(Español) Julio César Díaz Witwicki – Plantea Pasos Clave para Mejorar la Economía Venezolana
Experience Sounds of National Parks In New Happy Birthday PSA From @NatlParkService & @GoParks
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Inspired by the diverse sights and sounds of national parks, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation are proud to release a new series of public service announcements that express the number 100 using park images and sounds to serenade the National Park Service on the occasion of its 100th birthday. Building on the momentum of the Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque movement on the eve of National Park Week (April 16 – 24), these creative pieces take a fresh look at the concept of “Find Your Park” using sound and design elements from some of America’s more than 400 national parks.
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140324/DC89075LOGO
From a whistling ranger to a hooting owl, the :30 and :15 second television spots embrace a variety of sounds found in national parks, edited together to create a celebratory “happy birthday” song. The spots will air as public service announcements beginning in April.
The print versions create a visual “1-0-0” with objects found within national parks including images of natural, historical, and cultural treasures. One design features the Statue of Liberty as a “1,” joined with a light bulb and a turtle as “0’s,” thus celebrating the big “100.” These designs will be seen as print, digital banners, and other placements including bus shelters and billboards in cities across the country. Images can be downloaded at http://prks.org/1qUz1Iq.
Other found sounds and design elements include:
- A tent zipper being opened
- A bee buzzing
- A fly fishing line being cast
- Old Faithful as a 1 and a cannon wheel and formation at Arches National Park as 0’s
“These fun and clever PSAs showcase a wide range of national park experiences,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis, “They invite everyone to join in the centennial party and celebrate these incredible places.”
“Featuring a variety of sights and sounds from America’s national parks, the new song and print creative will catch people’s eyes and broaden their minds about what a park can be,” said Will Shafroth, president of the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. “These fun tributes to the National Park Service Centennial will inspire people to discover how our treasured national parks are vital and relevant to their lives and why they need our support.”
“To wish the National Park Service a happy 100th birthday, we used the parks themselves to deliver the message,” said Sean Crane, Group Creative Director of GREY. “From amazing wildlife, to rangers, to train whistles and even mechanical floor polishers, everyone and everything was in on the action.”
The new creative, designed by Grey NY, demonstrates the countless ways to #FindYourPark. Launched in March 2015, Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque inspires people from all backgrounds to connect with, celebrate, and support America’s national parks and community-based programs. #FindYourPark invites people to discover and share their own unique connections to our nation’s natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history.
Some of the most admired companies in the world are supporting the National Park Foundation’s efforts for Find Your Park, including American Express, Budweiser, Subaru, REI, Humana, and Disney. Additional partners include Coleman and Coca-Cola.
A calendar of events taking place across the country to celebrate the National Park Service Centennial can be found at www.FindYourPark.com/find.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 411 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and INSPIRE the next generation of park stewards. In 2016, commemorating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, the Foundation launched The Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, a $350 million comprehensive fundraising campaign to strengthen and enhance the future of these national treasures for the next hundred years.
ABOUT GREY NY
Grey New York is the flagship headquarters of Grey, the advertising network of Grey Group, which is led by James R. Heekin III, Chairman and CEO. Grey Group ranks among the largest global communications companies. Its parent company is WPP (NASDAQ : WPPGY). Under the banner of “Grey Famously Effective Since 1917,” the agency serves a blue-chip roster of many of the world’s best known companies: Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Diageo, Kellogg’s, Pfizer, Canon, 3M, NFL, Boehringer Ingelheim, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Nestlé, Papa John’s and T.J. Maxx.
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CONTACT: |
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Alanna Sobel |
Beth Stern |
Jenna Newmark |
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National Park Foundation |
National Park Service |
GREY |
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(202) 796-2538 office |
(202) 219-8933 office |
(212) 546-1716 office |
Arbor and Chandan Economics Introduce ALEX Chatter, the Multifamily Industry’s 1st Source for Small Balance Multifamily Research, Analysis & News
UNIONDALE, New York, April 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, one of the nation’s largest direct commercial real estate lenders, has launched ALEX Chatter, the multifamily industry’s first and only source for small balance multifamily investment research, analysis and transaction news. ALEX Chatter was developed as the research and news blog of Arbor LoanExpress, the industry’s first online agency lending platform for multifamily investors, brokers and correspondent lenders. Free to subscribers, ALEX Chatter is designed to fill the information gap that previously existed for the small balance multifamily market, which encompasses typically $1-million to $7-million transactions.
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160414/355409
Featuring exclusive, in-depth, small balance investment and market data from Chandan Economics, ALEX Chatter also offers visitors targeted news covering the sector’s acquisition and financing deals straight from GlobeSt.com plus helpful investment knowledge and advice from Elite Apartment Coaching, a consulting company that helps individuals invest in multifamily real estate.
Please visit ALEX Chatter and discover its latest research, analysis and news, including the Spring 2016 Small Balance Multifamily Investment Trends Report, featuring an examination of financing trends, lending volume, cap rates and debt yields, among other useful data. In addition, please check out the ALEX Chatter Video Introduction, featuring Dr. Sam Chandan.
“For investors, there has historically been a significant amount of quality research available for larger multifamily assets on both a nationwide and market-by-market basis. However, such data does not exist for those multifamily investors targeting smaller, lower-cost assets, leaving them without proper information to back their business strategies,” explained Ivan Kaufman, Chairman and CEO of Arbor. “ALEX Chatter was built to address such a research and data deficiency and enable owners and brokers to make smarter, more informed decisions.”
Chandan Economics is ALEX Chatter’s research partner, and has utilized its expertise as one of the country’s leading providers of commercial real estate mortgage data and analytics to uncover highly targeted information that more accurately and appropriately serves the small balance multifamily market.
“Smaller multifamily assets perform differently than their larger counterparts, both in terms of their investment performance and fundamentals. Up until this point, industry research has focused primarily on larger apartment buildings typically in the urban core. ALEX Chatter breaks new ground in this regard, shedding light on the drivers of smaller property performance,” explained Dr. Sam Chandan, chief economist and founder of Chandan Economics. “More specific research on the small balance market will yield better information on small asset performance, the dynamics of small balance liquidity and borrower needs as well as renter demand and demographics.”
About Us
Founded by Chairman and CEO Ivan Kaufman, Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC and Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC are national direct lenders specializing in loan origination and servicing for multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare and other diverse commercial real estate assets. Arbor is a Top 10 Fannie Mae DUS® Multifamily Lender by volume and a Top Fannie Mae Small Loan lender, a Freddie Mac Program Plus® Seller/Servicer and the Top Freddie Mac Small Balance Loan Lender, a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Seniors Housing Lender, an FHA Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP)/LEAN Lender, a HUD-approved LIHTC Lender as well as a CMBS, Bridge, Mezzanine and Preferred Equity lender, consistently building on its reputation for service, quality and flexibility. Arbor also offers Arbor LoanExpress, an online loan origination and processing platform designed to make multifamily financing easier and quicker for borrowers, brokers and correspondent lenders. With a current servicing portfolio of more than $12 billion, Arbor is a primary commercial loan servicer and special servicer rated by Standard & Poor’s with an Above Average rating. Arbor is also on the Standard & Poor’s Select Servicer List and is a primary commercial loan servicer and loan level special servicer rated by Fitch Ratings.
Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC also manages Arbor Realty Trust, Inc., a real estate investment trust, (REIT), formed to invest in mortgage-related securities, real estate-related bridge, junior participating interests in first mortgages, mezzanine loans, preferred and direct equity investments and in limited cases, discounted mortgage notes and other real estate related assets. Arbor is headquartered in Uniondale, NY, with full-service lending offices throughout the United States. For more information about Arbor, visit www.arbor.com.
Contact: Chris Ostrowski
Tel: (516) 506-4255
[email protected]
Cal/OSHA Cites Santa Barbara Employer $72,735 for Violating Stop-Work Order on Scaffold and Unreported Serious Injuries
SANTA BARBARA, California, April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Cal/OSHA issued citations to DP Investments after the employer violated a stop-work order that was placed on scaffolding at a Santa Barbara construction site to prevent employees from being injured. DP Investments was also cited April 6 for failure to report a workplace injury as required by law.
Cal/OSHA’s Van Nuys office opened an inspection on October 12 after receiving a complaint about the worksite at 1816 State Street, where the Fiesta Inn and Suites were undergoing renovation. Cal/OSHA’s inspector notified the employer, Dario Pini, that the scaffolding on one building put workers in danger of serious injuries as it lacked a ladder for safe access, a guardrail to prevent falls, and base plates to provide a firm foundation on the ground.
The employer was informed that no one would be permitted to use the scaffolding until the hazards were corrected and that the stop order could only be removed by Cal/OSHA. Pini was also advised that removal or defiance of the stop-work order is prohibited by law. A follow-up inspection on October 23 revealed that the stop-work order had been removed from the scaffolding without permission and that employees had resumed working on the structure without any safety modifications.
During the course of the investigation, Cal/OSHA became aware of an unreported injury at the State Street renovation site from late August 2015. A carpenter suffered multiple fractures after falling 11.5 feet onto a cement walkway outside the building when a window grate bolt was removed and the window grating swung open.
“Falls are a leading cause of serious and fatal injuries for employees at construction sites,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum. “This incident serves as a reminder to employers that fall protection must be taken seriously in all parts of a construction project involving elevated work.”
Cal/OSHA cited DP Investments for 12 workplace safety violations, including one willful serious for removing the stop-work order, with a proposed penalty of $54,000. Two serious citations, with penalties of $5,400 each, were issued because rooftop workers were exposed to falls as high as 18 feet without personal fall protection equipment, and the scaffold was not assembled under the direction of a qualified person. Additional citations penalized DP Investment for its failure to provide employees with safe workplace practice information and lack of training for supervisory employees.
A serious violation is cited when there is a realistic possibility that death or serious harm could result from the actual hazardous condition. A willful violation is cited when the employer is aware of the law and violates it nevertheless, or when the employer is aware of the hazardous condition and takes no reasonable steps to address it.
Cal/OSHA investigators filed the case with the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s office, citing the removal of the stop-work order as a criminal offense. In March, the District Attorney’s office announced that Dario Pini entered a plea of no contest and was sentenced to 3 years of probation.
Cal/OSHA offers free publications, including a “Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry,” and a fact sheet on Fall Protection in Construction. These publications allow workers, employers and supervisors to quickly reference key safety requirements in clear, concise terms.
Cal/OSHA helps protect workers from health and safety hazards on the job in almost every workplace in California. Cal/OSHA’s Consultation Services Branch provides free and voluntary assistance to employers and employee organizations to improve their health and safety programs. Employers should call (800) 963-9424 for assistance from Cal/OSHA Consultation Services.
Employees with work-related questions or complaints may contact DIR’s Call Center in English or Spanish at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734). The California Workers’ Information line at 866-924-9757 provides recorded information in English and Spanish on a variety of work-related topics. Complaints can also be filed confidentially with Cal/OSHA district offices.
Members of the press may contact Erika Monterroza or Peter Melton at (510) 286-1161, and are encouraged to subscribe to get email alerts on DIR’s press releases or other departmental updates.
The California Department of Industrial Relations, established in 1927, protects and improves the health, safety, and economic well-being of over 18 million wage earners, and helps their employers comply with state labor laws. DIR is housed within the Labor & Workforce Development Agency. For general inquiries, contact DIR’s Communications Call Center at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734) for help in locating the appropriate division or program in our department.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaDIR
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CA_DIR
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CaliforniaDIR
Subscribe: http://www.dir.ca.gov/email/listsub.asp?choice=1
NHCLC and Planetshakers Partner in Worldwide Latino Outreach
SACRAMENTO, California, April 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC)/CONEL, the world’s largest Hispanic Latino Christian organization, has enlisted Planetshakers, a global evangelical movement empowering individuals, as its official senior collaborator and partner in reaching the next generation of Latinos worldwide with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120912/CL72800LOGO
“Planetshakers – centered in Australia, yet impacting the entire world – without a doubt stands as one of the most recognized next-generation praise, worship and evangelism movements in Christendom,” said Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of NHCLC. “We hope this collaboration brings about the most prominent movement on the planet for Jesus Christ.”
Together, the two organizations will conduct college tours, stadium events and crusades throughout Latin America; extensive social media outreach; and creative and unique television and video content developed for younger audiences and generations.
“We are honored to partner with the National Hispanic Christian Leaders Conference to spearhead a global movement to empower this generation,” said Russell Evans, founder, director and visionary of Planetshakers and senior pastor of Planetshakers Church. “We are excited as this is a God-ordained moment in time. This new partnership will be coordinated in order to facilitate a platform for Latino millennial and post-millennial Latinos to encounter the transformative work that is occurring in their communities.”
NHCLC/CONEL is the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization. It serves as a representative voice for the more than 100 million Hispanic Evangelicals assembled in over 40,000 U.S. churches and another hundreds of thousands of congregations spread throughout the Spanish-speaking diaspora.
The organization emphasizes “7 Directives” of Life, Family, Compassionate Evangelism, Stewardship, Justice, Education and Youth and seeks to reconcile Evangelist Billy Graham’s message of salvation through Christ with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s march of prophetic activism. For additional information, visit http://www.nhclc.org.
Planetshakers is a worldwide movement driven by the desire to empower generations to win generations, and providing an atmosphere where people can encounter God. Based out of Melbourne’s Planetshakers Church, one of Australia’s fastest growing churches in history, the movement’s priority and passion is to reach and impact people, seeing them transformed by the power of God and the love of God’s people.
CVS Pharmacy y más, a New Personalized Shopping Experience for the Hispanic Community, Launches in the Los Angeles Market
LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — CVS Pharmacy has launched CVS Pharmacy y más, a new shopping experience in the Los Angeles market designed to provide enhanced, personalized service to the local Hispanic community. Nine stores in the greater Los Angeles area will have the new format, which includes completely bilingual signage and staff, the addition of more than 1,500 trusted Hispanic products, more competitive pricing on hundreds of products, and new services unique to a national retail pharmacy. The launch of CVS Pharmacy y más in Los Angeles follows the opening of 12 locations in Miami in June of 2015.
“Bringing CVS Pharmacy y más to Los Angeles was a natural next step as part of our goal to better meet the unique needs of our local Hispanic customers,” said Hank Casillas, Area Vice President of CVS Pharmacy. “CVS Pharmacy y más stores are designed to become a one-stop shop for local Hispanic residents to conveniently receive best-in-class pharmacy services, as well as customized products and services, in an environment that feels like home.”
Unique Features to CVS pharmacy y más include:
- Bilingual Customer Service: Fully bilingual associates and signage throughout the store
- New Products:More than 1,500 NEW products throughout the store, including many of the most popular Hispanic brands in categories like groceries, over-the-counter medications, household cleaners, snacks, appliances, cookware, cosmetics, baby, and hair care. More than 300 of the new products introduced will be manufactured in California including El Alteño, Betel, Eternalux Candles, De La Cruz, Don Francisco coffee, La Llave, Bactimicina, Cabellina Shampoo, Doña Remedios teas and Tadin.
- New Fragrance Counter: A new fragrance department, staffed with trained beauty associates, featuring a large assortment of designer fragrances at everyday low prices.
- Enhanced Value: New Lower Prices on hundreds of products throughout the store and more value-sized products. Competitive pricing and more value-size packs on hundreds of products.
- Expanded Services: Bill payments, domestic and international wireless recharge, money transfers, and lottery.
“With CVS Pharmacy y más, we did more than just add more Hispanic products on our shelves. We took a strategic look to truly understand what the Hispanic consumer wanted in a drugstore and how we could fulfill some of their unmet needs,” said Gabe Navarro, Chief of Hispanic Consumer Growth at CVS Pharmacy. “We understand that our Hispanic customers are looking for a more personalized shopping experience where they can find their favorite brands at competitive prices, convenient services, and a higher level of customer service in an envirorment where they feel at home.
CVS Pharmacy y más will also continue to offer CVS Pharmacy’s unique clinical offerings and medication adherence programs designed to improve health outcomes and reduce overall health care costs, innovative online and mobile tools to help patients manage their prescriptions whenever and wherever they want, exclusive private label products that come with a 100% money back guarantee, and the CVS Pharmacy ExtraCare Program, the nation’s largest rewards program that provides customers money back, special savings and offers that are earned by shopping in-store or online at CVS.com.
To celebrate the launch CVS pharmacy y más across the greater Los Angeles area, a grand opening event was held today at one of the stores located in 7101 Atlantic Avenue in Bell, CA.
To further underscore the company’s commitment to increasing access to health care in the community, the CVS Health Foundation presented a $50,000 grant to St. John’s Well Child and Family Center to support underserved pediatric asthma patients in South Los Angeles, a majority of whom are Hispanic. This contribution adds to the $2 million that CVS Health and its Foundation have invested over the past five years in support of non-profits across the greater Los Angeles area, including healthcare non-profits that serve the Hispanic community. The grant was part of the “Innovations in Community Health” program, a three-year, $3 million partnership between the CVS Health Foundation and the National Association of Community Health Centers and will be devoted to help families manage the child’s asthma to ensure optimal health and reduce emergency room visits.
CVS pharmacy y más stores will open through August and include South El Monte, Bell, Walnut Park, Santa Ana, Los Angeles, South Gate, Pico Rivera, Lynwood and Norwalk. For store address and other information about CVS pharmacy y más, visit www.cvs.com/ymas.
About CVS Pharmacy
CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), is America’s leading retail pharmacy with over 9,500 locations. It is the first national pharmacy to end the sale of tobacco and the first pharmacy in the nation to receive the Community Pharmacy accreditation from URAC, the leading health care accreditation organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry. CVS Pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health by providing the most accessible and personalized expertise, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS Pharmacy and CVS Health is available at www.cvshealth.com.
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160414/355640
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160414/355639
(Español) Cienciólogía se Une con Lideres de Sectores Sociales y Expertos pare decir “No a Las Drogas”
Can Your Fitness Tracker (Fitbit®) Save Your Life in the ER?
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Emergency physicians used a patient’s personal activity tracker and smartphone to identify the time his heart arrhythmia started, which allowed them to treat his new-onset atrial fibrillation with electrical cardioversion and discharge him home. The first case report using information in an activity tracker/smartphone system to assist in medical decision-making was reported online Friday in Annals of Emergency Medicine (“Interrogation of Patient Activity Tracker to Assist Arrhythmia Management”).
“Using the patient’s activity tracker – in this case, a Fitbit® – we were able to pinpoint exactly when the patient’s normal heart rate of 70 jumped up to 190,” said corresponding study author Alfred Sacchetti, MD, FACEP of Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, N.J. “The device told us that the patient’s atrial fibrillation was present for only a few hours. That was well within the 48-hour window needed to consider him for rhythm conversion, so we cardioverted him and sent him home.”
A 42-year-old patient with a history of seizures but no history of cardiac disease or prior episodes of atrial fibrillation came to the emergency department following a seizure. He had an irregular heart rate ranging between 130 and 190 beats per minute. He was medicated with oxcarbazepine and diltiazem. His heart rate returned to normal (between 80 and 100 beats per minute) but the atrial fibrillation remained.
The treatment of recent onset atrial fibrillation is electrical cardioversion in any patient who can reliably relate an arrhythmia onset time of within the previous 48 hours. Because the patient was asymptomatic during his current episode of atrial fibrillation, it was not possible to assign an onset time for his arrhythmia.
Emergency department staff accessed the smartphone application connected with his activity tracker and discovered the onset time for his atrial fibrillation was 3 hours prior to coming to the emergency department. After cardioverting the sedated patient, emergency department staff interrogated the smartphone app again, which accurately recorded the change in heart rate consistent with a rhythm change from atrial fibrillation to normal rhythm. The patient was discharged home with instructions to follow up with outpatient cardiology.
“Not all activity trackers measure heart rates, but this is the function of most value to medical providers,” said Dr. Sacchetti. “Dizziness with a heart rate of 180 would be approached very differently from the same complaint with a heart rate of 30. At present, activity trackers are not considered approved medical devices and use of their information to make medical decisions is at the clinician’s own discretion. However, the increased use of these devices has the potential to provide emergency physicians with objective clinical information prior to the patient’s arrival at the emergency department.”
For video showing how an activity tracker and smartphone work together to track a patient’s heart rate, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ickOnY_zTs
For a video demonstration of electrical cardioversion on a patient with atrial fibrillation, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt9kBier_eg
Annals of Emergency Medicine is the peer-reviewed scientific journal for the American College of Emergency Physicians, the national medical society representing emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research, and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies. For more information, visit www.acep.org.
Video – http://youtu.be/7ickOnY_zTs
Video – http://youtu.be/yt9kBier_eg
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Nation’s Ophthalmologists Visit Congress to Address Policy Issues Affecting Medical and Surgical Eye Care
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — More than 400 eye physicians and surgeons representing the American Academy of Ophthalmology are in Washington, D.C., to engage Congress on key issues affecting the care of millions of Americans suffering from eye diseases. The ophthalmologists will visit the offices of the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and all 100 members of the Senate to make their patients’ voices heard on several critical issues that impact the quality of care they are able to receive.
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The Academy is the leading voice for the profession of ophthalmology in Washington. The organization takes an active role in working with Congress and government agencies on policy issues that affect how medical and surgical eye care is provided in the United States. While in the nation’s capital this week, Academy member physicians will work to secure new protections for eye care consumers and access to sight-saving medications, while seeking necessary funding for vision research to drive future innovative treatments.
“Each year, the Academy works on behalf of our patients and our profession to inform our leaders in Congress of the emerging issues that put quality eye care at risk,” said David W. Parke II, M.D., CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “We count on a strong partnership with our nation’s public servants to develop innovative, bipartisan solutions that help to protect sight and empower lives of the patients we serve. By coming to Capitol Hill each year, we ensure that a strong, unified physician voice is informing critical decisions about eye health.”
Among the key issues ophthalmologists are discussing with Congress today and on an ongoing basis are:
Protecting contact lens consumers
The Academy supports the Contact Lens Consumer Health Act, sponsored by Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, R-La. This legislation would protect contact lens consumers and eye care providers from harmful business tactics. It would facilitate a prescriber’s ability to verify and correct patient prescriptions. Additionally, it would put an end to contact lens vendors falsely advertising their ability to sell contact lenses without a prescription.
Increasing funding for military and federal vision research programs
With more than 50 million Americans expected to experience significant eye disease[i] by the year 2020, the Academy is leading the call for more research dollars to be dedicated to the pursuit of new treatments to preserve the sight of these patients. The Academy is a proponent of the Department of Defense’s groundbreaking program to advance medicine’s knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic eye injuries, including penetrating eye injuries, brain injury-related visual dysfunction and vision rehabilitation. The gains made under this program have broad application beyond the military, informing how ophthalmologists care for all patients.
The Academy is also asking Congress to support greater funding levels for federal research led by the National Institutes of Health and National Eye Institute.
Preserving access to ophthalmologists for Medicare patients
Access to care is critical for nearly three million Americans living with glaucoma and the many people who require emergency surgery for retinal detachment. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently enacted dramatic cuts that may limit the availability of these services and timely treatment in some areas. The Academy is asking Congress to help limit these cuts and preserve patient access to care.
Ensuring electronic health records are easy for physicians to use to achieve Medicare’s goal of improved patient outcomes
As electronic health records become more integrated in patient care, the Academy believes that it is important that they work efficiently for Medicare physicians and patients. Any requirements for the use of electronic health records must not prevent physicians from focusing their energies on their patients. Congress has the ability to develop policies that will facilitate physicians’ ability to analyze and share data with other health care providers. This is expected to enable the promise of health care information technology as a powerful tool for facilitating better patient outcomes.
About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, we protect sight and empower lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for our patients and the public. We innovate to advance our profession and to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality eye care. Our EyeSmart® program provides the public with the most trusted information about eye health. For more information, visit www.aao.org.
[i] 50 million Americans expected to experience significant eye disease