15
Jun
2004
• Trinity Regional Health System has confirmed it will proceed with plans to build a new cardiac-catheterization lab at its Trinity at Terrace Park hospital. The State of Iowa approved Trinity's certificate-of-need filing at a hearing in Des Moines. The approval enables Trinity to begin re-configuring space at its new hospital, which opened in February, to house the lab. Trinity will spend $200,000 for construction and $1.5 million for equipment. The cath lab is expected to be fully operational by January 2005. Mike Wallace, Trinity's vice president of hospital operations, oversees heart-care delivery for the systems and said locating the new lab in Bettendorf, the fastest-growing area of the Quad Cities, was a more cost-effective choice for Trinity than building a fourth lab at its West Campus in Rock Island. Cardiac-cath labs enable cardiologists to diagnose and treat coronary-artery disease by looking inside a patient's arteries and determining an appropriate course of treatment for potential blockages. This could include balloon angioplasty or the deployment of a stent to open the artery.
• Iowa and Illinois are two of many states that as of July 1 will require consumers to pay their local sales-tax rates on everything they buy on the Internet or by mail order. This initiative is called the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, and you can find out more by looking at (http://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/participatingstates.html).
• The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced the continuation of its "Smoking Tailpipe Program." The program was started last summer in an effort to help Iowans protect the quality of the state's air. The Smoking Tailpipe Program is funded by federal transportation grants designed to lessen vehicle emissions and improve auto fuel efficiency. According to DNR, 10 percent of vehicles on the road - those with smoking tailpipes - account for over half of all vehicle emissions. Mechanical failures often lead to partially burned fuel and smoke. If ignored, this will cause engine damage. Unburned fuel is wasted fuel and, with the high price of gasoline, timely repairs will lead to a savings in gasoline usage. Any citizen can call (800)363-7664 to report the license number of an Iowa vehicle that is emitting heavy exhaust. Once DNR receives the notice, educational materials will be sent to the owner of the vehicle. Along with this material, the owner will receive a list of probable causes and coupons from program sponsors to make the repairs more affordable. The choice of making the repairs is up to the owner.
• The Cornbelt Running Club will have a recycling box at the weekly Bix at 6 race-preparation event for used ink-jet and laser cartridges. Old cell phones will also be collected. The club is compensated for the cartridges and cell phones, which helps support programs and races. For more information about the Cornbelt Running Club, look at (http://www.cornbelt.org).
• International Basketball League (IBL) Expansion Coordinator Eric Dunn visited the Quad Cities on June 9 to announce the formation of a local team and to begin the process of locating an ownership group, a venue for play, and players. The IBL will play its first games in April 2005, and the season will run through June. More information on the IBL can be found at (http://www.iblhoopsonline.com).
• Quad Cities SAFE KIDS, Medic EMS, Davenport Fire Department, Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa SAFE KIDS Coalition are working together to educate parents and caregivers about the upgraded child-passenger safety law. An upcoming event is a great opportunity to have your child-safety seats checked and to see if your child needs to be in a booster seat. The State of Iowa recently strengthened its vehicle-restraint requirements for children. Starting July 1, children who are younger than one and weigh less than 20 pounds will have to be secured in a rear-facing safety seat. Children will need to be secured in a safety or booster seat through age five. Use of a booster seat or vehicle seat belt or harness will be required for children ages six through 10. Children ages two through five who are restrained in adult seat belts are three-and-a-half times more likely to suffer a serious head injury than children of the same age restrained in appropriate safety seats. Riding unrestrained is the greatest risk factor for death and injury among child occupants of motor vehicles. The event will also help parents and caregivers determine the correct seats to use for their children. Education about the proper use of child-safety seats, booster seats, and seat belts will be provided. The event will be held on Saturday, June 19, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Medic EMS Eldridge Station (exit 127 from Highway 61/North Brady) and the Davenport Fire Department Station Number 3 at 35th and Harrison. For more information, call Quad Cities SAFE KIDS at (309)792-4890.
• The Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center will continue with blood donations during normal hours through June 19 at its current Davenport location at 3425 East Locust Street. The first day of collections at the new facility at 500 Lakeview Parkway is June 21. Call the Telerecruitment Department at (563)359-5410 extension 119 with any questions. Lakeview Parkway is two blocks east of Utica Ridge Road and on the north side of 53rd Street. You can find a map at blood center's Web site at (http://www.bloodcenter.org).
• Iowa and Illinois are two of many states that as of July 1 will require consumers to pay their local sales-tax rates on everything they buy on the Internet or by mail order. This initiative is called the Streamlined Sales Tax Project, and you can find out more by looking at (http://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/participatingstates.html).
• The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced the continuation of its "Smoking Tailpipe Program." The program was started last summer in an effort to help Iowans protect the quality of the state's air. The Smoking Tailpipe Program is funded by federal transportation grants designed to lessen vehicle emissions and improve auto fuel efficiency. According to DNR, 10 percent of vehicles on the road - those with smoking tailpipes - account for over half of all vehicle emissions. Mechanical failures often lead to partially burned fuel and smoke. If ignored, this will cause engine damage. Unburned fuel is wasted fuel and, with the high price of gasoline, timely repairs will lead to a savings in gasoline usage. Any citizen can call (800)363-7664 to report the license number of an Iowa vehicle that is emitting heavy exhaust. Once DNR receives the notice, educational materials will be sent to the owner of the vehicle. Along with this material, the owner will receive a list of probable causes and coupons from program sponsors to make the repairs more affordable. The choice of making the repairs is up to the owner.
• The Cornbelt Running Club will have a recycling box at the weekly Bix at 6 race-preparation event for used ink-jet and laser cartridges. Old cell phones will also be collected. The club is compensated for the cartridges and cell phones, which helps support programs and races. For more information about the Cornbelt Running Club, look at (http://www.cornbelt.org).
• International Basketball League (IBL) Expansion Coordinator Eric Dunn visited the Quad Cities on June 9 to announce the formation of a local team and to begin the process of locating an ownership group, a venue for play, and players. The IBL will play its first games in April 2005, and the season will run through June. More information on the IBL can be found at (http://www.iblhoopsonline.com).
• Quad Cities SAFE KIDS, Medic EMS, Davenport Fire Department, Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa SAFE KIDS Coalition are working together to educate parents and caregivers about the upgraded child-passenger safety law. An upcoming event is a great opportunity to have your child-safety seats checked and to see if your child needs to be in a booster seat. The State of Iowa recently strengthened its vehicle-restraint requirements for children. Starting July 1, children who are younger than one and weigh less than 20 pounds will have to be secured in a rear-facing safety seat. Children will need to be secured in a safety or booster seat through age five. Use of a booster seat or vehicle seat belt or harness will be required for children ages six through 10. Children ages two through five who are restrained in adult seat belts are three-and-a-half times more likely to suffer a serious head injury than children of the same age restrained in appropriate safety seats. Riding unrestrained is the greatest risk factor for death and injury among child occupants of motor vehicles. The event will also help parents and caregivers determine the correct seats to use for their children. Education about the proper use of child-safety seats, booster seats, and seat belts will be provided. The event will be held on Saturday, June 19, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Medic EMS Eldridge Station (exit 127 from Highway 61/North Brady) and the Davenport Fire Department Station Number 3 at 35th and Harrison. For more information, call Quad Cities SAFE KIDS at (309)792-4890.
• The Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center will continue with blood donations during normal hours through June 19 at its current Davenport location at 3425 East Locust Street. The first day of collections at the new facility at 500 Lakeview Parkway is June 21. Call the Telerecruitment Department at (563)359-5410 extension 119 with any questions. Lakeview Parkway is two blocks east of Utica Ridge Road and on the north side of 53rd Street. You can find a map at blood center's Web site at (http://www.bloodcenter.org).
