extrarealty: August 2005

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Sanford and MeritCare Create a New Health System

New System focused on being one of nation's best

Fargo, N. D. (Vocus) November 3, 2009

Following approval by their Boards of Trustees, South Dakota-based Sanford Health (Sanford) and North Dakota-based MeritCare Health System (MeritCare) today announced the two organizations have merged to become one of the country's largest integrated health care systems. The new System will strengthen health care in the region by expanding services, research, education and access to care.

"Our commitment is to pursue a world class reputation for medical care, to be nationally relevant as one of its best performing health care organizations, and to find a cure for devastating diseases affecting the health of the people we serve," commented Kelby Krabbenhoft, newly appointed President & Chief Executive Officer of Sanford Health-MeritCare. "We believe these objectives are what we have been called to do because of the history, stature, and ability of our organization and physicians and staff. We also believe our efforts will be a source of confidence and pride throughout our entire region."

Other priorities for the merged organization include: providing the best possible patient experience and development of new services in Centers of Excellence such as Heart, Cancer, Women's, Children's, Emergency, Trauma, and Orthopedics. Additional priorities are stability and opportunities for staff and physicians and their future professional development including expansion of education and medical training programs, involvement and support for communities through investments in projects involving health and wellness, children's services, education and economic development.

"The decision to combine our organizations demonstrates the ongoing commitment MeritCare and Sanford have to find new ways of improving health and access to care for people in our respective regions," said Ellen Earl-Chaffee, Chair, MeritCare Board of Trustees.

"As our two organizations achieved strong regional leadership positions, it was important that we continued to promote health and economic development," said Barb Stork, Chair of Sanford Board of Trustees. "Through our new merged organization we will grow and improve our services, and expand our research and education capabilities as a shared mission."

MeritCare is North Dakota's largest health system with many regional clinic and hospital sites in North Dakota and Northwest Minnesota. It is known for regional excellence in a number of clinical specialties such as the Roger Maris Cancer Center, Heart Center, and Children's Hospital. It has a strong record of research and educational activities, and supporting new health care developments and community service programs.

Sanford Health is comprised of Sanford Clinic, Sanford USD Medical Center and a network of community hospitals and clinics in South Dakota, Southwest Minnesota, Northwest Iowa, and Northeast Nebraska. It is known for its comprehensive health services, and growing research and education programs.

A recent $400 million gift from T. Denny Sanford has enabled Sanford Health to initiate significant research programs in children's health and other research areas, an Initiative to fund a cure for Type 1 Diabetes and the establishment of Children's World Clinics, and health campus developments which includes the recently opened Sanford Children's Hospital and a new Sanford Heart Hospital which is under construction.

"At the core of this new organization rest two health care legends that go back to the 1890's. They come forward now in a united trust that is demonstrated to each other through our combined vision and mission to be one of the nation's best health systems. Patients should be comforted and confident that our great physicians, staff and institutions await those we serve in both regions amongst hundreds of communities," said Krabbenhoft. "Together we will grow and improve the delivery of medicine, deliver on the promise of results in research, and deliver on the promise of medical and health education. This new system is designed to address the challenges and opportunities of today. It is also designed to continue the legacy of the past as a commitment to opportunities, security for care, and the work of tens of thousands of our employees and their families in generations to come."

MeritCare President and CEO, Roger Gilbertson, M. D., said "together Sanford and MeritCare will bring the full potential of an integrated care system to the benefit of patients, communities, employees and physicians. It will add value for patients, be proactive in health care reform, attract talent including physicians, nurses, health professionals, and others who will significantly advance the sophistication and comprehensiveness of services offered, and promote economic development in our communities." Dr. Gilbertson will be retiring as planned after more than 17 years as president and CEO of MeritCare and 30 years as a practicing physician.

"The six state presence and premier medical centers in adjacent geographic regions that are a part of the combination of MeritCare and Sanford create a new health organization. It will have the ability to increase its level of efficiency and health care delivery for a very broad population in large contiguous service areas, and expand research activities and education programs for further improvement," commented Bruce Morgan, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, an independent consulting firm.

Contact:
Stacy Bauer Jones, Media Relations Coordinator, (605) 366-2432

Darren Huber, MeritCare Media Relations Coordinator, (701) 234-2000 beeper 1715

###

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Avocent Announces Integration of Flagship DSView 3 Platform with LANDesk Server Manager Software: Combined Solution Creates Unmatched Ability to Monitor and Manage Servers to Ensure Continual Availability

Avocent Announces Integration of Flagship DSView 3 Platform with LANDesk Server Manager Software: Combined Solution Creates Unmatched Ability to Monitor and Manage Servers to Ensure Continual Availability

Avocent(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: AVCT) today announced initial integration of its DSView(R) 3 management software platform, used to access and control data center devices, with LANDesk Server Manager, an enterprise software solution used to manage and protect data center and non data center servers. The combination of the two solutions enables comprehensive in-band as well as out-of-band management of servers and related IT infrastructure and ensures optimal server and data center performance and availability.

LAS VEGAS (PRWEB) May 21, 2007

"This integration is another proof point of the synergies we are achieving through the combination of Avocent and LANDesk technologies. This new capability helps ensure that data centers or server rooms are always on and always fully available - regardless of their location," said Dave Perry, executive vice president of Avocent. "We will continue to introduce integrated solutions that help our customers reduce operating costs and keep systems available."

Avocent's DSView 3 software platform enables secure, centralized management of IT assets in geographically dispersed data centers. The software allows IT administrators to remotely access, monitor and control target devices, such as servers, routers and intelligent power strips, on multiple platforms at numerous locations. Using out-of-band management, the software can be used to reach and restart servers or other devices that are not functioning or responding to in-band commands, regardless of the state of the equipment's operating system.

LANDesk Server Manager supports rack-mounted and blade servers with low-impact services that let users choose the level of management coverage - from device discovery to extended performance analysis, security and configuration control. It enables enterprises to take inventory, provision, patch, monitor and to instantly assess server health and ensure optimum availability.

"Avocent is the first vendor to offer a combined in-band and out of band solution that helps companies manage their heterogeneous data centers," said Mr. Perry. "It is well - suited to enterprises with large distributed data centers as well to as medium-sized businesses with fewer servers."

The new integrated software solution will be available the first week of July.

Combined product highlights:

Bare metal provisioning - in a template-based method that creates reusable and highly repeatable systems configuration to ensure that servers are built in a consistent and reliable way with minimal human intervention. This includes configuring server hardware and installing operating systems, drivers, software and all necessary patches to ensure that a server is secure.

Patch management - ensures that servers are continuously examined for vulnerabilities and patches applied to maintain the server in a healthy and secure state. This includes such tasks as vulnerability monitoring, testing and deployment of patches.

Remote problem resolution - provides proactive monitoring and predictive failure detection to alert users of problems as soon as they occur, or in some cases before they occur. Should a server, regardless of its location, become unstable, the new solution can utilize out-of-band connectivity to diagnose the problem remotely and bring the server back to a productive state.

About LANDesk

LANDesk, an Avocent company, is a leading provider of systems, security, and process management solutions for desktops, servers and mobile devices across the enterprise. LANDesk enables thousands of organizations to easily deploy and use end-to-end management solutions. LANDesk is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, with offices located in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Additional information is available at www. landesk. com.

About Avocent Corporation

Avocent delivers IT operations and infrastructure management solutions for enterprises worldwide, helping customers reduce the cost and simplify the management of complex IT environments via integrated, centralized in-band and out-of-band hardware and software. Additional information is available at: www. avocent. com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements as defined within the U. S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements regarding the development of new systems and management solutions and Avocent's growth and expansion into these and other new markets. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including the risks associated with the integration of the LANDesk businesses and technologies, risks associated with general economic conditions, risks attributable to future product demand, sales, and expenses, risks associated with product design efforts and the introduction of new products and technologies, and risk associated with obtaining and protecting intellectual property rights. Other factors that could cause operating and financial results to differ are described in Avocent's reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Avocent, the Avocent logo and The Power of Being There are registered trademarks of Avocent Corporation or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The Ann &amp; George Foundation Gift Lounge, produced by GBK and Presented by Healthytrim. com, was the Perfect Thank You for Attending Supporters at 3rd Annual Charity Event

The Ann & George Foundation Gift Lounge, produced by GBK and Presented by Healthytrim. com, was the Perfect Thank You for Attending Supporters at 3rd Annual Charity Event

For the launch of The Ann & George Foundation and as part of their continuing commitment to support important social causes, GBK produced a stellar "Thank You Gift Lounge" and in combination with the efforts of Healthytrim. com, donated close to $45,000 in cash, and live auction items.

Los Angeles, CA (Vocus) May 6, 2010

GBK (gbkproductions. com), the luxury lifestyle gift lounge and special events company, partnered with The Ann & George Lopez Foundation to thank the gracious supporters and competitors in the George Lopez Celebrity Golf Classic held on May 3rd 2010, with an exclusive “Thank You Lounge.”

Healthytrim. com, presenting sponsor of the gift lounge and provider of their nutritional supplements that contain reservatrol, hoodia and green tea (all clinically proven to aid in weight loss, increase energy, decrease appetite and provide great health benefits), also hosted the Long Drive Competition. They donated $5,000 for every celebrity that beat the founder - Matthew Dwyer, who was 17-0 until Pro Golfer Rocco just barely beat him. With a few other winners, Healthytrim. com was pleased make a donation of $20,000.

This year’s golf classic pulled out all the stops, including a first class Thank You Lounge featuring an array of exclusive gifts and luxury products. Celebrity supporters such as Samuel L. Jackson, Oscar De La Hoya, Tim Allen, Benjamin Bratt, Tim Allen, Rosanna Arquette, Dennis Quaid, Bill Bellamy, and more discovered new products they quickly fell in love with, or stocked up on items they can’t live without! Already the owner of 2 units, George Lopez made a bee-line to pick up another Powermat, the revolutionary wireless charging device that allows users to wirelessly charge multiple devices simultaneously. Samuel L. Jackson became an instant fan of the custom-made bullet pendant necklaces from Bullets 4 Peace, unique jewelry made from recycled bullet castings taken off the streets, war zones and other troubled areas in order to raise money and awareness for various charities, and was even spotted wearing the necklace on The Ellen Show the following day. Johnny Rockets, quickly becoming a celebrity hot spot, was visited by all of the lounge attendees where they picked up their VIP Johnny Rockets Card entitling them to a year of complimentary dining at any Johnny Rockets restaurant.

To enhance the golf-themed lounge, there was an array of golf games and products including Big Birdie Golf, the new full swing yard golf game; Golfsmith – a specialty retailer of golf and tennis equipment, apparel and accessories; and Fila Golf – men’s and women’s golf. Other great gifts included Revitalash - eyelash condition which grows and strengthens eyelashes, and Hair by Revitalash - which helps to grow thicker fuller hair; certificates from Wahanda. com, the Global Wellness Market Place, to visit one of the luxurious spas found on their site; Milena's Candles; 3LAB – high end skincare; Lalo Fitness; Sanuk – men’s and women’s footwear; The Slanket – The Original Blanket with Sleeves; Largus Inc – high end iPhone accessories; Shibue Couture Inc; Organic Pastures Dairy - Kombucha living tea and home delivery gift certificate; IndulgentEscapes. com – gifting a luxury vacation to one of their many top resorts; Black Cat Vineyard – gifting a bottle of their fine Black Cat Vineyard 2007 Estate Syrah & an invitation for a private tasting; Finally, celebrities loved Counsil By JH Design Group, gifting from their new men’s premium brand including high end jackets, thermals, and v necks.

Everyone had a great time while showing support for the foundation, and later celebrities including Cedric the Entertainer were overheard saying “I really had a good time. This was a really cool lounge, with some really funky stuff”.

About The Ann & George Lopez Foundation
The Foundation’s mission is to create positive, permanent change for underprivileged children and adults confronting challenges in education and health, as well as increasing community awareness about kidney disease and organ donation.

About GBK
GBK, formerly GBK Productions, is a luxury lifestyle gifting and special events company, specializing in entertainment marketing integration. Formed in 2000 by Gavin B. Keilly, the company’s Founder and CEO, GBK consists of five divisions: GBK Celebrity Gifting Lounges; GBK Events; GBK Weddings; GBK Charitable Consulting; and GBK Marketing/PR. Widely known in the entertainment industry for bringing that little extra something into the Gifting Lounge environment, GBK offers its clients a full range of marketing services. For more information on Gavin Keilly (CEO), Carla Domen (VP) or GBK, please go to http://www. gbkproductions. com or call 323 933 9899

# # #

Humana and Republic Bank to Offer Innovative Healthcare Card: HumanaAdvance(SM) Visa(R) Card helps with healthcare related expenses

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) announced today that it has entered into a partnership with Republic Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: RBCAA), parent company of Republic Bank & Trust Company, to offer the HumanaAdvance(SM) Visa(R) Card. The new, innovative healthcare card issued by Republic Bank will be offered to a select set of Humana's employer group customers beginning this month.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (PRWEB) October 22, 2007

The HumanaAdvance(SM) Visa(R) Card can be used only at hospitals, doctor and dentist offices, drug stores and other locations that sell and provide health related products and services. The Card features a low annual fee and a fixed 0% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on all purchases, which are automatically paid back over six months. The Card's convenient payroll deduction option is made possible by E-Duction, Inc. and allows a consumer to have access to a low cost and interest free credit line for healthcare expenses.

"As consumers continue to take more ownership of their health and healthcare related expenses, the new HumanaAdvance(SM) Visa(R) Card will provide a simple, affordable solution to help cover out of pocket healthcare related expenses when other sources of funds are either unavailable or exhausted. The Card is a great tool for employees to use in conjunction with a consumer choice health plan and a tax advantaged healthcare account like a Health Savings Account (HSA)," said Beth Bierbower, Vice President of Product Innovation for Humana. "Republic Bank's knowledge of the consumer financial services market and Humana's innovative approach to consumerism in healthcare provide the foundation for a great partnership."

"We understand that consumers need to bridge the gap on their healthcare expenses and believe our Card is a perfect solution that allows consumers to better budget for their healthcare costs while more easily paying for them over time. Republic believes that a need in the market place should be met with a sensible product that will help benefit the consumer, the employer, as well as the healthcare provider. We are excited to be able to partner with Humana, an industry-leading, consumer-focused healthcare organization," said Steve Trager, President and Chief Executive Officer of Republic.

About Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the nation's largest publicly traded health benefits companies, with approximately 11.3 million medical members. Humana offers a diversified portfolio of health insurance products and related services - through traditional and consumer-choice plans - to employer groups, government-sponsored plans, and individuals.

Over its 46-year history, Humana has consistently seized opportunities to meet changing customer needs. Today, the company is a leader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer portfolio.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company's web site at http://www. humana. com (http://www. humana. com), including copies of:

-- Annual reports to stockholders;

-- Securities and Exchange Commission filings;

-- Most recent investor conference presentations;

-- Quarterly earnings news releases;

-- Replays of most recent earnings release conference calls;

-- Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call dates and times, as well as planned interaction with research analysts and institutional investors);

-- Corporate Governance Information.

About Republic

Republic Bancorp, Inc. is a financial holding company headquarted in Louisville, Kentucky. The Company is a national leader in the consumer financial services market. Republic has $3.2 billion in assets and $1 billion in trust assets under custody and management. Republic offers internet banking at www. republicbank. com. Republic's Class A Common Stock is listed under the symbol 'RBCAA' on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

About E-Duction

E-Duction, Inc. is a leader in employment-based payment solutions. The Company enables guaranteed-issue, reasonably-priced credit products that support consumer-directed healthcare and other innovative benefits products. Utilizing its proprietary payroll deduction technology, and through alliances with major consumer financial services companies and employee benefits firms, E-Duction offers general-purpose and healthcare-specific credit solutions that help employers save money and attract, motivate and retain talent and that help employees better manage healthcare and other everyday expenses.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Top 10 Weight Loss Lies to Eliminate for Steady Weight Loss

“To lose your weight and keep it off, you need accurate information,” says Laurie Bell, an internationally recognized weight loss and health expert, and the author of the new book, "Lose the Lies, Lose the Weight: The Ultimate Guide to Permanent Weight Loss."

Westminster, CO (PRWEB) January 2, 2006

In her new book, "Lose the Lies, Lose the Weight," (http://www. losethelieslosetheweight. com (http://www. losethelieslosetheweight. com)), fitness expert Laurie Bell eliminates every weight loss lie so you can drop those pounds and keep them off.

1. Go ahead, eat it, one time won’t hurt you. How many times have you told yourself that one time won’t hurt? The whole problem is, it’s never just “one time.” Getting fit is like entering a race. Your beautiful body is waiting at the finish line. To get to the finish line, you must eat right and exercise. Desserts and second helpings always move you away from the finish line.

2. Thin people are lucky. Anyone can gain weight whether rich, poor, young, old, short, or tall. A daily intake of more calories than you burn off results in infinite weight gain. Believing thin people are lucky (but you aren’t) prevents you from pursuing your fitness goal. You must work diligently at your fitness. Accepting that getting in shape requires effort (not luck) is the beginning of a beautifully transformed, healthy body.

3. I can’t lose weight. How many times have you told yourself that you can’t lose weight? Would you say ten times (a day), a hundred times (a week), a thousand times (a year), maybe more? The prime reason you haven't been successful at permanent weight loss is you believe you can't be. Eliminate “can’t” from your vocabulary. Instead say, “I can lose weight.” Believing emphatically you can lose weight is the mindset you need to succeed.

4. But I never overeat. You may feel you don’t eat that much. You rarely eat dessert. You never drink soda. You always get your dressing on the side. You just don’t understand where that extra weight came from. The truth is, if you take in even one more calorie daily than your body burns, you won’t lose weight. An extra 100 calories a day (that your body doesn't burn) adds up to one pound gained per month or 12 pounds per year. Record your food and liquid calories in a food journal. Creating caloric awareness leads to steady weight loss.

5. I’m buying it for my kids. How many times have you purchased empty calorie foods and told yourself you were buying it for your kids? While you strolled down the cookie aisle, you promised yourself, this time would be different. This time you would not eat Junior's lunchbox cookies. Don’t let your subconscious fool you. Don’t believe the unhealthy food is only for your kids. That’s a lie. You want it for yourself. Don’t buy it or you’ll eat it.

6. Everyone gains weight as they get older. Many people falsely believe they’re doomed to gain weight as they get older. Believing that lie assures you will gain weight with each passing year. In life, you get exactly what you expect you’ll get. The truth is, you can stay fit your entire life! Certainly, many people do gain weight with age simply because they overeat and don’t exercise. When you believe weight gain is an inevitable consequence of aging, you just let it happen. Immediately change your belief to, “I will get in better shape with each passing year.”

7. You’ll never look the same after having kids. Believing you’re doomed after having kids is “just another lie.” Having a baby does not cause you to stay overweight forever. Eating too many calories, moving too little, and giving up is the reason you’re still unfit years after baby arrives. With the right information, you can look great after having kids. For example, visit www. losethelieslosetheweight. com. Author Laurie Bell is a 41-year-old mother of two.

8. Carbohydrates make you fat. Hearing you should “cut carbs” is vague and useless advice. Quality carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains foods are an essential part of a healthy diet. Your body needs carbohydrates to function properly. After hearing that carbohydrates make you fat, you may have restricted the quality carbohydrates, setting yourself up for mood swings, low energy, nutrient deficiencies, and a weight loss plan you would never stay on. The refined simple carbohydrates you should eliminate are those found in sodas, candy, cake, cookies, pastries, white bread, and other empty calorie foods.

9. I’ll have to starve to lose weight. Starvation diets don’t work. Stringent dieting tells your brain food is in short supply. When your brain registers the perceived food shortage, it goes into “famine mode.” The restricted calories quickly get stored in your fat warehouse. With stringent dieting, considerable muscle is lost along with fat and water. Losing muscle means a slower metabolism, fewer calories burned, and little or no weight loss. Even without stringent dieting, your body loses some muscle tissue when you diet. To lose weight, without losing muscle, you must strength train to compensate for muscle loss during dieting.

10. I don’t have time to exercise. Your time on Earth is limited. You will not be able to accomplish every goal. However, you will be able to accomplish every top priority goal. In life, you always find time for priorities like shopping, watching television, or dining out. If you believe you don’t have time for exercise, it is because you haven’t made it a priority. To make exercise your top priority, schedule your workouts in your monthly planner first, before you schedule anything else. Treat each workout as an important business meeting you can’t miss. If you were paid $10,000 an hour for working out, you’d refuse to miss workouts! Prioritizing your fitness is the best decision you’ll ever make.

For more information and great weight loss tips, visit www. losethelieslosetheweight. com or read Lose the Lies, Lose the Weight by Laurie Bell.

Journalists:

For pictures, a review copy of the January 2006 release Lose the Lies, Lose the Weight, or an interview, please contact Laurie Bell at 303-906-4950 or 800-860-7199.

###

Just Say "Know" to Prescription Drugs Month Ends as Campaign Expands and Accelerates; Coalition Organizers Set up for On-Going Grassroots Activism

The Just Say "Know" to Prescription Drugs Campaign, aimed at getting one million people to stop and reevaluate the medications they are taking, celebrated the end of Just Say "Know" to Prescription Drugs month by announcing its plans to expand the campaign. The coalition's co-founders have agreed to fund a year-round effort to continue to get people to be proactive about "knowing" the potential side effects of their prescribed medications. The expanded campaign will include new online tools for supporters, an activist's tool kit, a blog, links to scientific research, relevant news articles and a forum.

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 10, 2006

Today the Just Say "Know" to Prescription Drugs Campaign, aimed at getting one million people to stop and reevaluate the medications they are taking, celebrated the end of Just Say "Know" to Prescription Drugs month by announcing its plans to expand the campaign. The coalition's co-founders have agreed to fund a year-round effort to continue to get people to be proactive about "knowing" the potential side effects of their prescribed medications. The expanded campaign will include new online tools for supporters, an activist's tool kit, a blog, links to scientific research, relevant news articles and a forum. The center piece of the campaign will continue to be getting one million people a month to download a form, list all of the medications they are taking and ask their doctor, pharmacist, psychiatrist or relevant healthcare provider to list the benefits, side effects and potential alternatives to each drug.

"We are thrilled by the response the Just Say 'Know' to Prescription Drugs campaign has received," said Dr. Greg Tefft, co-founder of the initiative and one of the financial sponsors of the expanded campaign. "In just about 30 days over 200,000 people responded to our initiative. To put this in perspective, the 1963 march on Washington which profoundly changed the direction of this country took over a year to plan and attracted 250,000 people. We are expanding the campaign because the response we have received clearly demonstrates that we have struck a chord, " said Tefft.

The campaign has attracted support from a broad cross section of people including, influential professionals, medical doctors, pharmacists, psychiatrists, psychologists, lawyers, actors, film makers, producers and concerned citizens from 121 countries around the world. The going forward plan is focused on taking the message direct to consumers via sympathetic social networks.

"I began the campaign by saying that Informed consent in the prescription of drugs is one of the most critical but missing pieces in the healthcare system today," said Dr. Dominick Riccio, psychologist, Executive Director of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, Inc, and chairman of the "Just Say Know" Campaign. "We've touched over 200,000 lives. But every day, millions of intelligent people are still taking prescription drugs that they simply don't understand and the consequences of not knowing are increasingly dire," said Riccio.

Organizations and individuals who want to participate in the campaign may go to any of the following Web sites, look for the Just Say "Know" to Prescription Drugs logo, and download the sheet titled "Take This Form and Sign It." Instructions are provided on each form.

Laurence Simon Ph. D.

Psych Truth. Org

Www. psychtruth. org/justsayknow. htm (http://www. psychtruth. org/justsayknow. htm )

Dr. Greg Tefft

KPNC Radio

Http://www. kpncradio. com (http://www. kpncradio. com)

Kelly Bradley

What's Wrong With This Picture

Http://racingthoughts. blog. ca (http://racingthoughts. blog. ca)

Kathleen Slattery-Moshkau

Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety

Http://www. mo-info. com/wordpress/index. php (http://www. mo-info. com/wordpress/index. php)

Dr. Donald Ardell

Http://www. seekwellness. com/wellness/ (http://www. seekwellness. com/wellness/)

Dr. Michael Siebert

Http://drmichaelsiebert. com/news. html (http://drmichaelsiebert. com/news. html)

Dr. David Randle

Global Healing

Http://www. globalhealing. net/partners. html (http://www. globalhealing. net/partners. html)

Dr. Pamela Frank

Forces of Nature

Http://www. forcesofnature. ca/news. htm (http://www. forcesofnature. ca/news. htm)

Jim Manganiello, Ed. D.

MESICS Fitness

Http://www. mesicsfitness. com/jsn-news. htm (http://www. mesicsfitness. com/jsn-news. htm)

For more information email us, visit www. psychtruth. org/justsayknow. htm (http://www. psychtruth. org/justsayknow. htm )
Or email us.

###

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Fifth Third Bancorp Selects Quaero to Measure Marketing Effectiveness and Enhance the Customer Experience

Quaero, a leading provider of services to accelerate marketing performance, was selected by Fifth Third Bancorp to help the bank measure marketing effectiveness and create an improved customer experience. To accomplish this, Quaero recently revamped Fifth ThirdÂ’s data store making it easier to analyze and use customer information for direct marketing programs.

Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) June 29, 2005

Quaero customized and implemented Fifth ThirdÂ’s marketing campaign management system, Unica Affinium Campaign. The implementation was done in concert with the bankÂ’s design and build of a marketing data mart and the deployment of Business Objects for reporting. In addition to the implementation, Quaero helped the bank design key tables to effectively execute and measure marketing programs.

Â“Quaero is a true thought leader in the marketing space and has really paved the way for us to accelerate our marketing performance,Â” noted Katherine Black, vice president of direct marketing, analytics and research, for Fifth Third. Â“Much more than a systems implementation partner, Quaero has helped us to think about our entire marketing process to better gather and organize information to improve the customer experience.Â”

Fifth Third has 5 million customers, segmented into the following groups: consumer, high net worth consumer, commercial and small business. The bank currently runs direct mail programs for new account acquisition, cross-selling and retention, primarily through direct mail and call center and branch calling efforts.

According to Black, the bank has several loyalty programs in place and is constantly measuring customer loyalty via outbound surveys and through standard metrics. Fifth Third is very focused on a loyalty program for new customers and wants to roll the program out to its larger customer base. Â“Our work with Quaero to revamp the database has been absolutely critical here,Â” Black notes. Â“We are finally able to access and analyze customer data, which has been a painful process, until now.Â”

Fifth Third will remain focused on automating more and more of its marketing processes. This will free up time for higher level customer analytics and ultimately, more effective marketing programs.

About Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $102.7 billion in assets, operates 17 affiliates with 1,097 full-service Banking Centers, including 129 Bank MartÂ® locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 1,989 JeanieÂ® ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The financial strength of Fifth Third's Ohio and Michigan banks continues to be recognized by rating agencies with deposit ratings of AA - and Aa1 from Standard & Poor's and Moody's, respectively. Additionally, Fifth Third Bancorp continues to maintain among the highest short-term ratings available at A-1+ and Prime-1 and is recognized by Moody's with one of the highest senior debt ratings for any U. S. bank holding company of Aa2. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Retail, Commercial, Investment Advisors and Fifth Third Processing Solutions. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third's common stock is traded through the NASDAQÂ® National Market System under the symbol "FITB." Member FDIC.

About Quaero

Quaero is a marketing and technology services company that provides unparalleled value to firms for improvements in the effectiveness of their organization and technology investments. Leveraging QuaeroÂ’s proprietary MAST(SM) Marketing Effectiveness evaluation and Six Dimensions of Marketing Performance(SM) framework, QuaeroÂ’s clients gain remarkable insight into marketing process improvements, organizational alignment, measurements and enabling technologies. Quaero provides expert technology services for marketing databases as well as Quaero SpringBoard(SM) an acclaimed, easy-to-implement, low risk web-accessed hosted relationship marketing platform. Quaero serves hundreds of leading clients in the Financial, Travel and Leisure, Retail, Pharmaceutical/HealthCare, Publishing, and Telecommunications/High-Tech industries.

Quaero Contact:

Laura Hupp

Marketing Communications Director

501.217.3892

Huppl@quaero. com

Editorial Contact:

Elizabeth Fairleigh

ThE Connection, Inc.

404.874.4562

Elizabeth@EConnectionPR. com

# # #

Saturday, August 27, 2005

BeyeNETWORK Announces the Recipients of 2008 Vision Award for Business Impact

Nine winning implementations are chosen from more than 50 submissions in the categories of business intelligence, advanced business intelligence, performance management, data integration and data management.

Boulder, CO (PRWEB) October 20, 2008

The BeyeNETWORK (www. BeyeNETWORK. com) is pleased to announce the winners of our first annual Vision Award for Business Impact. In keeping with our mission to provide a global vision for business intelligence (BI) and beyond, this award recognizes the efforts of companies that have successfully used BI software and technology to positively impact their organizations.

More than 50 entries were received in five categories, providing real-world testimony to the impact that software solutions can have on an organization.

The winning submissions covered a range of industries from healthcare to law enforcement to direct marketing. All showed how important effective applications of business intelligence and analytics are to a company's bottom line and how good strategic decision making can even improve morale and productivity for a happier workforce. The following solutions were chosen as the best in their categories at creating measurable business impact. The 2008 Vision Award for Business Impact winners are:

Business Intelligence
Sabre Holdings with Teradata Corporation

Advanced Business Intelligence
City of Houston Police Department with Information Builders

Advanced Business Intelligence
ECourier. co. uk with SeeWhy

Performance Management
Presbyterian Healthcare Services with Actuate

Performance Management
Envision Credit Union with Cognos, an IBM company

Data Integration
LifeMasters with Pervasive Software Inc.

Data Integration
Comag Marketing Group with Relational Solutions

Data Integration
Editions Techniques pour l'Automobile et l'Industrie with Talend

Data Management
Premier Inc. with Silver Creek Systems

To read excerpts from the winning entries, please click here (http://www. BeyeNETWORK. com/visionaward).

The BeyeNETWORK would like to thank the following judges for their time and attention to detail while evaluating a host of entries: Lou Agosta, ACM; Richard Hackathorn, Bolder Technologies; Claudia Imhoff, Intelligent Solutions; David Loshin, Knowledge Integrity; Mark Madsen, Third Nature; William McKnight, Lucidity Consulting Group; John Myers, The Blue Buffalo Group; and Colin White, BI Research. The objectivity and expertise these judges provided was invaluable.

About BeyeNETWORK™
The Network's flagship site BeyeNETWORK. com (http://www. b-eye-network. com/home/index. php) leads the industry with up-to-the-minute news, newsletters, articles, executive spotlights, podcasts, expert-hosted channels and blogs. Experts include Claudia Imhoff, Bill Inmon, Craig Schiff, Colin White, David Loshin, and others. BeyeRESEARCH. com (http://www. beyeresearch. com/) provides research and case studies from leading authors and experts in business intelligence. BeyeBLOGS. com (http://www. beyeblogs. com/) is a business intelligence-specific community blogging site that provides an open forum about industry issues and challenges. BeyeSEARCH. com (http://www. beyesearch. com/) offers the first and only editor-driven directory and search engine specially built to serve this industry.

Contact:
BeyeNETWORK
Mary Jo Nott
Mnott@b-eye-network. com
+1-262-780-0202

###

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Eating Disorder Foundation of Orange County Begins Providing Free Services to Local Community

Dana Point, CA (PRWEB) May 5, 2005

The Eating Disorder Foundation of Orange County (EDFOC), a newly launched non-profit organization, has started offering free services to Orange County residents who recognize the need for prevention and early detection of eating disorders in the Orange County, California area.

The newly launched non-profit provides free presentations to local schools, educators, parents, and athletic organizations, particularly gymnastics, that focus on relating accurate eating disorder information to our community. The Foundation's goal is to bring attention to the prevention of eating disorders through educating young kids, teachers and parents starting in elementary school. The Foundation has developed a much needed curriculum that will become a part of education at every level. The Foundation also provides free public speakers for community and private events. In addition, EDFOC provides free and confidential eating disorder assessments, workshops and support groups for both adolescents and their families.

According to Nicole Bourquin, Founder and Executive Director, "We have to start providing real education about eating disorders to our kids starting in elementary school. What we're seeing is that it's too late for prevention efforts in high school or middle school; the seeds of an eating disorder are sown much earlier as shown in recent research."

Bourquin comments on the lack of attention we give to eating disorder awareness," "Our biggest challenge here in Orange County is trying to convince parents and educators in our community that we have a serious problem and it's only getting worse."

Bourquin further stated, "It's frustrating to have to constantly convince parents and educators that the problem of eating disorders in young people is real and can cause havoc in both the child and the child's family. The mission of the Eating Disorder Foundation of Orange County is to bring this serious issue into the spotlight."

About Nicole Bourquin

Nicole Bourquin is a local therapist in South Orange County. She has a Master's degree in Counseling, with a focus in health promotion, numerous continuation classes in eating disorder education and treatment, teen and adolescent studies, child abuse, eating disorders in the gymnastics, dancing and modeling fields, domestic violence, substance abuse, and trauma response. She is presently finishing the required hours needed to sit for the State of California's Board of Behavioral Sciences' MFT license. Nicole provides counseling through Insight Counseling, a non-profit counseling center located in Lake Forest, CA. She specializes in working with adolescents and their families.

About Eating Disorder Foundation of Orange County

EDFOC was launched January 1st, 2005 and founded by local mental health practitioners, educators, and parents who recognize that eating disorders represent a serious threat to the health and mental well-being of young people. For more information on upcoming workshops or presentations, call Nicole at the Eating Disorder Foundation of Orange County at (800) 342-9403.

Contact:

Nicole Bourquin

32545 B Golden Lantern, Suite 148

Dana Point, CA 92629

Telephone: (800) 342-9403

Fax: (949) 488-2418

Http://www. edfoc. org (http://www. edfoc. org)

# # #

National Best Selling Novelist Joan Robertson Recieves top Review by Rawsitaz. com

National Best Selling Novelist Joan Robertson recieves top review by Rawsitaz. com. Rawsistaz is one of the top reviewer websites in the country. The Reading and Writing SISTAZ (R. A.W. SISTAZ) Online Book Club was founded by Tee C. Royal in September 2000 and focuses on reading, writing, and discussing books primarily by African American Authors.

Fresh Meadows, NY (PRWEB) October 26, 2005

Rawsistaz reads three books a month (one is optional) as a group: the Book of the Month (BOM), an "Ole-school" book and an alternate book. Members vote via an online poll, the alternate book is selected by the founder.

IN THE WINTER OF HER SEASON by Joan Robertson

PublishAmerica, May 2005

217 Pages, Paperback, $19.95

ISBN: 1413760864

Genre: Fiction

RAW Rating: 4

When Will My Season Arrive?

IN THE WINTER OF HER SEASON by Joan Robertson features New Yorker Sandra Hamilton who receives word that her father, Reverend Doctor Trevor Hamilton, Jr., is gravely ill with cancer and she must travel back to her childhood hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts to care for him by assisting her mother.

Sandra has deep-rooted secrets of her childhood, which have manifested into adulthood, and going back may bring them to the surface. Sandra must also deal with the fact that her brother Jimmy and boyfriend Les are less than thrilled with the idea of going to Cambridge to see the elder Hamilton.

Sandra and Les await the arrival of Jimmy and his wife Gee from Santa Monica, California and together they travel to Cambridge to begin an uncertain journey. Upon arriving in Cambridge, small amounts of information are revealed - Sandra begins to drink alcohol at the age of twelve unbeknownst to her family and best friend. Jimmy also explains his demons and his reasoning for leaving home at an early age.

During subsequent trips, Jimmy is killed, their mother Hyacinth dies and finally Reverend Hamilton passes on. At this point Sandra begins to hear the voice of her mother guiding her daily. While this element shocks and startles her, she heeds her mother’s advice and is introduced to startling information about her family.

IN THE WINTER OF HER SEASON has many elements that make for a satisfying read –developed characters, vivid imagery of the surroundings in question and of the characters’ appearance, and realistic dialogue and musings.

Finally, heartfelt emotions are brought to the forefront with some great transitioning from the present to the past.

The transitioning is smooth and flawless as we come to understand the childhood of both Sandra and Jimmy and the childhoods and marriage of their parents. The author has added secondary characters who are necessary to the story and each play an integral part, while not overshadowing Sandra’s story.

IN THE WINTER OF HER SEASON is a powerful look into self-discovery, overcoming adversity and accepting faith. This is a very good first novel because of the emotions elicited and the ability of the author to utilize writing techniques to paint a distinct mental picture of the characters through the use of letter writing, poetry, strong prose and an intriguing plot.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Http://www. rawsistaz. com/ (http://www. rawsistaz. com/)

First-time Novelist Joan Robertson Author of In The Winter of Her Season who writes about triumph and hope will be available to sign autograhed copies of her best selling nove. Every year, publishers receive hundreds of thousands of manuscripts from would be authors, hoping for a chance at their first bestseller. Joan Robertson was no different.

As a self-proclaimed conqueror of life's storms, Joan Robertson believes she was destined to write her first novel, In The Winter Of Her Season (http://www. publishamerica. com (http://www. publishamerica. com)) , June 2005, softcover/$19.95). After years of work, Robertson's book is finally available.

The book chronicles the life of Sandra Hamilton, a young businesswoman, who travels to Massachusetts to help care for her cancer-stricken father. Upon arriving, Sandra is haunted by the ghosts of her childhood, and suffers many painful losses, causing her to spiral into deep-rooted despair.

Through inspiration and the insight of a trusted confidant, Sandra comes to believe that she can transcend her challenges, cultivating a connection with her own inner voice and finally revealing her family's secrets. In the end, Sandra learns the lesson of forgiveness, and rediscovers faith, love, God, and herself.

Robertson believes her message is a timely one. Today, women suffer depression in far greater numbers than men, the result of stress, strain, pressure, and even abuse. "Sandra's journey is laced with heartache, but also humor and probing realism," says Robertson. "The story invites women to evaluate the trials of their lives, gaining wisdom, meaning, and strength from them."

Joan Robertson has twenty years of experience as a technical writer, but her love for creative writing as a tool for healing goes much farther. In addition to In the Winter of Her Season, Robertson is also a published poet.

Joan Robertson has participated in workshops by the international organization Voices in Action (Voices In Action is an international organization providing assistance to adult and adolescent victims of child sexual abuse and other sexual trauma, including rape.

They help victims become survivors and create accurate public awareness of the prevalence of child sexual abuse and other sexual trauma, its impact, and ways in which it can be prevented or stopped through educational programs), located in Cincinnati, Ohio,

She has also participated in the Women’s Health Expo and Film Festival at LIU’s Brooklyn Campus, and other events around the country.

Novelist Joan Robertson is scheduled to participate in the upcoming Self-Published Authors Symposium.

The symposium will be held on Sunday, March 26, 2006 from 8 a. m. - 5 p. m. Schomberg Center in Harlem, New York. Registration is $150. To register today visit www. aspicomm. com and click on events.

For more information, or to purchase a copy of In the Winter of Her Season, visit http://www. joanrobertsonnovelist. com (http://www. joanrobertsonnovelist. com). Joan Robertson’s novel is also available at http://www. cushcity. com (http://www. cushcity. com), Hue-man’s Bookstore, Sister’s Uptown Bookstore which are located in Harlem, New York.

###

Xactware's Network Processes its 15 Millionth Estimate

Insurance professionals and repair experts hard at work in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike helped complete a surge of estimates that recently pushed the XactAnalysis claims management network over the 15 million estimate milestone. "One measure of the excellent service our customers give policyholders is the immediate surge of assignments and completed estimates that began to flow through the XactAnalysis network soon after Ike came ashore," said Jim Loveland, Xactware's president and CEO.

Orem, Utah (PRWEB) October 12, 2008

XactAnalysis allows claims managers to immediately assign catastrophe claims to professionals and to receive electronic copies of estimates in return--complete with floor plans, photos, notes, and even audio files. XactAnalysis tracks progress and alerts managers if service standards are not being met. The system also helps multiple professionals collaborate on the same claim.

XactAnalysis is designed to handle a surge in claims and transactions in the aftermath of a catastrophe such as Hurricane Ike without downtime or delays. Activity on the XactAnalysis network began to climb immediately as Ike continued to do damage inland. Less than two weeks after Ike made landfall, XactAnalysis recorded one-day page hits in excess of one million, shattering the pre-storm record for daily page hits by more than 30 percent.

"Hurricane Ike further highlights the unprecedented workflow efficiency of our customers," said K. C. Agrelius, Xactware's General Manager over XactAnalysis. "Catastrophe experts from all over the country deployed to damaged areas and immediately began to receive electronic assignments and write estimates."

XactAnalysis is the industry's first and largest property claims assignment network. After its inception in 1995 it took 11 years for XactAnalysis to process its 10 millionth claims' estimate in the spring of 2006. Just over two years later, the network processed its 15 millionth full-cycle estimate. As of late September 2008, XactAnalysis had processed over 15.1 million estimates with a total dollar value of more than $90.2 billion.

The XactAnalysis network ensures the safety of the data it stores with two state-of-the-art data centers. The primary data center is located in the heart of the mountain west and the secondary data center is located on the east coast. The two geographically disparate data centers provide a highly secure backup should one of the centers be involved in an unthinkable disaster.

"Xactware products in the hands of committed professionals are making a difference for policyholders working to rebuild after all types of catastrophes," said Loveland. "We're proud to be part of the excellent service our customers are providing victims of Hurricane Ike and other tragedies."

About Xactware
Xactware Solutions, Inc. ("Xactware") is a wholly owned subsidiary of ISO specializing in the property insurance, remodeling and restoration industries. Xactware's technology tools include software estimating programs for PCs and tablet PCs, as well as powerful online systems for replacement-cost calculations, estimate tracking and data trending in real time.

For more information about Xactware's products and services, contact Xactware at 1-800-424-9228 or visit www. xactware. com.

About ISO
A leading source of information about risk, ISO provides data, analytics, and decision-support services to professionals in many fields, including insurance, finance, real estate, health services, government, human resources, and risk management. Using advanced technologies to collect, analyze, develop, and deliver information, ISO helps customers evaluate and manage risk. The company draws on vast expertise in actuarial science, insurance coverages, fire protection, fraud prevention, catastrophe and weather risk, predictive modeling, data management, economic forecasting, social and technological trends, and many other fields. To meet the needs of diverse clients, ISO employs an experienced staff of business and technical specialists, analysts, and certified professionals. In the United States and around the world, ISO helps customers protect people, property, and financial assets. For more information, visit www. iso. com.

###

Mississippi Baptist Medical Center Pediatric Unit Receives Generous Donation from DisneyHand and Starlight, Starbright Foundation

Baptist's Pediatric Unit utilizes toy donation from DisneyHand and the Starlight, Starbrigh Children's Foundation to comfort children hospitalized.

(PRWEB) April 5, 2005

DisneyHand, a worldwide outreach for The Walt Disney Company, in partnership with Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation made a generous donation to Baptist Medical Center Pediatric Unit in Jackson, Miss. A DVD player, stuffed Mickey Mouse dolls, books and movies were just a few of the items donated. The two organizations are dedicated to brightening the lives of ill children and their families. For more information visit www. slsb. org.

###

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Aerotel Medical Systems to Present New Telehealth and Homecare Solutions at Medica 2009

New Innovative Products to be Announced include a Mobile Health System and a Wireless Homecare Hub.

Holon, Israel (PRWEB) November 13, 2009

Aerotel Medical Systems (http://www. aerotel. com (http://www. aerotel. com)), a leading global supplier of advanced remote monitoring solutions for personal telehealth and telecare, will present new innovative wireless telehealth and homecare solutions at Medica 2009, the leading international trade fair for the medical industry, in Dusseldorf, Germany, November 18-21, 2009.

"Aerotel continues to invent and to introduce new and improved homecare and personal health solutions for the benefit of both patients and healthcare providers," said David Rubin, Aerotel Medical Systems President & CEO. "By utilizing wireless communications for the collection and transmission of health parameters, Aerotel's new solutions provide enhanced level of care and cost reduction."

The new solutions to be presented by Aerotel at Hall 9/C01 at Medica 2009 trade fair include:

Mobile-CliniQ™ - An affordable Personal Mobile Health Solution

Mobile-CliniQ™ is a cellphone application that enables remote monitoring of various health parameters, such as electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, blood glucose level, weight, etc. External vital signs monitoring devices can be connected via a Bluetooth® interface. Data is transmitted via General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) to a medical monitoring center. With Mobile-CliniQ™, personal health service becomes a reality for today's mobile lifestyle. Physicians can view patient data and provide interpretation and advice from practically anywhere, saving time and travel expenses and reducing healthcare delivery costs.

Connect-Cell™ - Cellular-Based Homecare Data Hub

Connect-Cell™ is a highly flexible global wireless connectivity hub, it enables users to easily transmit vital signs data via the cellular network (GPRS) to a central monitoring center. Connect-Cell™ is a flexible device, incorporating both wired serial interface and wireless Bluetooth® connectivity. Connect-Cell expands Aerotel's home hub offering, which includes Tele-Modem™ for landline telephone lines, Connect-LAN™ for IP networks and Home-CliniQ™ PC-based homecare hub.

In addition to the above Aerotel will present its world renowned Heartline™ tele-cardiology system; e-CliniQ™ homecare solutions and other advanced telemedicine and telecare systems.

About Aerotel Medical Systems
Aerotel Medical Systems is a world leader in cost-effective, high quality, user-friendly, medical diagnostic systems and devices for home care, eHealth and telemedicine. The company provides a complete disease management package; including transtelephonic and wireless devices designed for a variety of remote diagnostic and monitoring applications, hardware and software platforms for remote monitoring call centers, as well as phone and web-based monitoring software.

With a client base in over 45 countries around the globe, Aerotel enables patients to conduct tests comfortably while leading normal, mobile lives.

For further information please visit our website at: www. aerotel. com, or visit us at Hall 9/C01 at Medica 2009, in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Company Contact:
Ofer Atzmon
Vice President Business Development and Marketing
Aerotel Medical Systems
Tel: +972-3-5593222 x109
Mobile: +972-52-2451771
E-mail: info(at)aerotel. com

# # #

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Voxeo Announces Compliance to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards

PCI DSS Protects Credit and Debit Card Transactions Over Voxeo Evolution Hosted IVR Network

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) May 1, 2007

Voxeo (www. voxeo. com), a leading provider of hosted and premise-based IVR and VoIP systems, today announced compliance to PCI DSS - the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard developed to protect sensitive cardholder information and prevent credit card fraud. PCI compliance ensures a high level of security for credit card transactions conducted over the phone using Voxeo's hosted IVR network. In addition, customers with Voxeo premise-based IVR systems who use Voxeo's hosted service to handle overflow or failover traffic can be assured that their PCI compliance is maintained even in the event of seasonal call bursts or equipment failure.

Founded by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide, and Visa International, the PCI Security Standards Council is an independent body established to govern security standards for the payments industry. The PCI organization develops, maintains, and aggressively drives adoption of the standard to enhance payment account data security. To comply with the PCI standard, Voxeo completed and passed a detailed security and vulnerability audit, including all of Voxeo's Internet connections, assigned IP addresses, and all Internet connected servers.

"PCI compliance is difficult to achieve and maintain. Voxeo has been working diligently to reach this important goal for a long time, and we believe we are the first in the standards-based IVR hosting industry to do so," said Stephen Neish, Voxeo's Chief Financial Officer.

PCI compliance is the latest addition to Voxeo's security credentials, supporting customer security compliance requirements across several standards including: HIPAA for health care industry patient information confidentiality, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 compliance for safeguarding customer information in financial services, and ISO 17799, the most widely recognized international security standard.

Further details about Voxeo's privacy and information security compliance can be found at http://www. voxeo. com/compliance/ (http://www. voxeo. com/compliance/).

About Voxeo
Voxeo Corporation makes telephony applications as easy to deploy as web applications. Voxeo offers hosted VoIP and IVR services, premise VoIP and IVR systems, and maintains one of the most active voice application customer and developer portals in the world. With over $40 million invested in IP and XML technologies and infrastructure, Voxeo serves customers ranging from small startups to the Fortune 500 who value speed and simplicity where complexity once reigned. For more information visit www. voxeo. com or call +1 (407) 418-1800 in the US or +44 (0) 20 7887 6085 in the UK and Europe.

###

Planktos Moves to Rescue Mumbles and other Endangered Penguins with Plankton Power

The new movie hit Happy Feet alerts audiences to the famine now facing the world's penguins, but ecorestoration firm Planktos not only offers hope to these endangered birds, its plankton powered technology can help stop global warming, too.

San Francisco, Calif., (PRWEB) December 11, 2006

The hit holiday movie Happy Feet has finally awakened American audiences to the risks that ocean decline poses to the fate of global penguin populations.

Publicity for their plight is sadly overdue. A document prepared by the non-profit Center for Biological Diversity states that of the world's 19 species of penguins, 12 are in danger of becoming extinct if the world's governments don't list them as endangered.

As the movie's writer, director, and producer George Miller revealed the penguins' peril is due to the plummeting ocean productivity. Miller was drawn to the issue after seeing a penguin documentary some years back, "I saw Life in the Freezer about ten years ago and I thought, 'Oh my God, I knew about the penguins but I had no idea that there lives were so extraordinary'." While his movie gives us a heartwarming view of penguin life, it also portrays the tragic collapse of their ocean ecosystem.

While Miller heaps his blame on the admittedly critical issue of over-fishing, an even more sinister culprit pulling the rug out from under the penguins' dancing feet is the biological demise of the world's plankton populations, the base of the ocean food chain. This crisis not only threatens penguins and most other sea life, it is intensifying global warming. The plankton decline is now so severe that over 3 billion fewer tonnes of CO2 are being photosynthetically removed from the atmosphere each year compared to just a generation ago. This is triggering a vicious circle.

A study published in the journal Nature this week detailed the withering impact that climate change is having on ocean plankton populations worldwide. "This study shows that as the climate warms, phytoplankton production goes down, but this also means that carbon dioxide uptake by ocean plants will decrease... making the problem worse," said lead researcher Michael Behrenfeld.

Other ocean scientists have reported an alarming 80% decline in krill stocks in the Scotia Sea, part of the Southern Ocean, right next door to the region where Happy Feet characters are tap dancing away this holiday season. Krill populations are directly dependent on phytoplankton, the microscopic ocean plants, which Nature reports are in such steep decline. Krill not only nourish penguins, they are the staple food for many of the world's fisheries and all the great baleen whales, which traditionally rear their calves in the cetacean nursery of the Scotia Sea.

Russ George, CEO of Planktos, Inc., a California ecorestoration firm says, "It's not too late to restore the plankton, revive ocean productivity, and save Mumbles and his penguin buddies who have danced into our hearts."

Planktos, Inc. is addressing the imminent climate change crisis through ocean ecosystem restoration projects which will stimulate plankton growth by replenishing missing iron micronutrients in the Southern Ocean and many other regions as well. This restoration of marine life will also restore the ocean's ability to lock away billions of tonnes of atmospheric carbon and help slow global warming, too.

Russ George notes, "As we work to restore the health and vitality of the oceans, the phytoplankton populations we revive will remove CO2 from the atmosphere, which we can then verify and sell as 'carbon credits' or tonnes of greenhouse gas reductions. This will easily pay for the restoration work. Individuals and companies can help restore the seas and safeguard the penguins as well by purchasing ocean restoration credits via the Planktos web store at www. planktos. com."

###

Federal Judge Rules That the Central Claims in Police Officers' Lawsuit Against the City of San Diego Remain and Sets Further Hearings on the Case

Jackson/DeMarco/Tidus/Petersen/Peckenpaugh ("J/D/T/P/P") announced that on May 18, 2007, in the case of SDPOA. v. Aguirre, City of San Diego, et al., the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of California held a hearing on the twelve motions for summary judgment filed by the parties in the case. The Court announced its ruling on the motions, which addressed just some of the seventeen claims made by the San Diego Police Officers Association against the City and various individual defendants. Judge Marilyn L. Huff's ruling dismissed some of the SDPOA's claims in their entirety, dismissed other claims as to certain defendants and left other claims whole. Contrary to the City Attorney's recent comments in the press, the claims at the heart of the case, the pension underfunding, remain. Judge Huff has requested additional briefings and replies on certain claims over the next three weeks and has scheduled further hearings for June 25, 2007.

IRVINE, Calif. (PRWEB) May 21, 2007

The filing of a Motion for Summary Judgment is a common occurrence in complex trials. Either party to a lawsuit can file a Motion for Summary Judgment, which serves to narrow the focus of the case as it proceeds to trial. In considering a Motion for Summary Judgment, the judge reviews the undisputed facts and determines which claims should proceed further. The court's May 18th ruling addressed twelve Motions for Summary Judgment, which in turn addressed portions of only a few of the seventeen claims.

The primary issues of concern to the SDPOA that were addressed in the Court's ruling were the complex statute of limitations issues. The Court's ruling denied the majority of the claims made by the defense that the case was barred by the statute of limitations. Additionally, Judge Huff determined that, as to the SDPOA's claim against Mr. Aguirre for conspiracy to retaliate against the POA during the 2005 labor negotiations, Mr. Aguirre's participation and actions at a meeting with the POA and leaders of other unions didn't rise to the level of actionable misconduct in the face of Mr. Aguirre's First Amendment Rights.

Gregory G. Petersen, Chair of the Complex Litigation Group at J/D/T/P/P stated, "While as a result of today's ruling, Mr. Aguirre's bravado and meddlesome behavior will escape judgment in this court, his actions will continue to be judged harshly in the court of public opinion. However, the issue of Mr. Aguirre's actions in 2005 is not central to the SDPOA's claims of breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, breach of trust and acts of misconduct, when considered in the scope of the pension underfunding, which the City has estimated at one to three billion dollars." Mr. Petersen added, "Mr. Aguirre's comments regarding his intention to now strip the Police Officers, and thousands of other City employees, of their contractually negotiated and agreed upon pension and health benefits only serves to ensure that the Police Officers will fight his attempts to do so in court in what is sure be a long drawn out and costly battle for the City. This course of action will likely unify all of the unions that represent thousands of San Diego city employees."

About Jackson/DeMarco/Tidus/Petersen/Peckenpaugh

The law firm of Jackson/DeMarco/Tidus/Petersen/Peckenpaugh, headquartered in Irvine, California, with a second office in Westlake Village, is recognized as a preeminent California full service law firm, offering high quality, innovative, responsive and cost-effective solutions to meet client needs. J/D/T/P/P provides practical advice and representation in a wide range of legal practice areas, encompassing business and tax law, employment law, intellectual property, common interest subdivision, land use and environmental regulation, real estate, construction law, commercial leases, financing, immigration and represents clients in key industries, such as technology, life sciences, software development, electronics, agriculture, energy and oil, financial and banking, manufacturing, distribution, real estate, and hospitality. More information on Jackson/DeMarco/Tidus/Petersen/Peckenpaugh can be found at www. jdtplaw. com.

Monday, August 22, 2005

Chicago Attorney Michael Apolskis Forms New Law Firm

Michael Apolskis announces the opening of Michael G. Apolskis, P. C., a new boutique law firm that focuses on the legal and regulatory needs of health care providers, suppliers and companies.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) July 11, 2008

Michael Apolskis, health care attorney and publisher of the Medicare Update weblog (http://www. medicareupdate. typepad. com (http://www. medicareupdate. typepad. com)), announces the opening of Michael G. Apolskis, P. C., a new boutique law firm that focuses on the legal and regulatory needs of health care providers, suppliers and companies.

Mr. Apolskis' practice encompasses work with health care organizations, such as hospitals, physicians, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, therapy providers, hospices, clinical laboratories, diagnostic testing facilities, durable medical equipment suppliers, and related entities.

In the course of his practice, Mr. Apolskis counsels health care organizations on a wide variety of legal and regulatory matters, including licensure, Medicare conditions of participation, billing, coding, privacy, anti-kickback, self-referral, and false claim matters. He also advises clients on compliance plans and serves as counsel in governmental audits, investigations and administrative proceedings.

Mr. Apolskis also has substantial experience advising clients on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement matters, including issues related to coverage, medical necessity, prospective payment systems, physician RBRVS, and cost-based reimbursement. He also represents health care providers and suppliers in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement appeals, and provides general corporate counsel to start-ups and established organizations.

"The formation of Michael G. Apolskis, P. C. is the culmination of my efforts to build a service model responsive to the unique challenges facing health care organizations and dedicated to ensuring that they have the knowledge and tools to achieve their strategic and operational objectives," remarks Apolskis.

For more information, view the firm's website at http://www. apolskislaw. com (http://www. apolskislaw. com).

###

CHCI Announces 2010 Hispanic Heritage Month Events

“Celebrating History, Heritage and the American Dream” - Soledad O’Brien, CNN Anchor and Special Correspondent, to Celebrity Host CHCI 33rd Annual Awards Gala

Washington, D. C (Vocus) May 13, 2010

CHCI today announced September 12-15, 2010, as the dates for its 2010 Hispanic Heritage Month (http://www. chci. org/events/page/2010-chci-hispanic-heritage-month-events-september-12-15) celebration in Washington, D. C. with the theme "Celebrating History, Heritage and the American Dream." CHCI hosts the nation's premier events commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month, which draws over 3,000 Latino leaders from across the country to its Public Policy Conference, Reyes of Comedy Night, and Annual Awards Gala.

“This year’s theme reflects the historical contributions of Latinos in the United States as we join the celebration of Latin American landmark independence anniversaries all over the hemisphere and the 400 year anniversary of the founding of the city of Santa Fe,” said Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez, CHCI Chair.

“Our theme also embodies the Latino community’s embrace of the American Dream and its commitment to the success of this great nation. We expect a huge turnout this year to hear from members of Congress, Cabinet secretaries, and other national leaders on how the Latino community will play an integral role in leading this nation forward in the 21st century.”

CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien will celebrity host the 33rd Annual Awards Gala on September 15, 2010. O’Brien is a recipient of CHCI’s 2009 Medallion of Excellence Award for Leadership and Community Service. She joined CNN in 2003 and has reported breaking news from around the globe and award-winning, celebrated documentaries on the most important stories and issues facing the world today. Last October CNN aired O’Brien’s groundbreaking documentary series, Latino in America, exploring the cultural contributions and impact of Latinos. Her documentary, Rescued, about orphans in Haiti, recently aired on May 8th.

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated annually from September 15 - October 15. For CHCI, it also represents an opportunity to highlight its competitive and nationally acclaimed Latino youth leadership development programs, including two fellowship programs, a congressional internship program, scholarship awards, and a college readiness program, Ready to Lead (R2L) for high school students.

CHCI will kick off its 2010 Hispanic Heritage Month events with its annual Public Policy Conference (http://www. chci. org/events/page/2010-chci-public-policy-conference) at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on September 12- 14, 2010. The conference assembles Latino leaders, experts and scholars to participate in timely discussions of major policy issues affecting the Latino community. This year, CHCI Chair Nydia M. Velázquez will be joined by administration officials, Congressional Hispanic Caucus members, and national leaders in their fields. Key issues on the agenda include: corporate responsibility, education, economy and workforce, financial services, green economy, health, health care reform, immigration reform, international relations, labor, redistricting, and technology. An important component of the conference, the Ready to Lead (R2L) program, also educates and engages high school students in all these policy discussions while preparing them for college.

On the second night of the conference, CHCI will hold the 10th Annual Reyes of Comedy Night (http://www. chci. org/events/page/2010-chci-reyes-of-comedy), which will take place at the Warner Theatre on September 14, 2010. This popular event features both established Latino comedians as well as emerging Latino talent for a night of exceptional entertainment.

The closing and premier event of the conference is CHCI's 33rd Annual Awards Gala (http://www. chci. org/events/page/2010-chci-33rd-annual-awards-gala) to be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on September 15. This prestigious dinner and awards presentation will celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of Latino leaders who are giving back to their communities. The Gala draws more than 2,200 guests including federal and local elected officials, corporate and nonprofit leaders, and celebrities.

2010 Hispanic Heritage Month Registration (http://www. chci. org/events/page/2010-chci-hispanic-heritage-month-events-registration-fees) is now available.

Mark your calendars:

September 12-14
CHCI Public Policy Conference (http://www. chci. org/events/page/2010-chci-public-policy-conference)
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
Washington, DC

September 14
Ready to Lead (R2L) (http://www. chci. org/ready_to_lead/)
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
Washington, DC

September 14
Reyes of Comedy Night (http://www. chci. org/events/page/2010-chci-reyes-of-comedy)
Warner Theatre
Washington, DC

September 15
CHCI 33rd Annual Awards Gala (http://www. chci. org/events/page/2010-chci-33rd-annual-awards-gala)
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Washington, DC

About Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), a nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c) (3) organization, provides leadership development programs and educational services to students and young emerging leaders. The CHCI Board of Directors is comprised of Hispanic Members of Congress, nonprofit and labor leaders and corporate executives. For more information call CHCI at (202) 543-1771.

Media Contact:
Scott Gunderson Rosa, (202) 548-5876

###

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Breaking Zogby/O’Leary Poll Shows a Sizable Majority of Americans Agree on Eight Critical Health Care Issues

As the White House and congressional Democrats attempt to revive their embattled health care reform plan, a breaking new Zogby International/O’Leary Report poll shows that a strong majority of Americans agree on eight critical health care issues. On five health care-related issues, 70 Percent of Americans have put their partisan differences aside, and on three other issues a majority of Americans agree by a 2-1 margin with what’s right for America on health care reform.

Washington, DC (Vocus) September 15, 2009

The Zogby/O’Leary Poll surveyed 4,426 likely voters on September 4-8 and has a margin-of-error of plus-or-minus 1.5 percentage points. Below are the health care questions on which strong majorities of voters agree:

1. Currently, Americans may only purchase health insurance from a provider licensed in their state. Some say that Americans should be allowed to purchase health insurance from providers in different states possibly creating more competition and driving down the price of health insurance. Do you agree or disagree?

Agree 82.8%
Disagree 6.9%
Not sure 10.2%

2. Currently, medical malpractice insurance costs doctors in some areas of the country up to $200,000 per year, a cost that doctors pass on to their patients in the form of higher fees for service. Do you agree or disagree that tort reform is needed?

Agree 78.5%
Disagree 12.4%
Not sure 9.1%

3. Do you support or oppose taxing employer-provided health care benefits?

Support 12.6%
Oppose 77.3%
Not sure 10.1%

4. There are currently 26 million Americans age 18 and older who can afford to purchase health insurance, but choose not to purchase it for a variety of reasons. There are also 12 million illegal immigrants in America who lack health insurance. Do you think taxes should be raised to fund a government-run health insurance program for these people?

Yes 15.2%
No 75.0%
Not sure 9.8%

5. Do you agree or disagree that the federal government should require all Americans to purchase health insurance, or face a fine?

Agree 18.5%
Disagree 70.2%
Not sure 11.3%

6. Do you agree or disagree that health insurers should be allowed to restrict coverage or charge higher premiums for patients with pre-existing conditions?

Agree 19.9%
Disagree 68.7%
Not sure 11.5%

7. President Obama is promoting a new government agency called the “Independent Medicare Advisory Council,” and some people believe this agency should use its powers to deny payment for procedures it deems unnecessary or futile. Others say that such power would interfere with the doctor-patient relationship. Do you support or oppose the creation of an “Independent Medicare Advisory Council?”

Support 30.6%
Oppose 58.8%
Not sure 10.7%

8. Do you agree or disagree that Americans who lose or leave their jobs should be able to stay on their previous employer’s health insurance plan?

Agree 54.6%
Disagree 25.1%
Not sure 20.3%

“Congress should put forward a health care reform plan that addresses these eight issues on which most Americans agree,” said Brad O’Leary, publisher of The O’Leary Report. “In particular, tort reform and permitting Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines have near universal appeal with voters. New taxes, on the other hand, are almost universally opposed.”

Brad O’Leary is publisher of “The O’Leary Report,” a bestselling author, and is a former NBC Westwood One talk show host. His latest bestseller on the looming threats to free speech in America, “Shut Up, America! The End of Free Speech,” (www. EndofFreeSpeech. com) is available now in bookstores. To see more poll results, go to www. olearyreport. com. To interview Brad, contact Shawna Shriner at (703) 272-1500 or shawnashriner (at) pm-direct. com.

###

What You Need to Know About HIV and AIDS

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 19, 2006

When the first known case of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was recognized in New York and Los Angeles in June 5, 1981, the world's attention was immediately caught and people almost put a sudden halt in their sexual activities. A great confusion followed in regards to the relationship of AIDS to Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Is AIDS caused by HIV or the other way around? Does the existence of AIDS in one person automatically translate to the existence of AIDS in another? Along with the great confusion came a heightened stigma and prejudice against homosexual men who were believed to be the first to have contacted the disease.

AIDS is the conglomeration of symptoms and infections in humans as an outcome of being infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes specific and irreversible damages to the immune system. Ironically though, AIDS was first to be discovered before HIV. It was only in 1983, two years after the historic 1981 AIDS cases were recorded, that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus was discovered. It was at the Pasteur Institute in France that scientists, led by Luc Montagnier, discovered the cause of AIDS--HIV. It was not even labeled HIV then. The first name for it was lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV). A year later, Americans confirmed the discovery of the virus but re-named it as T lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III). This then created some political stir between France and the United States government. The conflict was eventually settled when President Mitterrand of France and President Reagan of the USA finally agreed to call it by one name in 1986-- HIV. There are two known species of the HIV Virus, the HIV-1 and HIV-2. Both are believed by scientists to have come from West Africa.

However, studies have confirmed that HIV infection comes first before AIDS. HIV is a retrovirus; it belongs to the viral family Retroviridae. Viruses in this family are enveloped viruses possessing an RNA genome and replicate via a DNA intermediate. A dramatic reduction in the vitality of the human immune system is the primary result of an infection of HIV. It directly and indirectly destroys marcophages, dendric cells, and CD4+ T cells of the body. These elements are very essential in the proper functioning of the human immune system. Once the immune system is attacked by HIV, various infections and diseases start to manifest; the collection of these diseases is what we call AIDS. The most common diseases caused by HIV are acute renal failure, cardiomyopathy, dementia, and encephalopathy. HIV also attack the brain, heart, and kidney. Many of the problems faced by people infected with HIV result from the failure of the immune system to protect the body from opportunistic infections and cancers.

What immediately follows after an exposure to sources of HIV is the development of acute infections. The stage of acute infections or primary infections is the period when the virus replicates inside the body and causes flu-like infections such as fever, malaise, myalgia, pharyngitis, lymphadenopathy, and fever. Since flu-like infections such as these are very common among people with flu, these symptoms of a possible HIV infection are mostly being dismissed as mere cases of flu. In most cases, the infection is only realized to be an HIV infection if the case has already turned into an AIDS disease. The second stage of HIV infection is the chronic asymptomatic infection stage. This stage is chararcterized by a long duration of infection, an average of 8 to 10 years, without symptoms. Infections on this stage range from unexplained chronic diarrhea, persistent fever, severe weight loss, oral hairy leukoplakia, candidiasis, and severe bacterial infections including pulmonary tuberculosis. It is at stage two that the body's CD4+ T Cells count starts to drop below the 500 count. When the CD4+ T Cells count reaches below 200 count, the HIV infection then leads to AIDS.

Very rare cancer cases, neurological complications, and drastic malnutrition are the general symptoms of AIDS. Further, acquiring AIDS leads to more harmful diseases like common bacterial infections (Toxoplasmosis, Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, Escherichia coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Shigella), Kaposi's sarcoma (cancer of the blood vessel), Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (caused by yeast-like fungal infection), and dementia complex.

The ways through which humans can have an HIV infection are the same as the way they can get AIDS. Among the most common modes of transmission are unprotected sexual contact (vaginal, oral, and anal contacts) with an HIV-infected person, blood or blood product route, and pregnant women instances or mother-to-child transmission. The means to avoid being infected also go the same for both HIV and AIDS. To avoid infection through sexual contact, abstinence or the use of condom, to avoid exposure to infected bodily fluids, are most advised by many doctors. On the other hand, needles should never be shared to prevent HIV or AIDS transmission through blood product routes.

It is good for people to know that HIV or AIDS is not an airborne disease nor is it transmissible by mere physical contact to avoid *paranoia cases* and unfounded judgments towards others. Currently, HIV is a disease that can be treated but not cured. Anti-retroviral agents, which are not accessible to most people with HIV, can only go as far as reducing the complications but cannot totally eradicate the presence of HIV. As of now, no vaccine has yet been developed to prevent the transmission of HIV, more so the deadly existence of AIDS.

For more valuable information on infectious diseases, medical advances, please visit http://www. healthsnippets. com (http://www. healthsnippets. com)

# # #

Ardis Health Selected for the Forbes. com Celebrity Mentor Series

Ardis Health an Internet Marketing Company was selected to participate in Forbes. com's Celebrity Mentor series, which pairs world renowned entrepreneurs with up and coming entrepreneurs for a one-on-one business consultation. This series gives emerging entrepreneurs the exclusive opportunity to sit down, discuss, and learn from some of America's most established entrepreneurs.

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 10, 2009

Ardis Health an Internet Marketing Company was selected to participate in Forbes. com's Celebrity Mentor video series, which pairs world renowned entrepreneurs with up and coming entrepreneurs for a one-on-one business consultation. This video series gives emerging entrepreneurs the exclusive opportunity to sit down, discuss, and learn from some of America's most established entrepreneurs.

Forbes visited the Ardis Health headquarters in New York City to meet with its CEO and founder Jordan Finger. As part of this video series, Forbes did a sit-down Q&A with Mr. Finger and New York Times best-selling author and celebrity entrepreneur Dr. Nicholas Perricone.

The Ardis Health feature in the Forbes video series will teach you what entrepreneurs like Mr. Finger and Dr. Perricone are doing right now to be successful in the current challenging economy.

In addition, you can learn how they are using social media tools like Twitter and Facebook to create more awareness and stay connected, overcoming failures and set backs, how to launch new products by using the power of PR to get their message in front of millions, keeping their brands relevant with changing consumer tastes for something new and the secret to success in becoming a multimillion dollar global brand.

"It is an tremendous honor to be featured on Forbes. com," began Mr. Finger. "Besides the recognition of what I have been able to accomplish thus far, it was amazing to have the chance to learn and be mentored by Dr. Perricone, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the health and beauty industry."

You can watch Mr. Finger's interview on the Ardis Health website at
Http://www. ardishealth. com/company-news. html (http://www. ardishealth. com/company-news. html)

The Ardis Health video is also showcased on Forbes. com Most Promising Companies.

About Ardis Health:
Ardis Health is an Internet Marketing company whose cutting-edge, proprietary three-tier marketing, media and technology platform allows it to develop and distribute health and beauty products in the nutraceutical and skin care categories.

Since its inception, Ardis Health has been a leader in taking an idea and transforming it into a working, profitable, and scalable consumer product sold directly to consumers via the Internet. We have been able to leverage our 3-tier platform to create consumer awareness, drive traffic to our product sites and provide strong customer experience and support, as well as process, fulfill and distribute millions of customer orders in the United States and throughout Europe.

About Dr. Nicholas Perricone
Board certified clinical and research dermatologist, Dr. Nicholas Perricone is a pioneer in cosmeceutical skincare, founder of N. V. Perricone and author of New York Times # 1 Best Sellers, The Wrinkle Cure, The Perricone Prescription and The Perricone Promise. Perricone has also authored A Physician's 28 Day Program for Total Body and Face Rejuvenation and most recently, The Perricone Weight Loss Diet. Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences, the American College of Nutrition and the American Academy of Dermatology and the Society of Investigative Dermatology, Perricone also serves as the Chairman of the International Symposium on Aging Skin. Dr. Perricone, titled the Father of the Inflammation Theory of Aging, has received several awards for his impact in the skin-care industry including the Eli Whitney Award, presented by The Connecticut Intellectual Property Law Association to an outstanding individual who has made significant contributions to science, invention, and technology.

Press Contact at Ardis Health: 
575 8th Ave
 New York, NY 10018 
212-239-2458 (p)
 www. ardishealth. com 
Http://twitter. com/ArdisHealth (http://twitter. com/ArdisHealth)

# # #

Daily Health News Summary: Red Wine Protects the Brain while Obesity Destroys It, Vitamin for Sleep Disorders and More from NewsTarget

A selection of daily consumer health news items are featured by one of the most popular online natural health news outlets on the Internet: NewsTarget. com.

Tucson, AZ (PRWEB) October 17, 2006

Top consumer health stories for today include a nutrient offering sleep disorders relief and new research showing that excess body weight impairs cognitive function, effectively lowering a person's IQ.

The compound resveratrol, which comes from grape skins and normally found in red wine, has been shown to protect against stroke, and methylcobalamin (a high-end form of vitamin B12) helps people suffering from sleep disorders or cognitive decline, NewsTarget reports.

These stories and more appear on NewsTarget. com, the independent natural health news magazine for consumers. Articles are available at:

Staying fat makes you stupid; scientists demonstrate link between obesity and cognitive decline

Http://www. NewsTarget. com/020776.html (http://www. NewsTarget. com/020776.html)

Electrical stimulation restores some speech in brain-damaged man

Http://www. NewsTarget. com/020777.html (http://www. NewsTarget. com/020777.html)

Methylcobalamin nutrient offers solution for sleep disorders, mental alertness

Http://www. NewsTarget. com/020778.html (http://www. NewsTarget. com/020778.html)

Resveratrol in red wine protects the brain from stroke damage

Http://www. NewsTarget. com/020779.html (http://www. NewsTarget. com/020779.html)

About NewsTarget

Read by over 500,000 unique readers monthly, NewsTarget is a progressive, independent natural health news site that teaches consumers how to improve their health through foods, herbs, exercise and natural therapies. The site also warns consumers about the dangers of processed foods, pharmaceuticals, chemotherapy, environmental toxins and the failure of government regulators like the FDA.

# # #

Friday, August 19, 2005

Northeast Center for Special Care Leads New York State in Certified Brain Injury Specialists

Twenty-one clinical and direct support staff from Northeast Center for Special Care in Ulster County, NY have become certified brain injury specialists (CBIS) under the American Academy for the Certification of Brain Injury Specialists (AACBIS) training program.

Lake Katrine, NY (PRWEB) February 19, 2008

Ann Marie Belcher, CEO of the Northeast Center for Special Care, a traumatic brain injury rehabilitation program located in Ulster County, NY, has announced that twenty-one clinical and direct support professional staff of the Center have become certified brain injury specialists (CBIS) under the American Academy for the Certification of Brain Injury Specialists (AACBIS) training program. This brings the total number of persons that have received the CBIS certification at Northeast Center to twenty-eight individuals -- the highest number of certified staff in any rehabilitation program in New York State.

This prestigious credential is awarded by the American Academy for the Certification of Brain Injury Specialists (AACBIS), the voluntary national certification program whose mission is to improve the quality of care for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) through the establishment of best practices in education and training of those who work in the field of brain injury. Applicants must complete a rigorous course of study and pass a two-hour AACBIS written certification exam. To maintain this certification, all applicants must also satisfy continuing education requirements or retake the exam every two years. Because of the spectrum of unique skills and specialized knowledge required of clinical and support staff that work with individuals with TBI, the certification is designed to address specific issues in the delivery of brain injury services and to complement other existing staff and program credentials. The Northeast Center for Special Care is a program focused on the needs of individuals with acquired brain injuries, neurobehavioral disorders, and ventilator dependency.

The Northeast Center is also staffed full-time with two AACBIS Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainers (CBIST), the highest AACBIS certification. Training classes were conducted at the Center using the latest AACBIS curriculum and educational materials. The class was led by Gerry Brooks, MA, CCC, CBIST, and Director of Brain Injury Programs at Northeast Center for Special Care. The AACBIS certification is nationally recognized as the gold standard for clinical and direct support professional staff working in the field of brain injury. For more information about AACBIS visit their website: http://www. aacbis. net/ (http://www. aacbis. net/)

Founder and President Anthony Salerno said of the latest graduating class: "Northeast Center has been a leader in promoting the education and competency of our remarkable rehabilitation staff-the AACBIS certification helps us provide cutting edge rehabilitation and services for TBI survivors and their families."

The twenty-one staff members who graduated to achieve AACBIS certification are:

•Julie Cole, CNA
•Melonie Cousin, MA, CCC, SLP
•Katherine Davies, AS
•Kari English
•Jean Faichney, MS, OTR/L
•Robin Fairley, RN
•Joan Gage, BSN, RN
•Joyce E. Garee, LMSW, CCFC
•Brooke L. Gabriels, MS, OTR/L
•Paula J. Kindos-Carberry, LMSW
•Christine M. Lawlor, MSED
•Anthony P. Marmo, BA, MPA
•James P. McConnell, LPN, EMT
•Kathy McCormick, RN, WCC
•Michael Plante, RRPT
•Cynthia Pope, LPN
•Francine Rivenburgh, LPN
•Paul Scarpati, MS, OTR/L
•Rick Soshensky, MA, MT-BC, NRMT
•Janine Williams, BA
•Val Zocchi, MS, RN

Northeast Center for Special Care Program Director Gerry Brooks noted: "Our talented and dedicated staff at Northeast Center have worked to be the best in the field of brain injury rehabilitation; on behalf of the people we serve, congratulations to all of you for achieving this great distinction."

In furtherance of its mission, the Northeast Center for Special Care has a fully resourced staff inservice educational program. In addition to the two CBIST trainers, it staffs two full-time Nurse Trainers, regularly enrolls its staff in specialized regional, state and national trainings and conferences, and maintains one of the country's most extensive digital resource libraries and databases in the field of brain injury rehabilitation. For the past three years, the Center has developed and sponsored the annual Mid-Hudson Brain Injury Rehabilitation Conference, which has been attended by clinicians from all over the United States. The conferences have presented educational sessions by noted experts in the area of traumatic brain injury rehabilitation, including experts on staff at the Center.

Northeast Center for Special Care is a state-of-art rehabilitation program for individuals with brain injury, neurobehavioral disorders, spinal cord injury, and ventilator dependency. Established in 1999, it is located on a 39-acre campus in the beautiful Hudson Valley. The mission of Northeast Center for Special Care is rehabilitation, recovery and community reentry for individuals with disabilities. Since its inception, hundreds of individuals have "graduated" from its programs and have moved on to integrated settings in their communities. Northeast Center has been honored with numerous awards including: The New York State Health Facilities Association (NYSHFA) Clinical and Quality Services Committee 2007 Innovative Practices Award, The Advance Magazine Award for Innovative Clinical Program, The American Association for Respiratory Care Quality Respiratory Care Recognition Award for 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, The Gateway Community Industries Employer of the Year award and the Mid-Hudson Employment Alliance Outstanding Employer of Individuals with Disabilities.

###