04
Oct
2005
· WQPT, the Quad Cities' PBS affiliate, has added streaming video to its Web site at (http://www.wqpt.org). The videos can be viewed from any computer with an Internet connection and the Quicktime application (standard on most computers). The Web site currently features segments from Quad-City Life & Times, the area's only prime-time, magazine-format program. Funding for the WQPT streaming video project was provided by a grant from the Scott County Regional Authority, and will help WQPT preserve the culture and history of the Quad Cities area for years to come. WQPT is a broadcast service of Black Hawk College, located at the Moline campus.
· Trinity Visiting Nurse & Homecare Association (VNHA) has been acknowledged for placing in the top 150 Lifeline Programs nationwide, for its growth and commitment to helping elders and their families; Trinity VNHA is one of only seven programs nationwide to receive the honor. Lifeline Systems is the largest personal response service in North America, and a service that works in conjunction with one's telephone. Those who subscribe wear a small personal help button on a wrist strap or a neck cord; if a subscriber falls or needs assistance, that person pushes the button for help. Immediately, a trained Lifeline Call Center staff member asks what the problem is and what kind of help is needed. If, after two attempts, the Lifeline staff member does not receive a response, a listed responder is called to check on the subscriber. If the subscriber knows they need immediate medical attention, they can bypass the responders and ask the call center to call 911. Lifeline even works outside. To learn more about Lifeline's personal response and support service, contact Mary Jackson at Trinity VNHA, (309)779-7600.
· Cardiologists at Davenport-based Midwest Cardiovascular Research Foundation are involved in the largest study of its kind to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new gene-transfer procedure, designed to grow new blood vessels in the heart and relieve severe angina associated with advanced coronary artery disease. If successful, this new gene therapy may offer dramatic improvement for the estimated 250,000 patients who are diagnosed each year with severe angina and are no longer candidates for surgery or other conventional treatments. Davenport's Midwest Cardiovascular Research Foundation is one of only 32 U.S. study sites, and the only site in Iowa, to allow patients to enroll in this major clinical study. These patients, often called 'no option,' have coronary artery disease and associated angina that severely limits their physical activities and quality of life. This study, known as GENASIS (Genetic Angiogenic Stimulation Investigational Study), is being watched with great interest by cardiologists worldwide to see if this gene therapy ushers in a new era in treating severe angina. Patients within 200 miles of Davenport may be eligible, and are urged to call 1-877-9ANGINA (877-926-4462) for additional information.
· The Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) recently announced that, following an audit by the federal government, the state owes $6.2 million in misspent funds. According to the federal audit, health-care providers billed the state $10 million for services that either did not exist or did not provide a rehabilitative function. Of this $10 million, the federal government paid $6.2 million, while Iowa taxpayers paid $3.8 million. Iowa taxpayers, however, are now being billed for the additional $6.2 million that was authorized as reimbursable services by DHS. This $10 million was to be spent on rehabilitative services for adults with chronic mental illness.
· Black Hawk College's fall theatre production, The Scottish Play: a Travesty!, will be held in November. It's a new comedy co-authored by Black Hawk College grads Dr. Traci Davis, Paul Ferguson, and Jeremy Koester, and will play on the evenings of November 10, 11,15, 16, and 17 at 7 p.m. The play is a madcap version of Shakespeare's Macbeth, as a community-theatre troupe has everything go topsy-turvy on opening night, and events turn the play into a wacky, melodramatic circus. Tickets go on sale November 1 at the campus bookstore: $4 for students, $5 for the general public. For more information, contact Dan Haughey, Professor of Speech and Theatre Arts, at (309)796-5419.
· This summer, the Illowa Council Boy Scouts of America, based out of Davenport, Iowa, saw a dramatic improvement in their ability to communicate with Scouts and adult volunteers, thanks to a generous gift of computer equipment received through a grant from the Scott County Regional Authority. The grant provided a new computer server to upgrade communications and integrate with the council's existing network. Additional hardware and software was included to insure the council has a stable platform and support system for efficient data backup, data storage, and internal and external communications. The almost 10,000 area Scouts and adult volunteers are already experiencing faster, more secure e-mail communications. The Illowa Council would like to extend its thanks and appreciation to the Scott County Regional Authority for making these improvements possible.
· The Insurance Service Office (ISO) has announced that the Bettendorf Fire Department has received an improved ISO rating of 3. The City of Bettendorf has been rated a 4 for the past decade; the rating in 1990 was 6. There are only 14 other cities in Iowa with a 3 rating, the highest in the state. ISO, a privately-funded company that sets fire-insurance rates for many independent insurance companies, recently conducted a public protection classification survey in Bettendorf, an analysis of the structure fire-suppression delivery system provided in the community. ISO rates communities on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best rating a community can achieve. The new rate may positively impact insurance premium rates for commercial, industrial, and residential property in the City of Bettendorf.
· Trinity Visiting Nurse & Homecare Association (VNHA) has been acknowledged for placing in the top 150 Lifeline Programs nationwide, for its growth and commitment to helping elders and their families; Trinity VNHA is one of only seven programs nationwide to receive the honor. Lifeline Systems is the largest personal response service in North America, and a service that works in conjunction with one's telephone. Those who subscribe wear a small personal help button on a wrist strap or a neck cord; if a subscriber falls or needs assistance, that person pushes the button for help. Immediately, a trained Lifeline Call Center staff member asks what the problem is and what kind of help is needed. If, after two attempts, the Lifeline staff member does not receive a response, a listed responder is called to check on the subscriber. If the subscriber knows they need immediate medical attention, they can bypass the responders and ask the call center to call 911. Lifeline even works outside. To learn more about Lifeline's personal response and support service, contact Mary Jackson at Trinity VNHA, (309)779-7600.
· Cardiologists at Davenport-based Midwest Cardiovascular Research Foundation are involved in the largest study of its kind to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new gene-transfer procedure, designed to grow new blood vessels in the heart and relieve severe angina associated with advanced coronary artery disease. If successful, this new gene therapy may offer dramatic improvement for the estimated 250,000 patients who are diagnosed each year with severe angina and are no longer candidates for surgery or other conventional treatments. Davenport's Midwest Cardiovascular Research Foundation is one of only 32 U.S. study sites, and the only site in Iowa, to allow patients to enroll in this major clinical study. These patients, often called 'no option,' have coronary artery disease and associated angina that severely limits their physical activities and quality of life. This study, known as GENASIS (Genetic Angiogenic Stimulation Investigational Study), is being watched with great interest by cardiologists worldwide to see if this gene therapy ushers in a new era in treating severe angina. Patients within 200 miles of Davenport may be eligible, and are urged to call 1-877-9ANGINA (877-926-4462) for additional information.
· The Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) recently announced that, following an audit by the federal government, the state owes $6.2 million in misspent funds. According to the federal audit, health-care providers billed the state $10 million for services that either did not exist or did not provide a rehabilitative function. Of this $10 million, the federal government paid $6.2 million, while Iowa taxpayers paid $3.8 million. Iowa taxpayers, however, are now being billed for the additional $6.2 million that was authorized as reimbursable services by DHS. This $10 million was to be spent on rehabilitative services for adults with chronic mental illness.
· Black Hawk College's fall theatre production, The Scottish Play: a Travesty!, will be held in November. It's a new comedy co-authored by Black Hawk College grads Dr. Traci Davis, Paul Ferguson, and Jeremy Koester, and will play on the evenings of November 10, 11,15, 16, and 17 at 7 p.m. The play is a madcap version of Shakespeare's Macbeth, as a community-theatre troupe has everything go topsy-turvy on opening night, and events turn the play into a wacky, melodramatic circus. Tickets go on sale November 1 at the campus bookstore: $4 for students, $5 for the general public. For more information, contact Dan Haughey, Professor of Speech and Theatre Arts, at (309)796-5419.
· This summer, the Illowa Council Boy Scouts of America, based out of Davenport, Iowa, saw a dramatic improvement in their ability to communicate with Scouts and adult volunteers, thanks to a generous gift of computer equipment received through a grant from the Scott County Regional Authority. The grant provided a new computer server to upgrade communications and integrate with the council's existing network. Additional hardware and software was included to insure the council has a stable platform and support system for efficient data backup, data storage, and internal and external communications. The almost 10,000 area Scouts and adult volunteers are already experiencing faster, more secure e-mail communications. The Illowa Council would like to extend its thanks and appreciation to the Scott County Regional Authority for making these improvements possible.
· The Insurance Service Office (ISO) has announced that the Bettendorf Fire Department has received an improved ISO rating of 3. The City of Bettendorf has been rated a 4 for the past decade; the rating in 1990 was 6. There are only 14 other cities in Iowa with a 3 rating, the highest in the state. ISO, a privately-funded company that sets fire-insurance rates for many independent insurance companies, recently conducted a public protection classification survey in Bettendorf, an analysis of the structure fire-suppression delivery system provided in the community. ISO rates communities on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best rating a community can achieve. The new rate may positively impact insurance premium rates for commercial, industrial, and residential property in the City of Bettendorf.
