26
Oct
2004
• The Bettendorf Rotary Club has brought Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to elementary and middle schools in the Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley school districts - a $24,000 effort made possible with the help of generous donations and a successful program already in place at the Genesis Heart Institute. Since the fall of 2001, the Genesis Heart Institute in cooperation with Medtronic Physio-Control, the manufacturer of the LIFEPAK AED, has donated more than 40 of the life-saving devices to many Quad Cities-area businesses, schools, and law-enforcement agencies. The program's goal: to make AEDs as common as fire extinguishers. To kick off the latest effort, Genesis donated two AEDs; the Scott County Regional Authority gave $12,000; the foundation for Rotary District 6000 donated $3,000; and Bettendorf Rotary members gave individual donations totaling $2,000. The Bettendorf Rotary Club made up the $4,000 balance to purchase the AEDs. Through the program, AEDs have been placed at public places such as the Quad City International Airport, Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre, St. Ambrose University, CASI, and golf courses, and have been donated to several area police and fire departments, including Bettendorf, Blue Grass, Eldridge, Long Grove, LeClaire, Silvis, and Princeton. The devices, already in place at Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley high schools, provide an electrical shock that restores the heart's normal rhythm, increasing the victim's chance of survival by more than 90 percent.
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) reports that the Food & Drug Administration has approved the use of an implantable computer chip for health-care information applications. VeriChip is a radio frequency identification (RFID) device about the size of a grain of rice. Each chip contains a unique verification number that is revealed by passing a scanner over the chip. This unique number in turn links to a medical record (blood type, patient's allergies, prior treatments, etc.) stored on a database. The chip manufacturer claims that the chip, by disclosing a patient's medical information to doctors with an RFID reader, could save lives and limit injuries from errors in medical treatment. Although the RFID tag in the VeriChip is passive at this stage of the technology - which makes it impossible for current RFID readers to scan the chip from more than a few feet away - progress could soon make a chip active. This would enable the chip to broadcast radio waves, allowing for human tracking on a permanent basis without requiring the presence of a scanner. The chips have already been used in recent years for non-medical purposes. Once implanted, a VericChip could threaten an individual's right to privacy if he or she is not able to remove the chip or prevent further scanning of the chip. For more information about VeriChip, see EPIC's VeriChip page at (http://www.epic.org/privacy/rfid/verichip.html).
• Mediacom Communications has announced that the 2004 presidential and vice-presidential debates are available as part of its "On Demand" offerings. On Demand service offers digital-cable customers the ability to order movies, specials, and television programs anytime they desire. In addition, viewers have the ability to pause, rewind, and fast-forward the program while watching. The September 30, October 8, and October 13 presidential debates and the October 4 vice-presidential debate have been provided by C-SPAN. The debates are available at no charge to all digital-cable subscribers in areas where On Demand service is available. The debates will be available for viewing until Election Day, November 2.
• The 3rd Annual "Moondance for Karli Rose Kell" raised $1,890 to benefit the music-scholarship fund at Rock Island High School, restoring the current fund balance to over $4,300. This year's benefit was held at the River Music Experience in Davenport on Saturday, October 16, and featured a variety of musical performers, bands, and raffle-prize drawings throughout the day. Those who would still like to contribute to or find out more about the Karli Rose Kell Memorial Scholarship Fund can do so by visiting (http://www.risd41.org/ri/organizations/rima/karlikell.html) on the Web. Donation checks can be made out to "Karli Rose Kell Memorial Scholarship Fund," and mailed to Rock Island Music Association; P.O. Box 5111; Rock Island IL 61204-5111.
• From November 12 through 14, the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau will receive 15 percent of all sales at Borders Books Music Cafe, 4000 East 53rd Street in Davenport, upon presentation of a certificate to cashier. Certificates are available at the bureau, 2021 River Drive in Moline.
• The clinical-skills laboratory for nurses at Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences has received a donation of state-of-the art oxygen-monitoring equipment and additional educational resources valued at more than $5,000. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) have partnered with Nellcor to donate pulse oximeters and educational resources to 70 schools of nursing in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each selected school will also have access to the expertise of Nellcor's field-based team of hospital clinical consultants. Pulse oximeters are routinely used in critical-care units and increasingly in many other patient-care areas. Pulse oximeters offer a cost-effective way to measure a patient's heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the blood; these readings are done without piercing the skin.
• The Quad City International Airport posted another record month with its best September in history. The airport enplaned 35,929 passengers, breaking the September 2003 record of 32,418 passengers. Eight out of nine months for 2004 have been record-setting for the airport, with July 2004 being the all-time best month ever.
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) reports that the Food & Drug Administration has approved the use of an implantable computer chip for health-care information applications. VeriChip is a radio frequency identification (RFID) device about the size of a grain of rice. Each chip contains a unique verification number that is revealed by passing a scanner over the chip. This unique number in turn links to a medical record (blood type, patient's allergies, prior treatments, etc.) stored on a database. The chip manufacturer claims that the chip, by disclosing a patient's medical information to doctors with an RFID reader, could save lives and limit injuries from errors in medical treatment. Although the RFID tag in the VeriChip is passive at this stage of the technology - which makes it impossible for current RFID readers to scan the chip from more than a few feet away - progress could soon make a chip active. This would enable the chip to broadcast radio waves, allowing for human tracking on a permanent basis without requiring the presence of a scanner. The chips have already been used in recent years for non-medical purposes. Once implanted, a VericChip could threaten an individual's right to privacy if he or she is not able to remove the chip or prevent further scanning of the chip. For more information about VeriChip, see EPIC's VeriChip page at (http://www.epic.org/privacy/rfid/verichip.html).
• Mediacom Communications has announced that the 2004 presidential and vice-presidential debates are available as part of its "On Demand" offerings. On Demand service offers digital-cable customers the ability to order movies, specials, and television programs anytime they desire. In addition, viewers have the ability to pause, rewind, and fast-forward the program while watching. The September 30, October 8, and October 13 presidential debates and the October 4 vice-presidential debate have been provided by C-SPAN. The debates are available at no charge to all digital-cable subscribers in areas where On Demand service is available. The debates will be available for viewing until Election Day, November 2.
• The 3rd Annual "Moondance for Karli Rose Kell" raised $1,890 to benefit the music-scholarship fund at Rock Island High School, restoring the current fund balance to over $4,300. This year's benefit was held at the River Music Experience in Davenport on Saturday, October 16, and featured a variety of musical performers, bands, and raffle-prize drawings throughout the day. Those who would still like to contribute to or find out more about the Karli Rose Kell Memorial Scholarship Fund can do so by visiting (http://www.risd41.org/ri/organizations/rima/karlikell.html) on the Web. Donation checks can be made out to "Karli Rose Kell Memorial Scholarship Fund," and mailed to Rock Island Music Association; P.O. Box 5111; Rock Island IL 61204-5111.
• From November 12 through 14, the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau will receive 15 percent of all sales at Borders Books Music Cafe, 4000 East 53rd Street in Davenport, upon presentation of a certificate to cashier. Certificates are available at the bureau, 2021 River Drive in Moline.
• The clinical-skills laboratory for nurses at Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences has received a donation of state-of-the art oxygen-monitoring equipment and additional educational resources valued at more than $5,000. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) have partnered with Nellcor to donate pulse oximeters and educational resources to 70 schools of nursing in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each selected school will also have access to the expertise of Nellcor's field-based team of hospital clinical consultants. Pulse oximeters are routinely used in critical-care units and increasingly in many other patient-care areas. Pulse oximeters offer a cost-effective way to measure a patient's heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the blood; these readings are done without piercing the skin.
• The Quad City International Airport posted another record month with its best September in history. The airport enplaned 35,929 passengers, breaking the September 2003 record of 32,418 passengers. Eight out of nine months for 2004 have been record-setting for the airport, with July 2004 being the all-time best month ever.
