to suggest something at the time, so I didn’t take treatment of it,” he admitted. “I run each and every day, take in balanced and I continue to be bodily in shape. I failed to come to feel bad, so it was like likely to a laptop or computer shop and they try to provide you all the know-how that you you should not really require for your notebook.”

    While his medical doctor approved him a statin at the time, Mandel mentioned that he did not like the way it manufactured him feel, so stopped getting it.

    “[My doctor] gave me the riot act,” he recounted. “He explained, ‘Why would you prevent and not explain to me?’ Turns out, there are a lot of decisions of statins, and I could obtain 1 that did not have lousy side outcomes. That was vital.”

    Mandel, who turned to advocacy by backing the Get Cholesterol to Heart Campaign, urged many others to just take it more significantly than he to begin with did.

    “You are not able to make an knowledgeable decision on your personal health without staying a qualified,” he defined. “Mainly because it really is so silent, it is not nearly anything that individuals seriously are speaking about. Everybody talks about a undesirable back and what chiropractor they use, but this is numerous occasions more harmful.”

    Howie Mandel
    Howie Mandel attends “America’s Bought Talent” Period 16 Finale at Dolby Theatre on September 15, 2021 in Hollywood, California. The Television set personality gave fans a health update, after passing out at a local Starbucks in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
    Amy Sussman/Getty Visuals