Attention: Assignment Editor, City Editor, Health/Medical Editor, News Editor, Sports Editor DR. JAY LEADS THE WAYÂ In Helping Families Fight Cancer with Dignity and Determination with two initiatives &#194

Attention: Assignment Editor, City Editor, Health/Medical Editor, News Editor, Sports Editor DR. JAY LEADS THE WAYÂ… In Helping Families Fight Cancer with Dignity and Determination with two initiatives Â

Mississauga, Ontario, June 16 /PR Direct/ - * The Dr. Jay Golf Classic features a draw for a "Million Dollar Hole In One." This shot takes place, June 21, at 10:30 a. m. at the Lionhead Golf Course in Brampton * And introducing the Dr. Jay Charitable Foundation

(PRWEB) June 20, 2004

The year was 1996, when four avid long-time golfing buddies finished another 18 holes. While relaxing in the club house they came up with the idea of hosting a charity golf tournament. This was the beginning of the Dr. Jay Golf Classic. One small idea spawned a golf tournament that has currently raised in excess of $1,200,000.00, with all proceeds donated to charity.

June 21st marks the 9th annual Golf Tournament, to be held at the Lionhead Golf Course, in Brampton. There's plenty of action and plenty of prizes including a Million Dollar Hole in One. The Million Dollar Hole in One shot will take place at 10:30 a. m., June 21 during the Dr. Jay Golf Classic at Lionhead Golf Course. "Pinball" Clemons and Mike Bullard will also be on hand to catch the action. Golf registrations are still being accepted and reservations are filling up quickly so to ensure your spot plan to book right away. Corporate sponsorships have been increasing each year and a few are still available. The Dr. Jay Golf Classic is a great way to spend a day and it's for a very good cause.

This successful annual golf tournament was the spring-board for establishing the Dr. Jay Charitable Foundation. Their mission is "Helping Families Fight Cancer with Dignity and Determination." The foundation primarily assists patients and/or their families to understand and cope with cancer-related and life limiting illnesses.

A sampling of the Foundation initiatives includes:

Establishing and maintaining children's playcare centres in hospitals. Assisting patients with life-limiting illnesses. Providing much needed funds to numerous hospitals and organizations that make a difference in the fight against cancer.

The hospitals and various facilities that benefit from The Foundation's fund raising activities are as follows:

Camp Oochigeas Canuck Place Hill House Hospice Hospice Richmond Hill Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group North York General Hospital Princess Margaret Hospital/Ontario Cancer Institute Rose Cherry's Home for Kids Rouge Valley Health System Toronto Hospital for Sick Children Toronto-Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Center Wellspring Cancer Support Foundation

Setting up strategic alliances and sponsorships within the corporate community has been their recent mandate. Leading corporations have sponsored events and donated funds as well as products and services that greatly assist with the expansion of The Dr. Jay Charitable Foundation's many programs. Celebrities and sports spokesmen and women have been welcomed aboard.

The Chairman and Founder is Dr. Jay Bacher, a former dentist. Dr. Jay is well aware that families desperately need help when a child is diagnosed with Cancer and is faced with a life limiting situation. As a result he has established the Dr. Jay Pediatric Palliative Care program. This program is designed to assist families and empower them to manage and cope during the last stages of their child's life. The Foundation provides ongoing funding for Pediatric Palliative Care in Canada. Kids still require care even when a cure is not possible.

Another Foundation principal is Bob Goodman, who is a lawyer. He is also a Co-Founder and Corporate Donations Chairman. Bob says, "In order to continue our initiatives working with adults and kids alike we require the necessary funding to sustain our many programs. That's my job, and I love it getting out in the community and meeting with corporate leaders for the purpose of fund raising."

Stuart Weinstein is Director of Development. He mentions, "My role with The Foundation is to open new doors, and steer the foundation down an innovative path. I'm the "idea man." I also ensure that everything comes together and that our North York-based office runs smoothly and efficiently."

The Foundation is proud of their "user friendly" website and invites you to log on to the site. It has been fully expanded. It now incorporates many photos and includes all aspects of the foundation, everything from the posting of events to rich, background history. Through recently expanded marketing and promotional initiatives, one of the long term goals will most certainly be achieved. That is, to take the Dr. Jay Charitable Foundation clear across Canada.

Of course, at the heart of the organization, The Foundation wishes to acknowledge and thank a number of wonderful, caring individuals. These folks are the 'back-bone' of the Foundation, the people who "go the extra mile" and give generously of their time and talent to expand and meet the on-going commitments.

If you wish to register for The Dr. Jay Golf Classic scheduled for June 21 or require more information or plan to donate, please contact The Dr. Jay Charitable Foundation office at: (416) 226-6164 or check out the website at: www. drjayfoundation. com

COMPANY: Dr. Jay Charitable Foundation

PROVINCE/STATE: ON

INDUSTRY: HEALTH MEDIA SPORTS OTHER

AJWS Responds to Floods in Haiti and the Dominican Republic

AJWS Responds to Floods in Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Global organization supports local partners addressing immediate needs and advancing long-term community development goals.

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 12, 2008

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) today announced that it will be responding to the humanitarian crises in Haiti and the Dominican Republic following Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike. AJWS (http://www. ajws. org) is an international development organization motivated by Judaism's imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality.

Partnering with community-based agencies throughout Haiti and the Dominican Republic, AJWS supports grassroots human rights and community development projects that are designed, implemented and managed by the organized poor.

Since late August 2008, heavy wind and rain, floods and mudslides in Haiti (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Haiti) and the Dominican Republic (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Dominican_Republic) have killed approximately 1,500 people and have cut off ground access to 40,000 people due to washed out bridges and roads. While many still have not recovered from last year's extremely active hurricane season, continued storms have left close to one million homeless.

The hurricanes have had a significant impact on Haitian farmers and rural communities where more than 50,000 families have lost access to their agricultural production. The people that are predominately affected by the storms in the Dominican Republic include the Haitian and Haitian-Dominican population, a community already grappling with disproportionate poverty and a lack of infrastructure. Haitian and Haitian-Dominicans are excluded from government sponsored initiatives and services because they are not legally recognized or considered a minority or ethnic group.

-- Programs funded by AJWS in Haiti provide access to new technology and training to enable agricultural cooperatives; technical support and resources to strengthen peasant organizations addressing agricultural productivity and food security; and health literacy and business skills training to clients of village banks.

-- Programs funded by AJWS in the Dominican Republic are driven by the priorities of Haitian-Dominican communities struggling to secure basic civil and political rights and legal protections. AJWS helps Haitian-Dominican organizations to integrate health services--including HIV prevention, testing and treatment--into their ongoing human rights work. Increasingly AJWS is in a position to foster strategic alliances between its grantees and other international development agencies for networking, service referrals and learning opportunities.

Regarding the recent hurricanes, AJWS is raising awareness and collecting funds in the Jewish community for emergency response efforts undertaken by its grantees. AJWS is partnering with two grantees in Haiti to provide agricultural inputs and infrastructure reconstruction support to women and farming families most affected by the flooding. AJWS emergency grants will not only meet some of the immediate needs of the affected communities but will also advance their long-term development goals, especially as they relate to reducing disaster vulnerability.

"The situation in Haiti is dire and as Jews it is our responsibility to respond however we can," said AJWS President Ruth W. Messinger. "Communities in the developing world are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. Our grantmaking philosophy is to listen to the expertise of the groups we already support in these locations. This level of partnership allows us to help communities address their needs quickly and effectively when disaster strikes."

For more information or to donate click here (https://secure. ajws. org/site/Donation2?df_id=1800&1800.donation=form1).

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More Intelligence Needed at the Core of Healthcare IT Systems

More Intelligence Needed at the Core of Healthcare IT Systems

If healthcare providers are to cope with the data received from the increasing number of wireless diagnostic and monitoring devices, more intelligence must be added to the core of their IT systems. A report identifies a number of key intelligent software components that are currently under development.

Cambridge, UK (PRWEB) September 21, 2006

If healthcare providers are to cope with the data received from the increasing number of wireless diagnostic and monitoring devices, more intelligence must be added to the core of their IT systems. That is the one of the conclusions of a report recently published by Cambridge UK based analysts Wireless Healthcare.

The report sees manufacturers continuing to push wireless medical devices into the consumer electronics market. Wireless Healthcare acknowledges that this will help move care to the edge of the healthcare network, yielding cost savings and delivering services to patients currently overlooked by incumbent providers. However, it also warns that without intelligent software applications to handle data collected from wireless monitoring devices, clinicians will become overloaded and patients’ expectations of the system will not be met.

As Peter Kruger, Senior Analyst with Wireless Healthcare points out. “This is rather like an online banking service without software to analyse a customer’s loan application. It is not difficult to imagine what would happen if every time an online customer put in a request for a loan it had to be read and approved by a manager.”

The report identifies a number of key intelligent software components that are currently under development, but casts doubt on whether these will fit with the IT infrastructure being installed by major healthcare providers such as the UK’s NHS.

The three components are:

Analytical engines.

Diagnostic tools.

Disease monitoring software.

Wireless Healthcare sees these components as complicated and expensive to build using the ‘big bang’ approach to healthcare IT. The report found that most applications are being developed as part of small-scale initiatives -- even where large IT vendors are involved.

Wireless Healthcare sees some of these intelligent healthcare applications supporting services that expand outside of the incumbent healthcare provider’s domain. As Kruger points out “This could lead to a number of integration issues down the line. Over and above technical considerations, clinicians may feel their jobs are under threat and that healthcare services are being privatised by the back door.”

The report “Wireless Based Remote Monitoring And Diagnostics” is available from www. wirelesshealthcare. co. uk

About Wireless Healthcare

Wireless Healthcare are UK based analysts specialising in the application of mobile and wireless technology in the healthcare sector.

Www. wirelesshealthcare. co. uk

For further details contact:

Toby Jackson

Wireless Healthcare

Tjackson @ steinkrug. co. uk

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As Hospitals Struggle with New HIT Challenges, Performance Clinical Offers a Simple, Innovative Approach for Evidence-based Medicine, Decision Support, and Documentation

As Hospitals Struggle with New HIT Challenges, Performance Clinical Offers a Simple, Innovative Approach for Evidence-based Medicine, Decision Support, and Documentation

Company appoints new CEO, changes name to reflect accelerated market response for its rapidly deployable, high-impact, and budget-sensitive tools to drive clinical performance improvement. Physician-friendly design fits directly within existing workflows for admissions, discharges, and transitions of care.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 21, 2010

Performance Clinical Systems (www. performanceclinical. com), formerly Stepping Stone Clinical Systems, today named Brian O'Neill as CEO. Mr. O'Neill is a seasoned executive with a track record of successfully growing technology and healthcare information companies. He joins Performance Clinical at a critical time when hospitals and physicians must meet increasingly stringent targets for quality, safety and value delivered. Mr. O’Neill brings a customer-focused approach for leading the company to leverage its core technologies with timely and effective solutions for addressing these critical needs.

“Healthcare organizations universally recognize that evidence-based best practice leads to better outcomes. Unfortunately, as busy providers constantly strive to deliver the best care, they are often unable to incorporate this knowledge into their own practices in a practical way. Our physician-designed approach lets them focus on superlative care without being hampered by complex, intrusive technologies,” said Mr. O'Neill.

"As importantly, unlike more complex and expensive HIT systems, our flagship application, SmartOrders (TM), is browser-based and does not require a 'big bang' workflow cutover. Rollout can occur at a gradual pace, custom-fit for each hospital, and launching with as few as one or two key physicians or admitting groups in a matter of weeks. The result is a Hospital Performance Improvement Toolkit that can be deployed quickly with or without a full EMR solution in place at a fraction of the cost,” Mr. O'Neill noted.

For the past five years, Performance Clinical's approach has proven popular and rapidly adopted among physician users—crucial to any solution's success—for two reasons: First, SmartOrders is minimally disruptive to existing workflows, enabling quick integration without a lot of change management overhead. Second, SmartOrders is MD-designed (by company co-founder and chief scientist, Chris Johnson, MD, MPH), so physician users are treated to an experience that reflects how they intuitively approach each step of the order-writing process. The short learning curve translates into training that clocks in at less than 15 minutes per user.

"With the challenges posed by healthcare reform and ‘meaningful use’ requirements, as well as the arrival of new models for care delivery which are driving hospital performance strategies such as accountable care organizations and bundled payments, the unique dynamic feedback loop in our platform provides a key component to optimize care and performance. Performance Clinical is focused on enabling hospitals to quickly, often instantly, make significant improvements in many care delivery scenarios," notes company chairman and co-founder, Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH.

"Administrators and quality managers pursuing improvement goals can go from dashboard to detail views as they dissect content relevance and individual physician usage patterns. We find this of particular interest to key stakeholders charged with optimizing clinical performance, and we're delighted Brian is on board to thread the intricacies of that strategic direction across our market segments," Dr. Nobel added.

About Performance Clinical Systems

Performance Clinical Systems is a healthcare technology company based in San Francisco, California and Boston, Massachusetts. Its flagship application, SmartOrders, is an “advanced order set management system” that adds precision and consistency to evidence-based medicine, provides dynamic decision support directly at the point of care, and gathers essential data for advanced analytics and quality improvement. The company’s solutions are attractive to key stakeholders because they are quickly embraced by end-users, deployed rapidly (within weeks, not months), are a fraction the cost of enterprise-wide HIT systems, and contribute significantly to a hospitals ability to meet “meaningful use” requirements.

The SmartOrders application, with its modular configuration and browser-based interface, is powerful in its simplicity, highly scalable, supports virtually any content source, and works within virtually any technical infrastructure.

Performance Clinical's customers include hospitals, health systems and health plans. Chris Johnson, MD, MPH and Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH founded the privately held company in 2004.

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American Kidney Fund’s Kidney Hero Podcast Series Celebrates Iraq War Veteran, Other Heroes Living with Kidney Disease

American Kidney Fund’s Kidney Hero Podcast Series Celebrates Iraq War Veteran, Other Heroes Living with Kidney Disease

The American Kidney Fund (AKF) recently released its newest installment in the Kidney Heroes podcast series. The podcast recognizes Sergeant Scott Blaylock, a veteran of the Iraq War who is living with kidney disease.

Rockville, MD (PRWEB) July 13, 2010

The American Kidney Fund (AKF) recently released its newest installment in the Kidney Heroes podcast series. The podcast recognizes Sergeant Scott Blaylock, a veteran of the Iraq War who is living with kidney disease.

Scott shares his challenges of maintaining kidney health while serving military duty in Mosul, Iraq. Like many, Scott was unaware of the risks of kidney disease and the silent nature of the condition. During a routine Army physical prior to deployment, Scott learned that he had high blood pressure. A subsequent test revealed his kidneys were functioning at less than 50% of capacity. By watching his diet and maintaining a regular exercise routine, Scott managed his kidney disease and was able to fulfill his military duty. He is now an advocate for kidney disease prevention and awareness.

“I congratulate Scott and all of the AKF Kidney Heroes and thank them for helping others by sharing their powerful and unique stories,” said LaVarne A. Burton, President and CEO of the American Kidney Fund. “I hope their stories can inspire others the way they have inspired me.”

The American Kidney Fund's Kidney Heroes podcast series honors people who are making a difference in the fight against kidney disease. The entire series is available for download on the American Kidney Fund Kidney Heroes podcast page or on iTunes. Previous installments in the Kidney Heroes podcast series feature the following heroes:
 Kodey Weir, a winner of the American Kidney Fund 2010 Calendar Kids Art Contest, an annual search for drawings to illustrate the organization’s wall calendar. His artwork is published on the December page of the nationally distributed calendar.  Pat Meyers, an AKF Patient Advocate, who recently traveled to Washington, DC, for World Kidney Day on the Hill, where she met with congressional leaders to raise awareness about kidney disease.  Doug Penrod, a Registered Nurse and kidney donor. Doug’s passion for nephrology, his selfless sacrifice, and his compassion for kidney patients make him an American Kidney Fund Kidney Hero. For more information about the American Kidney Fund, visit www. kidneyfund. org.

About the American Kidney Fund
The mission of the American Kidney Fund is to fight kidney disease through direct financial support to patients in need; health education; and prevention efforts. As the nation’s No. 1 source of treatment-related financial assistance to kidney patients, the American Kidney Fund in 2009 provided charitable grants totaling nearly $155 million to more than 87,000 dialysis patients in all 50 states. The American Kidney Fund reaches tens of thousands of individuals each year with information about kidney health; operates a kidney disease screening program targeting high-risk populations; and maintains a toll-free HelpLine (866-300-2900) which provides education about kidney disease. The American Kidney Fund is a seven-time recipient of the highest “Four Star” rating from Charity Navigator; holds an A+ rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy; adheres to the National Health Council Standards of Excellence; and is a member of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. For more information, visit www. kidneyfund. org.

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FlexRN Nurse Staffing Agency Prepares Nurses for Demands of Latest Health Care Reform

FlexRN Nurse Staffing Agency Prepares Nurses for Demands of Latest Health Care Reform

Nurse staffing agency, FlexRN, announces its plans to help agency nurses prepare for expected impacts of the newly adopted U. S. Health Care Reform legislation. Current healthcare reform legislation indicates that more patients are likely to seek healthcare, which will create a higher demand for nursing services.

Stafford, VA (PRWEB) May 10, 2010

Nurse staffing agency, FlexRN, announces its plans to help agency nurses prepare for expected impacts of the newly adopted U. S. Health Care Reform legislation. With greater access to healthcare being facilitated by the legislation, FlexRN anticipates an increase in demand for agency nursing among hospitals and urgent care providers. Because of this, the company is stepping up efforts to help nurses understand how the legislation may affect their nursing careers.

Current healthcare reform legislation indicates that more patients are likely to seek healthcare, which will create a higher demand for nursing services. Typically when nursing services are in high demand nurses gain greater control over their careers. In this case, FlexRN anticipates the nursing demands to be filled more by agency nurses, and less by staff nurses. As such, the company seeks to help agency nurses leverage the opportunity to build a beneficial career – for themselves and the hospitals they serve.

Executive Director of FlexRN, Diana O’Toole-Moncure, comments, “With uncertainty over how the legislation will ultimately impact hospitals from a financial standpoint, there will be added complexity to how hospitals respond to the demand for more nurses. We expect hospitals will increasingly turn to agency nurses as a way to mitigate uncertainty and remain responsive to patient demands.”

With agency nursing, hospitals can maintain complete flexibility by adjusting their staff counts up or down on a daily or seasonal basis -- without obligation. The right nurse staffing agency can enable hospitals to avoid the average $40,000 cost of hiring a nurse staffer and instead rely on per diem, contract, or travel nurses to fill their needs on demand.

FlexRN will be offering free advice and information to help nurses manage their careers during this new era of healthcare via the company’s website at www. flexrn. com.

About FlexRN:

FlexRN is a nurse staffing agency (http://www. flexrn. com) that is managed by nurses for nurses. The company maintains a strong commitment to put the needs of nurses on par with the needs of hospitals and urgent care facilities to deliver a win-win for both. The company’s per diem staffing opportunities are currently available in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, with additional locations coming soon. Travel nursing jobs are available nationwide. FlexRN nurses are offered standout wages and comprehensive benefits, a personal scheduler, and flexible shifts and hours. Interested nurses are encouraged to visit www. FlexRN. com to learn about agency nursing jobs (http://www. flexrn. com) and travel nursing jobs (http://www. flexrn. com), talk with a staffing expert, or apply to become a FlexRN nurse.

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Walgreens Offers Help Sorting Through Changes to Medicare Part D Plans : Free personalized report available at every Walgreens makes it easier for seniors to identify their best choices for prescription coverage

Walgreens Offers Help Sorting Through Changes to Medicare Part D Plans : Free personalized report available at every Walgreens makes it easier for seniors to identify their best choices for prescription coverage

The six-week open enrollment period for Medicare Part D is under way and seniors are facing the annual task of evaluating prescription plans to nail down their choices for the coming year. Medicare enrollees have until Dec. 31 to review their current plan for any changes in cost or coverage and make certain it still meets their needs. Again this year, Walgreens pharmacists will be one of the best resources for Medicare information, offering a free personalized report that makes it easier for seniors and caregivers to weigh their options.

DEERFIELD, Ill. (PRWEB) November 19, 2008

The report is available in minutes at any of the more than 6,500 Walgreens pharmacies nationwide or online at Walgreens. com/medicare. Pharmacists will enter a list of the patient's medications and generate a printout detailing each plan's estimated annual costs including monthly premiums, brand and generic co-pays and coverage through the coverage gap or "donut hole".

"We urge people not to assume their plans will remain the same for 2009," said Kermit R. Crawford, Walgreens senior vice president of pharmacy. "Many plans have made significant increases in premiums or changes to medications covered. Our report simplifies the decision-making process by providing information tailored for each individual in a way that makes it easy to compare options."

Even if there have not been changes to their current plan, seniors are encouraged to consider how their needs may have evolved over the year and how their plan measures up against others available. Walgreens also recommends that seniors who switch plans or those enrolling in Part D for the first time do so well before the Dec. 31 deadline in order to ensure processing is complete before they need to refill prescriptions in early January.

Walgreens pharmacists can also help seniors determine whether they may qualify for the Extra Help subsidy. Patients who meet certain income requirements may be eligible for lower co-payments.

"We understand this decision can be overwhelming for both seniors and caregivers. We are working to make sure people don't miss out on significant savings because they don't understand how to evaluate their options," said Crawford. "We want seniors to know there's a plan out there that will work for them, and we can help them find it."

For more information on the personalized report and Medicare Part D counseling services available at Walgreens, contact your local store or go to www. walgreens. com/medicare (http://www. walgreens. com/medicare).

Walgreens (www. walgreens. com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2008 sales of $59 billion. The company operates 6,544 drugstores in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Walgreens provides the most convenient access to consumer goods and cost-effective health care services in America through its retail drugstores, Walgreens Health Services division and Walgreens Health and Wellness division. In addition to specialty pharmacy services, Walgreens Health Services assists pharmacy patients and prescription drug and medical plans through Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. (a pharmacy benefit manager), Walgreens Mail Service Inc., Walgreens Home Care Inc. and SeniorMed LLC (a pharmacy provider to long-term care facilities). Walgreens Health and Wellness division includes Take Care Health Systems, which is comprised of: Take Care Consumer Solutions, managers of 273 convenient care clinics at Walgreens drugstores, and Take Care Employer Solutions, managers of worksite-based health and wellness services at 366 employer campuses.