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HealthyChildren.org Celebrates Mother's Day With Sweepstakes Event. Fourteen lucky winners will receive an $200 gift card!

ITASCA, ILL. (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
HealthyChildren.org, the official parenting website of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), celebrates moms everywhere with a 7-day Mother's Day Sweepstakes event. Fourteen lucky winners will receive a $200 Amazon.com* gift card. The contest begins May 4 and ends on Mother's Day, May 10, 2020.
Registered users may enter once each day during the event. Winners will be drawn on or about May 11, 2020. Full rules and more information can be found here.
About HealthyChildren.org 
The only parenting website backed by 67,000 AAP member pediatricians, HealthyChildren.org offers trustworthy, up-to-the-minute health advice and guidance for parents and caregivers, along with interactive tools and personalized content. Registered users enjoy a customized home page that features articles geared to the ages of their children. The site also offers a Find a Pediatrician service, an Ask the Pediatrician tool, the KidsDoc Symptom Checker, and more than 5,000 articles on children's health and safety in English and Spanish.
*Amazon.com gift cards are given away on behalf of HealthyChildren.org. Amazon is not a sponsor of this contest.



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A new technique that combines CT and MRI can bolster coronary artery disease diagnosis and help to define appropriate treatment for patients suffering from the disease, according to a new study published, April 16, in the journal Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging.

OAK BROOK, ILL. (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
A new technique that combines CT and MRI can bolster coronary artery disease diagnosis and help to define appropriate treatment for patients suffering from the disease, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging.
Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 18.2 million adults in the United States have coronary artery disease.
CT and MRI are established methods for noninvasive cardiac imaging and evaluation of coronary artery disease. CT is particularly useful for high-resolution images of the coronary anatomy, while cardiac MRI can provide information on blood supply to the heart muscle without exposing patients to ionizing radiation.
Despite their complementary strengths, CT and MRI findings are often analyzed separately, limiting the ability to fully leverage the strengths of the two methods.
"From this experience, the idea came up to fuse information on different pathologic aspects of the disease and to combine them in a single 3D image, which can be interpreted in a very quick but highly accurate fashion," said study lead author, Jochen von Spiczak, M.D., M.Sc., radiologist and computer scientist at Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland.
Existing methods of combining CT and MRI have limitations, as they look at only a limited subset of the many aspects of coronary artery disease. Dr. von Spiczak and colleagues overcame these limitations by developing an approach that depicts all the available information from CT and cardiac MRI in one 3D image.
They compared their approach with conventional 2D readouts in 17 patients who underwent cardiac CT and cardiac MRI due to suspected or known coronary artery disease.
Conventional 2D readout of the images resulted in uncertain findings in eight cases. The new approach helped solve the divergent findings in six of those cases.
Information from the 3D fused image helped correlate specific stenoses, or areas of narrowing in the coronary arteries, and their severity with possible cardiac scar tissue and ischemia—a condition in which parts of the heart muscle don't get enough blood. This could be used to help guide interventional or surgical revascularization procedures like stenting or bypass surgery that improve blood supply to the heart.
"The technique may allow for an easier and possibly more accurate identification of patients and coronary stenoses that are likely to benefit from revascularization," Dr. von Spiczak said. "Applying today's clinical 2D standard led to a substantial number of uncertain findings in our study, whereas most of these divergent findings could be solved when including additional information from CT-derived blood flow estimates information and 3D image fusion."
The study points to a role for the fused approach in complex cases that yield uncertain findings in the first test, such as when results from CT and MRI are inconsistent or even contradictory.
Obstacles to its implementation include higher costs and complexity, problems that may be eased by advances in software, according to Dr. von Spiczak.
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"Multimodal Multiparametric Three-dimensional Image Fusion in Coronary Artery Disease: Combining the Best of Two Worlds." Collaborating with Dr. von Spiczak were Manoj Mannil, M.D., M.Sc., Hanna Model, M.D., Chris Schwemmer, Ph.D., Sebastian Kozerke, Ph.D., Frank Ruschitzka, M.D., Hatem Alkadhi, M.D., M.P.H., and Robert Manka, M.D.
Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging is edited by Suhny Abbara, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (https://pubs.rsna.org/cardiothoracic-imaging)
RSNA is an association of radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)
For patient-friendly information on cardiac CT and MRI, visit RadiologyInfo.org. 

The technique may allow for an easier and possibly more accurate identification of patients and coronary stenoses that are likely to benefit from revascularization.



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Vocareum virtual lab platform provides teams with managed access to AWS-sponsored services and in-kind credits

SAN JOSE, CALIF. (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
Vocareum, an education technology software company, today announced that the company is making their virtual lab environments available to the Global COVID-19 Relief Coalition (GCRC) Hackathon, led by scientists and entrepreneurs at Cornell University, Stanford University Healthcare Innovation Lab, and RoundGlass, and in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The Global COVID-19 Relief Coalition is a federally approved 501 c 3 public charity and is a project of The Giving Back Fund. The GCRC Hackathon is crowdsourcing solutions from people globally in an effort to help develop and deploy technology that could help address the novel coronavirus pandemic and mitigate its effects. Through this collaborative effort, Vocareum and GCRC will be offering hackathon teams with support and technology to prototype, test and implement their solutions on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud. AWS is funding this activity with $180,000 towards in-kind credits.
"The GCRC Hackathon serves as a conduit to connect people with different skills and talent to create meaningful solutions to aid in the fight against COVID-19. Vocareum is playing a key role in making this possible," said Ami Stuart, Tech Events Manager at Entrepreneurship at Cornell, who is leading the hackathon effort. Vocareum's platform streamlines management of teams, distribution of AWS accounts and managing of the AWS credits that power ideas from hackathon teams.
"Vocareum is honored to be working with innovators from AWS, Cornell, the Stanford Healthcare Innovation Lab, and the rest of the GCRC community to help win against this pandemic," said Sanjay Srivastava, CEO of Vocareum. "This is a clear and inspiring example of how our collective creativity and intelligence, vast and unparalleled resources, and drive to succeed can come together to help defeat COVID-19."
To learn more about this Hackathon and get involved, please visit https://hackathon.gogcrc.org/.
About Vocareum 
Vocareum offers a cloud lab platform built specifically for training, research and assessment. The overall architecture combines cost effective compute, powerful assessment capability, and integration into various learning and research workflows. Trusted by top tier universities, online MOOCs and industry partners, our platform capabilities include resource management, collaboration, grading automation, plagiarism detection, and peer reviews for improved course and project management, assessment efficiency and user engagement. To learn more about Vocareum, please visit http://www.vocareum.com.
About The Giving Back Fund 
The Giving Back Fund is a national nonprofit organization that encourages and facilitates charitable giving by professional athletes, celebrities, high net worth individuals, existing nonprofit organizations, corporations and others who truly desire to give back. We provide philanthropic consulting, management and administrative services while operating as a flexible, convenient vehicle for establishing individual foundations and fiscally sponsored projects under a governance structure like that of a community foundation. By offering a straightforward and cost-effective approach to philanthropy, high-level expertise and professional services, and carefully targeted giving opportunities. The Giving Back Fund helps those who want to give back to society and to the communities that have nurtured them.
Contact
For questions relating to the hackathon, please contact gogcrc@gmail.com 
For questions relating to this press release, please contact marketing@vocareum.com

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"This is a clear and inspiring example of how our collective creativity and intelligence, vast and unparalleled resources, and drive to succeed can come together to help defeat COVID-19," said Sanjay Srivastava, CEO of Vocareum.



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Annual Award Recognizes Contributions, Dedication and Leadership in Patient Advocacy

NASHVILLE, TENN. (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
The Patient Advocacy Council of The Beryl Institute presented Ashley Egan, Patient Advocate, Kaiser Permanente, with the 2020 Ruth Ravich Patient Advocacy Award in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to the field of patient advocacy and to fellow patient advocates. Egan was honored with the award at a virtual ceremony on April 14, 2020.
Egan is passionate about her mission to expand patient advocacy in her immediate community and beyond. She leads the Patient and Family Advisory Council for Kaiser Permanente and consistently works with patient and family advisors/partners to develop advocacy in the community. Additionally, she leads an external pilot that expands patient advocacy at Kaiser Permanente and further integrates social needs into advocacy. Egan plans to start a local lunch group for patient advocates in 2020.
"As a patient advocate at Kaiser Permanente and the lead for their Patient Family Advisory Council, Ashley continually assesses how, as a healthcare community, we can inform and improve the patient experience. Her continued work and networking with national healthcare advocacy groups speaks to her passion and commitment to growth and advocacy for our patients," said Kate Clarke, Manager of Patient Relations at Northwestern Medicine and co-chair of the Patient Advocacy Council. "Ashley has made an impact on so many patients and families in her career thus far, and we know there is greater work to come. We wanted to recognize and thank her for all she does every day for those in need."
Awarded annually since 1991, the Ruth Ravich Patient Advocacy Award recognizes individuals whose work supports the vision of bringing the patients' needs to the center of healthcare. Ruth Ravich was the founder and first president of the Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy, now the Patient Advocacy Council of The Beryl Institute. As the profession of Patient Advocacy and patient centered care has evolved, the award has come to also recognize individuals within the Patient Advocacy Council who engage in focused efforts to be of support to fellow Advocates in promoting patient rights and patient centered care.
To learn more about the Patient Advocacy Council of The Beryl Institute, visit: http://www.theberylinstitute.org/page/PACCOUNCIL
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About The Beryl Institute: 
The Beryl Institute is a global community that builds the capacity of organizations to elevate the human experience in healthcare and develops individuals who impact experience excellence. We believe human experience is grounded in experiences of patients & families, those who work in healthcare and the communities they serve.
We define the patient experience as the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organization's culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care. 

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The Patient Advocacy Council of The Beryl Institute presented Ashley Egan, Patient Advocate, Kaiser Permanente, with the 2020 Ruth Ravich Patient Advocacy Award.




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Sanitizer supply supports non-profit in protecting health and safety in childcare facilities during the pandemic

WOODBRIDGE, CONN. (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
P2 Science, Inc. (P2) today announced a partnership with All Our Kin (AOK), a Connecticut based non-profit that trains, supports, and sustains family child care providers to ensure that children and families have the foundation they need to succeed in school and in life. P2 will donate much needed sanitizer directly to childcare facilities that engage with AOK to ensure that they can protect the health and safety of everyone in their programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manufacturing and packaging of the sanitizer has been underway at the P2 Woodbridge, CT facility for a few weeks already and the company has been able to support local workers in their neighborhood. This new partnership with AOK enables P2 to more directly target their donated products at childcare locations that remain open, which have a critical need for sanitization supplies in order to protect everyone's health and safety.
"We're very grateful to be working with P2 in addressing this critical need for childcare programs in Connecticut," said Jessica Sager, Co-Founder and CEO of AOK. Neil Burns CEO of P2 Science, added "It's our pleasure to help by directly engaging with a key non-profit in our local community and directly delivering products to their facilities."
About P2 Science: 
P2 Science is renewable chemistry company. The co-founders of P2, Professor Paul Anastas and Dr. Patrick Foley, worked together at the Yale Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering. P2 has developed and patented green chemistry technologies for converting renewable feedstocks into high-value specialty products. Investors in P2 include BASF Venture Capital, Xeraya Capital, Elm Street Ventures, Connecticut Innovations, Ironwood Capital, HG Ventures and Chanel. The company started up its first manufacturing plant in September of 2018 which produces novel renewable aroma chemicals and cosmetics ingredients. For more information, see http://www.p2science.com
About All Our Kin: 
All Our Kin is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization that trains, supports, and sustains family child care providers to ensure that children and families have the foundation they need to succeed in school and in life. All Our Kin works with approximately 900 family child care providers in Bridgeport, Danbury, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, and surrounding towns in Connecticut as well as the Bronx in New York City. Through All Our Kin's work with providers, they reach over 4,300 children, the majority of whom are infants and toddlers, and who live in overburdened, under-resourced communities.
The All Our Kin model results in a proven triple win: child care professionals succeed as business owners, increasing economic security and opportunity for themselves and their own families; working parents find stable, high-quality early care and education for their children; and children gain an educational foundation that lays the groundwork for achievement in school and in life.



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The Facial & Oral Surgery Center welcomes patients for emergency dental care in Fargo, ND during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FARGO, ND (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
Board-certified oral surgeon, Dr. Michael Noffze, welcomes patients for emergency dental care in Fargo, ND. Always strictly following proper Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, Dr. Noffze and his team are also adhering to recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure the spread of COVID-19 is minimized while the oral and overall health of their patients is protected.
As a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Noffze is experienced in the entire scope of his specialty including facial trauma, reconstructive surgery, and oral pathology. With surgical as well as medical training, he received his medical degree from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Considering the health of the whole patient, not just his or her oral health, Dr. Noffze understands that if dental conditions are left untreated, they can spread and lead to medical ones.
In order to preserve his patients' dental health and overall immune system, he welcomes patients to receive emergency dental services including: 

Tooth extractions

Dental trauma treatment

Wisdom teeth removal

Dental implant treatment

Oral pathology exams

Dr. Noffze understands how hard it can be to receive emergency dental care in general. Which is why when patients need it most, he wants to raise awareness of his ongoing support of the community and his ability to relieve their pain and improve their oral health with in-person dental care.
Strictly following OSHA protocols and recommendations made by the CDC and the American Dental Association (ADA), The Facial & Oral Surgery Center is taking additional precautions to ensure their facility is sterilized before and after each patient visit. Those who would like to follow social distancing guidelines are encouraged to call before their visit to discuss whether or not receiving treatment at this time is recommended.
Those in need of emergency dental care in Fargo, ND can receive specialty care from oral surgeon, Dr. Noffze by calling 701-232-9565. To learn more about Dr. Noffze or the services he provides, visit http://www.tfaosc.com.
About the Oral Surgeon
The Facial and Oral Surgery Center is a leading oral and maxillofacial surgery practice in Fargo, ND. Dr. Michael Noffze is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon who received his medical degree and certificate in preliminary general surgery from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Dr. Noffze is the director of one of the largest dental study clubs in the United States, was recognized by Cambridge Who's Who as the 2010 Professional of the Year for Dental Surgery, and continually speaks internationally on the topic of dental implants. Dr. Noffze is specially trained to treat medically compromised patients and his advanced and unique digital workflow streamlines complex dental implant cases. To learn more about The Facial and Oral Surgery Center and the advanced services that Dr. Noffze provides, call 701-232-9565 or visit the website at http://www.tfaosc.com.

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Dr. Michael Noffze Offers Emergency Dental Care in Fargo, ND When Patients Need it Most

Considering the health of the whole patient, not just his or her oral health, Dr. Noffze understands that if dental conditions are left untreated, they can spread and lead to medical ones



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Grants of $100,000 distributed to nonprofit organizations supporting those affected by the COVID-19 crisis

FREDERICK, MD. (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
United Way of Frederick County (UWFC) has committed an additional $100,000 to support 15 local nonprofits who provide essential services during COVID-19 crisis. These grants come just two weeks after the first $25,500 of the first wave of COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign grants were distributed by UWFC.
"We are pleased to announce this second wave of grants providing critical support to nonprofit institutions serving those in need," said Ken Oldham, CEO of United Way of Frederick County. "We're looking forward to announcing future grants as emergent needs continue to unfold in our community."
United Way of Frederick County has granted $100,000 to the following: 

The Buddy Project — $1,000 — Helping provide students and nonprofits refurbished computers.

Centro Hispano de Frederick — $5,000 — Support for the influx of crisis-related needs.

City Youth Matrix — $4,000 — Supplying families with at-home activity supplies and monthly food insecurity assistance.

Frederick Rescue Mission — $5,000 — Provide substance abuse recovery, food and shelter services.

Faith House — $10,000 — Sheltering women and children who are experiencing homelessness in the Frederick area, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Housing Authority of the City of Frederick — $3,000 — Supporting women in public housing as they strive to maintain stable households and provide adequate basic resources to their families during the COVID-19 crisis.

I Believe in Me — $5,000 — Continuing mentor services and providing food to underprivileged youth and community members.

Interfaith Housing Alliance — $5,000 — Providing direct, immediate support to property residents currently in crisis, in addition to responding to residents' critical needs as they continue to arise in the coming weeks.

Maryland Ensemble Theatre — $3,000 — Supporting operating costs to produce fabric face masks for health personnel.

Second Chances Garage — $8,000 — Provide essential transportation services to the community.

Seton Center, Inc. — $9,500 — Assisting individuals with emergency financial support.

St Vincent de Paul Society-St John Conference — $5,000 — Providing emergency financial support, prescription medications and gas, assistance in obtaining personal IDs/birth certificates, and more.

The Claggett Center — $17,500 — Providing shelter to those serving COVID-19 victims in Frederick County.

The Religious Coalition — $10,000 — Providing alternative Emergency Shelter for Homeless Individuals and Families.

The Salvation Army — $9,000 — Providing COVID-19 Emergency Financial Assistance.

United Way thanks those who committed matching contributions to encourage support: Ausherman Family Foundation, Laughlin Family Foundation, The Mark and Susan Butt Saturday Mornings Fund, Robert G. Hooper Family Fund, Halleman Family Fund, Michael & Betsy Day, The Jean Ellis and Florence Guss Memorial Fund and The Ken and Lynn Burdette Donor-Advised Fund.
As of 4/13/2020, the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Campaign has raised over $238,000 from 530 contributors. The campaign remains open and gifts can be made at http://www.uwfrederick.org/covidrelief, by mailing checks to PO Box 307, Frederick, MD 21705 or texting COVIDFREDERICK to 71777.
About United Way of Frederick County 
For over 80 years, United Way of Frederick County has been fighting to achieve lasting change by identifying the ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) and impoverished families in Frederick County and working to strengthen their education, financial stability, and health to build a strong, viable community. Our work focuses on helping children and youth be successful in school and achieve their potential through education; helping people obtain the tools they need to become financially stable and independent; and ensuring our neighbors in need have access to healthy, nutritious food and healthcare.
United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, health providers, senior citizens, students, and others. The organization provides grants to local nonprofits, offers programs such as free tax preparation and matched savings, mobilizes volunteers, and engages in public policy advocacy. To learn more about United Way and how you can get involved, please visit UnitedWayFrederick.org. 

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"We are pleased to announce this second wave of grants providing critical support to nonprofit institutions serving those in need," said Ken Oldham, CEO of United Way of Frederick County. "We're looking forward to announcing future grants as emergent needs continue to unfold in our community."



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The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) named Pafford Air One flight nurse Tonya Barnard, BSN, RN, CEN, CFRN, CCRN, CTRN, CPEN, TCRN, EMT-B, as the recipient of BCEN's 2020 Distinguished CFRN Award. Barnard is based in Ruston, Louisiana.

OAK BROOK, ILL. (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing(BCEN), the benchmark for board certification across the emergency nursing spectrum, announced today that Pafford Air One flight nurse Tonya Barnard, BSN, RN, CEN, CFRN, CCRN, CTRN, CPEN, TCRN, EMT-B, is the recipient of BCEN's 2020 Distinguished CFRN Award. Barnard is based in Ruston, Louisiana.
"Every time a flight nurse goes up in the air, they face extraordinary real-time patient care decisions under the most austere and challenging conditions," said BCEN Executive Director Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC. "BCEN is proud to honor Tonya for inspiring her Pafford Air One colleagues and so many others to earn the CFRN so they have the specialized knowledge and skills this exacting and sometimes unforgiving job demands."
Held by nearly 4,500 RNs and advanced practice nurses, the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN)is a preferred national certification for flight team nurses and meets CAMTS (Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems) requirements. The CFRN, which was first offered by BCEN in 1993, is also Magnet-accepted and an ABSNC-accredited certification program.
Pafford Air One Senior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Keith Carter said, "Tonya worked extremely hard to become a flight nurse and since then she has not stopped. She has continued with an exemplary work ethic and is well admired and loved by her coworkers. I am so proud of her and thankful to have her as a leader for Pafford Air One."
"Tonya is one of the most knowledgeable nurses I have ever met, understanding the pathophysiology, pharmacology, and treatment process flawlessly," said Jeff Atkins, BS, RN, EMT-B, CEN, CPEN, TCRN, CCRN, CFRN, base manager, Pafford Air One, Ruston, Louisiana. "She helps to set a standard of care for others to follow, frequently encourages colleagues at our bases and at the hospitals we visit to complete their certifications, and is seen as a patient advocate, supporting family members of patients and being a comfort to those in pain. She remains one of the finest examples of a certified flight nurse that I can think of."
Since becoming an RN in 2010, Barnard has earned six nursing specialty certifications, including all five national emergency nursing credentials offered by BCEN. She has been a CFRN and a flight nurse since 2014.
"I love flying, I love taking care of critical patients, and I feel that a nurse should always strive to learn more to take care of their patients to the best of their ability," said Barnard. "Having the CFRN gives me, my team, my employer, and my patients the confidence and assurance that I will be able to perform to the best of my abilities. Receiving the BCEN Distinguished CFRN Award is one of the highlights of my professional career."
Read more about Tonya at https://bcen.org/2020-cfrn-award-winner/.
BCEN's Annual National Nurse and Organizational Awards 
The winner of this year's Distinguished CFRN/CTRN Award was determined by a selection committee consisting of BCEN board members, staff and volunteer subject matter experts as well as an Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA) official. BCEN is grateful for ASTNA's partnership in promoting the annual nomination process and sponsoring past winners' travel to the awards presentation ceremonies. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person presentation of the 2020 Distinguished CFRN Award is to be determined.
BCEN annually recognizes individual specialty certified emergency, trauma and transport nurses as well as hospitals and health systems that demonstrate and advance certified nursing excellence and advocate for emergency nursing board certification. Learn more about BCEN's Distinguished Awards and National Certification Champion Awards at bcen.org/awards.
About BCEN 
Throughout 2020, the independent, not-for-profit Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) is celebrating 40 years of robust certification programs fostering empowered nurses across the emergency spectrum who contribute noticeably to patient care, safety and outcomes. Over 55,000 BCEN board certifications are currently held by registered nurses (RNs) who specialize in emergency, flight, critical care ground transport, pediatric emergency and trauma nursing. BCEN offers the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN), Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN), Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN) and Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN) certifications. The CEN, CFRN, CPEN, and TCRN certification programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC). Learn more at bcen.org. Follow BCEN on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Note to Editors: Photos available by request.

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BCEN's Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) credential is held by nearly 4,500 flight and transport nurses.

"Every time a flight nurse goes up in the air, they face extraordinary real-time patient care decisions under the most austere and challenging conditions. BCEN is proud to honor Tonya for inspiring nurses to become Certified Flight Registered Nurses (CFRNs



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The Healthcare contact center is the first conversation point to begin a patient's journey with a particular healthcare service/product. It sets a perception of how the experience would be. But it is not easy to make this interaction successful all the time because of the lack of integration of EMRs and EHRs with contact center software. Analysing the issues faced by agents and patients, NovelVox – leading contact center solution provider has — the industry's first Cisco CTI Connector for EPIC Hyperspace to make every call a successful interaction.

BETHESDA, MD. (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
People prefer interacting before availing any service, especially when its healthcare. Trust regarding the genuineness of products, reports, and service is what they look forward to and so they prefer directing dialing in the contact center. Here, an agent merely transferring a call to the concerned department might not be very helpful as no one wants to hold the call and discuss issues repeatedly. Healthcare contact centers need a solution to equip agents with technology that help them create personalized caller experience. This is where NovelVox EPIC connector can do wonders for your healthcare business. NovelVox has been serving call center industry for the past 11 years and has designed solutions focusing on various business verticals or industries. EPIC CTI connector is one for the healthcare industry to empower agents to deal with issues of booking or confirming appointments, scrambling between applications for information gathering and more.
NovelVox has embedded a CTI connector in Hyperspace. Agent logs into Hyperspace application that has CTI call controls and agent state control. NovelVox connector pops out the page with caller information and agent accepts call within Hyperspace to avoid any page switching. The connector is loaded with features such as click-to-dial, call transfer, contact search, automatic customer record retrieval, etc. It empowers Cisco, Avaya, Genesys contact center agents to improve resolution and lower average handle time with more patient satisfaction.
Amit Gandhi, CEO NovelVox says, "Healthcare industry is booming and highly focused on patient experience. Here, not so effective call interaction can be a disappointment for the patient. This is often because EHRs and EMRs have always been tough to integrate by contact centers software due to various security concerns as there is patient data. So, our NovelVox team worked hard to embed call controls within Hyperspace. Now the agents can remain on the same environment or screen with added call controls. This empowers agents to reduce call handle time, improve call resolution and enhance caller experience drastically.
About NovelVox
NovelVox is a global software company that has been developing flexible and optimized Contact Center Agent Desktops and Wallboards for Cisco, Avaya, Genesys, and Five9 for over 11 years. NovelVox has an extensive library of over 70 3rd party application integrations. The Novelvox Cisco Finesse Gadget Designer is the world's only drag and drop Finesse gadget designer, empowering companies to create their perfect agent environments as and when required. With over 150 global deployments across verticals, including banking, telecoms, healthcare, government, education, and retail, NovelVox has the experience to create customized solutions for the healthcare industry.



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iPatientCare's upcoming VUCON session will talk about Primary Care First (PCF) - New Alternative Payment Model / Customization of eCQM measures that can help doctors to meet standards that reflect quality care in order to be eligible for a positive performance-based adjustment to their primary care revenues.

CINCINNATI (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
iPatientCare, a pioneer in cloud-based ambulatory EHR, revenue cycle management services, integrated practice management, and patient engagement solutions announced its monthly Virtual User Conference (VUCON) April 2020 session to share the in-depth knowledge on Primary Care First (PCF) - New Alternative Payment Model / Customization of eCQM measures.
Virtual User Conferences (VUCONs) by iPatientCare are the information dissemination sessions conducted each month to keep their users engaged and up-to-date with current industry subjects and new improvements inside iPatientCare framework. With steadily changing healthcare industries standards and policies and with new upcoming trends, VUCON 2020 sessions are arranged with a perspective to give a complete standpoint and perspective of such patterns including deployment of new products and software versions with its demonstration; and numerous valuable additional items.
The upcoming Virtual User Conference (VUCON) will commence on April 16, 2020; Thursday, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST and will highlight in detail:
1. Participation Eligibility and Application 
2. Data requirements 
3. Model goals 
4. Customization of eCQM measures 
5. Timelines for the New Alternative Payment Model
Click here to Register Now for this featured session!
About iPatientCare
iPatientCare is a full suite of innovative healthcare products and value-added services that help physician offices, rural health clinics, and community/federally qualified health centers (CHC/FQHC) nationwide in improving the health of their patients, enhancing patient care through care management/coordination/analytics, and reducing atThe awards-winning EHR, integrated practice solutions and value-added services, such as, the revenue cycle enhancement and quality improvement consulting, provide everything you need to control your practice operations, increase revenues, and provide better patient care.
The iPatientCare EHR - version 18.0, has received 2015 Edition ONC Health IT certification by Drummond Group, an Office of the National Coordinator-Authorized Certification Body (ONC-ACB), in accordance with the applicable eligible professional certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Full certification details can be found at the ONC Certified Health IT Product List.
As part of its MACRA-ready solutions, iPatientCare has been recognized as a qualified MACRA-MIPS registry by CMS, and has a distinguished credit of being selected as a preferred EHR and medical billing software by more than 70,000 users nationwide, numerous hospitals/health systems, federally funded regional extension centers, and in the past by the US Army and NASA Space Medicine.
Visit https://ipatientcare.com/ for more information.

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Virtual User Conferences (VUCONs) by iPatientCare are the information dissemination sessions conducted each month to keep their users engaged and up-to-date with current industry subjects and new improvements inside iPatientCare framework.



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Annual Award from Prevent Blindness Recognizes Outstanding Efforts to Improve Eye Health Services for Children in the United States

CHICAGO (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
The National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH) has issued the call for nominations for the sixth annual "Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children's Vision Award." The award recognizes significant efforts by an individual or group of individuals to improve public health approaches for children's vision and eye health at the state or national level. The deadline for submission is June 5, 2020.
The award will be presented to the recipient at the Annual Meeting of the National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2020. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this date may be postponed.
The award consists of a commemorative plaque, recognition and opportunity to present at the Annual Meeting, roundtrip economy airfare for one, and one night of lodging. The award recipient will be featured on the website for the National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health with an overview of their innovative approaches to children's vision and eye health systems. An all-volunteer committee for the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children's Vision Award will review all nominations and select the award winner.
In 2014, the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children's Vision Award was established by the NCCVEH Advisory Committee to commemorate Bonnie Strickland and her groundbreaking work to establish a comprehensive system for children's vision in the United States. Strickland served as Director of the Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs, Maternal and Child Health Bureau prior to her retirement in 2014.
"At Prevent Blindness we believe that all children deserve an improved system to ensure that vision problems are identified early and treated in a timely manner, standards for screening and care are uniform across the country, and that appropriate surveillance and preventive interventions are in place," said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. "Through this award, we are able to recognize the efforts of others who are helping to put our kids on the path toward a lifetime of healthy vision and are making significant changes that others can learn from and emulate."
Nominees for the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children's Vision Award may include an individual or group comprised of diverse stakeholders, including family/caregiver and community leaders, who are implementing changes to improve children's vision in the United States. Nominees should be able to demonstrate an impact in one or more areas of a public health system supporting children's vision: 

Key Stakeholder Engagement or Collaboration, including representation from families and diverse racial/ethnic/geographic and socio-economic levels target populations

Training and Education

Public Awareness

Provision of Resources and/or Services

Surveillance and Accountability

Reduction of Health Disparities

Infrastructure Development-Local, State, or National Level

Making the connection between vision and overall health, early childhood development and learning

The 2019 Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children's Vision Award was presented to Anne L. Coleman, M.D., MPH, UCLA Stein Eye Institute, for her efforts to improve children's vision through stakeholder engagement, resource development, and services to high-risk populations of children, specifically through her work at the UCLA Mobile Eye Clinic (UMEC). Additional past recipients include the Vision in Preschoolers (VIP) Study Group, Richard Bunner, retired from the Ohio Department of Health; Sean P. Donahue, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Vanderbilt University; the Illinois Eye Institute (IEI) at Princeton Vision Clinic; and the Pediatric Physicians' Organization at Children's (PPOC).
For more information or to submit a nomination for the 2020 Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children's Vision Award, please visit http://nationalcenter.preventblindness.org/content/bonnie-strickland-champion-childrens-vision-award, or contact Donna Fishman at (800) 331-2020 or dfishman@preventblindness.org.
About the National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness 
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. In 2009, Prevent Blindness established the National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH), with support from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Serving as a national resource for the establishment of a public health infrastructure, the NCCVEH advances and promotes children's vision and eye care, providing leadership and training to public entities throughout the United States. The NCCVEH is advised by a committee of national experts and leaders from the fields of ophthalmology, optometry, pediatrics, nursing, family advocates and public health to guide the work and recommendations of the NCCVEH. For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020. Or, visit us on the Web at http://nationalcenter.preventblindness.org or http://www.facebook.com/preventblindness.
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Prevent Blindness issues call for nominations for the 2020 Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children's Vision Award.

"Through this award, we are able to recognize the efforts of others who are helping to put our kids on the path toward a lifetime of healthy vision and are making significant changes that others can learn from and emulate," said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness.



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On Tuesday, May 5, at 2 pm EST Mastery Training Services is hosting a free webinar with Learning Designs, Inc. (LDI) titled, "Is Hazard Recognition in your DNA?"

NOVI, MICH. (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
On Tuesday, May 5, at 2 pm EST Mastery Training Services is hosting a free webinar with Learning Designs, Inc. (LDI) titled, "Is Hazard Recognition in your DNA?"
This free webinar is presented by John Rupp Jr., Senior Safety Consultant at LDI, who with his 30 plus years of experience has designed and delivered hundreds of training programs to diverse audiences. John uses his skills and professional experience to provide the knowledge everyone needs to participate in a successful safety process. He is an OSHA Authorized Trainer for General Industry & Construction and has a wealth of experience leading joint union-management activities.
During the webinar Rupp will teach participants about the benefits of an effective hazard identification process. He will review techniques for identifying hazards during a walk-around inspection, help participants develop an action plan to improve their personal hazard recognition skills, and demonstrate strategies to help improve hazard recognition efforts in the workplace. This session helps those involved in safety management learn to involve all employees in the hazard recognition process.
To register for this session, click here.
Mastery Training Services is thrilled to host a session featuring the expertise of Learning Designs, Inc. LDI has a long history of being a well-respected resource for custom-designed training, and Mastery is eager to share their knowledge with clients and prospective clients.
About Learning Designs, Inc.
LDI creates learning solutions that help organizations develop a culture of continuous improvement. We design, develop, and implement employee training programs that make organizations more agile by improving processes, safety, quality, and efficiency.
About Mastery Training Services
Mastery Training Services is a leader in the corporate online training marketplace. We help organizations grow and become more successful with our comprehensive workplace training systems and services. In this way, Mastery fulfills its mission of helping build more successful, effective and amazing organizations. 

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The leading online wine shop interviews COO Justin Kite to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting the wine industry, along with how the company is handling the issue.

PENNSAUKEN, N.J. (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed many uncertainties in a variety of industries around the world, including the wine community. The creation, sourcing, and distribution processes that go behind every bottle of wine are now compromised due to delays and limitations in the best interest of global safety.
WTSO, a leading online wine shop, has remained open during this time not only to sustain and uphold the business, but to give customers access to wine that it may not be safe for them to get otherwise. In the interest of transparency, WTSO and COO Justin Kite want to communicate with customers about how they are handling the issue and how the Coronavirus is affecting the world of wine.
When asked how the wine industry is changing amid the virus, Kite noted, "Wineries that rely on direct sales through their tasting room or restaurant sales as a major source of revenue have been severely negatively impacted. I'm sure they are now trying to increase their revenue channels of direct-to-consumer shipping and distribution to retailers if possible."
Ultimately, the United States is in somewhat of a waiting game when it comes to wine. The industry heavily relies on events; and with wineries closing and events being cancelled, it is more difficult to uphold the community. However, wine sales themselves will most likely not be struggling -- many retailers are switching to online platforms and delivery, making it easier for enthusiasts to still enjoy different wines from home.
As an exclusively-online wine store, WTSO has been shipping wine to customers for almost 14 years. During this uncertain time, they are taking precautions to ensure cleanliness and health. "We developed and launched our current plan of action on March 15. All office employees were sent home to work remotely. Strict guidelines were put in place for all logistics and fulfillment employees that were still reporting for work," Kite said, when asked about how WTSO is handling the situation. "We utilized a secondary facility normally used for storage to run parallel with our main facility. This allowed us to split the work staff in half in each location to allow for better distancing. All employees are given protective masks and gloves and everyone in each facility is required to wear them at all times. All work areas and machinery are disinfected multiple times throughout the day, and a cleaning crew is brought in each night for a thorough cleaning."
Due to the high volume of online orders, shipping may be delayed during this time. However, WTSO is still prioritizing quick delivery and free shipping options to support customers and friends who are looking to buy wine online.
Ultimately, Kite adds, "The health and safety of our employees is our greatest concern...Thus far we have been extremely fortunate that no one has been ill in either location. If that was to happen, the entire facility would be shut down and any worker there would be subject to quarantine for the requisite amount of time."
While the future of the industry is not clear, WTSO is making the efforts to keep momentum going this trying time and provide online customers with the affordable bottles they're looking for.
For more information about WTSO and their offerings, please visit wtso.com or call the Customer Service team at 866-957-2795.



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Dr. Jin Kim offers gentle laser treatment for gum disease in West Covina, CA through the LANAP protocol. With Dr. Kim, patients experiencing gum disease or recurring bad breath can receive this gentle treatment from a dual board-certified periodontist.

WEST COVINA, CA (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
Dr. Jin Kim, dual board-certified periodontist and implant surgeon, is offering patients with gum disease in West Covina, CA the only FDA-cleared laser treatment for gum disease, LANAP. This solution is one of the most gentle, minimally invasive and effective solutions to cleansing disease from the mouth. As a periodontist, Dr. Kim offers a more detailed and experienced approach to treatment for gum disease in West Covina, CA. He also understands the effect gum disease can have on patients' oral health and overall health.
LANAP is a revolutionary approach to treatment for patients suffering from gum disease thanks to its "no cut, no sew, no fear" approach. Traditional gum disease surgery involves removing infected tissue with scalpels, scraping away bacteria and tartar and suturing the gums around the teeth. With LANAP, there are no scalpels or sutures and the procedure boasts minimal bleeding with virtually no discomfort. The entire procedure involves a gentle laser light to evaporate infection and diseased tissue. No cutting of healthy tissue is involved and with no sutures, most patients can feel like themselves again just a day after surgery.
Gum disease is a common condition that affects nearly half of the adult population in the United States. The disease affects both the hard and soft tissues of the mouth and is one of the leading causes of bleeding gums, loose teeth and bad breath. Common symptoms of gum disease include: 

Bleeding gums with brushing or flossing

Loose or shifting teeth

Gum recession

Constant bad breath

Red, puffy gums

Without timely treatment, gum disease can advance and eventually cause tooth loss and jawbone deterioration. Since oral health has been connected to overall health, if gum disease is left untreated it can also lead to systemic health conditions like heart disease, stroke, and a weakened immune system.
Periodontists are leaders in treatments for gum disease, as they have spent extra years studying and practicing treatment on the hard and soft tissues of the mouth. Dr. Kim is a board-certified periodontist, meaning that he not only spent the extra years studying periodontology, but he proved his expertise by passing a comprehensive board exam. Receiving gum disease treatment from a board-certified periodontist means that patients can rest at ease knowing their health and comfort is in the hands of one of the leading professionals in the field. This expertise in periodontology has led to Dr. Kim being a world-renown lecturer on gum disease and all aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the mouth.
Patients experiencing bleeding gums or recurring bad breath in West Covina, CA are encouraged to seek gum disease care from Dr. Kim at either of his practice locations. Appointments can be made by contacting 909-860-9222 for the Diamond Bar location or 714-898-8757 for the West Garden Grove location. Appointments can also be requested online at http://www.drjinkim.com.
About the Periodontist
Dr. Jin Kim is a periodontist dedicated to providing personalized dental care in Diamond Bar and Garden Grove, CA. Dr. Kim attended the University of Sydney Faculty of Dentistry before furthering his education with an advanced degree in pathology from the Medical School of the same University. Dr. Kim completed a periodontics and implant surgery residency at UCLA School of Dentistry and is board-certified by the American Board of Periodontology and the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry. He is a past president of the Western Society of Periodontology and was also inducted to be a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Dentists and earned Fellowships in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. Dr. Kim lectures and holds faculty positions at a number of universities including UCLA School of Dentistry and abroad. He has spoken at no less than 36 different countries across the globe as well as national and international academic and clinical associations and universities including the International Association of Dental Research, American Academy of Periodontology and Academy of Osseointegration. To learn more about Dr. Jin Kim and the services he offers, visit his website at http://www.drjinkim.com or call 909-860-9222 for the Diamond Bar location or 714-898-8757 for the West Garden Grove location to schedule an appointment.



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Ensure greater employee safety with the launch of a COVID-19 environmental testing kit developed in Italy as an efficient and affordable ongoing solution to detect contaminated areas for viruses.

TORONTO (PRWEB) APRIL 16, 2020
Toronto based Purity-IQ Inc., has partnered exclusively with Hyris, a leader in Artificial Intelligence applications for advanced diagnostics with offices in London, Milan and Singapore, to support their business expansion in the Americas. Hyris has created the bCUBE, a portable DNA analysis platform, already commercialized and used in many countries worldwide. Purity-IQ and Hyris now introduce the availability of a test kit to efficiently and affordably analyse COVID-19 for environmental surface contamination.
"The kit identifies contaminated surfaces which represent a potential threat in high-touch areas and in food preparation and the test is easy to use with on-site results available in about ninety minutes", states Deleo de Leonardis, CEO of Purity-IQ. The patented technology and test have been developed at the Hyris R&D Centre in Milan, Italy and is now successfully being used in Europe and Asia in cooperation with top international research institutes. "The kit itself is based on one of the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended COVID-19 tests, currently adopted by several of the major diagnostic centers fighting the pandemic." says Stefano Lo Priore, Managing Director from Hyris. The COVID-19 test is not to be used for human testing, however as a tool to increase safety in work environments, which is critical as companies all over the world prepare to fully resume normal activities.
The bCUBE instrumentation is a miniaturized portable device which does not require particular skills to be installed or used, just as a smartphone or a tablet. The bCUBE has an integrated module which enables Artificial Intelligence for data diagnostics and is handled by a user-friendly web app managing the data in the cloud, compatible with major corporate operating systems. The kit for screening environmental workplace contamination is commercialized as a turn-key product including specially developed swabs for environmental surface sampling (door handles, keyboards, boxes, food-prep counters, etc.), standard operating procedures, training and support. Purity-IQ is already preparing the first deliveries of kits to its customers in North America.
Scientists at two major North American Universities have commented about use of the bCUBE; "We validated the bCUBE in our lab against very expensive standard research polymerase chain reaction (PCR) instruments. It is very precise and has several advantages over other portable commercial instruments such as the ability to run many more samples at one time, lower costs per tests and the fact, that It is compliant with the full PCR protocol recommended by Centre for Disease Control of which some of the other commercial tests are incapable of achieving this gold standard due to inappropriate design ". Steven Newmaster, Director, NHP Research Alliance, University of Guelph.
"We have been using the Hyris bCUBE to run molecular assays for pathogen detection, and it has provided excellent performance, even when compared with much more expensive instrumentation", as previously stated by George Dimopoulos, Professor Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. 
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About Purity-IQ Inc.
Purity-IQ is a Canadian B2B biotechnology and service-based company that support organizations and brands to bring authenticated products to consumers. By developing standards and certifications founded on innovative science Purity-IQ is well positioned, for global growth to deliver services, products and tools, which are underpinned by cutting edge genetic, chemical and metabolomic bio-technologies. Purity-IQ provides product authentication and validation, enhancing brand trust with consumers.
About Hyris Ltd.
Hyris is multinational company with a RD laboratory, active in the Advanced Diagnostic field, supported by Artificial Intelligence technologies and commercially present in Canada, USA, Europe and Asia. Founded in 2014 by an entrepreneurial team of engineers specialized in the Biotechnology sector and with past experience gained in the United Stated. The company has offices in London and Milan while the R&D lab is in Lodi, in the middle of the so called "red zone". The affordable price, the swiftness to get the results and the advanced Artificial Intelligence software architecture differentiate Hyris technologies from the ones available on the market, as well as the capability of enabling a "leading-edge" test, close to the locations, where the diagnostic tests are required. The applications, initially aimed to the industrial genetic, rapidly evolved switching to other fields (pharmaceutical, virologic, epidemiologic, etc.) confirming once more the great flexibility and adaptability of the technologies.

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"It is very precise and has several advantages over other portable commercial instruments such as the ability to run many more samples at one time, lower costs per tests" Steven Newmaster, Director, NHP Research Alliance, University of Guelph



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A great source of knowledge in uncertain times.

SOUTHPORT, CONN. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Since 1979, Earth Animal has been dedicated to caring for animals, people, and the Earth. In an effort to support one another during this unprecedented time, Earth Animal has implemented a live stream series focused on animal health and wellness with Dr. Kris Hansen. "Dr. Kris," a small animal veterinarian who has been practicing for more than 20 years, is a member of the Earth Animal Veterinary Team and owner of Ash Creek Veterinary Hospital in Bridgeport, CT.
The "Ask Our Vet Wellness Series" is a weekly interactive and educational Facebook live streaming Q&A forum focused on current events and topical issues that everyone is facing around the globe. The first live stream event, "COVID-19 And Your Pet," took place on Wednesday, March 25. Dr. Kris brought information and updates from the American Veterinary Medical Association and Centers for Disease Control to help people better understand the effects of the virus on our lives with animals.
"Covid-19 brought uncertainty and unease. Everyone's life as they knew it was changing and resources were diminishing. We knew we needed to connect with our community to offer support during their struggles," said Stephanie Volo, Chief Marketing Officer for Earth Animal. "Dr. Kris is a wealth of knowledge. His expertise is incredibly valuable for all families with animals. He shares it with compassion and empathy which is why each week his audience has grown," added Stephanie.
One of Earth Animal's main goals for the "Ask Our Vet Wellness Series" is to bring the people of the world a bit closer. "My role as a Veterinarian, especially during this time, is to be a resource and provide knowledge, support, and accurate information. I am so fortunate to work at Earth Animal and have this chance to interact with so many people and to provide them with the answers and comfort they need," said Dr. Kris Hansen.
The Facebook live stream "Ask Our Vet Wellness Series" continues every Friday and new information can be found each week on all of Earth Animal's social media platforms; Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, and Twitter where people may submit questions. Question may also be asked during each live streaming session. All past "Ask Our Vet Wellness Series" sessions may be viewed on our YouTube Channel.
Stay safe.
About Earth Animal 
In 1979, Dr. Bob and Susan Goldstein embraced the transition from conventional veterinary medicine to an integrative and holistic approach focusing on the whole animal. They began creating natural products without using toxic chemicals to treat their patients and family animals. Our award-winning and No-Hide Wholesome Chews, food, organic healing remedies, and supplements are compassionately sourced and produced with purpose in the USA. The Goldstein's focus has been to develop the highest quality products that help dogs and cats live a longer, healthier life. We proudly dedicate 1% of our annual net sales to like-minded organizations, industry stewardship, and mission driven efforts that preserve and enhance quality of life for animals, people, and the earth.
Earth Animal products can be found at independent pet supply shops nationwide. Please visit http://www.earthanimal.com 
to find a store near you that is offering curbside pickup and free home delivery.
For more information on "Ask Our Vet Wellness Series" or about Earth Animal, please contact Susan Goldstein at 
203.557.3322 or email at media@earthanimal.com. Please follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.



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Healthcare Data and Analytics Company Offers Free Tool to Hospitals As They Prepare for Recovery Following COVID-19

WASHINGTON (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Configo Health Inc., a healthcare data and analytics company specializing in pediatrics, today announced the launch of its COVID-19 Recovery Accelerator, an online tool allowing children's hospitals to scenario plan and optimize the managed ramp up of elective procedure volume. The tool will be offered free of charge to all hospitals and is accessible at http://covid.configohealth.com.
"Despite the lower COVID-19 symptom severity in pediatric patients, children's hospitals have nevertheless experienced radical transformations to their operations to reduce disease transmission. Elective surgeries have dropped to unprecedentedly low volumes with dramatic impact on already tight operating margins," said Craig Manson, CEO of Configo Health. "At Configo, we wanted to do our part to help the industry respond to this crisis. Our COVID-19 Recovery Accelerator will help administrators ensure continued adherence to disease prevention measures, while optimizing the use of available resources to start processing the elective surgery backlog."
The tool, which has been developed in consultation with the team from Configo investor Children's National Hospital, has been designed to be a collaborative project. As hospital users provide specific feedback regarding their needs, the Configo team will continue to iterate and improve the product.
"To respond to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 within pediatrics, we pivoted our product and technology teams to build the Accelerator; moving from ideation to launch within seven days," said Evan Jones, COO of Configo Health. "Configo will continue to improve the tool as we engage with the children's hospital community."
Dr. Rahul Shah, vice president, chief quality and safety officer at Children's National Hospital added, "Although today we are focused on reducing disease spread, we must start planning for how we will bring normal operations back online in a prudent and efficient manner. The Configo COVID-19 Recovery Accelerator is an invaluable tool in aiding our preparations for a return to such operations."
About Configo Health, Inc. 
Configo Health is a healthcare data and analytics company, focused specifically on pediatrics, that helps children's hospitals and their patients and families make better decisions through the use of actionable insight. Experts in extracting administrative data from pediatric hospitals, Configo Health provides HIPPA compliant processes, secure data storage facilities, data cleansing and sophisticated analytical processing. Configo Health has offices in both New York and Washington D.C



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Scientific Results Published in The Aesthetic Surgery Journal

SOLANA BEACH, CALIF. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Positive results from Kerastem's Phase 2 clinical trial in early-stage hair loss patients, known as the STYLE study, were published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (https://doi.org/10.1093/asj/sjaa037). The STYLE study evaluated the effect of Puregraft purified fat + Adipose Derived Regenerative Cells (ADRCs) in different doses in a single procedure. Patients were followed up to 1-year. In men with early stage hair loss, the investigators reported a statistically significant increase in mean terminal (mature) hair count in men who received Puregraft fat + a low dose of ADRCs when compared to the control group at 6-months. Based on the positive results, Kerastem plans to move the technology forward in a phase 3 clinical trial.
Kerastem therapy is a one-time treatment that delivers adipose (fat) derived regenerative cells combined with purified fat to the affected area of the scalp. The Phase 2 trial was a U.S. 70 patient, multi-center, randomized, single-blinded, and controlled clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerability, dosing and hair counts in patients with early hair loss.
"Our Phase 2 study showed the Kerastem treatment stimulates hair growth in early stage male hair loss," said Bran Conlan, CEO of Kerastem. "If our Phase 3 trial is successful, more than 40 million people in the United States with early stage hair loss would have a new option.
STUDY RESULTS 

Low dose Adipose Derived Regenerative Cells (ADRCs) + Puregraft fat treatment group achieved a statistically significant increase in mean terminal hair count, at 6 months, when compared to control, in males with early (Grade III) stage hair loss relative to control, an average increase of 29 terminal (mature) hairs per cm2 of scalp was observed, corresponding to a 17% increase (p < 0.05).

All treatment arms of STYLE were safe with no serious adverse events reported.

"STYLE indicates that the dosing of this autologous cell product and tissue preparation can play a role in achieving a successful outcome," explained Principal Investigator Ken Washenik, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, NYU School of Medicine & Medical Director, Bosley Medical Group. "To identify the optimal procedure, we designed STYLE to evaluate controls with and without the addition of autologous fat as well as both high and lower doses of ADRCs doses and determined that 500,000 cells per square centimeter resulted in a superior outcome. In short, dose matters."
Kerastem's planned Phase 3 trial will support a Pre-Market Approval (PMA) filing in the United States for males with early hair loss. The company will also explore other product pipeline expansion opportunities including the Kerastem treatment for females with patterned hair loss.
ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA MARKET SIZE
Hair loss affects more than 40 million men and over 21 million women and in the United States alone. The global hair loss treatment market generates more than $7 Billion annually and currently has limited options for men and women with early stage hair loss.
ABOUT KERASTEM
Kerastem is the leader in the development and commercialization of cell-based approaches to hair growth. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bimini Health Tech. The Bimini portfolio also includes Puregraft, the world's leading fat transfer solution.



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The homeopathic product, Azvirex utilizes simple vaporization technology to deliver atomized zinc directly into the targeted organ, the lungs.

LANOIR, N.C. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
AZ Labs is developing this innovative, patent pending, formulation as a homeopathic solution that helps alleviate symptoms of viral respiratory ailments. The product, Azvirex, is intended to be a preventative or therapeutic aid that inhibits viral replication. Azvirex, is in final development stages and agreements are in place with contract manufacturers to manufacture, package and market this unique homeopathic remedy.
The homeopathic product, Azvirex utilizes simple vaporization technology to deliver atomized zinc directly into the targeted organ, the lungs. This directeded delivery of zinc to the lower respiratory tract is intended to prevent and/or inhibit viral replication pathways of RNA viruses and other viral types (2,3,4) as well as some bacteria.
The Azvirex formulation is based on multiple in-vitro and in-vivo studies that have demonstrated the efficacy of zinc ions in preventing and or inhibiting viral replication. Peer reviewed studies have shown zinc is involved in numerous aspects of cellular metabolism and is required for the catalytic activity of approximately 100 enzymes (5,6) and plays a key role in immune function (7,8).
Treatment with Azvirex should provide similar or superior effectiveness for preventing or limiting the duration of the common cold (9) as compared to zinc lozenges and nasal sprays as it directly delivers zinc ions to both the upper and lower respiratory tract. These are the critical areas commonly affected by viral infections
For more information regarding AZ Labs Azvirex formula, please visit http://www.azlabsnc.com. If you have any questions regarding information in the press release, please contact Max Azevedo at (828) 292-1905
1. Efficacy of Zinc Against Common Cold Viruses: An Overview Darrell Hulisz
2.Te Velthuis A., Van Den Worm S, Sims A, Barie R, Snijder E, Van Hermert M. Zn2+ inhibits coronavirus and arterivrus RNA polymerase activity in vitro and zinc ionophores block the replication of these viruses in cell culture. PLoS Pathog. 2010 Nov: 6(11) [ 1 0.13 71 ljouma l.pp at.100 1176 ]
3.Suara RO, Crowe JE Jr. Effects of zinc salts ofrespiratory syncytical virus replication. Antimicrob Agents Chemother., 2004 Mar, 48(3): 783-90.
4.Ishida, T. Antiviral activities of Zn2+ ions for viral prevention, replication, capsid protein and intracellular proliferation of viruses. WSN 97, 2018: 28-50.
5.Sandstead HH. Understanding zinc: recent observations and interpretations. J Lab Clin Med 1994;124:322-7. [PubMed abstract]
6.Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2001.
7.Solomons NW. Mild human zinc deficiency produces an imbalance between cell-mediated and humoral immunity. Nutr Rev 1998;56:27-8. [PubMed abstract]
8.Prasad AS. Zinc: an overview. Nutrition 1995;11:93-9. [PubMed abstract]
9.Prasad AS, Beck FW, Bao B, Snell D, Fitzgerald JT. Duration and severity of symptoms and levels of plasma interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor, and adhesion molecules in patients with common cold treated with zinc acetate. J Infect Dis 2008 ;197:795-802. [PubMed abstract]



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DMG Investments' luxury condominium development, One Park Condos, has announced that it donated 1,000 face masks to NY Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
DMG Investments' luxury condominium development, One Park Condos, has announced that it donated 1,000 face masks to NY Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. It also followed up with a donation of 300 face masks to Brooklyn's Lutheran Hospital. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, One Park donated the masks to support healthcare workers on the frontlines caring for patients in the community.
It was part of a number of donations of face masks that One Park and its parent company, DMG Investments, has made over the past two weeks including to healthcare clinics, police and fire departments and also tenants of its properties.
Based in Cliffside Park, NJ, One Park is committed to supporting the New York metro area where its residents and employees work and live and supporting the first responders who are dedicated to keeping the community safe.
More information about One Park Condos can be found at: https://oneparkcondosnj.com/
About One Park
One Park, the premiere luxury condominium development located in Bergen County's Cliffside Park, offers fourteen stories with two hundred four upscale units featuring expansive views of the New York City skyline and Hudson River. Units offer spacious living arrangements featuring from one to four bedrooms and up to 2,983 square feet of living space. Interior spaces boast gourmet kitchens with chef-caliber appliances, sanctuary-like bedroom suites, and spa-inspired master suite baths. One Park is a recognized leader in world class architecture and dramatic views in the Bergen County community.
One Park residents enjoy privileged amenities and a short commute to and from New York City. With amenities that rival New York City luxury buildings, including an outdoor movie theater, fitness center, golf simulator, children's playroom, and pet spa, residents want for nothing. One Park residents have attentive twenty-four-hour doorman service and two options to accommodate their automobiles, including the recent addition of a luxury vehicle garage designed explicitly for low chassis vehicles like the Lamborghini and Ferrari. A resident-only shuttle service is also an option.
About DMG Investments
Headquartered in New York City at 100 Wall Street, DMG Investments LLC ("DMG") was established in 2013.
DMG focuses on real estate acquisitions, development and management as well as financing. Leveraging the expertise of a team of dedicated real estate professionals with decades of experience creating and adding value for investors, DMG has amassed a portfolio of best-in-class assets across the US in dynamic markets in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and South Carolina.
As the portfolio continues to grow, DMG is dedicated to providing amenities and services that enhance the livability of each project be it in the student housing, traditional multifamily or condominium sector. In the years to come, the goal of DMG is to become a global real estate enterprise with a world-class reputation for sustainable development and a business philosophy that emphasizes the importance of delivering value for investors, owners and residents.

It was part of a number of donations of face masks that One Park and its parent company, DMG Investments, has made over the past two weeks including to healthcare clinics, police and fire departments and also tenants of its properties.



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COVID decontamination service first to deploy medical grade equipment to sanitize businesses in Santa Clarita CA.

SANTA CLARITA, CALIF. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
CR Environmental LLC is deploying medical level COVID decontamination service to sanitize businesses in Valencia, California. This is the first time this hospital grade sanitizing equipment is being used on local businesses.
CR Environmental is a IAC2 certified remediation company that offers COVID sanitation cleaning services for businesses to reduce their risk when reopening to the public.
The COVID decontamination process employs an EPA approved fog solution that leaves no toxic residue with no rinsing required. The equipment delivers a predetermined amount of mist based on the room size. This EPA registered solution has a 99.9999% efficacy rating against COVID and other difficult to kill bacteria. The efficient system is lab proven to decontaminate everything the mist touches. This advanced equipment is superior to traditional hand cleaning methods that often fail to reach the entire room.
CR Environmental LLC also specializes in non-toxic and non-VOC mold removal techniques that protect current and future occupants of the buildings they treat.
"In this critical time of reopening businesses, it is important that we protect the community we serve. Deep decontamination of public places and businesses is going to be paramount during this 're-opening' process," said Carl Reese the CEO of CR Environmental LLC.
Reese has been a repeat guest on Fox Business News with Liz Claman and has set multiple Guinness World Records to bring awareness to veterans and first responder charity called the Motorcycle Relief Project a 501(3)(c)
Tom Delgado, the company Field Operations Officer says, "The service is new to the Santa Clarita Valley, but the decontamination process has existed for over nine years. The equipment we use to decontaminate is also used in hospitals and medical facilities worldwide."
About CR Environmental 
CR Environmental LLC serves Los Angeles and Kern Counties, specializing in mold testing, mold remediation, and COVID decontamination of businesses and residences.
CR Environmental technicians must complete a forty-eight hour OSHA Hazwopers and Supervisor course.
For more about CR Environmental LLC go to https://www.covidsterilization.com
About Carl Reese 
Carl Reese is the CEO of CR Environmental LLC. Reese is a certified OSHA Hazwoper Supervisor, IAC2 Certified Indoor Air Quality Specialist, NACHI Certified Property Inspector, Licensed General Contractor, Certified Thermographer, PPE Certified, IAC2 Remediation Certified, EPA Lead-Safe Renovator Certified.
Reese has served the Santa Clarita Valley since 1994, working closely with the medical community to provide environmental testing of residences and businesses alike.
Reese is a multiple Guinness World Record holding professional endurance driver.
For more about Carl Reese got to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Reese_(driver)
For more about Motorcycle Relief Project go to http://www.motorelief.org
About Wes Colvin 
Wes Colvin is the COO of CR Environmental. Colvin has served in senior executive level positions for more than 25 years guiding and shaping healthcare business strategy. Colvin most recently has serviced as the Assistant Chief Information Officer for the County of Riverside. Colvin also has been part time faculty for the University of La Verne and College of the Canyons. Colvin has an Executive MBA from Claremont Graduate University. Certificates and short business programs from CalTech, Harvard Business School, MIT, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon University and Cal Poly Pomona. Most recently, he has been enrolled in Health Care Management and Leadership at UCLA.
About Tom Delgado 
Tom Delgado, Field Operations Officer of CR Environmental, has a Bachelor's degree in business from CSUN and brings over 15 years of domestic and international medical sales experience in senior management roles. Delgado is a certified OSHA Hazwoper Supervisor, Santa Clarita resident, and local real estate agent.

Tom Delgado, the company Field Operations Officer says, "The service is new to the Santa Clarita Valley, but the decontamination process has existed for over nine years. The equipment we use to decontaminate is also used in hospitals and medical facilities worldwide."



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BabelBark, Inc., a pet-related software developer, has announced its partnership with Gravity Payments, payment processing company for veterinarians to simplify the challenging process - compounded by COVID-19 - to collect payment for telehealth consultations and in turn allow pet owners to pay for those services. Beginning immediately, the new partnership allows all BabelVet hospitals to implement the remote payment system.

NEWTON, MASS. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
BabelBark, Inc., a pet-related software developer, has announced its partnership with Gravity Payments, payment processing company for veterinarians to simplify the challenging process - compounded by COVID-19 - to collect payment for telehealth consultations and in turn allow pet owners to pay for those services. Beginning immediately, the new partnership allows all BabelVet hospitals to implement the remote payment system.
"This is the final hurdle for many practitioners, to ease the burden on the payment process," says Roy Stein, founder and CEO of BabelBark. "We've now streamlined the ability to monetize and now collect for the important services provided through telehealth."
The partnership allows BabelVet to provide every veterinary hospital easy access to Gravity Payments processing experts. Enrollment is easy. The platform allows practices the freedom to set their own price for their telehealth services performed by their team.
"Our mission is to provide the very best merchant services solution possible for practices and more importantly, we know every practice is different, and that in these new challenging times, solid and trust-worthy solutions are needed more than ever," says Bobby Bohren, Veterinary Business Development Specialist of Gravity Payments.
About BabelBark, Inc. 
BabelBark is a unique digital platform dedicated to easily connecting families to the many facets of their pet's life. The integrated app and software system help pet parents better understand their dog or cat to provide them the happiest and healthiest life possible, while also helping pet businesses and veterinarians communicate directly to customers and clients. It means BabelBark can help connect the love for each pet while revolutionizing veterinary care and pet business models, giving pet parents a key tool, they want — a digital and personal healthcare team. For more information, visit BabelBark, BizBarkand BabelVet or email at info@babelbark.com.
About Gravity Payments 
The Gravity Vet Team has 12+ years of experience working directly with the veterinary community and their practices. Understanding each veterinary clinic's unique needs, Gravity works to ensure the payment processing solution provided is the best for how practice managers and doctors want to run their practice. Whether accepting payments in the clinic or out on the farm, the Vet Team makes payment processing simple and seamless so growing a practice doesn't take time away from helping our furry friends.

This is the final hurdle for many veterinary practitioners, to ease the burden on the payment process.



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Allergy management platform and App Spokin teams with Food Equality Initiative (FEI) to meet the dietary needs of families with life-threatening allergies.

KANSAS CITY, MO. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Of the 60,000 food pantries in the United States, only four pantries meet the dietary needs of families with life-threatening allergies. Spokin, a platform and app that connects people managing food allergies to allergy-friendly resources like food, recipes, and local resources is helping solve food insecurity with the creation and launch of the Spokin Cares campaign.
This campaign will help accelerate the work of Food Equality Initiative (FEI), a nonprofit (501c3) founded to serve low-income families that must eliminate common foods from their diet to maintain health and wellness. To help serve families with allergies and celiac disease, FEI has created direct-to-client, no-contact deliveries for families using Knoq, a specialty delivery service and ships boxes of food to hungry families via the USPS.
The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing food insecurity by interrupting income, driving up food prices, and creating supply chain problems that result in shortages of medically necessary food. With these interruptions, FEI has seen an increase in those seeking assistance.
In less than 21 days, FEI had a 190% increase in clients receiving food. These numbers continue to increase each day. The Spokin Cares campaign will help scale the reach of FEI and provide medically necessary food to families in need.
There are three ways to provide safe meals to those with allergies facing food insecurity. People can donate online, ship food to FEI or shop with participating brands on the Spokin website. The food that is most in need is gluten-free flour, gluten-free pasta, non-dairy milk, egg-substitutes, and gluten-free cereal. 

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Spokin and FEI team to help families with life-threatening allergies.

Many of us recently experienced the scare of not finding safe foods. I can't imagine living with that fear every day. We have long admired the Food Equality Initiative (FEI) and the timing is perfect to launch Spokin Cares to help with the mission of FEI.Susie Hultquist, Founder + CEO of Spokin



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People struggling emotionally with isolation can receive complimentary online group session from Clarity Health Solutions

JUPITER, FLA. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
With the peak of the coronavirus pandemic here, Jennifer Hoskins-Tomko, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) of Clarity Health Solutions in Jupiter is offering one-hour complimentary group therapy sessions to help people cope. Each session offered will have maximum of eight participants. Jennifer Hoskins-Tomko is a psychotherapist who specializes in trauma and anxiety therapy. She founded Clarity Health Solutions, a mental health practice, to help people get back on track and live out their full potential.
"COVID-19 is the equivalent of an emotional trauma for our entire country, and it's affecting our daily lives," Tomko said. "Group therapy sessions are a great way to connect with other people who are also feeling lonely or bored. Also, it gives a sense of community back to people who feel so isolated."
Tomko will coach these free one-hour group therapy sessions teaching how to overcome those feelings of hopelessness, isolation and give tips on how to create mental clarity to get through this global pandemic.
Participants interested in the free sessions can contact: glexi@clarityhealthfl.com 
Media is also welcome to cover by contacting: ariel@pantelidesPR.com

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L.C.S.W. Jenn Tomko giving away free online therapy sessions

COVID-19 is the equivalent of an emotional trauma for our entire country, and it's affecting our daily lives. Clarity Health Solutions is offering free online group therapy sessions to help people connect. It gives a sense of community back to people who feel so isolated



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The Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) – located in Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine – is working with Fort Wayne-based Parkview Health to start conducting COVID-19 tests for human patients. Testing will be expanded in collaboration with other hospitals, with all samples sent directly from partner hospitals to the ADDL.

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Purdue University is continuing to lend expertise and resources to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic through increasing Indiana's testing capacity for the virus thanks to a partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health and Indiana hospitals.
The Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) – located in Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine – is working with Fort Wayne-based Parkview Health to start conducting COVID-19 tests for human patients. Testing began after the lab received Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments certification to conduct human diagnostic testing, with Parkview agreeing to provide clinical oversight.
Testing will be expanded in collaboration with other hospitals, with all samples sent directly from partner hospitals to the ADDL. To avoid a testing backlog, hospitals interested in working with the ADDL are required to complete the "Partnership Inquiry" form.
The goal is to turn around results the same day that samples are received in the lab.
The lab was certified in a matter of days after Purdue leaders suggested using the ADDL to conduct tests and address the state's limited testing capacity and need for resources. State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, said in a recent daily briefing with Gov. Eric Holcomb that resources are still limited for COVID-19 testing in Indiana as the number of cases continues to rise.
"The College of Veterinary Medicine has a long history of providing services to protect animal and human health," said Willie Reed, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. "Providing COVID-19 testing is yet another way to support the citizens of Indiana during this unprecedented public health crisis. The project was shepherded by David Broecker of the Purdue Research Foundation and involves several partners including the foundation, the Indiana State Department of Health, Parkview Hospital, the Purdue community."
Broecker is the chief innovation and collaboration officer for the Purdue Research Foundation.
Dr. Kenitra Hendrix, director of the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, says the ADDL had a unique opportunity to assist with COVID-19 testing in Indiana because of the lab's expertise in providing infectious disease testing and immunity surveillance for animals across the state.
"The ADDL is uniquely positioned to contribute skills and expertise in the detection of pathogens to the fight against COVID-19, while maintaining our diagnostic support of animal health and the safety of the food supply," Hendrix said.
Hendrix says the samples are being tested using a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing method that the ADDL uses regularly for animal specimens. The ADDL team, working with state health authorities, adjusted its intake and sample processing procedures to gain the necessary certification to use the PCR testing capability on human specimens.
"Our team has worked diligently to prepare to perform this testing," Hendrix said. "It is rewarding to be able to take on this role in support of the citizens of our state."
The project is a cross-disciplinary, collaborative effort with the Indiana State Department of Health, the Purdue Research Foundation and the Purdue community.
"Indiana continues to increase our capabilities and preparedness for rapidly testing patients to support our front-line health care workers," Box said. "We are grateful to Purdue and the ADDL for helping to make testing more available for Hoosiers who are helping others during this pandemic."
Parkview Health provided clinical expertise on obtaining a CLIA license and setting up the lab for human testing.
"It still takes several days to get results that are sent out to central labs across the country," said Dr. Michael J. Mirro, chief academic research officer at Parkview Health. "Even the new tests are limited by supply constraints. What Purdue has done is fantastic and shows the ingenuity associated with creative problem solving. Paired with the significant amount of time invested by the Parkview lab team, we believe this will have a positive impact on the state's testing capacity."
The ADDL is a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) facility accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD). BSL-2 laboratories are used to study moderate-risk infectious agents or toxins.
Hendrix says that additional partnerships with other hospitals across the state are possible. More information and a form for potential partners are available at https://purdue.vet/covid19testing.
To make a contribution in support of Purdue's COVID-19 testing facility and the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, visit here and see CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) TESTING LAB.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today's toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.
About the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine
The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine seeks to advance global animal and human health and well-being through excellence in learning, discovery and engagement while serving as a major referral center for the diagnosis and treatment of animal diseases. Faculty research both animal and human health, with an emphasis on animal welfare science and the human-animal bond; infectious diseases and immunology; cancer; neuroscience; and musculoskeletal biology and orthopedics. The college also is one of only a few nationally that educate all members of the veterinary team, offering the doctor of veterinary medicine degree as well as bachelor's and associates degrees in veterinary nursing, post-graduate internships and residencies for veterinarians seeking specialty training, and graduate degrees in the departments of Basic Medical Sciences, Comparative Pathobiology, and Veterinary Clinical Sciences. For more information visit http://www.vet.purdue.edu.
Writer: Abbey Nickel, nickela@purdue.edu, 740-326-0481
Media contacts: Tim Doty, doty2@purdue.edu, Abbey Nickel, nickela@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: A Google drive folder with broadcast-quality b-roll and photos of the Indiana Animal Disease and Diagnostic Laboratory is available at https://purdue.university/3abGFnF



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Level II Coding Eases Reimbursement Process

BONITA SPRINGS, FLA. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
HCPCS codes are now available for Comfort Release Tapes, Comfort Release Bandages, Comfort Release Bordered Transparent Films and Comfort Release Bordered Foam, announced Global Biomedical Technologies LLC. The HCPCS Billing Codes for Comfort Release products are available online here.
"Having these Level II HCPCS codes available is great news for the post-acute markets as it will make product reimbursement easier in those settings," says Dr. Mary Arnold Long, Clinical Education Director, Comfort Release.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated Level II HCPCS - Healthcare Common Procedural Coding System. These codes are assigned to durable medical equipment, prosthetics, drugs, and supplies; they are critical for Physicians, Service Providers, and Manufacturers for billing and payment reconciliation.
About Comfort Release 
Comfort Release revolutionizes the landscape of medical adhesives by developing a patented oligomeric switch (OGS) technology; these products are made with a unique polymer to help people of all ages who have experienced the pain or injury associated with the removal of bandages, tapes or medical dressings. More information about Comfort Release is available at http://www.comfortrelease.com.
About Global Biomedical Technologies 
Global Biomedical Technologies LLC is a fast-growing medical technology company with innovations in chemistry and biomaterials. Committed to developing products that improve the quality of patient care while remaining cost-effective and practical for healthcare providers, we have invested extensively in research and development to find innovative solutions to today's clinical challenges and to redefine care standards. 

"Having these Level II HCPCS codes available is great news for the post-acute markets as it will make product reimbursement easier in those settings." - Dr. Mary Arnold Long, Clinical Education Director, Comfort Release



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Live Webinars Offer Important Information on Optimal Healing for Wounds

BONITA SPRINGS, FLA. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Global Biomedical Technologies is excited to sponsor the next four in a series - "Webinars in Wound Care" - tailored for medical professionals. Join President, Dr. Howard Rosing and Director of Clinical Education, Dr. Mary Arnold Long, Wednesdays at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST. Participants may register here: https://comfortrelease.com/about-us/events/
"Properly treating wounds is an essential step in the healthcare process. These webinars are an excellent opportunity to discuss topics related to proper wound care," said Arnold Long. "We will also answer important questions about how our patented Comfort Release products create an optimal healing environment for wounds."
The live-cast "Webinars in Wound Care" series schedule is as follows:
April 22 - How is Comfort Release Different from Other Wound Care Products? 
April 29 - What is MVTR, How is it Determined, and What are its Implications 
May 8 - Clinical Product Evaluation: The Important Message About Comfort Release Tape 
May 13 - The Battle Round: The Market Leader vs. Comfort Release
Rosing is a board-certified neurologist with over 30 years of experience. Rosing partnered with Dr. Yadong Wang and founded Comfort Release to address Medical Adhesive-Related Skin Injuries - MARSI.
Long has over 30 years of nursing experience, She is a board-certified wound, ostomy and continence advanced practice nurse, a rehabilitation registered nurse, and an adult health clinical nurse specialist.
About Global Biomedical Technologies 
Global Biomedical Technologies LLC. is a fast-growing medical technology company with innovations in chemistry and biomaterials. Committed to developing products that improve quality of patient care while remaining cost effective and practical for healthcare providers, we have invested extensively in research and development to find innovative solutions to today's clinical challenges and to redefine care standards.
About Comfort Release 
Comfort Release revolutionizes the landscape of medical adhesives by developing a patented oligomeric switch (OGS) technology; these products are made with a unique polymery to help people of all ages who have experienced the pain or injury associated with the removal of bandages, tapes or medical dressings. More information about Comfort Release is available at http://www.comfortrelease.com.

"Properly treating wounds is an essential step in the healthcare process. These webinars are an excellent opportunity to discuss topics related to proper wound care."- Dr. Mary Arnold Long, Clinical Education Director, Comfort Release



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T1 Payments Las Vegas, a leader in high-risk merchant processing, is donating to Project150 to support disadvantaged high school students.

LAS VEGAS (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
During this time of uncertainty, T1 Payments Las Vegas, a leader in high-risk merchant processing, is donating to Project150 to support disadvantaged high school students.
Since 2011, Project150 has helped high school students and their families in the Southern Nevada area. Project150 offers support and services to homeless, displaced, and disadvantaged high school students so they can focus on graduating and building successful futures.
Project150 offers Food Distribution, Scholarship, Student Education and Empowerment Center, and other supporting programs for high school students in the Las Vegas community.
T1 Payments' contribution will help support disadvantaged high school students and their families by providing them with fresh and non-perishable food and hygiene products.
"We're always happy to help the Las Vegas community during times of distress," said Don Kasdon, T1 Payments Las Vegas team member. "By joining together we hope to make a difference in helping high school students and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic."
Since April 1st, Project150 has served over 743 high school students, distributed 1,478 family meal bags, and provided 5,912 meals. T1 Payments is proud to support the Las Vegas Project150 community.
For more information about how to donate to help serve the Project150 community, visit the Las Vegas Project150 website.
More about T1 Payments: 
T1 Payments is a high-risk merchant processing company that is flexible, transparent, and scalable. T1 Payments' secure gateway and integrated shopping cart solutions are compliant with all Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).
In addition to high-risk merchant processing services, T1 Payments stays involved in the community through its ongoing donations and sponsorships. To learn more about the nonprofits T1 Payments supports, visit T1 Payments Community Involvement page on their website.
For more information, please visit the T1 Payments website or call 1-866-518-2216. 

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T1 Payments is proud to support the Las Vegas Project150 community.

"We're always happy to help the Las Vegas community during times of distress," said Don Kasdon, T1 Payments Las Vegas team member. "By joining together we hope to make a difference in helping high school students and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic



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Trinity Dominion LLC unveils personal protective equipment website.

RED BANK, N.J. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
#DoWhatYouCan – that's the message that Trinity Dominion LLC, a real estate development company located at the Jersey Shore, would like to send after launching its newest social initiative. GetAMask.store seeks to help protect local community members, especially those serving on the frontlines, by offering personal protective equipment through an online website. The site launched on April 16 and is currently accepting orders and donations for PPE, such as disposable protective masks and KN95 filtering facepiece respirators.
"After the CDC's recent recommendation to wear face coverings in public settings to slow the spread of COVID-19 and the current widespread shortage of PPE, we knew we had to do our part to protect our family, friends and the community, said Rimvis Mati, CEO of Trinity Dominion LLC. "We have started this initiative by utilizing our contacts overseas to import much-needed PPE supplies directly to our community, while also giving back to our local partners and frontline workers."
Those interested can purchase face masks, safety masks, KN95 respirators and other personal protective equipment (PPE) for yourself or purchase to donate these supplies to those on the frontlines by visiting GetAMask.store. "Our frontline workers are our most valuable asset and are uniquely vulnerable to the virus," said Mati. "Let's offer our appreciation by providing them with the PPE they need. All you have to do is purchase to donate through our website. Trinity Dominion will facilitate all the logistics and deliver the PPE directly to those on the frontlines."
GetAMask.store is currently only shipping to the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Orders over $50 will ship free. Once orders are placed, they will ship based on the timeline noted in the online store – typically within 3-5 business days with 1-2-day shipping.
"I am humbled by the opportunity to be able to help the community during these unprecedented times," said Mati. "We invite you to #DoWhatYouCan to help others, too."
For questions regarding PPE, GetAMask.storecustomer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm and Saturday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm by calling 848-206-6398 or emailing sales@GetAMask.store.
About Trinity Dominion LLC 
With over 150 years of joint experience, Trinity Dominion's mission is to create spaces that combine comfort and convenience, and put its customers' needs at the heart of modern home design. Trinity Dominion is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the New Jersey Builders Association and the Shore Builders Association of Central NJ, Inc. To learn more, visit https://www.trinitydominion.com.



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B&C is pleased to release a timely episode of the All Things Chemical podcast, COVID-19, FIFRA, and EPA -- A Conversation with Lisa Campbell."

WASHINGTON (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) is pleased to release a timely episode of the All Things Chemicalpodcast, "COVID-19, FIFRA, and EPA -- A Conversation with Lisa Campbell." In this episode, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, B&C, and Lisa M. Campbell, one of the nation's foremost legal experts on the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), a Partner at B&C, sat down to discuss U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval of products under FIFRA to combat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, EPA has been deluged with applications to approve new products and/or new uses of existing products to combat the virus. Lisa explains in this podcast how antimicrobial pesticide products play an important role in public health and safety, the kinds of antimicrobial product categories regulated by EPA (including sanitizers, sterilants, disinfectants, and others), how approved products are deployed to combat the novel pathogen that causes COVID-19, and what EPA is doing to fast-track the approval process to get products out there to protect public health. And as important as the federal EPA is in this regard, Lisa also explains the important role of state agencies in the pesticide product approval area. Lynn and Lisa round out their discussion on EPA's efforts, along with other federal law enforcement offices, to stop the proliferation of virus scams, most notably the sale and distribution of antimicrobial products falsely claiming to be effective against the spread of the coronavirus.
The full podcast episode is available to stream online. Additional updates on regulatory efforts to approve products to combat COVID-19, along with commentary, can be found on B&C's Pesticide Law and Policy Blog and on the Regulatory Developments page of our website.
All Things Chemical engages listeners in intelligent, insightful conversation about everything related to industrial, pesticidal, and specialty chemicals and the law and business issues surrounding chemicals. B&C's talented team of lawyers, scientists, and consultants will keep listeners abreast of the changing world of both domestic and international chemical regulation and provide analysis of the many intriguing and complicated issues surrounding this space. All Things Chemical is available now on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play Music. Subscribe so you never miss an episode



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As a mission-critical communications provider, Omnitronics responds to the COVID-19 epidemic by making their RediTALK-Flex Radio Dispatch software available to Public Safety organizations free of charge in a bid to support their frontline work and give radio dispatch operators the option to manage radio dispatch from home.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA (PRWEB) APRIL 18, 2020
As a mission-critical communications provider, Omnitronics is acutely aware of the role Radio Dispatch and Radio Gateways play in emergency situations and during States of Disaster.
The COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything Omnitronics have seen during nearly 40 years of supporting communications of Ambulance, Police, 911 Dispatch, Fire & Emergency Services, Hospitals, Rescue and other organizations globally that currently lead the frontline in the joint fight against this new Coronavirus.
In order to show gratitude to and in direct support of the vital services that everyone around the world heavily relies on during the COVID-19 emergency, Omnitronics offers FREE use of the RediTALK-Flex Dispatch software for 90 days to organizations working in or supporting essential services.
"I feel that giving our strained frontline organizations access to much-needed additional resources is our duty as a company operating in this industry," states Omnitronics CEO John Florenca.
"We have seen Public Safety organizations having to close their Dispatch Centers as part of COVID-19 isolation requirements. It is our obligation to support them with a contingency plan. With RediTALK-Flex Dispatch operators can continue to work and manage calls using a tablet or laptop from the safety of their homes," adds Omnitronics Global Marketing Manager Tina Mucha.
The RediTALK-Flex Radio Dispatch console is designed around the requirements of mission-critical Public Safety organizations and is made available for download and free 90 day use immediately here.

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FREE RediTALK-Flex Radio Dispatch For Public Safety During COVID-19

"I feel that giving our strained frontline organizations access to much-needed additional resources is our duty as a company operating in this industry", states Omnitronics CEO John Florenca.



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The noted internist and proprietor of House Call Doctor Los Angeles comments on a recent article that patients who want individual care and maximum safety can get the care they need at home.

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
An April 6 article on Kaiser Health News reports on the predicament that many people who have recovered from COVID-19 now face. Survivors have to cope with real or perceived stigmas based on the idea that they may still be contagious – which at present cannot be completely disproven and which can then be internalized as guilt when out in public carrying out basic errands like grocery runs even if it's clear they pose no greater threat than others. Dr. Michael Farzam of House Call Doctor Los Angeles says that, while there are no easy answers at this moment for COVID-19 survivors, a house call doctor can help patients suffering from any condition who may prefer to remain at home for many good reasons.
Dr. Farzam notes that the unfortunate truth is that it may be weeks or months, if not longer, for more definitive practices to be put in place to ease coronavirus survivors' minds. However, the doctor also notes that patients can be assured that they still have options for treatment, whether it's for concerns about the virus or any other medical matter. Doctors on-call who make home visits offer the flexibility of meeting in any location appropriate to medical examination—within the guidelines of a stay-at-home order, if applicable—but without sacrificing quality medical services. He continues, many of the treatments and techniques offered by clinics and hospitals are still available on a mobile platform. In fact, patients can receive much more personalized care than they might elsewhere, he adds.
Noting that emergency rooms and hospital medical personnel are generally only able to spend a maximum of 20 minutes per patient, Dr. Farzam says that he is generally able to spend 45 minutes with his patients. That extra time gives him and his patients a chance to get into the nitty-gritty of their medical issues and sometimes leads to a more accurate diagnosis. Dr. Farzam also adds that, unlike a hospital or clinic, patients don't have to stay in a waiting room with other ill individuals for what can sometimes be hours if they receive a visit from a house call doctor instead. This dramatically cuts down on the chances of being exposed to additional pathogens, especially at a time when a patient might be most vulnerable. Dr. Farzam concludes that while the times may be more challenging than usual for people who ill, patients still have many, many options for medical care
Readers can learn more about Dr. Farzam and House Call Doctor Los Angeles by calling (310) 849-7991 or by visiting https://www.housecalldoctorla.com. 

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Dr Michael Farzam of House Call Doctor Los Angeles

While there are no easy answers at this moment for COVID-19 survivors, a house call doctor can help patients suffering from any condition who may prefer to remain at home for many good reasons



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San Francisco Bay area based charity announces mask distribution, mask availability and expansion of services for local Health Care Heroes. Calls for other volunteer groups to replicate their process and specifications to support local Health Care Heroes.

SAN RAMON, CALIF. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
The Free Masketeers Hospital Support Program, a San Francisco Bay Area initiative, is aiding local healthcare heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing desperately needed personal protection equipment (PPE).
Thanks to the generosity of many donors and the efforts of over 250 volunteers, the Free Masketeers has supplied 3,000 hospital-approved fabric masks, 3,000 surgical masks and 2,000 KN95 masks to 54 healthcare facilities including 3,300 delivered to the Contra Costa County Health Department this week. The Free Masketeers currently has 5,000 masks available for distribution and welcomes requests from Bay Area healthcare facilities facing PPE shortages.
The Free Masketeers also announces an expansion of its support of healthcare heroes by offering connections to volunteer mental health and legal professionals. "Many of our healthcare heroes have expressed a need for personal counselling and assistance with will updates and estate planning to ensure their families are cared for if they fall ill," remarked Kris Narayan Chief Executive of The Free Masketeers, "If you are a healthcare worker in need of these services, or a mental health or legal professional willing to donate your expertise, please contact us."
If you are a non-profit or community organization looking to build grass-roots support for your local healthcare workers, The Free Masketeers can help by providing detailed instructions on how to: 

Manufacture cloth masks that adhere to strict hospital safety specifications

Raise funds and garner support from donors and city officials

Source KN95 masks and cloth mask supplies from US and international vendors

Join The Free Masketeers in helping save our healthcare heroes.

"Many of our healthcare heroes have expressed a need for personal counselling and assistance with will updates and estate planning to ensure their families are cared for if they fall ill," remarked Kris Narayan Chief Executive of The Free Masketeers



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Physician Assistant Angie Seelal with Advanced Dermatology PC Provides Tips for Hair Removal.

WEST ISLIP, N.Y. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Millions of women and men use multiple methods to rid their bodies of unwanted hair. With varying degrees of success, they shave, pluck, wax, use depilatory creams, and undergo electrolysis or laser hair removal, sometimes daily, sometimes weekly or monthly, sometimes in the privacy of their own homes, or even in regular visits to professionals. According to Angie Seelal, RPA-C of Advanced Dermatology, PC: "All these methods have advantages and disadvantages. Those that remove hair at the root provide longer lasting results than those that remove hair above the skin's surface. Some are less irritating to the skin than others, some work better on particular parts of the body, and can cause the new growth to be thinner and sparser. Seeking the best solution for permanent removal, many have turned to lasers, making laser hair removal one of the most popular aesthetic treatments for women."
Surface removal methods include shaving (electric and wet) and depilatory creams. Shaving, particularly of legs and underarms, is easy and convenient as part of a regular grooming routine. The downside is that it has to be done daily or several times a week, to keep skin smooth and hair-free. Depilatory creams chemically dissolve the hair but can cause irritation or even allergic reactions and should be patch-tested on a small area. Removing hair at the root can be done by tweezing in small areas like the brows; and waxing, which can last weeks but which may be painful and for which it's necessary to let hairs grow longer than they would have to be for shaving. Methods that promise long-lasting, even permanent hair removal are electrolysis and laser hair removal.
In electrolysis a trained professional inserts a very thin electrified needle into the hair follicle and destroys the root with electric current, preventing regrowth. Electrolysis treats each hair individually, making it time-consuming and impractical for large areas. It can also be painful, causing redness and swelling. "Laser treatment is the most effective method for permanent removal," says Ms. Seelal. "Unlike electrolysis, it treats many hairs at once and can be used on areas of any size on any part of the body. While the number of treatments depends on the area to be treated, results are often seen after just one or two treatments."
Laser treatments work by concentrating an intense beam of light on a small area of skin. The light is absorbed by pigment in the hair follicle underneath the skin surface, destroying the follicle with heat and preventing growth. Laser hair removal is safe and has been refined over the years so that the procedure causes little to no discomfort. Permanent hair removal may take several rounds of treatment to ensure coverage of all hair follicles in varying stages of their growth cycle. While some hair may grow back, it is likely to be lighter and sparser than before. The exact number of treatments required varies from person to person, depending on skin tone and the nature of the hair.
Laser treatments work best when there is the greatest contrast between skin and hair color, as with dark hair and fair skin. "While different lasers have been designed to work effectively on different skin tones," says Ms. Seelal, "people with very fair or white hair and fair skin may not achieve the best results with laser removal."
Laser hair removal has become popular for its convenience, comfort, and long-lasting results. It is a non-invasive method of removing hair no matter where or how large the treated area. With the warm weather approaching, many people will find that laser treatments will boost their confidence as they wear shorts and bathing suits that reveal smooth, hairless skin.
Bio: Angie Seelal, RPA-C is a Certified Physician Assistant through the National Commission of Certification of Physician Assistants.
Advanced Dermatology P.C. and the Center for Laser and Cosmetic Surgery (New York & New Jersey) is one of the leading dermatology centers in the nation, offering highly experienced physicians in the fields of cosmetic and laser dermatology as well as plastic surgery and state-of-the-art medical technologies. http://www.advanceddermatologypc.com. 888-747-5273

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Angie Seelal, RPA-C

Seeking the best solution for permanent removal, many have turned to lasers, making laser hair removal one of the most popular aesthetic treatments for women.



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Mr. (Jesse) Means totally converts his small NYC apartment into a complete production and editing studio to produce videos for his new YouTube channel: Mr. Means Music. This Mr. Rogers style children's show is not only a resource for his young students while remote learning but young scholars, parents and teachers around the world.

NEW YORK (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Jesse Means (a.k.a. Mr. Means) became a New York City (NYC), music teacher in September 2001, just before 9/11. Along with music pedagogy his focus has been on the wellbeing of his students' mental and social-emotional health. Orders under the current pandemic meant remote learning replaced face-to-face interactions. How would he continue to feed and encourage these young scholars?
Sometimes referred to as the modern-day Mr. Rogers, Mr. Means knew his style of teaching called for something unique. Going further than simply moving furniture to clear a space, he dismantled his NYC apartment to create an at-home, classroom studio like no other.
Mr. Means converted his small apartment into a green-screen filming and post- production studio and created Mr. Means Music, a virtual, music classroom for his young scholars on YouTube.
Each week Mr. Means produces and uploads a new, 10-20 minute video lesson to his channel. His students aren't the only ones accessing these lessons. Mr. Means Music videos have been viewed by children and families across the city, state, nation and as far as Italy and the U.K.
While the country rallies in support of one another, this educator is going above and beyond. Mr. Means is creating a music education resource with focus on his young viewers' social-emotional health, while still incorporating English Language Arts and Math components. Mr. Means personifies what makes NYC unique, our steadfastness and support in times of trouble.
Embracing the most precious of our community he encourages others to do the same. Mr. Means is a gem among gems of educators around the nation continuing to feed the minds and souls of our youngest citizens...our future leaders.

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Mr. Means Music Classroom

My nephew only likes coco melon...he likes you! -Stephanie M. (California) Zane is ALL over these videos. You're such a beacon of light! -Jennifer F. (Texas) These are incredible! And so much fun! I'm putting them on for [my son]... -Lisa S. (NYC) I want to send this to my class! -Laura D. (Canada)



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The rapidly growing healthcare technology and analytics company will use the funding to support the expansion of its behavioral health platform.

PHILADELPHIA (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
NeuroFlow has been awarded $750,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to support the expansion of its digital health platform enabling behavioral health integration in all care settings. This funding from the NSF, which conducts a rigorous merit-based review process, adds to NeuroFlow's recent government awards.
The SBIR Phase II funding will support key technical initiatives including enhanced EHR integrations and data science efforts to accelerate the already impressive growth achieved by the company. The Philadelphia-based company has recently added key members to its leadership team across sales, engineering, and clinical operations to keep up with increased demand for its suite of products. NeuroFlow's technology is being used by over 1,000 providers and organizations across the country to support the overall health of over 250,000 patients under contract, up from roughly 5,000 at the same time last year.
"NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering," said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. "With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs."
A major catalyst of that growth has been the data science underpinning NeuroFlow's technology, enabling care teams to effectively risk stratify their patient populations and proactively identify at-risk individuals requiring additional support. The NSF funding will allow the team to increase investments in artificial intelligence regarding personalization and natural language processing. These initiatives, along with a combination of behavioral economics, gamification, and award-winning design result in a highly engaging solution, which is critical for remote collection of actionable data that providers can use to drive better outcomes and lower cost of care to the health care system at large.
"This funding will be immensely helpful in accelerating our growth and enabling us to make a greater impact when it comes to closing the gap between mental and physical health," said the principal investigator on the project and NeuroFlow's COO and Co-Founder Adam Pardes.
"Especially important in today's climate, this recognition highlights the equal importance of behavioral health in the holistic treatment of a patient. It is validating for the NSF to support our research and value our technology as it relates to addressing a major healthcare issue affecting millions of lives every day."
About NeuroFlow 
NeuroFlow is a collaborative and measurement-based behavioral health platform integrated in all care settings. NeuroFlow's suite of HIPAA-compliant, cloud-based tools simplify remote patient monitoring, improve risk stratification, and facilitate collaborative care. Hundreds of health systems, clinicians, and care teams are using NeuroFlow to bridge the gap between mental and physical health in order to improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of care. Learn more at https://www.neuroflow.com
About America's Seed Fund 
America's Seed Fund powered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $1.75 million in non-dilutive funds to support research and development (R&D),helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America's Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.1 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. For more information, visit seedfund.nsf.gov



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Designation Recognizes Dr. Davidiuk's Commitment to Exemplary Care, Extensive UroLift System Experience

PLEASANTON, CALIF. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
NeoTract, a wholly owned subsidiary of Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX) focused on addressing unmet needs in the field of urology, today announced that Andrew Davidiuk, M.D., Orlando Health Urology in Orlando, FL, has been designated as a UroLift Center of Excellence. The designation recognizes that Dr. Davidiuk has achieved a high level of training and experience with the UroLift System and demonstrated a commitment to exemplary care for men suffering from symptoms associated with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), also known as enlarged prostate.
Recommended for the treatment of BPH in both the American Urological Association and European Association of Urology clinical guidelines, the FDA-cleared Prostatic Urethral Lift procedure using the UroLift System is a proven, minimally invasive technology for treating lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH. The UroLift permanent implants, delivered during a transurethral outpatient procedure, relieve prostate obstruction and open the urethra directly without cutting, heating, or removing prostate tissue.
The UroLift Center of Excellence program is designed to highlight urologists who are committed to educating their patients on BPH and the UroLift System as a treatment option and consistently seek to deliver excellent patient outcomes and experiences.
"This designation recognizes Dr. Andrew Davidiuk as a UroLift Center of Excellence for his commitment to providing safe and effective treatment to patients with BPH," said Dave Amerson, president of the Teleflex Interventional Urology business unit. "We are pleased to see the continued acceptance of the UroLift System as a standard of care treatment that may allow men to discontinue the use of BPH medications and improve their quality of life."
Over 40 million men in the United States are affected by BPH, a condition that occurs when the prostate gland that surrounds the male urethra becomes enlarged with advancing age and begins to obstruct the urinary system. Symptoms of BPH often include interrupted sleep and urinary problems and can cause loss of productivity, depression and decreased quality of life.
Medication is often the first-line therapy for enlarged prostate, but relief can be inadequate and temporary. Side effects of medication treatment can include sexual dysfunction, dizziness and headaches, prompting many patients to quit using the drugs. For these patients, the classic alternative is surgery that cuts, heats or removes prostate tissue to open the blocked urethra. While current surgical options can be very effective in relieving symptoms, they can also leave patients with permanent side effects such as urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and retrograde ejaculation.
About the UroLift System
The FDA-cleared UroLift System is a proven, minimally invasive technology for treating lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The UroLift permanent implants, delivered during a minimally invasive transurethral outpatient procedure, relieve prostate obstruction and open the urethra directly without cutting, heating, or removing prostate tissue. Clinical data from a pivotal 206-patient randomized controlled study showed that patients with enlarged prostate receiving UroLift implants reported rapid and durable symptomatic and urinary flow rate improvement without compromising sexual function*1,2. Patients also experienced a significant improvement in quality of life. Over 100,000 men have been treated with the UroLift System in the U.S. Most common adverse events reported include hematuria, dysuria, micturition urgency, pelvic pain, and urge incontinence. Most symptoms were mild to moderate in severity and resolved within two to four weeks after the procedure. The Prostatic Urethral Lift procedure using the UroLift System is recommended for the treatment of BPH in both the American Urological Association and European Association of Urology clinical guidelines. The UroLift System is available in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. Learn more at ww.UroLift.com.
About NeoTract | Teleflex Interventional Urology
A wholly owned subsidiary of Teleflex Incorporated, the Interventional Urology Business Unit is dedicated to developing innovative, minimally invasive and clinically effective devices that address unmet needs in the field of urology. Our initial focus is on improving the standard of care for patients with BPH using the UroLift System, a minimally invasive permanent implant system that treats symptoms while preserving normal sexual function*1,2. Learn more at http://www.neotract.com.
About Teleflex Incorporated
Teleflex is a global provider of medical technologies designed to improve the health and quality of people's lives. We apply purpose driven innovation – a relentless pursuit of identifying unmet clinical needs – to benefit patients and healthcare providers. Our portfolio is diverse, with solutions in the fields of vascular and interventional access, surgical, anesthesia, cardiac care, urology, emergency medicine and respiratory care. Teleflex employees worldwide are united in the understanding that what we do every day makes a difference. For more information, please visit http://www.teleflex.com.
Teleflex is the home of Arrow, Deknatel, Hudson RCI, LMA, Pilling, Rusch, UroLift and Weck – trusted brands united by a common sense of purpose
For Teleflex Incorporated: 
Jake Elguicze, 610.948.2836 
Treasurer and Vice President, Investor Relations
Media: 
Nicole Osmer, 650.454.0504 nicole@healthandcommerce.com
*No instances of new, sustained erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction 
1. Roehrborn, J Urology 2013 LIFT Study 
2.McVary, J Sex Med 2016
MAC00968-01 Rev A

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"This designation recognizes Dr. Andrew Davidiuk as a UroLift Center of Excellence for his commitment to providing safe and effective treatment to patients with BPH," said Dave Amerson



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Donations received to the Fund will provide a fast way to deliver immediate resources to SSM Health experts during pandemic

ST. LOUIS, MO. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
SSM Health Foundation – St. Louis has launched an Urgent Response Fund to support frontline St. Louis health care workers through the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure those caring for our community receive the resources and care they need to continue in their work. All donations directly—and quickly—provide vital resources for the most essential needs of health care providers and the patients they serve. The SSM Health Urgent Response Fund supports:   

Basic frontline supplies and needs

Testing and diagnostics capacity

Employee relief efforts

Care for caregivers and their families

"Support through this Fund from organizations and individuals provides speed and flexibility, which are essential elements in saving lives during crisis situations," said Paul R. Ross, President of SSM Health Foundation – St. Louis. "Fast action has been a priority for us since COVID-19 was announced as an official pandemic on March 11. The Urgent Response Fund was activated less than two weeks later, and we started receiving donations the day of the public launch on March 31."
To date, many individuals, corporations, and organizations throughout the St. Louis region have contributed to the SSM Health Urgent Response Fund. Gifts of all sizes are welcome and will help alleviate the incredible burden COVID-19 is placing on our region's health care system. The impact of donations has already been actualized. 
"Already, we are seeing the impact of the Urgent Response Fund," said Ross. "One patient's daughter maintains that FaceTime communications from the hospital, made possible by iPads purchased through the Fund, helped her father recover from the Coronavirus. In fact, she was so inspired by the power of this technology that she went on to raise $10,000 for the SSM Health Foundation to purchase iPad minis to distribute to all ministries."
Find out more about her story here: https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/father-almost-dies-from-covid-19-but-daughter-says-he-made-improvements-after-encouraging-him-through-facetime/63-df721436-0aee-42fa-9e1e-dbeafccceb80
Individuals, corporations, and organizations seeking an efficient way to deliver immediate resources for the ever-emerging health care needs are encouraged to contribute at http://www.givetossmhealth.org/urgentreponse/.
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About SSM Health Foundation – St. Louis  
SSM Health Foundation – St. Louis was founded in 2018 to unify philanthropic efforts and elevate community impact for SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis, SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, SSM Health St. Claire Hospital – Fenton, SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital – Lake Saint Louis, SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital – St. Charles, SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital – Wentzville, and SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital – St. Louis. The Foundation serves as a cohesive community of supporters, health care professionals, corporate leaders, community donors, and volunteers to make an impact on health care in the communities SSM Health serves across the region. Inspired by the mission of the founding sisters who, in 1872, began their ministry of healing with $5 and a basket to collect donations, the Foundation strives to serve by seeking financial support for SSM Health hospitals. For more information, please visit http://www.givetossmhealth.org.

"Support through this Fund from organizations and individuals provides speed and flexibility, which are essential elements in saving lives during crisis situations."



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Preferred Health Insurance Solutions outline the health insurance options individuals who have lost their job-based health insurance should consider before selecting a new plan.

BEDFORD PARK, ILL. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
"As a result of these unprecedented times, millions of Americans have recently lost their job, as well as their workplace health insurance. Consumers need to be aware that according to the Affordable Care Act, loss of job-based health insurance is a life event that qualifies them for a special enrollment period on the health insurance Marketplace. In addition, they may be eligible to take advantage of generous subsidies which can make a Marketplace health plan affordable," began Bob Dial, vice president, Preferred Health Insurance Solutions (Preferred Health).
Typically, the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) is the only time an individual can purchase a qualified, guaranteed issue, Major Medical Health Plan. When the OEP ends, individuals must meet at least one of the criteria outlined in the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) in order to secure a Marketplace Health Insurance plan. Losing health coverage, moving, getting married, having a baby, or adopting a baby are examples of qualifying criteria outlined in the SEP.
Dial continued, "People who have lost their workplace health insurance need to know that there are several health insurance options available to them outside of a Marketplace plan. Every individual needs some type of health insurance. It can help cover services ranging from routine doctor office visits to major hospital costs, as well as serious illness or injuries. It also covers many preventative services to keep an individual healthy."
Dial reviews the options that are available to consumers who have recently lost their job-based health insurance.
Option 1: Marketplace Major Medical Plan 
Plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace are presented in four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Metal plans are based on what the individual feels that they can afford. Plans in all categories provide free preventive care, and some offer selected free or discounted services before deductibles are met. Individuals can save money on their monthly premium based on their income. The insurance professionals at Preferred Health can go over each of the Marketplace plans, explain their advantages and disadvantages, and help determine if they qualify for any government subsidies."
Option 2: Short Term Major Medical Plan 
Short Term Major Medical insurance provides you with the temporary coverage needed to prevent an unexpected threat to your health from becoming a financially-crippling incident as well. This may be a great plan for individuals or families waiting for permanent major medical coverage to start, waiting for the next ACA major medical open enrollment period to begin, or looking for an alternative to costly Marketplace Plans.
Option 3: Telemedicine 
Dial explains, "One feature that makes Preferred Health's Telemedicine program attractive, is that it can be purchased on its own. Many group plans offer telemedicine. However, for those individuals whose group plan does not include telemedicine service, or for those who have an individual health policy, or those uninsured, aTelemedicine program is a cost effective option. After the initial payment, there are no other cost factors that will be added."
First Stop Health Telemedicine Program provides access to a physician anytime and anywhere by mobile app, web, or phone. 

The plan allows an individual and the family members that live in their household, 24/7/365 day access to a doctor over the phone for things they might otherwise schedule a doctors office visit.

There is $0 copay or deductibles to use the service. The telemedicine physician can even prescribe medication like antibiotics when appropriate.

First Stop Health can treat about 60-70% of reasons people seek medical care.

" A telemedicine program can play a significant role in helping to ensure people who have common health conditions avoid going to a doctor's office or hospital and run the risk of getting a more serious illness. This can help keep people healthy, and slow the spread of the cold, flu, as well as other harmful viruses," Dial remarked.
Option 4: Consider Adding Additional Coverages 
To complement a Major Medical Plan or Short Term Major Medical Plan, Dial explained that individuals also have the option of adding other plans that will ensure necessary coverages are in place. Many of these plans can be purchased separately and include: Personal Accident Medical, Dental Plus Vision & Hearing, Disability Income, and Critical Illness.
The insurance professionals at Preferred Health are available to assist individuals select a health insurance plan that meets their needs and budget. The dedicated Preferred Health Call Center consists of a team of multi-lingual, health insurance professionals, that are trained to walk a client through the entire process of selecting a healthcare plan and enrolling them for their coverage, as well as responding to any questions they may have regarding their new health insurance policy. Consumers can call the Preferred Health Call Center at 800-342-0631 or access the company's website at http://www.phisonline.com.
About Preferred Health Insurance Solutions: 
Headquartered in Bedford Park, Illinois, Preferred Health Insurance Solutions (PHIS) is a national enrollment firm specializing in the Health Insurance Marketplace as well as a variety of other ancillary health insurance products, including Dental, Critical Illness, Short Term Medical, and others. PHIS, formerly known as ACA Marketplace Enrollment Solutions (ACAEnroll.com), provides enrollment services throughout the country, through national and regional insurance carriers. Consumers can call the PHIS Call Center at 800-342-0631 or access the company's website at http://www.phisonline.com

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Millions of Americans have recently lost their job, as well as their workplace health insurance. Consumers need to be aware that according to the Affordable Care Act, loss of job-based health insurance is a life event that qualifies them for the Special Enrollment Period



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COVID-19 is reshaping the way business owners and employees think about safety in the workplace. Companies are using innovative methods to keep their employees and clients safe. One such company, Rieke Office Interiors (ROI), had that in mind when it developed a series of new SafeSpace products. Both adaptable and affordable, the designs are the perfect solution to workplace social distancing.

ELGIN, ILL. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
COVID-19 is reshaping the way business owners and employees think about safety in the workplace. Companies are using innovative methods to keep their employees and clients safe. One such company, Rieke Office Interiors (ROI), had that in mind when it developed a series of new SafeSpace products. Both adaptable and affordable, the designs are the perfect solution to workplace social distancing.
Inspiration for the SafeSpace Rx products—specially designed protective shields, panels, and panel extenders--came from the face shields that doctors are wearing to protect themselves from all germs, particularly the COVID-19 virus particles. It's a concern for employees, too, as experts suggest there is a possibility that the virus can be spread through tiny particles, or aerosols, from breathing or speaking, and not just the larger particles generated in a cough or sneeze.
Once the idea had time to take root, ROI's president, Melissa Kehl, and her team were able to work their way from inception, through technical and design challenges, to a finished product in one week. The key to shifting gears so quickly, Kehl said, was having manufacturing on-site, having their engineers on-site, and using parametric software that provides the best flexibility available.
The results give employees confidence that they have a safe and effective way of interacting with others. The SafeShield Rx portable protective shield, the SafeTrans Rx portable protective shield with transaction slot, and the SafePanel Rx portable workstation extenders are elegant and sleekly designed to be visually unobtrusive even as they provide security and satisfaction for everyone returning to work.
Employees will be reassured by the personal separation and viral protection they offer, while still allowing them to feel connected to their coworkers and customers. Even better, they are designed to allow for movement, so they can be re-configured as needed.
ROI isn't new to blazing a trail of change. Kehl says it all began with their first line of office furniture. "From there, the business grew into custom furniture and millwork, a flooring division, and our interior design division, Vertical Interior Design. We keep adding to the mix of what we're doing; a continual improvement process is what we're always striving for."
The PPE products for the workplace were a natural outcome of ROI's philosophy and blended perfectly with their ability to shift their laser-like focus quickly and easily. "The trend in recent years has been open office environments, and I don't think people are going to feel comfortable and safe coming back to that," Kehl said. "We work closely with our customers to design and manufacture custom office furniture that supports their unique culture. Because of COVID-19, safety is now part of everyone's culture. We created SafeSpace Rx as a natural product line extension to address this need so employers can bring their employees back safely and with confidence."
Kehl has tried the shield out personally and gives it two thumbs up. "At first, I thought it might be kind of awkward, but I actually felt safer talking to that person, and it looked good while I was talking to them. I prefer our SafeShield Rx product over a mask, and I feel safer. Particles may get through a cloth mask, but not a shield. It also wasn't as much of an interference as I had thought it could be. It really works."
SafeSpace products are safe, secure, and, starting at $99, offer satisfaction to business owners at all levels. For more information, contact their sales team through http://www.rieke.com/safespaceroi
About Rieke Office Interiors 
Rieke Office Interiors (ROI) has an impressive, state-of-the-art, 150,000 square foot, office furniture manufacturing facility in Elgin, Illinois. As a certified WBE business in its 27th year, ROI provides innovative products and services that are fully customizable, a unique capability that isn't found anywhere else in the office interior industry. This flexibility allows ROI to create a big impact for any budget, streamlining the project process to make each vision come to life. For more information, visit http://www.rieke.com.

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Rieke Office Interiors' SafePanel Rx can be up-close and personal, keeping people safe even when collaborating with coworkers on a project or gathering information from clients.

"Because of COVID-19, safety is now part of everyone's culture. We created SafeSpace Rx as a natural product line extension to address this need so employers can bring their employees back safely and with confidence."



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Engineering researchers developed a next-generation miniature lab device that uses magnetic nano-beads to isolate minute bacterial particles that cause diseases. Using this new technology improves how clinicians isolate drug-resistant strains of bacterial infections and difficult-to-detect micro-particles such as those making up Ebola and coronaviruses.
Ke Du and Blanca Lapizco-Encinas, both faculty-researchers in Rochester Institute of Technology's Kate Gleason College of Engineering, worked with an international team to collaborate on the design of the new system—a microfluidic device, essentially a lab-on-a-chip.
Drug-resistant bacterial infections are causing hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world every year, and this number is continuously increasing. Based on a report from the United Nations, the deaths caused by antibiotics resistance could reach to 10 million annually by 2050, Du explained.
"It is urgent for us to better detect, understand, and treat these diseases. To provide rapid and accurate detection, the sample purification and preparation is critical and essential, that is what we are trying to contribute. We are proposing to use this novel device for virus isolation and detection such as the coronavirus and Ebola," said Du, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering whose background is in development of novel biosensors and gene editing technology.
The lab team is interested in the detection of bacterial infection, especially in bodily fluids. One of the major problems for detection is how to better isolate higher concentrations of pathogens. 
The device is a sophisticated lab environment that can be used in field hospitals or clinics and should be much faster at collecting and analyzing specimens than the commercially available membrane filters. Its wide, shallow channels trap small bacteria molecules that are attracted to packed, magnetic microparticles.
This combination of the deeper channels on the nano-device, increased flow rate of fluids where bacteria are suspended, and the inclusion of magnetic beads along the device channels improves upon the process of capturing/isolating bacterial samples. Researchers were able to successfully isolate bacteria from various fluids with a microparticle-based matrix filter. The filter trapped particles in small voids in the device, providing a larger concentration of bacteria for analysis. An added advantage of a smaller device such as this allows for multiple samples to be tested at the same time.
"We can bring this portable device to a lake which has been contaminated by E. coli. We will be able to take a few milliliters of the water sample and run it through our device so the bacteria can be trapped and concentrated. We can either quickly detect these bacteria in the device or release them into certain chemicals to analyze them," said Du, whose earlier work focused on devices that use the CRISPR gene-editing technology and the fundamental understanding of fluidic dynamics.
Teaming up with Lapizco-Encinas, a biomedical engineer with expertise in dielectrophoresis—a process that uses electrical current to separate biomolecules—their collaboration provided the increased capability toward better pathogen detection, specifically for bacteria and microalgae isolation and concentration.
"Our goal is not only isolating and detecting bacteria in water and human plasma, but also working with whole blood samples to understand and detect blood infection such as sepsis. We already have a concrete plan for that. The idea is to use a pair of the nano-sieve devices for sequential isolation," said Lapizco-Encinas, an associate professor in RIT's biomedical engineering department."
Du and Lapizco-Encinas were part of a team that consisted of mechanical and biomedical engineers from Rutgers, University of Alabama, SUNY Binghamton, and Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute in China to address the global challenges of disease pandemics. The new data is published in the article "Rapid Escherichia coli trapping and retrieval for bodily fluids via a three-dimensional bead-stacked nano-device," in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.
The research team is RIT engineering doctoral and graduate students Xinye Chen, Abbi Miller and Qian He; University of Alabama assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering Yu Gan and undergraduate student Shengting Cao; Ruo-Qian Wang, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering from Rutgers University; Xin Yong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering from SUNY Binghamton; Peiwu Qin from the Center of Precision Medicine and Healthcare, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, China; and Jie Zhang, Carollo Engineers Inc. in Seattle.


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To provide injured workers with immediate access to medical treatment online via smartphone, tablet or computer, ICW Group Insurance Companies, a leading group of property and casualty carriers, announces it is now offering telemedicine to its workers' compensation policyholders.
To provide this new service, ICW Group is partnering with Concentra Telemed, the first telemedicine service specifically designed for work-related injuries. Utilizing licensed medical providers experienced in occupational health, Concentra Telemed gives injured workers the option to access non-emergency medical treatment 24 hours a day, seven days a week with no need to visit a medical facility or spend time in a waiting room.
"We were actively working on our telemedicine rollout when the coronavirus pandemic hit," said Amanda Granger, senior vice president, work comp claims. "Thankfully, ICW Group's workforce was equipped to quickly shift to a work from home model and accelerate delivery of this important service. We are pleased our policyholders will now have this safe option for their employees during this challenging time."
ICW Group's telemedicine service allows injured employees to video chat with a medical provider immediately using video conferencing. The provider can diagnose, treat and prescribe medication and telemedicine can be used for follow-up visits and re-checks. The service also offers rehab treatment for work-related injuries through Concentra Telemed's virtual physical therapy program.
"Everything about telemedicine is designed to make the process easier for employees injured on the job so they can get the care they need, when they need it, and from any location," said Granger.
The telemedicine service is suggested for minor injuries not requiring an in-person medical visit. If an in-person visit is required, an injured worker will be referred to the nearest medical facility. Injuries treated through telemedicine include: 

Minor functional movement and repetitive use injuries

Contusions, bruises, scrapes, rashes and burns

Sprains and strains

For more information about ICW Group's telemedicine offering, visit the telemedicine resources page on its Policyholder Center website.
About ICW Group
Based in San Diego, ICW Group Insurance Companies is the largest privately held insurance company domiciled in California. Quoting more than $3 billion annually, ICW Group represents a group of Property, Auto and Workers' Compensation insurance carriers, including Insurance Company of the West and Explorer Insurance Company. ICW Group is recognized nationally as an industry leader in helping policyholders achieve fewer and less costly claims, and is committed to meeting the needs of its policyholders and elevating the trusted agents and brokers who advise them. More information is available at http://www.icwgroup.com, http://www.twitter.com/ICWGroup, http://www.linkedin.com/companies/icw-group and http://www.facebook.com/ICWGroup.
Media Contact 
ICW Group 
Jessica Northrup 
858.924.8662 
jnorthrup@icwgroup.com


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OxBlue, an Atlanta-based technology company and the leader in professional construction camera services, has announced the development of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology for detecting social distancing on construction sites.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) advises that the best way to prevent illness and prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to avoid being exposed to the virus. The new technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect when two or more people are in close proximity to each other. By detecting when workers are not practicing social distancing, OxBlue's proprietary AI technology has the potential to increase awareness and improve safety.
"With a global pandemic, harnessing the power of technology to solve the construction industry's immediate challenges is our top priority at the moment," said Chandler McCormack, CEO of OxBlue. "We want to provide solutions offering actionable insights and the peace of mind knowing that everything is being done to keep workers safe and healthy."
Though previously unannounced, OxBlue's AI capabilities for measuring construction activity levels had already been validated based on field trials. The tool was originally developed to assist OxBlue clients in understanding construction activity on their projects. As the crisis began to worsen, OxBlue began to analyze data at a national level in order to measure the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on construction activity levels across the United States. Developing the capability to detect social distancing on construction sites is the latest in a series of developments announced by OxBlue.
To learn more about the CDC's safety recommendations, visit cdc.gov/coronavirus. For more information on OxBlue, visit oxblue.com.
About OxBlue 
OxBlue is a leading professional construction camera service provider, serving clients globally since 2001. OxBlue's high-resolution images, high-definition time-lapse videos, and intuitive technologies connect everyone to the job site, as well as make it easy to monitor, document, and market your project. OxBlue emphasizes client services and continuous improvement, as well as holds multiple awards for technology, innovation, and workplace culture. For more information, visit http://www.oxblue.com.


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Doing good with a purpose - the credit union's recent initiative serves those who are serving others.

DULUTH, GA. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic continues to create unprecedented challenges, impacting healthcare workers who are selflessly serving those in need. To show their appreciation of the frontline workers, Georgia United Credit Union launched a Hospital Heroes initiative to provide care packages to seven community hospital partners.
During the week of April 13, Georgia United delivered curbside care packages including supplies, meals and snacks to the hospital administration who oversee the frontline workers. Every care package delivery is tailored to the specific needs of the individual hospital. 

With a $3,500 donation, Georgia United provided individually packaged snacks to support hospital caregivers at Henry Piedmont, Northside Cumming, Newton Medical, Morgan Medical Center in Madison and VA Medical Center in Dublin.

A donation of requested supplies, including eye cooling masks and compression socks, was made possible with a monetary donation to Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton.

A total of 107 meals were provided for the ER and ICU teams working third shift at Rockdale Piedmont in Conyers. In support of small businesses, meals were purchased from the Conyers Sandwich Shop and included wraps, chips and cookies.

"We want to recognize and thank the hospital caregivers who are working tirelessly to serve the community," said Georgia United Credit Union President and CEO, Debbie Smith. "We are proud to support the heroic efforts made by the frontline workers and hope this contribution provides some relief during these challenging times."
When asked how the Hospital Heroes initiative originated, Georgia United Chief Marketing Officer, Aaron Chestnut, stated, "COVID-19 has created problems never before seen. Yet despite the unknown, frontline hospital workers fearlessly help those who need it most. Their efforts are heroic and we want to extend our gratitude and let them know we have their back."
The Hospital Heroes initiative is made possible with funding by Georgia United Credit Union and their Foundation.
To learn more about Georgia United and the programs funded by their Foundation, visit gucu.organd gucufoundation.org. Follow the credit union on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to see how Georgia United is supporting the courageous efforts made by Hospital Heroes and share with friends and family as well. Posts are tagged with #GUCUcares, #HealthcareHeroes and #AllinThisTogether.
About Georgia United Foundation 
Georgia United Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for children and families in the communities they serve through impactful programs funded and delivered through volunteerism by way of corporate contributions, team members and community efforts. The Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is the philanthropic arm of Georgia United Credit Union. For details on volunteering, participating or donating, visit gucufoundation.org.
About Georgia United Credit Union 
Georgia United Credit Union is an award-winning financial leader and partner in education. Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia United is ranked as one of the state's largest credit unions with $1.4 billion in assets, 163,000 members and 19 branch locations. As a full-service financial institution, they offer competitive products and services for every stage of life. To learn more, visit gucu.org.
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"We want to recognize and thank the hospital caregivers who are working tirelessly to serve the community," said Georgia United Credit Union President and CEO, Debbie Smith.



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Industry Luminaries George Halvorson and Alexandra Mugge Headline the Online Slate.

WASHINGTON (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
WEDI, the preeminent national membership association for health IT guidance and collaboration, today announced the presenters and session detailsof the organization's annual spring conference. WEDI 2020 will take place May 4, May 6 and May 7, 2020, and will be held virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We've structured this year's virtual conference to be as flexible as possible for the demanding schedules of our industry during the current international health crisis," said Charles Stellar, President and CEO of WEDI. "Registered attendees will have complete access to the collective knowledge, expertise and informational resources of our much-anticipated conference, but through the added convenience of a virtual format. Attendees will be able to interact with speakers after each presentation through live Q&A, and will also have full 'on-demand' access."
WEDI 2020 Virtual will feature nine sessions over the course of three days, offering health care professionals the latest information to aid them in understanding the impact of COVID-19 on federal policy decisions and telehealth adoption, FHIR integration strategies, ways to overcome data exchange roadblocks, guidance on Da Vinci implementation, and a deeper dive into the industry's push toward administrative automation.
Critical and timely industry discussions will be led a host of industry leaders and influencers including: 

George Halvorson, Chair and CEO, Institute for Intergroup Understanding

Alexandra Mugge, Deputy Chief Health Informatics, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Donna Campbell, Provider Portal & Provider Connectivity Product Manager, HCSC

Patrick Murta, Solution Architecture Fellow, Humana

Chris Bailey, Director, MiHIN

Tim Pletcher, Executive Director, MiHIN

Sharon Kim, Senior Health Care Analyst, BCBS MI

Krista Drobac, Executive Director, Alliance for Connected Care

Dan Chavez, Executive Director, San Diego Health Connect

Melissa Kotrys, CEO, Phoenix Health Current

Alix Goss, Vice President and Senior Consultant, Imprado

Viet Nguyen, Technical Director, Da Vinci Project

WEDI 2020 Virtual is open to all interested health care stakeholders across provider, payer, vendor and government entities. Both WEDI members and non-members can register online and can view the full schedule here. In addition to individual passes, Corporate Passes are also available, allowing everyone in an organization to attend as many virtual sessions as they'd like.
About WEDI 
For nearly 30 years, WEDI has been an instrumental force in igniting public-private partnerships to empower meaningful changes for the American health care system. Recognized and trusted as a formal advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), WEDI is the leading authority on the use of health IT to efficiently improve health information exchange, enhance care quality, and reduce costs. WEDI's membership includes a broad coalition of organizations, including: hospitals, providers, health plans, vendors, government agencies, consumers, not-for-profit organizations, and standards development organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.wedi.org and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

"We've structured this year's virtual conference to be as flexible as possible for the demanding schedules of our industry during the current international health crisis." - Charles Stellar, President and CEO of WEDI



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AdventHealth hospitals in the West Florida Division are now providing rapid testing using the Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 device for patients who are in our care and meet the evaluation criteria for coronavirus (COVID-19) testing. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA gave emergency authorization for the device and its specialized cartridges to be used for rapid laboratory testing. The testing device, which is standard in all AdventHealth West Florida Division hospitals, can provide rapid detection of COVID-19 in approximately 45 minutes, improving the turnaround time on test results.
The new rapid testing will launch in two phases. Phase one will launch immediately at AdventHealth Tampa, AdventHealth Ocala and AdventHealth Sebring hospitals. Phase two will launch with all remaining AdventHealth West Florida Division hospital locations by the end of April.
"AdventHealth is aggressively pursuing and implementing the best testing options available in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic," said Jose Tirado, Jr., Division Director of Laboratory Services, AdventHealth West Florida Division. "This new rapid test is an important tool, and advantage, for our physicians and providers who need expedited lab results in order to provide immediate treatment to patients and improve clinical outcomes."
By implementing the new rapid testing, AdventHealth is helping to alleviate the burden on private labs that are inundated with COVID-19 test samples for processing. Last month, AdventHealth Tampa began in-house testing for patients who meet evaluation criteria for COVID-19 in Florida. Both the rapid testing and standard in-house testing can only be facilitated with a physician's order for patients who meet the evaluation criteria as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where do I go if I want to be tested?
If you are sick and exhibiting symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath), you should seek treatment with your primary care physician. Existing AdventHealth Medical Group patients can call DOC-2DAY to set up in-person or video visits with a physician. The public can also call the free AdventHealth Coronavirus Information Hotline at 1-877-VIRUS-HQ ( Call1-877-847-8747) which is open 24/7.
*Please note: Currently, the public is not allowed to order their own COVID-19 test at an AdventHealth hospital, physician practice or Centra Care urgent care. The test must be ordered by a physician.
Q: I have questions about COVID-19 or AdventHealth's testing capabilities, how can I learn more?
To ask general questions about COVID-19, get screened, find testing locations, or speak to a nurse, you can call the free AdventHealth Coronavirus Information Hotline at 1-877-VIRUS-HQ ( Call1-877-847-8747) which is open 24/7. Learn more, take an online screening assessment or connect to a doctor video visit online at CoronavirusResourceHub.com.
Q: Can I get a coronavirus test at AdventHealth if I am not sick?
Not at this time. Currently all tests are designated for those who are exhibiting symptoms and meet the testing criteria.
Q: I have a fever and cough. Will I be automatically tested for COVID-19?
No. Fever and cough are common symptoms for other illnesses, including the flu. Physicians will evaluate your symptoms, travel history, potential for exposure and other factors and determine if a COVID-19 test is appropriate for you. They will also test you for other viruses, including the flu.
Q: How can I be tested?
A physician must order a COVID-19 test based on testing criteria guidelines.
Q: Does AdventHealth share test results with the Florida Department of Health?
Yes. AdventHealth shares COVID-19 test results with the Florida Department of Health as required by regulation.
About AdventHealth West Florida Division 
The West Florida Division of AdventHealth has some of the nation's brightest medical minds making lifesaving breakthroughs with surgical pioneers, scientists and researchers using leading edge technology and innovation to deliver our brand of whole-person care. Our network of care includes AdventHealth Carrollwood, AdventHealth Connerton, AdventHealth Dade City, AdventHealth Lake Placid, AdventHealth North Pinellas, AdventHealth Ocala, AdventHealth Sebring, AdventHealth Tampa, AdventHealth Wauchula, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Zephyrhills, as well as five freestanding offsite Emergency Rooms including AdventHealth Brandon ER, AdventHealth Central Pasco ER, AdventHealth Palm Harbor ER, AdventHealth TimberRidge ER, and AdventHealth Westchase ER. We are more than hospitals, as we have a robust system of care including long-term acute care, over 200 primary care and specialty employed physicians, Express Care at Walgreens clinics, Centra Care urgent care centers, wound care, physical therapy, home care, mobile mammography and more. AdventHealth is a faith-based not-for-profit health care system with a mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ. AdventHealth has hundreds of care sites and nearly 50 hospitals across the United States. For more information about AdventHealth, visit AdventHealth.com, or Facebook.com/AdventHealth.


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Astral Brands announced today a giving back campaign where their family of brands will be donating 10 percent of their net proceeds from purcosmetics.com, cosmedix.com, 
butterlondon.com and aloette.com, from April 15 to May 15, 2020 to the United States and Canadian chapters of the Association of Critical-Care Nurses (ACN).
The pioneering health and beauty company is composed of four beauty brands—PÜR The Complexion Authority, COSMEDIX, Aloette and butter LONDON—all of which will be joining together to help support healthcare workers that are leading the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. To contribute, customers can shop online at any or all four of the Astral Brands websites.
"Our family of brands is committed to serving our global community as we navigate the developing effects of COVID-19 together," said Robert Cohen, Executive Chairman of Astral Brands. "As a company whose foundation is built to prioritize the health and wellness of men and women across the globe, we are proud to support an organization whose mission goes above and beyond in the world of healthcare. Our healthcare workers are battling tirelessly on the frontline to combat this pandemic, and we hope that our contribution to the ACN will help support their efforts and raise awareness during this challenging time."
The Association of Critical Care Nurses is the world's largest specialty nursing organization, with over 100,000 members across the U.S. and Canada. As an independent, non-profit organization, the ACN provides expert knowledge to both acute and critical care nurses to help them maximize their skills while caring for ill patients and their families. During these everchanging times, the organization has aided nurses across the country with additional training and tools to help them properly treat patients experiencing the effects of COVID-19.
Our healthcare providers are standing at frontlines battling for our safety around the clock. Help the Astral Family of Brands support the Association of Critical Care Nurses by shopping at our brand websites: purcosmetics.com, cosmedix.com, butterlondon.com and aloette.com.

As a company whose foundation is built to prioritize the health and wellness of men and women across the globe, we are proud to support an organization whose mission goes above and beyond in the world of healthcare.



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Rapidly growing SaaS tech company Athena Software launches significant enhancements to its acclaimed Penelope case management software platform and highly flexible ClientConnect mobile client portal to ensure a smooth and complete transition to virtual care for its growing customer base of health and social service organizations and the clients they serve, in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WATERLOO, ONTARIO (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Athena Software is stepping up for its customers in the hard-hit health and social service sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In direct response to the pandemic and the sudden and urgent need for social distancing, the Waterloo, Ont. software company has quickly adapted and accelerated its product roadmap priorities to respond to the growing demand from its worldwide health and human service partner organizations for a robust telehealth and remote care solution.
Specifically, Athena today unveiled video session scheduling for its highly acclaimed SaaS case management platform, Penelope, to simplify the end client experience in requesting and managing video-enabled remote care sessions with their care providers.
This means that Athena's customers at health and social service organizations worldwide can continue to deliver essential case management support services remotely while protecting the health of their staff and their clients.
"The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted all of our lives, but especially those who are most vulnerable in our society," said Geoff Bellew, CEO of Athena Software. "Our customers provide essential and often life-saving services to their communities. In these truly difficult times, it's vital that they're able to deliver remote care and telehealth options like those now added to the already powerful Penelope case management solution."
Athena also announced today the launch of its new Caregiver feature for ClientConnect – a mobile client portal that works seamlessly with Penelope – that now also allows the designated caregivers of an organization's clients to conveniently log in to a safe and secure account on their phone or tablet to view and schedule appointments, request services, and communicate securely with remote case workers on their clients' behalf.
Both of the significant enhancements announced today are available at no charge to nonprofits and human service organizations already using Penelope and ClientConnect. The ability to prioritize, build, and deliver these remote care tools in a swift, no-fee response to a growing health crisis is an example of Athena's blend of close-knit teamwork, nimble operations, and human compassion, said Bellew.
"It did not take us long to respond to our customers' urgent requests for a remote service module, and one that would further equip them to provide first-class care," he said. "Our highly effective and experienced development team immediately responded to this request and, while having to work remotely themselves, were able to create this fully-tested and highly useful enhanced feature set."
These new, innovative, and easy-to-use features have been designed specifically 
for easy and seamless adoption, meaning that agencies using Penelope don't need to interrupt existing workflows or waste scarce and valuable time adopting this new functionality into their practice.
For example, to engage with video session scheduling, a client simply logs into ClientConnect and requests a live video session with their case worker or counsellor.
The worker then simply creates a link using the video provider of the social service organization's choice and adds it as an appointment in Penelope. The link is then immediately displayed in the client's account and easily accessed from their mobile device or desktop computer.
The new Caregiver feature for ClientConnect enables an authorized caregiver or family member to access the mobile client portal on their client or loved one's behalf.
This empowers caregivers to communicate with service providers and advocate for the people in their care, while ensuring the level and quality of service they receive is not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing measures required to fight it.
"The ability of Penelope and ClientConnect to further equip organizations with the tools they need to provide the same outstanding level of care, while respecting social distancing guidelines and ensuring the safety of both workers and clients, will immediately provide extraordinary value to our customers and their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath," added Bellew.
"We're proud to have delivered this rapid response development enhancement to provide a flexible, client-centric solution, with virtual collaboration and client engagement tools, that ensures our customers are able to continue providing high-quality support to their clients in a risk-free and highly effective environment," he said.
About Athena Software 
Since 2001, Athena Software has provided cloud-based case management software and client engagement options to health and social service agencies around the world. In 2018, the company was named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, as one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America.

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Athena Software launches new features to help health and social service organizations provide remote care to their clients.

"Our customers provide essential and often life-saving services to their communities. In these truly difficult times, it's vital that they're able to deliver remote care and telehealth options like those now added to Penelope."



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NJ Top Docs & NJ Top Dentists proudly present the following reviewed and approved providers from March 2020.

SCOTCH PLAINS, N.J. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
NJ Top Docs & NJ Top Dentists proudly present the following reviewed and approved providers from March 2020. The below list only contains those providers who were approved between March 1, 2020 - March 31, 2020.
For a complete list of all reviewed and approved providers, please view our Healthy Living Magazinedirectory.
NJ TOP DOCS INCLUDE:
BREAST SURGERY 
Hunterdon County 

Dr. Catherine Gleason

CARDIOLOGY 
Essex County 

Dr. Daniel Conroy

CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY 
Union County 

Dr. Michael Pontoriero

CHIROPRACTIC CARE 
Atlantic County 

Dr. Karen Callaghan

Dr. Anthony Holvick

Dr. Thomas Keating

Dr. Jason M. Pagliarini

Bergen County 

Dr. Mohammed Abtahi

Dr. Bradford Butler

ENDOCRINOLOGY 
Somerset County 

Dr. Leon Shulman

FAMILY PRACTICE 
Essex County 

Dr. Jose C. Flores

Dr. George Miller Jr.

Monmouth County 

Dr. Paul Marquette

GASTROENTEROLOGY 
Monmouth County 

Dr. Robert Aaron

Union County 

Dr. Rajesh Dhirmalani

INTERNAL MEDICINE 
Middlesex County 

Dr. Cynthia Vuittonet

Monmouth County 

Dr. Adam C. Kaplan

Ocean County 

Dr. Howard Lebowitz

Dr. Prabhat Sinha

Union County 

Dr. James Hakim

NEPHROLOGY 
Atlantic County 

Dr. Nitin Behl

Dr. Robert Matthews

Bergen County 

Dr. Rosy E. Joseph

OPHTHALMOLOGY 
Bergen County 

Dr. Larisa Kayserman

Dr. Robert V. Vallar

Burlington County 

Dr. Eric J. Hartman

Camden County 

Dr. Joseph Kamerling

Union County 

Dr. Thomas Aiello

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY 
Gloucester County 

Dr. Luke Austin

Morris County 

Dr. Eric Black

Dr. Tamir Bloom

Dr. David Lin

Dr. Genghis Niver

Dr. Mark Rieger

Dr. Joshua Strassberg

Passaic County 

Dr. Anthony J. Scillia

PEDIATRICS 
Middlesex County 

Dr. Larnie Booker

Dr. Lakshmi Prasuna Uppaluri

Morris County 

Dr. Margot Kerrigan

Dr. Jennifer Shaw

Dr. Stuart Slavin

Dr. Valerie Tom

PLASTIC/COSMETIC SURGERY 
Essex County 

Dr. Paul M. Figlia

PSYCHIATRY 
Camden County 

Dr. Hatice Burakgazi Yilmaz

PSYCHOLOGY 
Atlantic County 

Dr. E. Charles Velnosky

PULMONOLOGY/CRITICAL CARE 
Passaic County 

Dr. Nader Mahmood

REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE 
Monmouth County 

Dr. Miguel Damien

SPORTS MEDICINE 
Monmouth County 

Dr. Daniel Savarino

URGENT CARE/EMERGENCY MEDICINE 
Monmouth County 

Dr. Abolghassem Garmkhorani

VASCULAR SURGERY 
Essex County 

Dr. Bruce J. Brener

Dr. Cindy Sturt

Union County 

Dr. Michael Downes Addis

Dr. Andrew Cha

Dr. Salvador Cuadra

Dr. Raymond Joseph Holmes

Dr. Mark Hermanth Kumar

Dr. Jonathan Levison

Dr. Mark W. Moritz

Dr. Michael Ombrellino

Dr. Combiz Rezayat

Dr. Clifford Sales

Dr. Scott Sundick

NJ TOP DENTISTS INCLUDE:
GENERAL DENTISTRY 
Bergen County 

Dr. Marlen Martirossian

Burlington County 

Dr. Mark E. Pinter

Hudson County 

Dr. Nasir Abdellatif

Mercer County 

Dr. Dennis Balazsi

Dr. Edward Gaines

Monmouth County 

Dr. Eric S. Adler

Dr. Michael Adler

Morris County 

Dr. Allison Adams

Dr. Anthony Cannilla

Dr. Ira Goldberg

Dr. Celine Lee

Dr. Mark McCaffrey

Ocean County 

Dr. Gary M. Wheeler

Somerset County 

Dr. Mary V. DeCicco

Union County 

Dr. Michael Dill

Warren County 

Dr. John S. Madaras

ORAL/MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY 
Morris County 

Dr. Sonia Francioni-Vulaj

Dr. Brian Klein

Dr. Tara C. Plansky

Dr. Edward A. Rosenbaum

Dr. Michael D. Singer

ORTHODONTICS 
Essex County 

Dr. Douglas Harte

Monmouth County 

Dr. Patrick Cuozzo

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY 
Monmouth County 

Dr. Irvin B. Sherman

PERIODONTICS 
Monmouth County 

Dr. John R. Kukucka

PROSTHODONTICS 
Camden County 

Dr. Andrew J. Dietz



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Leading dentist in Miami is open and available to take care of patients in Kendall, Coral Gables, and the surrounding areas who are suffering from urgent dental problems.

MIAMI (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Bliss Dental, a reputable family dental practice located in Miami, FL is open for patients who are seeking emergency dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cosmetic and family practice dentist Dr. Andy Gaertner is currently accepting new patients in Kendall, Coral Gables, and the surrounding Miami communities for urgent dental care.
Bliss Dental is a Kendall family dental practice focused on delivering high-quality dental care using state-of-the-art dental equipment. Dr. Gaertner is an experienced dentist who typically offers routine checkups, teeth cleaning, crowns, veneers and a variety of other services. During Florida's stay-at-home order, appointments are limited to emergency and other urgent dental needs only.
Dr. Gaertner and his team provide emergency dental services including bonding, root canals, crowns, and bridges. He seeks to establish lifelong relationships with patients and strives to ensure the best possible care by delivering treatment in a comfortable and relaxed environment. Dr. Gaertner is dedicated to keeping patients and staff safe during this time. Regarding the current situation, Dr. Gaertner has said:
"In these difficult and unprecedented times, we continue treating dental emergencies to keep patients out of the ER one toothache at a time. We stay highly reachable to anyone by phone or email as well as social media (IG: @blissdentalmiami). We will help people with severe dental pain and are committed to take care of emergencies. We will do so while protecting ourselves from exposures the best we can and protecting patients from COVID-19. Our patients' health is our top priority."
Dr. Gaertner has been practicing dentistry in South Florida for many years, since completing his Doctorate of Dental medicine (D.M.D.) and followed by three years of dentistry service in his home country of Belgium. He has since expanded his expertise in cosmetic and family dentistry at his Miami practice.
A commitment to delivering unparalleled dental care and advancement in the field of dentistry is evidenced by Dr. Gaertner's memberships with the American Dental Association (ADA), Super Series Seminar Study Club, and his board membership on the Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity. Dr. Gaertner is fluent in English, French, Hebrew, Dutch, and intermediate Spanish which allows him to connect with and serve patients from all over the world.
The staff at Bliss Dental are focused on providing exceptional dental care for all patients. Dr. Andy Gaertner believes that patients should be treated like family and he enjoys helping people feel at ease in an environment of safety and trust. To schedule an emergency dental appointment with Dr. Gaertner, call (305) 274-6500 or email blissdentalmaimi@gmail.com. 



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MD Diet Weight Loss & Nutrition today announced a remote online telehealth option for its highly popular weight reduction program. The urgency of this move is spurred on due to research implicating obesity as the top 'chronic health factor' leading to hospitalization from COVID-19.

SALT LAKE CITY (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
With 40 years of experience guiding permanent and healthy weight loss, MD Diet Weight Loss & Nutrition today announced a remote online telehealth option for its highly popular weight reduction program. The urgency of this move is spurred on due to research implicating obesity as the top 'chronic health factor' leading to hospitalization from COVID-19.
"In an effort to flatten the curve of COVID-19, while still assisting those struggling those with obesity, we are pleased to announce our new Telehealth program," stated Cathy Gonzales, FNP-BC, Health Care Provider at MD Diet. "Our Telehealth program will help our patients lose weight and get out of the obesity range putting them less at risk of hospitalization from this life-threatening disease."
In the largest U.S. study (4,000 patients in New York) conducted to-date on COVID-19, scientists found that after age, obesity was the factor most associated with hospitalization due to COVID-19. In fact, they found that obesity puts patients more at risk for hospitalization than any respiratory or heart condition or even diabetes. Scientists have a couple of theories as to why this is the case.
Obesity is well-recognized as causing an increased inflammatory response in the body and inflammation seems to make a COVID-19 illness worse. Another reason may be the fact that people with obesity have lower oxygen levels than someone of a healthy weight. Low oxygen levels are one of the main drivers of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Other countries around the world, including France, China and Mexico have voiced their concerns about the obesity link to COVID-19 hospitalization. France's Chief Epidemiologist Jean-François Delfraissy recently raised a voice of warning, "...we're worried about our friends in America, where the problem of obesity is well known and where they will probably have the most problems because of obesity."
The CDC has taken note of these new findings and has listed obesity as putting individuals at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 on their website.
Interested persons may sign up for a free online nutrition class and orientation to the MD Diet telemedicine approach.
About MD Diet, Weight Loss & Nutrition 
For more than 40 years, MD Diet has helped hundreds of thousands of patients in California and Utah transform their bodies and their health with proven medical weight-loss programs. This is accomplished through a combination of education and lifestyle modifications to help improve health and vitality while safely shedding unwanted pounds. Under the guidance of our nurse practitioners, nutritionists and experienced, compassionate staff, patients learn how to lose weight and live healthier and more confidently.

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"Our Telehealth program will help our patients lose weight and put them less at risk of COVID-19 hospitalization."




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Automax has obtained a license to distribute PermaSafe, a revolutionary Vehicle Disinfection and Long-Term Antimicrobial Surface and Air Protection System that not only Kills 99.999 of Bacteria and Viruses and meets the EPA's criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, but also provides continuous long-term, chemical-free antimicrobial protection.

MAYS LANDING, N.J. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Automax Recruiting and Training announced a partnership with PermaSafe Protective Coatings. PermaSafe is an easy to install antimicrobial protection system that not only kills 99.999% of harmful bacteria and viruses, but also provides continuous antimicrobial protection that can last and remain effective for months or more.
"This changes everything," says Craig Lockerd, CEO and founder of Automax Recruiting and Training. "In today's climate, it's more important than ever that we pay attention to how viruses and other pathogens are spread. In the auto industry, we owe it to our customers to ensure that we do our part to help keep them safe. That doesn't mean we have to use dangerous chemicals to get the job done. PermaSafe's unique long-term antimicrobial surface protectant permanently bonds to treated surfaces and provides long-term, chemical-free protection."
Features and benefits of the PermaSafe System include: 

    Kills 99.999% of Bacteria and Viruses

    Destroys Mold & Mildew and Prevents its Regrowth

    Makes Treated Surfaces Antimicrobial and Virtually "Self-Sanitizing"

    Patented Electro-Mechanical Process Kills Microbes without Harmful Chemicals

    Can Last and Remain Antimicrobially Effective for Months or More

    Won't Wash off, Wear out, or Migrate and isn't Consumed by Microorganisms

    FDA and EPA Registered Products

"We entered into this partnership," Craig Lockerd continues, "because the protection that PermaSafe offers fit perfectly into the Automax main core value of putting people first. When Troy Spring of Dealer World first brought PermaSafe to my attention I was intrigued, after researching the science I knew that I had to get involved."
PermaSafe can be applied to any virtually any surface; inside automobiles as well as in the customer-facing areas of a car dealership. Dealerships across the country are currently applying alcohol, methanol and other hazardous chemical-based products that must be applied multiple times a day to remain effective, putting both their customers and employees at risk. The PermaSafe system is free of hazardous chemicals and provides extended antimicrobial protection.
The partnership between Automax Recruiting & Training and PermaSafe Protective Coatings allows Automax to distribute PermaSafe products to auto dealers all across the country. With the reach of Automax, this would make them the largest distributor of PermaSafe in the US.
PermaSafe is available for immediate shipment and can be applied to most vehicles in about 15 minutes. For more information on PermaSafe, visit https://www.automaxrecruitingandtraining.com/permasafe/.
About Automax Recruiting and Training: Automax is the largest automotive and RV recruitment firm in North America with over 17,500 hiring campaigns and 160,000 dealership personnel placed.
About PermaSafe: PermaSafe Clean Step 1 is on the EPA List N under the product name Vital Oxide with the registration number, 82972-1. Search for it here: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2

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PermaSafe

In the auto industry, we owe it to our customers to ensure that we do our part to help keep them safe. That doesn't mean we have to use dangerous chemicals to get the job done.



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Ziegler, a specialty investment bank, is pleased to announce the successful closing a $61,290,000 Series 2020 bond issue for Van Wert County Hospital Association (d/b/a Van Wert Health) located in Van Wert, Ohio and issued through the county of Van Wert.

CHICAGO (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Ziegler, a specialty investment bank, is pleased to announce the successful closing a $61,290,000 Series 2020 bond issue for Van Wert County Hospital Association (d/b/a Van Wert Health) located in Van Wert, Ohio and issued through the county of Van Wert.
The proceeds of the bonds will be used to complete the construction of an 80,000 square foot expansion of its main campus adding much-needed modern medical, surgical and labor and delivery space. The proceeds of the bonds were also used to refinance certain existing debt of Van Wert Health.
Ziegler was retained by Van Wert Health in the summer of 2019 to assess a unique credit situation for the 27-bed rural healthcare provider. Ziegler's initial assessment led it down a focused path of finding a capital partner that could provide affordable financing and certainty of execution. After performing a comprehensive solicitation, Preston Hollow Capital LLC surfaced as the investor best positioned to deliver on the goals of Van Wert Health and was able to deliver capital on time in challenging market conditions. The limited public offering provides 30-year committed capital for Van Wert Health.
Ziegler is a premier investment bank to community and regional healthcare providers. For over 80 years, we have been assisting these organizations with creative, tailored financial solutions for their capital needs. Specializing in healthcare, Ziegler offers an array of services including investment banking, financial risk management, merger and acquisition services, as well as capital and strategic planning.
For more information about Ziegler, please visit us at http://www.ziegler.com.
About Ziegler: 
Ziegler is a privately held, national boutique investment bank, capital markets and proprietary investments firm. It has a unique focus on healthcare, senior living and education sectors, as well as general municipal and structured finance. Headquartered in Chicago with regional and branch offices throughout the U.S., Ziegler provides its clients with capital raising, strategic advisory services, fixed income sales, underwriting and trading as well as Ziegler Credit, Surveillance and Analytics. To learn more, visit http://www.ziegler.com.
Certain comments in this news release represent forward-looking statements made pursuant to the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This client's experience may not be representative of the experience of other clients, nor is it indicative of future performance or success. The forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, in particular, the overall financial health of the securities industry, the strength of the healthcare sector of the U.S. economy and the municipal securities marketplace, the ability of the Company to underwrite and distribute securities, the market value of mutual fund portfolios and separate account portfolios advised by the Company, the volume of sales by its retail brokers, the outcome of pending litigation, and the ability to attract and retain qualified employees. 
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Over 200 Dermatologists & Dermatology Specialists Now Offering Teledermatology Visits During COVID-19 Quarantine

DALLAS (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
U.S. Dermatology Partners has always been committed to protecting the health and safety of our patients, employees, families, and communities, and that continues during the rapidly changing dynamics of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and safety recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Dermatology Partners has taken several important steps to prevent the spread of the virus including rescheduling patients in high-risk groups and limiting in-office appointments to only those patients with urgent needs. With our locations restricting in-office appointments to their urgent-need patients, it has become increasingly important to have alternatives available to offer ongoing service to our patients needing more routine care.
For this reason, we are pleased to offer online dermatology appointments to our established patients and also assist new patients experiencing skin issues during this stressful time. Telehealth allows us the ability to care for our patients with chronic skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, eczema, and atopic dermatitis without putting our patients, physicians or staff at risk. Currently, over 200 of our providers are now offering teledermatology appointments. We are making every effort to provide the same level of exceptional care in this virtual appointment setting that they regularly offer to patients in their normal office setting. We use a secure video platform to engage with our patients face-to-face, answer their questions, and continue to make treatment planning decisions to ensure they are able to maintain healthy skin at this time.
When we designed our telehealth program, our goal was to have the virtual visit mirror a regular office visit, so patients didn't feel alienated and providers could follow their normal flow. Now that our physicians and providers are comfortable with telehealth, we plan to incorporate teledermatology into our regular practice going forward. Telehealth will be a great way to connect with younger patients, busy working families with school-age kids, or anyone who has difficulty getting to the office. Because we draw patients from a large area, some of our patients may drive great distances due to chronic skincare conditions or Mohs Surgery to remove skin cancers. By using telehealth, we can offer those patients post-surgical follow up in a more convenient manner.
Because we have one of the largest networks in the country, telehealth visits also allow us to offer care to patients in rural areas who might not otherwise have access to a board-certified dermatologist.
Best practice and tips to make the most of your online visits – 

Be prepared by completing your online forms prior to the visit, but at least 24 hours ahead of the visit

Check your benefit coverage for telehealth

Test the technology prior to the visits and get help from a friend or family member if you are having difficulty

Be on time, or better yet be early! Plan on joining at least 5 minutes ahead of time

Be sure to choose a location with no distraction and good lighting

The most common requests were' seeing for teledermatology visits include: 

Acne breakouts

Eczema (atopic dermatitis)

Rosacea

Psoriasis

Concerns about new or emerging skin health concerns (mole checks, hives, etc.)

Prescription refills

According to Dr. Adam Luber, "At this point, the majority of our visits for established and new patients are being done via telehealth, and our patients and physicians have adapted well to this new normal. Our practices have long-established reputations in the communities they serve, and many are taking care of generations of patients. No doubt these times are unsettling, but we are here for our communities. Our teams hope you and your loved ones are staying safe during this challenging situation."
About U.S. Dermatology Partners 
As one of the largest physician-owned dermatology practices in the country, U.S. Dermatology Partners patients not only have access to general medical, surgical, and cosmetic skin treatment through its coordinated care network, but also benefit from the practice's strong dermatology subspecialty thought leaders and medical advisory board. To best partner with its patients, U.S. Dermatology Partners is fervently focused on providing the highest level of patient-first care, and its team, therefore, includes recognized national leaders in areas such as clinical research, psoriasis, and Mohs Surgery. To learn more, visit usdermatologypartners.com.

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Adam Luber, MD, Board Certified Dermatologist

"Our practices have long-established reputations in the communities they serve, and many are taking care of generations of patients. No doubt these times are unsettling, but we are here for our communities," said Dr. Adam Luber



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To meet the needs of the ever-changing healthcare landscape, Locqum introduces the TeleLocqum platform, a HIPAA Compliant multidisciplinary database that facilitates healthcare providers launching a virtual medical care option to keep patients, providers, and staff safe during this pandemic.

POCATELLO, IDAHO (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
To meet the needs of the ever-changing healthcare landscape, Locqum introduces the TeleLocqum platform, a HIPAA Compliant multidisciplinary database that facilitates healthcare providers launching a virtual medical care option to keep patients, providers, and staff safe during this pandemic.
During this time, many hospitals, urgent care centers, and private practices have been forced to close or offer only emergency appointments. A better alternative is to offer virtual health care appointments, but this was a challenging step for most clinics or hospitals to take — until now.
Made by and for doctors, Tele-Locqum is designed to facilitate launching this capacity for any size provider — and it's 100% FREE. Tele-Locqum has no brokers, no fees, and no paperwork hassles. The service costs nothing for any doctor, clinic, urgent care center, or hospital.
"We understand that physicians need to connect quickly and safely with patients who are seeking urgent access to top-notch healthcare without risking the well-being of themselves and of those around them," said Jacob DeLaRosa, MD, Co-Founder and CEO of Locqum.
"The demand for telemedicine is increasing as communities embrace social distancing and shelter-in-place policies. Tele-Locqum helps connect physicians with patients while preserving the social distancing guidelines set down by the Centers for Disease Control."
Healthcare professionals can sign up today at tele-locqum.com.
About Locqum
Locqum believes that healthcare providers need to do what they do best, and healthcare organizations need to focus on serving their communities. Tele-Locqum solves these issues and disrupts healthcare as we know it.
Locqum is a healthcare jobs platform founded by a group of health care professionals who have seen healthcare staffing become a cumbersome process for both providers and healthcare systems. Locqum has eliminated the excessive fees of the current healthcare staffing system and replaced it with a simple modern platform that brings healthcare providers and healthcare organizations together to cover the needs of each and every community, at no cost.

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Locqum

We understand that physicians need to connect quickly and safely with patients who are seeking urgent access to top-notch healthcare without risking the well-being of themselves and of those around them



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While facility managers are facing a number of pressures from COVID-19, MaintenX shares why it's important to keep planning ahead for typical seasonal risks, like hurricanes.

TAMPA, FLA. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
So far, 2020 has not been a year for the faint of heart. Facility managers around the world have had to manage store closures, modified hours, and new social distancing protocols due to the novel coronavirus. While it's important to focus on employee and customer well-being during these trying times, it's also important to not lose sight of potential issues to come. For facility managers on the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States, that means preparing for the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which is only six weeks away.
Already, Colorado State University is predicting a more-active-than-usual year. The season, which runs from June 1 through November 30, is predicted to result in 16 named storms and eight hurricanes, four of which will qualify as "major hurricanes."
"Don't wait to start planning for hurricane season," said Bill Schaphorst, VP of Business Development at MaintenX. "It doesn't take a major storm to create major damage. Preparations done now go a long way to help ensure facilities are ready to weather any storm."
MaintenX is considered an essential business during the COVID-19 outbreak, so their Disaster Recovery and Rapid Response Team is ready to help customers prepare their facilities for the extreme weather that may come. Scheduling preventative maintenance services early ensures roof inspections, debris clearing, plumbing repairs and other recommended hurricane preparations can be completed with time to spare before June arrives.
Working with maintenance professionals to craft a formal hurricane plan can help ensure facility managers have supplies and communication channels ready. Especially while our supply systems and essential store workers are being taxed due to the pandemic, allowing additional time for preparation is wise. Even in normal times, a last-minute rush for hurricane materials and facility vendors can cause facility managers to find themselves empty handed.
To learn more about MaintenX, or to schedule a planning call with one of their knowledgeable technicians, visit http://www.maintenx.com.
ABOUT MAINTENX INTERNATIONAL: 
MaintenX International is a fully licensed, facilities repair company. As one of the largest national self-performing facility maintenance and repair companies in the U.S., MaintenX has created a wide network of knowledgeable and professional technicians throughout the country. With their team of well-trained technicians, MaintenX self-performs and manages facility maintenance for their clients. In the event there is not a MaintenX technician in an area, the company has established a network of preferred vendor partners throughout the country for continued superior service for their clients. For more than 40 years, MaintenX has been expertly serving multi-location retail stores, restaurant chains and Fortune 500 companies nationwide.

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MaintenX's emergency response team can help facility managers plan, prepare and recover from any storm.

Scheduling preventative maintenance services early ensures roof inspections, debris clearing, plumbing repairs and other recommended hurricane preparations can be completed with time to spare before June arrives.




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The elite nutritional product company, CorVive announces the introduction of CorImmune. This new formulation is expected to set the standard for immune health products.

PLANO, TEXAS (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Now more than ever we are thinking about our healthy immune system. With an unprecedented season still lingering, health and wellness powerhouse CorVive announces plans to release a cutting edge immune boosting product to help promote your healthy immune system even more, and then maintain it throughout the year.
With the season starting earlier and lasting longer, there has also been an uptick in other issues that may concern you. CorVive is launching a new immune boosting supplement, with ingredients that have been shown to help not only promote the body's healthy ability to defend itself, but also maintain its healthy defenses.
Mid last year was when the CorVive team began discussing an immune system boosting product that would be best during the difficult season, with many elements considered. The team of formulators and experts looked at a number of natural herb, minerals, and vitamins that would help bolster the immune system. As with all of CorVive products, Cor Immune Boost + Probiotics was thoughtfully put together.
Each ingredient was considered for its stand-alone ability, but most importantly for their ability to work together to deliver an even higher degree of effectiveness.
This capsule contains familiar ingredients that have previously been used to support a healthy immune system at a time when you need it the most. Like right now.
High in Vitamins C and D, along with Zinc, it also incorporates well known herbs, fruits and probiotics to round it out.*
Although this product was slated to come out later this year, the CorVive team knew this was a supplement that was wanted now.
CorVive has built a strong brand philosophy around the elements of love, serve, and care--and feels like there is no better way to show that commitment to the health of their customers than to do what is best for them, whenever possible.
The excitement around this product has been brewing behind the scenes for a while, so it is no secret that CorVive has expected this product launch to be the most powerful launch to date.
"I love that I have surrounded myself with a nimble and strategic team, including my wife co-founder Candice Fouts. Each one of them have a heart and pulse for what our endorsers and customers are wanting, now and in the future.
For our immune product we knew we wanted something effective and safe to deliver to our beloved CorVive family, but we wanted to make sure that the timing was right. Given the current state of this spring season, the team unanimously agreed that moving up the delivery time on this product was the right thing to do.
I have never been more excited to bring a particular product to market." mentioned Jeremy Fouts, CorVive Founder.
"We are working with our manufacturer to deliver this as quickly as possible. If you miss out on the first round, please understand the second and subsequent rounds are on their way. We are firing on all cylinders to ensure that we can get this product to as many people as possible."
Many details can be found by visiting CorVive's social media platforms, product education blogs, LIVE weekly tutorials, and of course the company's main website​ ​http://www.corvive.com​.
*Full List of Ingredients: Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Zinc, Elderberry, Garlic, Echinacea, Lactobacillus Acidophilus



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Five additional standards in development.

BETHESDA, MD. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
The Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) today announced the availability of ANSI/PDA Standard 001-2020, Enhanced Purchasing Controls to Support the Bio-Pharmaceutical, Pharmaceutical, Medical Devices, and Combination Products Industries, which was approved by the ANSI Board of Standards Review on March 13, 2020.
ANSI/PDA Standard 001-2020 is aimed at all personnel involved in the procurement, purchasing, or sourcing decisions within health care product manufacturing organizations. It makes clear that those who make the final decisions are responsible for the quality of the product, not just those in the manufacturing and quality units. 
ANSI/PDA Standard 001-2020 is available at the PDA Bookstore and costs $325.00 ($180.00 for PDA members and government employees).
PDA is advancing five other standards 

BSR/PDA Standard 02-201x, Cryopreservation of Cells for Use in Cell Therapies and Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing

BSR/PDA Standard 03-201x, Standard Practice for Quality Risk Management of Aseptic Processes

BSR/PDA Standard 04-201x, Phage Retention Nomenclature Rating for Small and Large Virus Retentive Filters

BSR/PDA Standard 05-201x, Consensus Method Rating for 0.1 Mycoplasma Reduction Filters

BSR/PDA Standard 06-201x, Quality Culture Assessment Tool

More information about PDA's role in standards development: https://www.pda.org/scientific-and-regulatory-affairs/pda-ansi.
Find answers to standard development questions: https://www.pda.org/scientific-and-regulatory-affairs/pda-standards-frequently-asked-questions or reach out to standards@pda.org.
About PDA – Connecting People, Science and Regulation 
The Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) is the leading global provider of science, technology and regulatory information and education for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical community. Founded in 1946 as a nonprofit organization, PDA is committed to developing scientifically sound, practical technical information and resources to advance science and regulation through the expertise of over 10,500 members worldwide. Go to http://www.pda.org/footer/about-pda to learn more.
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Powder coating infused with antimicrobial coating available immediately

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
INOX is now offering an antimicrobial coating for its line of stainless steel products, including commercial and residential door levers and pulls, deadbolts, panic devices and push/pull plates. INOX MicroArmor Antimicrobial Coating is a powder coating infused with antimicrobial technology that is applied during the hardware's manufacturing process and works to inhibit the growth and reproduction of harmful bacteria, mold and mildew by up to 99.9%.
"In light of the current ongoing health crisis, it was incredibly important to us to focus our research and development on products that can help lessen the spread of harmful bacteria and to make them available to hospitals and healthcare facilities as soon as possible," said Qianyan Cheng, INOX Co-Founder and Vice President of Product Development.
TWEET THIS: Door #hardware company @INOX_Hardware will offer an antimicrobial coating for its stainless steel products, including residential and commercial door levers and pulls. The coating inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria by up to 99.9% bit.ly/INOX_MicroArmor #COVID19
INOX MicroArmor Antimicrobial Coating contains silver ions that attach themselves to a microbe's cellular enzyme to inhibit the growth of the microbe, reducing the spread of bacteria, fungi and mold. During the manufacturing process, the powder coating is applied to an INOX product and the silver ions within the coating integrate with the product itself. This enables the hardware to have 24/7, around-the-clock protection that does not wash off or wear away and remains effective in reducing the growth and spread of bacteria.
The antimicrobial technology infused in MicroArmor is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). INOX MicroArmor is also certified by the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) Z 2801 method.
INOX MicroArmor Antimicrobial Coating is immediately available as an additional option for builders and specifiers. For more information, please visit inoxproducts.com.
About INOX 
INOX is an innovative engineering company that designs and manufactures premium decorative hardware and door locks, including its industry-exclusive Privacy Barn Door Lock. For more than 25 years, INOX has been an expert in door hardware design with a proven track record of supplying product for some of the largest projects in North America, South America and around the world. INOX products are distributed worldwide via a network of more than 500 high-end retail designer hardware showrooms and distributors. To learn more about INOX, visit http://www.inoxproducts.com.

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INOX MicroArmor Antimicrobial Coating is a powder coating infused with antimicrobial technology that works to inhibit the growth and reproduction of harmful bacteria, mold and mildew by up to 99.9%.

In light of the current ongoing health crisis, it was incredibly important to us to focus our research and development on products that can help lessen the spread of harmful bacteria and to make them available to hospitals and healthcare facilities as soon as possible.



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As Black Maternal Health Week comes to a close, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance is proud to announce the release of a docu-series on birthing while black

ATLANTA (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
As Black Maternal Health Week comes to a close, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance is proud to announce the release of a docu-series on birthing while black, produced by the team at NATAL with BMMA as a thought-partner. Conceived by a team of Black creatives, the podcast will highlight stories about pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum care told by parents themselves. The docuseries also features the birthworkers, medical professionals, researchers, and advocates—many of whom are BMMA members—fighting daily for better care for Black birthing parents.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black mothers in the United States are two to three times more likely than white mothers to die from pregnancy-related complications.
"While the data is becoming clearer, what is often missing in these change-making conversations is the perspective of parents and Black Mamas about their experiences," said Angela Aina, BMMA Interim Executive Director. "These stories, like the ones in the NATAL podcast, are critical to understanding how to move forward, where there is opportunity for intervention, and what creative solutions people in communities are already coming up with on the ground."
This year's Black Maternal Health Week campaign is focused on the theme, "Centering Black Mamas: The Right to Live and Thrive." While members of BMMA host digital events catered to their local communities, BMMA continues to uplift critical issues for Black Mamas including how COVID-19 is impacting black maternal health and the power of holistic midwifery care. The NATAL podcast complements the week's activities by amplifying the voices of real parents to provide context for the maternal health crisis and insight into how Black families are navigating the realities of birthing while black.
"Of course, success stories exist, both interpersonal and political," said Gabrielle Horton, an Executive Producer at NATAL. "As storytellers, we believe that people are their own experts and we hope this series creates space for Black parents to share the lessons learned within a supportive community while also providing audiences with tools to engage in the national conversation about Black perinatal care."
Founded in 2016, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) is a national network of black women-led, birth and reproductive justice community-based organizations and multi-disciplinary professionals, working across the full-spectrum of maternal and reproductive health. BMMA operates at the national, state, and local levels to drive research, build power, and shift culture in an effort to improve Black maternal health, rights, and justice from a birth justice, reproductive justice, and human rights perspective.
BMMA's mission is to create a social, political, and cultural environment where Black Mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive throughout their reproductive lives. Learn more: http://www.blackmamasmatter.org



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H2I Group, St. Cloud State University (MN), and 3D Printer manufacturer Stratasys, are Collaborating on the creation of face shields for facilities in need amidst the COVID-19 crisis. The idea was sparked by the a local elderly care facility reaching out to find alternate sources for personal protection equipment.

MINNEAPOLIS (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
As a leading supplier of quality goods and services, H2I Tech Ed Division and Paton Group are excited to team up with Stratasys and St. Cloud State University to design and develop a creative approach for personal protective equipment.
As the global impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to unfold, demands for protective equipment continues to rise. Katie Powell, office coordinator from Guardian Angels Elim Home and Hospice in Elk River, MN found herself at crossroads when their PPE kits started to decrease and any new orders she tried to place were back-ordered until June 2020. At Guardian Angels Elim Home and Hospice, 100 nurses help and take care of elders in-home and in the facility. To provide these nurses with the PPE they need, Katie quickly looked for alternate options by reaching out to Stratasys.
St. Cloud State University quickly jumped on board with the opportunity to serve the local communities and assist healthcare providers. They fired up their Stratasys F250 printers and got to work printing frames for the face shields and laser cut the plastic shields. They were able to mass produce the 100 needed in just one day. It takes one machine 21 hours to print 20 of the headgear/frames and 15 minutes to cut several of the face shields on a ULS laser system. There are also adjustments that need to be made to accommodate different sizes. With some troubleshooting and tweaks, a solution was tailored to meet those challenges. SCSU is able to produce 500-700 masks per week.
By using the same frame and shield from SCSU, they created a unified system to build and cut. Together, they are working to build and cut as many face shields as possible. SCSU currently has about 15 systems running and can produce about 500-700 per week. These alternate face shields are compact and can easily be packaged and transferred to where they are needed. The headgear uses a spring tension that was originally designed by a young man in Sweden method which allows them to use the ABS plastic to connect in the back versus a rubber band which typically has latex. These face shields are easy to assemble and in less than seconds, you will have ready-to-use protective equipment. The PPE equipment is very simple by design. The headband can easily be sterilized for multiple use and the plastic transparency face shield can be easily be swapped out after several uses. It is relatively cheap and quick to make and also easily sanitized.
H2I Group traveled to St. Cloud to pick up and deliver the first batch to the Guardian Angels Elim Home and Hospice. Tech Ed Divisional Manager, Nate Thiesfeld says, "Our hope is to help distribute to local hospitals, healthcare facilities, essential businesses that currently don't have anything or are in need of them. This is a huge effort and I would like to thank our team at H2I Group, Paton Group, and St. Cloud State University. Also to Stratasys, Jesse Roitenberg, for discounted prices and donated materials." Jesse says, "Stratasys is happy to help out such a great cause."
H2I collaborates with clients, designers, and builders to provide total facility solutions. Total facility solutions means combining advanced design, innovative products, connected systems, and field services to meet clients' specific requirements and vision. The H2I clientele includes contractors, architects, healthcare facilities, schools, colleges, and universities. H2I Group provides design, sales, and service of: laboratory solutions and equipment, athletic flooring, prefabricated interior construction systems, and technical education equipment and curriculum.

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Face shields being delivered to Guardian Angels Elim Home and Hospice

Our hope is to help distribute to local hospitals, healthcare facilities, essential businesses that currently don't have anything or are in need of them.



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The Rosalynn Carter Institute along with several caregiving support organizations recently urged government, community, and religious leaders to remember the challenges facing family caregivers as this public health crisis continues to unfold. The ongoing COVID19 pandemic has magnified what we've known all along – our institutions are not prepared to support family caregivers.

WASHINGTON (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
We write to urge government, community and religious leaders to please remember the challenges facing family caregivers as this public health crisis continues to unfold. Unpaid family caregivers are the backbone of the health care system in the United States, providing as much as 90 percent of all home health care for no pay and at personal risk. Said differently, more than 44 million Americans (including more than 1.3 million caregiving youth) are providing unpaid care for loved ones across generations, including veterans, people with disabilities and battling chronic illness and elderly.
With an estimated 28 percent of caregivers also "sandwiched" between caring for an aging parent or older adult while raising children, millions of Americans face the pressures of staying healthy while often balancing the demands of work and school. It is also not lost on us that many unpaid family caregivers may now be unemployed as result of economic uncertainty created by this pandemic.
COVID-19 will also thrust many into caregiving roles for the first time, while also requiring existing caregivers to adapt how they carry out their caregiving responsibilities.
Understanding the role family caregivers of all ages play and the challenges they face will be key to effectively navigating this pandemic. We hope this understanding leads to support across public and private institutions nationwide.
How COVID-19 Amplifies Caregiving Challenges
Unpaid caregivers provide care in several ways: 

Assisting with daily living tasks (e.g., eating, bathing)

Managing medications

Coordinating health care needs and appointments

Monitoring and managing personal finances

Providing emotional support

In short, family caregivers provide more than 30 billion hours of care annually. This amounts to more than $500 billion in opportunity cost each year, primarily in the form of forgone wages.
Caregiving is influenced by many variables such as the age and underlying conditions of the person receiving care, as well as the caregiver's individual circumstances. Some live with those for whom they care, others provide care from a distance. Many also work outside the home or attend school, and many must perform caregiving duties without access to paid leave from work or school. Each of these considerations can pose a variety of challenges for individual caregivers.
However, there are two commonalities: 

First, by nature, caregiving is often dynamic and unpredictable. Many caregivers frequently navigate crisis with their loved ones.

Second, unpaid caregivers keep their loved ones at home, lessening the burden on outside care facilities.

COVID19 is amplifying the challenges and benefits of caregiving. We need to support caregivers of all ages navigate the unforeseen difficulties created by the pandemic, while recognizing the value in keeping loved ones home and not overburdening emergency rooms and hospitals. We also must think critically of how best to provide respite to family caregivers, especially as outlets needed for a break close (senior centers, hair salons, etc).
In addition to the mounting day-to-day challenges, the COVID19 pandemic amplifies the following: 

School or work closures (including teleworking requirements) can amplify and complicate care responsibilities, particularly for sandwich generation caregivers and caregiving youth

Home health aides, already insufficient, may become unavailable, particularly as the pandemic both increases care needs and reduces availability of direct care workers and volunteers

Long-distance caregivers may not be able to travel to loved ones

Caregivers may not able to visit, monitor or coordinate care for loved ones living in facilities closed to access

Fewer people may be available to provide care as primary caregivers get sick from COVID-19 or other health issues

Access to necessities including prescription medications and food may become difficult or limited

Access to care

How to Support Caregivers During the COVID-19 Emergency
Research shows that family caregivers face increased risk for health, emotional, financial, and work-related problems. The following options, however, can help new and existing caregivers adapt:

Using telehealth options to connect with health care providers (for both caregivers and care recipients)

Using mail order to fill prescriptions and deliver medical supplies

Arranging grocery/pharmacy delivery

Connecting with online or telephone support groups

Creating closed groups on social media to stay in contact with fellow caregivers and/or members of support team

On an informal level, support caregivers you know by:

Checking in on your friends/relatives/neighbors who are caregivers and encourage them reach out

Asking if they need help and if they are ok

Volunteering to get groceries and supplies for those who are too vulnerable to shop

Observing social distancing to stop community spread

Sincerely, United Together: 
American Association of Caregiving Youth 
ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center 
Caregiver Action Network 
Caring Across Generations 
Elizabeth Dole Foundation 
Family Caregiver Alliance 
(HFC) Hilarity for Charity 
National Alliance for Caregiving 
Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving

COVID-19 will also thrust many into caregiving roles for the first time, while also requiring existing caregivers to adapt how they carry out their caregiving responsibilities.




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New program funded through a GoFundMe campaign will make world-class and culturally-informed mental health intervention and therapy available to medical workers throughout Texas who are directly involved in the Covid-19 response.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (PRWEB) APRIL 17, 2020
Patterson Law Group, a Texas-based personal injury law firm, is proud to announce a new partnership with Readiness Group, LLC. This partnership, Mental Health for Heroes, will provide quality crisis intervention and counseling services to Texas medical workers directly involved in the Covid-19 response.
"Both as a law firm and generally as a community, we owe a great debt to our healthcare workers," says Travis Patterson, Managing Partner of Patterson Law Group. "What they are doing right now in response to this pandemic is the most heroic thing I've ever seen. They are doing whatever it takes to save the lives of complete strangers, even though it means often putting themselves and their own loved ones at risk. The mental toll all of it must have on them is staggering, but they somehow continue to put one foot in front of the other. If they need someone to work through this fight with (which is completely to be expected), it's our mission to support them. It's the least we can do for these heroes."
The purpose behind this initiative is to nurture and build mental resiliency in the medical workers on the front line of the Texas Covid-19 response. The stress and fear that is being placed on these heroes and their families is yet to be fully realized. But, we cannot wait to act. We know it is immensely challenging to do a job in the face of fear, tragedy, and uncertainty. That is why we are stepping up to provide the mental health support and relief our healthcare heroes need to remain in action and at the top of their games. Our initial goal is crisis intervention, but we want to do more. We want to provide long-term solutions. To do so, we have designed a three (3) phase approach:
Current Phase (Free Initial Service): 
Crisis Intervention: Initial donations will provide free Crisis Interventions and Resiliency Checks to healthcare professionals who are feeling overwhelmed by their role in the response to the Coronavirus – all done via HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms.
Future Phases (Cost-Effective Continuation of Care): 
Recovery: As we gain momentum raising funds, donations will also go toward providing six (6) free therapy sessions for health care professionals screened through the Resiliency program and determined to be in need of further therapy. 
Sustainability: Sustainability of mental healthcare for our medical community.
The initial crisis intervention calls (to be provided free of cost) will focus on trauma intervention, bringing chaos to calm, and developing a plan for moving forward. The recovery phase will offer traditional counseling and education components to keep the calm as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. The sustainability phase will provide long-term access to mental health providers to maintain the calm well after we beat the pandemic—through whatever else life throws at these heroes. The goal is for the Recovery and Sustainability phase services to be provided with minimal to no out-of-pocket costs to our heroes. We need donations to make this happen. All therapists will be Texas licensed clinicians trained in trauma response, the intervention process, and the medical culture.
We ask our community to help Mental Health for Heroes rally support for the medical community by bringing together mental health resources throughout Texas and making them readily available to our medical professionals. Please donate to our GoFundMe campaign. A $1,000 donation will provide twenty (20) crisis intervention sessions or ten (10) counseling sessions.
"Readiness Group is thrilled at the opportunity to partner with Patterson Law Group to rally the mental health community to support our local medical heroes," says Dr. Brenda Tillman, LPC-S, Ph.D., Owner at Readiness Group, LLC. "We know that the support is out there and ready to respond. Mental Health for Heroes will consolidate these resources and make them readily available and affordable for Texas Medical Workers."
Mental Health for Heroes, by and through its partners at the Readiness Group, is establishing a network of trained therapists to provide crisis intervention responses seven (7) days per week. Participating therapists will receive training on the culture of the medical community as well as how to carry out Crisis Intervention calls.
If you are an agency interested in providing support to this cause, please email us at hello@mentalhealthforheroes.org. Readiness Group will contact you to discuss your participation!
About Mental Health for Heroes: Mental Health for Heroes is an organization created to meet the mental health needs of the Texas healthcare heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight. Mental Health for Heroes will provide free crisis interventions for individuals who are feeling overwhelmed by their role in response to COVID-19. These calls will focus on trauma intervention, bringing chaos to calm, and developing a plan for moving forward. All therapists will be trained in trauma response, the intervention process, and the medical culture. Mental Health for Heroes is primarily funded through a GoFundMe-funded campaign. Mental Health for Heroes applied for expedited 501(c)(3) tax status on April 16, 2020. We are confident that status will be obtained, but make no guarantees. If granted, your donation should be treated as any other donation you make to a recognized 501(c)(3) organization. To read more about Mental Health for Heroes, please visit https://mentalhealthforheroes.org/.
About Patterson Law Group: Patterson Law Group has been representing Texans for their personal injury claims since 1995. They learned a long time ago the value of high-level mental health counseling for individuals who have been through trauma, as well as the value of partnerships with medical providers who only want what's best for patients. To read more about Patterson Law Group and the legal services they provide, visit https://pattersonpersonalinjury.com/.
About Readiness Group: Readiness Group's focus over the last twenty (20) years has been aligning with first responders, military, and medical organizations to build resilient communities. The fundamental purpose of these communities is to change the negative stigma associated with mental health and trauma response. By using a mind-body approach, the RG team educates individuals in the Science of Trauma and develops specific programs that foster a trauma-informed culture at the peer level. The primary mission of Readiness Group is developing communities that bring individuals, organizations, families, and resources together to build strength and resiliency. To read more about the Readiness Group mission, visit https://www.readinessgrp.com.

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We ask our community to help Mental Health for Heroes rally support for the medical community by bringing together mental health resources throughout Texas.



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Acti-Kare Responsive In-Home Care of Blue Ridge, VA Reaches 45,000 Hours of Care. Acti-Kare provides In-Home Care services to families in Blue Ridge, Lynchburg, and Roanoke Virginia

LYNCHBURG, VA. (PRWEB) APRIL 18, 2020
Acti-Kare of Blue Ridge, VA is locally owned and operated by Kim and John Moisa. John and Kim have operated their local Acti-Kare for over three and a half years, and have an extensive background in assisting seniors and their families. Kim And John also operate a successful senior residential home and deeply care for the seniors they assist.
The Moisa's have built a team of professional caregivers who enjoy helping seniors retain their independence in their own homes. Through the development of their passionate team and their deep-rooted experience in assisting seniors, John and Kim have provided families over 45,000 hours of In-home care services in Lynchburg, and Roanoke.
At Kim and John's Acti-Kare branch and other locations across the country, highly trained and compassionate caregivers can provide a wide variety of non-medical services depending on what is needed, including companionship, transportation, and mobility assistance, help with errands and bill-paying, shopping and nutritional aid, light housekeeping duties and/or personal care assistance, and more. Many caregivers have prior experience and/or training in caring for those with Alzheimer's or other special needs, and clients can easily obtain as many hours of support as desired or needed.
One of the greatest aspects of Acti-Kare is its devotion to providing superior in-home care at an affordable price. Acti-Kare of The Blue Ridge, VA prides itself on providing caregivers that are highly qualified, professional, and licensed care specialists passionate about home care. Our carefully selected and qualified caregivers deliver compassionate care with in-home help to anyone who needs at home care: seniors, new and expecting moms, disabled individuals, memory care patients, recovering patients, infants, children, and even pets.
Acti-Kare of Blue Ridge VA will continue to operate during the current COVID-19 pandemic as an essential health service and home health agency. Acti-Kare is designed to help ensure all its caregivers and clients remain safe and continue providing optimal care for seniors and their families during this critical time when they are most vulnerable.
Acti-Kare is a nationwide chain of living assistance service providers with a sterling reputation for family and senior care. Each Acti-Kare caregiver is screened, bonded and insured for family and senior care services, ensuring high-quality and professional service for your family.



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RCN Boston and iHeartMedia Boston will honor local community heroes who go above and beyond helping others during the coronavirus crisis as they will give 10 Heroes each $250 and another four will receive free RCN service for 6 months.

BOSTON (PRWEB) APRIL 18, 2020
RCN Boston, an award-winning and leading provider of fiber and broadband services, today announced a partnership with iHeartMedia Boston to honor local community heroes of the coronavirus pandemic. The partnership was developed to show appreciation during these uncertain times to the people who are working tirelessly to keep the community safe and comfortable. These heroes include medical professionals, first responders, delivery service workers, cleaning staff, cooks, teachers, stock clerks and others.
"We are all in this together," said Jeff Carlson, VP and General Manager of RCN Boston. "Highlighting these heroes in the communities in which we live and work is our way of showing our support and appreciation."
iHeartMedia Boston Region President, Alan Chartrand adds, "There are so many selfless people doing amazing things to help their neighbors. Our hope is to spotlight as many of them as possible. We're thankful that RCN has partnered with iHeartMedia Boston to honor our Community Heroes."
RCN and iHeartMedia Boston are asking for nominations of individuals or organizations who are going above and beyond during these unprecedented times. Nominations will be accepted through Friday, April 24.
Ten heroes will be selected to receive a $250 gift card to continue their amazing work for which they are being recognized. The 10 heroes will also be acknowledged on-air on iHeartMedia Boston's eight radio stations and will be highlighted on social media platforms of iHeartMedia Boston and RCN Boston. In addition, four winners who are located in the RCN Boston service area will be gifted with a six months free Internet, Digital TV and Phone package and accompanying equipment of their choice with a value of up to $300 per month.
To nominate a community hero, visit https://kiss108.iheart.com/contests/help-us-honor-our-community-heroes-816880/.
About RCN Boston http://www.rcn.com/boston
RCN in Boston serves the communities of Allston, Arlington, Boston, Brighton, Brookline, Burlington, Charlestown, Dedham, Dorchester, Everett, Framingham, Hyde Park, Lexington, Milton, Natick, Needham, Newton, Peabody, Revere, Roslindale, Somerville, Stoneham, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, West Roxbury and Woburn.
About RCN 
RCN Telecom Services, LLC (http://www.rcn.comand http://www.rcn.com/business) provides industry-leading high-speed internet, digital TV and phone services for residential, small/medium and Enterprise business customers. As a five-time recognized provider, RCN has been acknowledged in multiple residential and business categories in PCMag's Readers' Choice Awards in the years 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. RCN is YouTube HD Verified, earning the company the highest-ranking that Google offers. RCN is also a Netflix Open Connect partner, placing in the Top rankings on the Netflix USA ISP Speed Index in the markets RCN serves. RCN's affordably priced advanced digital services are delivered through its proprietary, state-of-the-art fiber-rich network and supported by 100% U.S.-based customer service. RCN's primary service areas include Boston, Chicago, Lehigh Valley (PA), New York City, Philadelphia (Delaware County) and Washington, DC.
About RCN, Grande Communications and Wave Broadband 
RCN Telecom Services, LLC (http://www.rcn.com) Grande Communications (http://www.mygrande.com) and Wave Broadband (http://www.wavebroadband.com) form the sixth largest US cable operator and provide industry-leading high-speed internet, broadband communications solutions, digital TV, phone services and fiber optic solutions for residential and business customers across the United States. Together, RCN, Grande and Wave serves areas of Massachusetts, Chicago, Pennsylvania, New York City, and Washington, DC. (RCN); Texas (Grande Communications) and Washington, Oregon and California (Wave Broadband).
About iHeartMedia Boston 
iHeartMedia Boston owns and operates WXKS-FM, WJMN-FM, WZLX-FM, WBWL-FM, WKAF-FM, WBZ-AM, WRKO-AM, WXKS-AM and is part of iHeartMedia. iHeartMedia (NASDAQ: IHRT) is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month – and with its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. The company's leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms, including more than 850 live broadcast stations in over 150 markets; digital radio via its iHeartRadio digital service available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices; through its on-air influencers; social; branded iconic live music events; and podcasts as the #1 commercial podcast publisher. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics, targeting and attribution for its marketing partners with its SmartAudio product, using data from its massive consumer base. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.




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Aging Services Providers Dedicated to Fulfilling Their Critical Role in Public Health System

AUSTIN, TEXAS (PRWEB) APRIL 18, 2020
The need for solid information about COVID-19 diagnoses is critical to the successful fight against the novel coronavirus. LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit nursing homes and other providers of aging services, and its affiliate, LeadingAge Texas encourages action by Texas leaders to gather and leverage data.
The COVID-19 virus is taking a toll on nursing home residents and the dedicated staff providing care, yet we remain committed to turning this pandemic around.
Nursing homes are an integral component of the public health system. They offer a service unlike any provided in other care settings to older residents with complex health care needs and life-threatening conditions.
The combined physical and emotional impact of the pandemic is unprecedented for nursing homes in Texas. The incidents of COVID-related deaths are increasing in nursing homes, consistent with data indicating the impact the virus has on older populations.
Every day, nursing home staff do their part to aggressively prevent and mitigate the spread, while delivering compassionate care under challenging circumstances. Among the key defenses against infection transmission in nursing homes is the use of suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) for nursing home staff and residents. However, the shortages are very real, and distribution networks overwhelmed. Likewise, testing is inadequate.
As has happened in several nursing homes in Texas and elsewhere, asymptomatic staff have unknowingly spread the virus to residents and other staff resulting in clusters of cases. Until all staff and residents can be tested regularly and quickly, these types of situations are nearly impossible to avoid.
Katie Smith Sloan, President and CEO of LeadingAge, said, "We have been working in partnership with LeadingAge Texas as it battles the pandemic. Nursing home staff is on the front line in caring for older adults. They must be prioritized for PPE and testing supplies -- particularly as nursing homes nationwide have assumed increased responsibilities as partners to hospitals in caring for COVID-19 discharges. We fully expect that consistent reporting of cases will lead to adequate and timely access to PPE and testing."
The pervasiveness of this virus and the limited supplies has led to the spread of the virus among the workforce and residents, leading to staffing shortages that result in longer shifts and multiple days of duty without breaks in service.
George Linial, President and CEO of LeadingAge Texas said, "The services that aging services organizations, including nursing homes provide are fundamental to the lives of the people we serve, their families, and our communities across Texas. Our members care deeply about the role we play to provide much-needed care, services, and supports as this crisis continues. Adequate testing and PPE supplies are critical if we are going to get a handle on this pandemic."
About LeadingAge Texas: Established in 1959, we represent more than 350 members, including approximately 200 of Texas' finest retirement housing communities, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, nursing homes, and home and community-based services providers. Over 30,000 older Texans reside in LeadingAge Texas-member communities. Thousands more are served through home health services, adult day care centers, and other community out-reach services. LeadingAge Texas members are sponsored primarily by community-based nonprofit civic, religious, fraternal, and other quality groups and are mission-driven organizations. LeadingAge Texas is committed to assisting its members in providing the highest quality of services possible to the residents they serve. For more information: http://www.leadingagetexas.org
About LeadingAge: We represent more than 5,000 aging-focused organizations that touch millions of lives every day. Alongside our members and 38 state partners, we address critical issues by blending applied research, advocacy, education, and community-building. We bring together the most inventive minds in our field to support older adults as they age wherever they call home. We make America a better place to grow old. For more information: http://www.leadingage.org

Adequate testing and PPE supplies are critical if we are going to get a handle on this pandemic



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Vosita Telemedicine released the new version of the software which will allow providers to invite patients "on demand" within seconds, and with one click, the provider can send a secure link to the patient's smart phone to tap and connect, bypassing the creation of an account or online appointment. This new feature will make it much easier for providers to see patients without having to reveal their personal cellphone numbers and causing any confusion in communications with patients, especially the senior citizen population which may be less tech-savvy.

PARAMUS, N.J. (PRWEB) APRIL 19, 2020
Vosita Healthcare, Inc. https://vosita.com/ – a startup Telemedicine firm providing an online medical care appointment booking service for Telehealth appointments or standard office appointments. Vosita Healthcare Inc. President and CEO Robert Gabriel is donating the Telemedicine technology and software to conduct face-to-face Telemedicine visits to all USA qualified physicians so they can treat patients while staying socially distant. Mr. Gabriel stated, "The last 8-10 weeks were very harsh on all of us, however, we all turned to advanced technology more than ever to get by and conduct business. While we all agree that life will go back to normal sooner or later, we will all face the 'new normal' where we will be more accepting of the usage of technology instead of traveling and physically meeting where it is applicable."
This week, Vosita Telemedicine released the new version of the software which will allow providers to invite patients "on demand" within seconds, and with one click, the provider can send a secure link to the patient's smart phone to tap and connect, bypassing the creation of an account or online appointment. This new feature will make it much easier for providers to see patients without having to reveal their personal cellphone numbers and causing any confusion in communications with patients, especially the senior citizen population which may be less tech-savvy.
Vosita Telemedicine also released the new mobile app version 1.1 for both iOS and Android. The new version of Vosita makes it easier to search for available providers and make an appointment for the account holder or any member of the family.
Mr. Gabriel also said, "We will continue to improve the technology and experience to make it as easy and fun as possible to conduct a Telemedicine visit while protecting the privacy of the provider and the patient. Our goal is to help our physicians, patients, and communities overcome the crisis and flatten the curve of infections by providing Vosita Telemedicine services."
The use of Vosita Telemedicine will be free for providers and medical groups until March 2021, with no obligation to continue to use it after the free period. In order for patients and providers to use the service, they need to go to https://vosita.com/ to join or download the app from the App Store or Google Play free of charge. Click on the link for Vosita training for provider or Vosita Training for Patients. 



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First Coast Home Pros started manufacturing face shields to help meet the need of health care workers

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. (PRWEB) APRIL 18, 2020
First Coast Home Pros (https://www.firstcoasthomepros.com/), Jacksonville's premier full-service specialized home services company, has started making face shields to help health care workers on the front lines. First Coast Home Pros is donating all the masks to UF Health Jacksonville.
"During this unprecedented time in history, we want to help people working with COVID-19 patients" said Josh Kennedy, president of First Coast Home Pros. "We started making cotton masks for our customers, employees and others in need earlier in the crisis and shifted to face shields as soon as we heard health care workers were low on supply."
First Coast Home Pros started in 2008 as a window cleaning company. Since then, First Coast Home Pros has added a variety of services including housekeeping, carpet cleaning, pressure washing, handyman services, painting and other home care services.
"This generous donation is another example of how our community is coming together in this time of uncertainty," said Leon L. Haley Jr., M.D., MHSA, CEO of UF Health Jacksonville and dean of the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville. "Finding as many resources as possible in this fight against COVID-19 is challenging, so we are incredibly grateful to Josh Kennedy and his team."
First Coast Home Pros expects to make at least 650 face shields to donate to UF Health. They hope to deliver the face shields the week of April 13. First Coast Home Pros already has made and donated more than 1,000 washable fabric masks to the community and continues to put its employees to work making even more. The company is making both the face shields and masks at their Arlington headquarters.
"We want to do all we can to help keep our community stay as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Kennedy. "We are still offering many of our regular home care services and taking additional measures to ensure the safety of our employees and customers."
About First Coast Home Pros 
First Coast Home Pros is Northeast Florida's only full-service specialized home services company offering maid services, window cleaning, pressure washing, roof and gutter cleaning, air duct and dryer vent cleaning as well as carpet, rug, tile and upholstery cleaning in addition to handyman services, screed enclosure repair and more. First Coast Home Pros employs highly trained professionals and takes pride in offering unsurpassed service. More information about First Coast Home Pros is available at https://www.firstcoasthomepros.com/.
About UF Health 
UF Health Jacksonville (https://ufhealthjax.org/) is a private, not-for-profit hospital affiliated with the University of Florida Health campuses in Jacksonville and Gainesville. In Jacksonville, UF Health includes University of Florida faculty, residents and fellows within the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville, who team up with outstanding caregivers and other employees to provide state-of-the-art services at two hospitals and more than 60 primary care and specialty practices throughout northeast Florida and southeast Georgia. This academic health center's mission is to heal, to comfort, to educate and to discover in an environment where exemplary medical care is complemented by outstanding service.

[https://ww1]
First Coast Home Pros Makes Face Shields for Health Care Workers

"During this unprecedented time in history, we want to help people working with COVID-19 patients" said Josh Kennedy, president of First Coast Home Pros.



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U.S. Kuo Shu Academy Launches Virtual USKSA, an Online Martial Arts and Leadership Training Platform for Kids and Families

OWINGS MILLS, MD. AND MARRIOTTSVILLE, MD. (PRWEB)APRIL 18, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT 
Ian Chisholm 
Director of Kung Fu 
410-852-0324 ichisholm@uskuoshu.com
Martial Arts Goes Online: U.S. Kuo Shu Academy Offers Virtual Lessons During the Coronavirus Shutdown
U.S. Kuo Shu Academy Launches Virtual USKSA, an Online Martial Arts and Leadership Training Platform for Kids and Families
OWINGS MILLS, MD: Hundreds of kids and families have signed up for Virtual USKSA, an online, interactive martial arts program that allows students to train from home during the COVID-19 shutdown. The program is free of charge to current students, and U.S. Kuo Shu Academy (USKSA) is offering two free weeks of online lessons to new students.
"During these unprecedented times, we are doing our best to help kids, parents, and families keep some form of normalcy by helping them stay active, engaged, and entertained," says 7th degree black sash Michael Huang, Head Instructor of USKSA.
Parents are on board. "When the world got flipped upside-down, US Kuo Shu stepped up! Virtual classes have been great for keeping my daughter and I motivated, energized, and on track. Thank you for helping keep the community safe!" says Mr. Justin Weeber of Owings Mills, following an online class.
The USKSA platform includes video tutorials of kung fu forms and technique combos, live virtual sash-rank classes, fitness challenges, leadership lessons, and homework. There are also "Mat Chats" on teamwork and keeping up a positive attitude at home. Students also participate in Reading with an Instructor, which includes related quizzes for kids.
"Our goal is to make a positive impact for our students," says Huang. "The platform is designed to mirror our comprehensive curriculum that focuses not just on physical fitness, but the mental and emotional aspects as well."
Students are on board. Ms. Shelly Henriquez-Neill gave praise for the recent conversion to interactive training. "The best thing about doing online classes is that we are able to practice social distancing without being socially distant. USKSA is not just a great martial arts school, it's a great community of genuinely caring people. Being able to find an instantly effective way to preserve that community and keep us all connected while training and maintaining our practice has been awesome!"
"We want to focus on the solution and make lemonade out of lemons," says Huang. "This is about supporting our community."
U.S. Kuo Shu Academy has been teaching Chinese martial arts since 1973. 7th degree black sash Michael Huang, a Maryland native, has been supporting the school since he was a kid. The schools, located in Marriottsville and Owings Mills, teach self-defense and a curriculum based on the Tien Shan Pai system first taught to Michael Huang by his father Grandmaster Huang, Chien Liang, "Maker of Champions, Builder of Character." Learn more at freevirtualmartialarts.com.



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The Branford Community Foundation established the COVID19 Response Fund for Branford on March 18, 2020 as soon as it became clear that this virus would significantly impact our community. The initial goal was to raise $20,000 to provide immediate, short-term financial relief to individuals who live or work in the Town of Branford through the Women & Family Life Center.
As of April 16, thanks to the generosity of our community, the fund has secured $128,611.48. This generosity enabled BCF to not only support financial relief to individuals who live or work in Branford through our partnership with WFLC, but has allowed us to expand the use of the fund to consider needs from additional organizations and programs that serve Branford.
The COVID-19 Response Fund for Branford has invested $70,285 for Branford to date through the following efforts: 

$35,000 to Women & Family Life Center for direct grants to people who live or work in Branford who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 (e.g., an individual tested positive for the virus and can't work, loss of work or reduced work hours, loss of childcare, need to care for a loved one, etc.). WFLC has supported 57 individuals to date with more applications in their pipeline.

$10,000 to the Branford Early Childcare Collaborative for their work to support early education providers manage through the current impact of closures due to COVID19 and to prepare for future months of recovery as children and families face re-entry and assimilation back into the routines of school, daycare and work life.

$5,000 to BHCare to support increased demand for mental health, substance abuse, or domestic violence services, changes in delivery of services to telehealth clinical services, and reduction of revenue.

$4,500 to the Community Dining Room for to-go containers for meals, which was required for services due to the executive order restricting gathering.

$2,500 to the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter to support the delivery of pet food and supplies to clients who are financially constrained and homebound due to governmental guidelines.

$785 to the Orchard House for the delivery of care packages to home bound clients. The Orchard House has been closed due to government guidelines, yet wants to encourage clients to stay connected and mentally stimulated through this time of social distancing.

$7,500 to Women & Family Life Center to support increased demand for services coupled with decreased revenue due to canceled programs and events.

$5,000 to VNA Community Healthcare & Hospice to provide PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to nurses who continue to treat patients at home. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the VNA implemented significantly increased PPE requirements.

BCF is considering applications for funding for the COVID-19 Response Fund on a rolling basis to provide resources that support our community members to get through this crisis. For more information, visit the Branford Community Foundation website. BCF can support charitable and town organizations.


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A new normal of family life is emerging in post-coronavirus America, a new survey of parents shows – from more frequent family dinners and movie nights, to jumps in discipline and depression, to one-fifth of American parents reporting buying a gun in the last month.
The IPREX Parent Normal survey, fielded between April 1 and 8 by the research and creative firm Marketing for Change Co. for the IPREX global communication network, asked 1,519 U.S. parents and other caregivers about their behaviors, their children's behavior and their perception of what other parents do. The findings produced what is perhaps the first statistical portrait of American parenting in the pandemic.
The results show evidence of sadness and fear, but also glimmers of hope. It's been a tough month: A third of the parents reported someone in their household losing a job as a result of the coronavirus. But while most parents are imposing strict new restrictions on their children's movements and many report feeling depressed, most are also experiencing a new sense of togetherness and many are outdoors more, exercising more and even recycling more.
It is also a story of two Americas, with job losses less common among the wealthiest families and middle-income parents more likely than lower-income parents to be newly working from home. Wealthy parents (household incomes over $100,000) were the most likely of all to be newly working from home.
Highlights include: 

Nearly two out of three parents are barring their children from playing with children who don't live with them. Almost a third of parents (31%) have gone so far as to limit their children to their own home and yard.

Nevertheless, a large share of children -- about a third -- were still playing the same amount or even more with children outside their home. The biggest factor here is the parent's parenting style, with authoritative parents -- those who jointly make rules with their children -- having the most success at this form of distancing.

Almost two out of three (64%) parents say they are eating and watching entertainment together more as family than before the coronavirus. More than half are also cooking at home together (57%) and playing board games together (52%) more.

Nearly one out of three parents of children under 13 (30%) say they find themselves disciplining their children more, including adding new rules, being stricter, yelling, imposing time-outs and withholding things. One in four (27%) of those parents are spanking more. Parents in places where schools and daycare centers had more recently closed were more likely to be disciplining more - potentially an indication of the challenges parents face as children initially spend more time at home.

One out of five parents (22%) reported buying a gun for their home in the past month. The bulk of these same parents (83%) also talked to their children about gun safety in that same period.

Average screen time since the coronavirus hit has jumped 38%. Last Friday, parents reported their children spent an average of 5.1 hours on screens compared to 3.7 hours on an average Friday before the coronavirus. Teenagers last Friday had an average of 6.2 hours of screen time, which includes gaming, entertainment, academics, social media and other online activities. The good news: 43% of the increase for all ages was in distance learning and academics.

Parents are also changing their own behavior. While 58% report spending more time on computers and smartphones, 41% of parents are exercising more and 37% are spending more time outdoors.



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More Family Meals, More Screen Time, More Discipline: A Portrait of American Parenting During the COVID-19 Pandemic



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Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services, one of the nation's most comprehensive treatment campuses, is working to help Mississippi's citizens during this pandemic by providing a free community support line related to COVID-19 Stress and Anxiety. This emotional support line is intended for adults ages 18 years old and older, and the number to call is 1-888-574-HOPE (4673). The support line hours of operation begin statewide on Monday, April 20th, 2020, and the line will be open and ready to accept calls daily from 8:00 AM to midnight, 12:00 AM.
Pine Grove understands the changes in daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic may seem overwhelming at times and mental health support for our state is needed. This support line is staffed by Pine Grove's caring and qualified professionals, who want to help our fellow Mississippians during this pandemic. Debbie Sanford, Administrator of Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services said, "For 36 years Pine Grove has provided the highest quality behavioral health care and addiction treatment for the citizens of Mississippi and beyond. We are proud to be located in Mississippi and we care deeply about helping our state during this unprecedented pandemic. The upheaval in everyone's daily lives because of COVID-19 is stressful. Mississippi citizens are well-known for their resilience in the face of any challenge; we want to make sure they have the tools and resources they need to continue moving forward."
This emotional support line is intended to provide stress management tools for people, who are experiencing increased levels of worry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this line is to listen, and provide resources and self-care strategies for our citizens. Pine Grove encourages people to call this support line if they are experiencing any source of stress and anxiety due to life changes regarding the pandemic. We understand that health and safety are of the utmost importance, which is why Pine Grove also expanded its programs in response to the pandemic to include telehealth services for children, adolescents and adults. Outpatient tele-therapy sessions are available and Pine Grove expanded its telehealth services to include its drug treatment Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for men and women. All Pine Grove Evaluation Center services are available via telehealth as well. Patients interested in these services may also call 1-888-574-HOPE (4673), and visit https://www.pinegrovetreatment.com.
Pine Grove's world renowned programs treat gender specific chemical addiction including a specialized track for co-occurring eating disorders. Additionally, Pine Grove offers an Intensive Outpatient substance abuse healing program for adults, and a program specifically for those who are age 55 plus. Other Pine Grove specialty programs include a dedicated professional's treatment curriculum and a comprehensive evaluation center. Pine Grove also features a program for patients with sexual addiction. Inpatient Services including an Adult Psychiatric Unit, along with a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit, and Outpatient Services are other components. Pine Grove was established in 1984 and has provided nationally and internationally recognized health care for 36 years.


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BENARNEWS- At the close of a two-day summit in Australia on countering violent extremism, 24 Asia-Pacific countries on Friday agreed to deepen multi-lateral cooperation and enlist help from civil society and industry in staving off the threat.

Malaysia, Singapore and host-country Australia, which were represented at the ministerial level at the meeting in Sydney, were among the countries that issued a joint communique vowing regional action on the issue.

"The Sydney Summit aimed to improve regional coordination and build the capacity of governments, civil society and local communities to challenge violent extremism in order to prevent terrorism," the communique said.

"Ministers agreed to ongoing actions to build international cooperation and collaboration ahead of a leaders-level [Counter-Violent Extremism] meeting planned for the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015," it added.

The 24 countries agreed, among other action items, to work toward sharing information and research on counter-terrorism, supporting communities vulnerable to recruitment by extremist organizations, and increasing the role of civil society in online counter-propaganda efforts, including partnering with social media companies, according to the communique.

IS: At the heart of the matter 

The communique noted that "terrorism and violent extremism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality or civilization."

Yet in his closing speech on Friday, Australian Attorney General George Brandis, the meeting's co-chair, made it clear that the international threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) was central to the discussions in Sydney.

"Given the complexity of the issues, we need a multi-pronged approach.  We must commit to enabling and encouraging community engagement, promoting a narrative that amplifies positive content, and putting in place strong legislative frameworks and operational activities to halt the forward push of ISIS," Brandis told the meeting, using another acronym for IS.

"... Governments cannot alone effectively meet this challenge – we must develop and sustain strong partnerships with industry and civil society to not only negate those who propagate violent extremism but offer viable alternatives."

Australia is dealing with its own threat from Islamists on home soil. Last December, three people were killed during a standoff, when a lone Muslim gunman of Iranian heritage took hostages at a Sydney café.

Australia had earlier foiled alleged attempts by home-grown radicals to carry out abductions and IS-style public beheadings. In addition, many scores of Australian citizens reportedly have travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight alongside the IS ranks.

"The warped interpretations of a few cannot be allowed to drown out the majority and undermine Islam itself," the Australian Attorney-General went on to say.

"We need to underscore the important and effective work that is undertaken by grassroots organizations across the region, often below the radar," Brandis added.

"We recognize, as a region, the need to empower credible and resonant voices in our communities who can challenge terrorist narratives and promote powerful alternative messages that promote the positive values of our societies."

Southeast Asian presence

Indonesia – the world's largest Muslim country, and source of some 540 IS fighters in the Middle East – was represented at the meeting by its ambassador to Australia, according to Kompas newspaper.

Sources at Indonesia's National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) said that it had sent an official to the meeting in Sydney.

As for Malaysian participation, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi addressed the meeting on Friday.

He spoke about Malaysian measures to combat extremism, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), which the government has said is needed to combat a domestic threat from IS. 

Malaysian lawmakers passed the law in April, but human rights advocates have raised concerns that it could trample on civil liberties, because POTA allows authorities to incarcerate suspected terrorist without trial for extendable two-year periods.

"In short, it shows we are serious in combatting and preventing any form of terror activities," The Star Online quoted Zahid as saying in Sydney.

In his speech, he echoed that civil society had a big role to play in fending off extremism – and said this was already happening in his country.

"The National Fatwa Council has also clearly deemed involvement with the Islamic State as illegal as the terror group's form of jihad is against Islamic teachings," the home minister added. 

"Every segment of society must work together to ensure that the IS does not gain a foothold in the country."

Sydney hackathon 

As the 24 countries met, a related hackathon – a technology-development competition among Silicon Valley start-ups and tech giants like Google, Twitter and Facebook – took place on the sidelines in Sydney.

More than 60 people competed near the Sydney Opera House to design new ideas, technology and digital apps that could be used as weapons in the cyber war against IS and its ilk, according to Agence France-Presse.

The Islamic State relies heavily on Twitter, Facebook and other social media for recruiting fighters.

"We marry innovation and the national security sector, with Silicon Valley ethos and start-up models to try and create very new, fast-paced, high-energy (projects)," AFP quoted hackathon organiser Quintan Wiktorowicz, as saying.

"No single prototype is a silver bullet to stop ISIS radicalization," Wiktorowicz added. 

"But it's the ecosystem that we're building by running these (hackathons) globally and connecting the networks all the time."

Arie Firdhaus contributed to this report.

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BENARNEWS- At the close of a two-day summit in Australia on countering violent extremism, 24 Asia-Pacific countries on Friday agreed to deepen multi-lateral cooperation and enlist help from civil society and industry in staving off the threat.

Malaysia, Singapore and host-country Australia, which were represented at the ministerial level at the meeting in Sydney, were among the countries that issued a joint communique vowing regional action on the issue.

"The Sydney Summit aimed to improve regional coordination and build the capacity of governments, civil society and local communities to challenge violent extremism in order to prevent terrorism," the communique said.

"Ministers agreed to ongoing actions to build international cooperation and collaboration ahead of a leaders-level [Counter-Violent Extremism] meeting planned for the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015," it added.

The 24 countries agreed, among other action items, to work toward sharing information and research on counter-terrorism, supporting communities vulnerable to recruitment by extremist organizations, and increasing the role of civil society in online counter-propaganda efforts, including partnering with social media companies, according to the communique.

IS: At the heart of the matter 

The communique noted that "terrorism and violent extremism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality or civilization."

Yet in his closing speech on Friday, Australian Attorney General George Brandis, the meeting's co-chair, made it clear that the international threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) was central to the discussions in Sydney.

"Given the complexity of the issues, we need a multi-pronged approach.  We must commit to enabling and encouraging community engagement, promoting a narrative that amplifies positive content, and putting in place strong legislative frameworks and operational activities to halt the forward push of ISIS," Brandis told the meeting, using another acronym for IS.

"... Governments cannot alone effectively meet this challenge – we must develop and sustain strong partnerships with industry and civil society to not only negate those who propagate violent extremism but offer viable alternatives."

Australia is dealing with its own threat from Islamists on home soil. Last December, three people were killed during a standoff, when a lone Muslim gunman of Iranian heritage took hostages at a Sydney café.

Australia had earlier foiled alleged attempts by home-grown radicals to carry out abductions and IS-style public beheadings. In addition, many scores of Australian citizens reportedly have travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight alongside the IS ranks.

"The warped interpretations of a few cannot be allowed to drown out the majority and undermine Islam itself," the Australian Attorney-General went on to say.

"We need to underscore the important and effective work that is undertaken by grassroots organizations across the region, often below the radar," Brandis added.

"We recognize, as a region, the need to empower credible and resonant voices in our communities who can challenge terrorist narratives and promote powerful alternative messages that promote the positive values of our societies."

Southeast Asian presence

Indonesia – the world's largest Muslim country, and source of some 540 IS fighters in the Middle East – was represented at the meeting by its ambassador to Australia, according to Kompas newspaper.

Sources at Indonesia's National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) said that it had sent an official to the meeting in Sydney.

As for Malaysian participation, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi addressed the meeting on Friday.

He spoke about Malaysian measures to combat extremism, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), which the government has said is needed to combat a domestic threat from IS. 

Malaysian lawmakers passed the law in April, but human rights advocates have raised concerns that it could trample on civil liberties, because POTA allows authorities to incarcerate suspected terrorist without trial for extendable two-year periods.

"In short, it shows we are serious in combatting and preventing any form of terror activities," The Star Online quoted Zahid as saying in Sydney.

In his speech, he echoed that civil society had a big role to play in fending off extremism – and said this was already happening in his country.

"The National Fatwa Council has also clearly deemed involvement with the Islamic State as illegal as the terror group's form of jihad is against Islamic teachings," the home minister added. 

"Every segment of society must work together to ensure that the IS does not gain a foothold in the country."

Sydney hackathon 

As the 24 countries met, a related hackathon – a technology-development competition among Silicon Valley start-ups and tech giants like Google, Twitter and Facebook – took place on the sidelines in Sydney.

More than 60 people competed near the Sydney Opera House to design new ideas, technology and digital apps that could be used as weapons in the cyber war against IS and its ilk, according to Agence France-Presse.

The Islamic State relies heavily on Twitter, Facebook and other social media for recruiting fighters.

"We marry innovation and the national security sector, with Silicon Valley ethos and start-up models to try and create very new, fast-paced, high-energy (projects)," AFP quoted hackathon organiser Quintan Wiktorowicz, as saying.

"No single prototype is a silver bullet to stop ISIS radicalization," Wiktorowicz added. 

"But it's the ecosystem that we're building by running these (hackathons) globally and connecting the networks all the time."

Arie Firdhaus contributed to this report.

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BENARNEWS- Four Uyghur men accused of trying to make contact with a terrorist group in Indonesia all but admitted in court this week that they entered the country illegally.
The men, arrested in Central Sulawesi province last September, stand accused of trying to meet up with Indonesia's most wanted terrorist, Santoso, but claim they were mere tourists.
Defendant Abdul Basit told the court that the four met in Malaysia after flying there from Turkey.
"We all met when we were sightseeing and introduced ourselves," said Basit, who was accompanied by two translators at North Jakarta District Court on Wednesday.
The men then hired a guide to take them to Indonesia via motorboat, he said.
"Our trip was arranged. We were accompanied by a guide who kept communicating with Bozoglan. We trusted everything to them, including visa application administration," he said, referring to co-defendant Ahmet Bozoglan.
They departed from an unnamed seaport in Malaysia but had no clue if it was official, Basit said.
"We did not see any official or immigration counter there. But we just trusted the guide. Then we realized the route seemed illegal," said Basit.
There was no one else on the boat but the four men and its crew, he said.
They arrived in a city in Indonesia identified by their lawyers as Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau Province on Sumatra island.
They flew to Jakarta, and visited Bogor and Bandung in Java before flying on to Makassar, in Sulawesi.
Shortly thereafter they were arrested by police on their way to Poso, in Central Sulawesi province. It is considered a haven for militants and Santoso's Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) group.
"We have no other intention but vacation," said Basit.
Turkey or China?
The men have also been charged with carrying fake Turkish passports. Prosecutors assert the defendants are actually from China, and Indonesia has indicated they would be sent there once the trial ended.
The Uyghurs are a Muslim minority within China, and mostly live in the western Xinjiang region. Uyghurs also are spread across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,Uzbekistan and Turkey.
Uyghur advocates say China has trumped up allegations of "Uyghur terrorism" to justify repression in Xinjiang province. As many as 700 people are believed to have been killed in political violence in the Xinjiang region from 2013 to 2014, the U.S.-based Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) reported earlier this month.
During cross-examination, prosecutor Nana Riana aggressively questioned the nationality of the men, who could not correctly state the birthdates given on their passports or to police.
"Would you tell me your birthday?" Nana asked defendant Ahmet Mahmud.
"Istanbul, July 9, 1987," he answered.
"On the police investigation report, you said Jan. 10, 1995 in Turkestan," she replied.
"What about your birthday?" Nana asked co-defendant Abdullah, alias Altinci Bayram.
"Istanbul, April 20, 1986."
"It is stated May 10 on the passport. How come someone has different birthdays?" grilled Nana.
Defense: Evidence flimsy
In past court sessions, witnesses stated that a camera seized from the men at the time of their arrest carried photos of foreigners known to have been associated with Santoso.
But none of the evidence or witnesses presented thus far has proven the charges, lead defense lawyer Asludin Hatjani told BenarNews.
"We have not seen any yet. The attorney only has evidence that give indications they were involved with the group, but nothing clearly proved their involvement with the group," he said.
"They never directly communicate to those people, especially with the language barrier between them. Photos also only showed indications," Asludin told BenarNews.
The next trial date is set for June 24, he said.
"We are ready for defense," he said.


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BENARNEWS- The arrival of Thursday marked the start of Ramadan for more than 200 million Muslims in Southeast Asia, as officials across the region called for a peaceful passing of Islam's holy month. 

In Thailand, hundreds of Muslim insurgents from the predominantly Buddhist nation's restive Deep South region were being allowed to come out of hiding and spend the month observing Ramadan with their families, without fear of arrest.

The immunity is a goodwill gesture ahead of expected peace talks between Thailand's military-run government and southern armed separatist groups, according to officials.

Elsewhere, more than 300 million Muslims who live in Bangladesh and India were to begin observing the Ramadan fast a day later than in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei.

For the next month, Muslims will refrain during daylight hours from eating and drinking, smoking and sex, and will aim for general restraint in thought, word and deed.

Ramadan-time fasting is one of the five pillars of the religion and represents a spiritual test for 1.6 billion people worldwide who practice Islam.

"This is a time where all Muslims must be united," Din Syamsuddin, chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Indonesia's most influential Islamic clerical body, told BenarNews on Wednesday. 

"We should maintain peace, tolerance and to be respectful to each other," he added. "Muslims should not be provoked by any calls for violence or radicalism to hurt others."

Officials in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, have warned of an emerging threat from the Islamic State (IS) extremist group and efforts to recruit young Indonesians for its jihadist cause. Some 540 Indonesians are believed to be fighting for IS in the Middle East. 

"We will ensure each citizen will be safe. But we will be alert for any possible violence or terrorism threat during the month of Ramadan," Inspector General Tito Karnavian, the police chief for the Metro Jaya (Jakarta) region, told BenarNews.

"If necessary, we will coordinate with the Indonesian military to secure Ramadan and Idul Fitr," he said, referring to the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

Separately, Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin expressed the hope that hardline Muslim organizations, such as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, would hold back from raiding establishments like restaurants and nightclubs to prevent them from selling alcohol during Ramadan. 

"I believe that Ramadan this year will be observed peacefully," he told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Police will be responsible for enforcing Ramadan-time curbs on alcohol sales and entertainment, he said.
Temporary amnesty

On Monday, authorities in Thailand's Narathiwat province announced that 473 members of southern insurgent groups had signed up for a program granting them temporary amnesty and allowing them to come home during Ramadan.

Registered insurgents are being granted temporary immunity on condition they not commit acts of violence during Ramadan, Thai officials said. Compliance is a precondition for peace talks between the two sides, the officials said.

Arrest warrants for insurgents will be suspended and they will be able to return to their families from hiding places, including in Malaysia, which borders Thailand in the Deep South, said Col. Somdej Yotha, commander of the 151st Infantry Regiment in Narathiwat.

The Ramadan-time program also covers insurgents who live in Pattani and Yala provinces, as well as four districts in Songkhla province. Narathiwat and all of these areas make up the predominantly Muslim Deep South.  

"At this auspicious moment, may all brothers and sisters meet with the best of luck throughout Ramadan, the time to absolve, to do good, to refrain from causing hardship to others," said Asis Pitakkhumpol, a Thai Muslim who heads the Sheikhul Islam Office.

"May all have patience, lending a helping hand to others and spend time for peaceful endeavors."

Summoning inner strength

In Malaysia, Keeper of the Rulers' Seal Syed Danial Syed Ahmad announced in a Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) broadcast on Tuesday night that the first day of dawn-to-dusk fasting would fall on Thursday.

In neighboring Singapore, Dr. Mohamed Fatris Bakaram, the mufti of the city-state, issued a call to the Muslim faithful. 

"I would like to wish every Muslim in Singapore a blessed Ramadan," Fatris said.

"In this blessed month, I call upon every Muslim to take the opportunity to foster stronger family ties and perform activities, such as having pre-dawn and breakfast meals and performing the night prayers, together as a family," he added.

"May God bestow upon us the fortitude to perform our fast with humility and strengthen our faith."

Earning Allah's blessings

In Bangladesh and India, Muslims will begin the month of fasting on Friday.

"We've instructed imams across the country to maintain the sanctity of the holy month by observing the rituals correctly," Maulana Mohammad Salhuddin, the Khatib of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka, told BenarNews.

Explaining the rituals, he said it was important that devotees recite the holy Quran correctly, especially the pronunciation of words.

The Islamic Foundation has arranged a month-long book fair displaying religious books in front of the Baitul Mukarram.

In addition, from Thursday night, radio and TV channels were to air special programs highlighting the essence of Ramadan for Muslims.

"Each day of this holy month gives us an opportunity to earn Allah's blessings and if we do things according to His will, there are additional benefits awaiting us," Rowshan Ara, a resident of Dhaka's Green Road area, told BenarNews.

Yenny Herawati, Aditya Surya, Nasueroh, H. Aleeya and Shahriar Sharif contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Muhammad Arif, 30, fled his native Myanmar 11 years ago and has lived a migrant's life since, including two years in Thailand as a slave.

He speaks softly and projects an inner calm and authority as he tells his harrowing story.

Arif is one of seven Rohingya refugees in Medan, Indonesia who have memorized all 30 juz of the Quran. He leads prayers, and gives lectures on Islam to other Rohingyas, who call him "Ustad," an honorific for a highly skilled person.

He has lived at Medan's Hotel Pelangi for the past three years, along with about 100 other Rohingya refugees, who all await resettlement in a third country. Their rooms are paid for by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

Until now, not a single Rohingya Muslim in Medan has been granted asylum in a third country.

Hotel Pelangi is outfitted with closed-circuit television cameras. On each of three visits, a representative of Indonesia's Ministry of Justice and Human Rights questioned BenarNews about the purpose of the visit.

BenarNews ultimately interviewed Arif at a nearby café, but did not independently verify his story. 

Arrested by soldiers

At age 19, soldiers in Myanmar arrested Arif after his family refused to hand over their home and land in Maungdaw, Rakhine state, to the military-run government.

He was held for two weeks. 

"Every day and night, I was beaten and tortured. They broke one of my teeth, and burned my hands with cigarettes," he said, displaying a burn mark on his hand.

Then he was freed and given five days to think about handing over his familial land. His mother insisted that they should comply rather than see him thrown in jail again.

"After our house and land was given to the Buddhists, every day soldiers would come to my uncle's house where we were staying. My mother felt my life was in danger, so I decided to leave Maungdaw," Arif said.

He went to Chittagong, Bangladesh, and continued studying Islam at a madrassa in that city for four years. In 2008, he graduated and began to look for a job. But he could not work, because he was not a citizen.

"One day, I was invited to get on a boat. I didn't pay because I had no money. They said just get in, because my presence would be a blessing on the journey," he said. 

It was a seven-day journey with 11 other Rohingyas on a wooden boat.
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Forced labor

The boat moored in Thailand.

An agent took him to the owner of a fishing boat. Arif said he was forced to clean the boat day and night, without pay. Food rations were tiny.

Arif was deeply isolated because he could not speak Thai.

"If I asked for food, they hit me. When I was sleeping, they gave me shots to make me strong. I don't know what they put in my body," he said.

After working for a year on the boat, Arif was sold to work on a plantation, he said. Conditions were not much better: long hours with no pay. None of the other workers could speak his language. 

"I worked from six in the morning to eight at night. If I was lazy at my work, they would give me a shot. I slept alone in a warehouse. I don't know what the name of that place was," he said.

After about a year, another Rohingya was brought to the site. Arif was elated to have a friend at last. Two months later, the two resolved to run away. In the middle of the night, while the guards slept, they pulled it off.

"We ran, without knowing where we were going. I prayed to Allah to keep us safe. We ate anything edible in order to stay alive. Two days and two nights we ran, until we came upon a river," he said.

They followed the river until finally they saw a mosque. They learned that they were now in Malaysia.

With help from some local people, they contacted an uncle of Arif's companion in Penang state.

In Penang, Arif taught the Quran to the children of six Malay families. From his earnings he was able to eat and set aside a small amount, held for him by one of the families.

Arif met many illegal Rohingya workers. They told him about the possibility of a better life in Australia.

The family holding his money introduced him to an agent from Indonesia.

"I don't know how much money the family gave the agent, because I never asked," he said. 

The trip began with a bus ride from Penang to Kuala Lumpur.

Then he was taken by boat, along with six other Rohingya refugees, to Belawan Port in North Sumatra; from there they went to Polonia Airport in Medan, where they took a plane to Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, via Jakarta. 

The next stop was BauBau, on Buton Island, on the southeastern tip of Sulawesi. 

'Saved by whales'

After 15 days in a warehouse rented by the agent in BauBau, Arif said he boarded a boat with 56 other Rohingya, including women and children, headed for Australia. They were told the trip would take four days.

The boat's engine died two days later. A speedboat came to fetch the captain and three crew. They sped off, leaving the Rohingyas in the middle of the ocean.

"For two days and two nights we pitched about in the middle of the ocean. Everybody on the boat was crying. The women and children were crying because there was no food. Everyone was weak from hunger," he said. 

"In the middle of the night, an old man told me, 'Ustad, please pray to God to save us.' I stood up and told all of them to pray together and read the Quran."

Then, according to Arif, a miracle occurred. He said he saw whales appear and create waves that pushed the boat to a small island. Before dawn, they landed.

"I don't know how many whales helped us. But the fishermen who helped us said they saw four whales. I truly believe it was a miracle from Allah who saved us in the middle of the ocean because there were children on the boat," he said.

In the morning, police and immigration officials arrived, and arrested the Rohingyas. Twenty-three men were put in jail; the women and children were released. 

Arif was detained for a year and four months in Manado, North Sulawesi. Finally, IOM officials came and brought him to Medan.

Keeping busy

Since September 2013, Arif has lived at the Hotel Pelangi. Every day he keeps a routine, although he is not allowed to work.

He studies, exercises, interacts with other refugees, leads prayers and sometimes goes on excursions near the hotel.

He is muscular, diligent about maintaining his fitness. His moustache, beard and sideburns are freshly shaved; his hair is styled like that of Real Madrid football star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Arif holds out hope of finding a third country where he can work, get married and start a family. He is afraid to get married when he has no job.

"I always pray to Allah that Muslim Rohingya will be acknowledged as citizens of Myanmar, so that we can go home," he said. "I don't know if my mother and my siblings are still alive in Myanmar."


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BENARNEWS- An Indonesian tycoon who is a prominent backer of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group is behind bars – but not on charges of supporting jihadists or financing their travel to the Middle East.

Businessman Chep Hernawan, who has been called the "President of IS in Indonesia," was convicted on fraud and embezzlement charges earlier this month. 

But Chep's March 21arrest and subsequent trial had nothing to do with his pro-IS activities, Sri Yunanto, an expert on the staff at the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), told BenarNews.
"Chep's statement [showing support to IS] cannot be used in our court of law. That's our legal dilemma," Sri said. 

The problem, as he described it, is that Indonesia's anti-terrorism law doesn't authorize law enforcement agencies to crack down on and arrest people who openly express pro-radical views. 

"The law needs to be amended ...," Sri said. "There is no article in the law that could be used to charge [people] or prevent provocations."

Based on existing laws, authorities can't charge someone for openly supporting IS or declaring that he or she has helped jihadists embark for Iraq or Syria, said Sri, who also lectures on terrorism and Islamic politics at the University of Indonesia.

'Yes, that was me'

Chep, whose business empire encompasses plastics recycling, sand mining and property development, is now serving his six-month sentence in Cianjur prison in West Java province, following his conviction on June 4. 

A panel of judges at the Cianjur district court found him guilty of fraud and embezzling 150 million rupiah (U.S. $ 11,267) from a businessman in Lampung, Sumatra earlier this year.

The court found Chep guilty of violating Article 378 (on fraud) and Article 372 (on embezzlement) of the Indonesian criminal code, charges that each carry a maximum sentence of four years. 

Chep's lawyer believes his client's arrest was politically motivated and connected to his support for IS.

"That's the way I see it. He should have been acquitted if we consider the legal facts presented in court," Achmad told BenarNews.

"Clearly, we don't agree," Chep's oldest son, Lucky Permana, said of the verdict.

"God willing, my father's good name will be restored and, with time, people will know he is innocent."

Chep was arrested on March 21 following provocative statements he made to the press.

Just two days earlier, he boasted to CNN Indonesia that he had paid 1 billion rupiah (U.S. $75,114) for 156 people to travel to Syria and Iraq. Government officials estimate that between 500 and 700 Indonesians are now in those two countries.

In the interview with CNN, Chep said he was the one who sent Abu Muhammad al-Indonesi (also known as Bahrumsyah) to the Middle East. 

Bahrumsyah, Indonesia's government alleges, was the black-turbaned man who appeared in an IS online promotional video last August that was geared toward recruiting Indonesian fighters for its jihadist cause. The government banned IS almost immediately after the video appeared on YouTube.

"Yes, that was me. The man who made the video in Syria, I sent him with 12 people as the first cohort. Couldn't do many, worried they'd be caught," Chep told CNN Indonesia.

Long-time fundamentalist

Chep's roots in Islamic fundamentalism run deep. 

In 1998, he founded the Islamic Reformist Movement (GARIS), an organization whose goal is to turn the archipelagic nation of Indonesia into an Islamic State. 

"The Islamic Reformist Movement is an activity that consists of people who have a passion to restore deviations from the system Allah sent down to the Prophet Muhammad," according to a description of the group online.

It is also dedicatedto "eradicating ... deviance and misguided offshoots" of Islam, a reference to minority groups such as Shia or Ahmadiyya Muslims.

Chep is also reportedly close to Abu Bakar Bashir, the jailed Muslim cleric and leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group that carried out the 2002 Bali bombings. 

When three of the Bali bombers were executed in 2008, Chep offered a piece of his land for their burial, although their bodies ended up not being buried there.

Three years later, he hosted and underwrote a "world mujahideen gathering" in West Java. The event drew some 562 trained or combat-hardened jihadists from the Middle East as well as Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

From his prison cell, Bashir last year anointed Chep the "president" of IS in Indonesia, a title that the businessman has since eschewed although he has declared his allegiance to IS. 

Who's a radical?

As'ad Said Ali, former head of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) who is now deputy chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, one of Indonesia's largest Muslim organizations, agrees that its anti-terrorism law needs to be amended in order to go after radicals like Chep.

But, As'ad cautioned, there should be careful consideration of what constitutes radicalism, since not everyone understand its meaning. 

"It's going to be difficult if everyone who supports sharia law is considered radical. I consider Indonesia an Islamic country but its ideology is Pancasila," he told BenarNews, referring to the state ideology, which embraces pluralism.

As'ad added that the law should be amended in order to prosecute people who are planning terrorist attacks. 

"We just need to work out the details. If it is detailed, it won't be able to be used against political activities outside of terrorism, because there are fears [such a law] could be used in the political arena," As'ad said.

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BENARNEWS- Indonesian counterterrorism officials say they are succeeding in reforming convicted Bali bomber Umar Patek.

Evidence of Patek's rehabilitation was on display when he carried Indonesia's red-and-white flag at a ceremony marking National Awakening Day, a holiday commemorating the rise of Indonesian nationalism in the early 20th century, according to officials.

The event took place at Porong Penitentiary in Sidoarjo, East Java province, on May 20. 

"My motivation for bearing the Red and White flag is that I am an Indonesian citizen and I wish to show how I love my country, Indonesia," Patek told reporters after participating in the ceremony.

He is serving a 20-year-sentence there for his role in the 2002 bombings in Sanur, Bali, which killed 202 people, and other attacks.

"Terrorist inmates can be coached to return to the correct path, to love Indonesia, to embrace nationalism, to carry out religious teachings," National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) staff expert Agus Surya Bakti told BenarNews, referring to Patek's surprise appearance at the event.

Disbelief, skepticism
In January 2011, Patek – whose real name is Hisyam bin Ali Zein – was arrested by local authorities in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a little more than three months before U.S. Navy Seals killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden during an overnight raid in the same town.

Patek was extradited to Indonesia in September of that year. In 2012, an Indonesian court found him guilty of helping build bombs that were used in the October 2002 bombings and attacks on churches in Jakarta on Dec. 24, 2000.

Prosecutors requested life in prison, arguing that Patek had shown remorse during the trial. A judge delivered a more lenient sentence of 20 years.

Some observers reacted skeptically to Patek's statement after last month's flag ceremony.

"How can we believe that? He's only been in prison a few years, yet he was a member of the al-Qaeda terrorist network for a dozen years, and killed innocent people," Septi Wardani, the brother of a Bali bombing victim, told BenarNews. 

"He is the reason my little brother lost his leg. How can I forget that?" Septi added.

"I don't believe Umar Patek's change is sincere. This is just BNPT hoop-la."

Solahudin, a terrorism expert and staff researcher at the University of Indonesia (UI), expressed similar caution.

"It's too early to use the involvement of Umar Patek in the flag-raising ceremony as a benchmark for the success of the BNPT's de-radicalization efforts," he told BenarNews.

Since 2002, the agency has overseen a program that strives to reform Islamic radicals and convicted terrorists, and reintegrate them into society. More than 100 people are now enrolled in the program.

But Sidney Jones, director of the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), questioned the effectiveness of de-radicalization efforts in general.

"De-radicalization to alter or eliminate radical ideologies, including in Indonesia, has proven ineffective," she told BenarNews in May.

"This method has not been successfully applied to people influenced by radical views."

She cited the example of Santoso, a radical who heads the Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) militant group and is widely believed to be based in Poso, in Central Sulawesi province.

"He was once given a position and capital in the form of money by the Poso Regency government. That capital was used to pay salaries to his followers and to finance their radical activities," she said.

Commenting on the case of Umar Patek, another observer questioned the consistency of Indonesia's judicial system.

"Crimes should have proportional punishment. If you weigh the death penalty meted out to drug convicts against the 20-year sentence given to a terrorism convict who killed hundreds, it raises questions," Krisbiantoro, deputy director of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), told BenarNews.

In April, Indonesia executed eight drug convicts, most of them foreigners, drawing worldwide condemnation.

Optimism at BNPT

Meanwhile, a BNPT official in charge of rehabilitation at the agency voiced optimism about Umar Patek's progress on the path toward reform.

"Umar Patek was difficult to approach, but we believe he is a devout Muslim who will work with us," the official, Werijon, told BenarNews.

"We're optimistic. If Umar Patek, a terrorist leader, can work with us, we can use this for others as well," he said.

But it is not easy to reintegrate perpetrators of terrorist acts back into society, according to Agus, the staff expert at BNPT.

"Terrorist convicts are very difficult to approach and to get them to socialize with others outside of their cohort," Agus said.

In his view, developing nationalism is the first step in de-radicalization, to be followed by training in self-reliance and job skills.

"This is important so that they can make a smooth return to society," he said.


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BENARNEWS- All 113 people aboard an Indonesian military cargo plane and at least three on the ground were killed Tuesday when it smashed into buildings in Medan, North Sumatra minutes after takeoff.

The C-130 Hercules was carrying 101 people and 12 crew when it crashed into a mixed commercial and residential area of Medan, one of Indonesia's largest cities, according to Air Force chief Agus Supriatna.

"The preliminary information we have, there were no survivors in this plane crash incident," Agus said.

At least three people on the ground were killed, according to Agence France-Presse. 

The impact and resulting fire demolished at least three buildings, including a spa, a hotel and housing units, local media reported.

By nightfall some 84 bodies had been pulled from the wreckage, according to AFP, and the search for victims went on.

Two victim identification stations were set up near the crash site, North Sumatra police chief Eko Hadi Sutedjo said in a short message.

Orange sky

According to one eyewitness, the plane appeared to explode in midair before crashing.

"The café where I work is right across from the place the plane crashed," Ardanish Septi Briyani Putri told BenarNews.

"When it was still above I saw the plane suddenly explode in the air, the sky turned orange, the color of fire," he said.

Heat from the fire could be felt in the café.

"The vibrations were also very strong," he said.

Zari Tarigan, another eyewitness, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the plane appeared to lose power and shake before smashing into two and three-story buildings.

Return to base request

The turboprop-powered plane was on a supply mission from Soewondo Air Force Base in Medan to the Riau Islands.

According to AFP, the C-130 took off at 12:08 p.m. (local time) and crashed about two minutes later. 

The pilot, identified as Air Force Capt. Sandi Permana, had reportedly asked for permission to land almost immediately after takeoff.

Indonesian Armed Forces spokesman Fuad Basya declined to speculate about the cause of the sudden "return to base" request.

"There is no official report yet; investigators will clarify," he told MetroTV News. "What the problem was, the team will investigate."

The American-made plane, built in 1964, was in top condition and would not have been allowed off the ground otherwise, he said.

Via twitter, President Joko (Jokowi) Widodo issued condolences. 

"My family and I send condolences in this Hercules C-130 crash disaster," he said. "May the families be granted patience and strength."

The plane was once used by President Sukarno, Kompas quoted Jokowi as saying.

"After several accidents, we must modernize and renew. We will carry out a full audit, because these accidents have happened not just once or twice," Jokowi said in Cilacap, Central Java, according to Kompas.

Repeat tragedies

Tuesday's disaster was the sixth fatal crash involving an Indonesian air force plane in the past decade, AFP reported, citing the Aviation Safety Network.

It also echoed an earlier tragedy for Medan. 

In 2005, a Mandala Airlines jet crashed into a densely populated part of the city, killing 150, including people on the ground.

"This is a critical incident to reflect on for the Indonesian government. They must improve our defense system and not use old planes," parliamentarian Mahfudz Siddiq told BenarNews. 

"Indonesia really emphasizes quantity over quality in defense," said Muradi, a professor of politics and security at Padjadjaran University in Bandung, West Java.

As a result, the government purchases old planes at discount prices, he said.

"Going forward, this is homework for Jokowi, to improve this system."

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BENARNEWS- Emergency personnel removed 142 body bags from the site of a plane crash in Medan, Indonesia, before wrapping up operations Wednesday, but the death toll remained elusive.

Identification of bodies was ongoing, and it was not clear how many people had died on the ground after the Air Force C-130 Hercules smashed into buildings and sparked an inferno minutes after takeoff on Tuesday.

"We've completely combed the site of the incident and finished the evacuation process. Hopefully there are no more victims," regional Army commander Maj. Gen. Edy Rahmayadi told BenarNews. 

To date, only 62 of the corpses have been identified, he added.

The Air Force on Wednesday revised upward by 10 an earlier statement that 112 people were aboard the doomed military transport plane, amid allegations the C-130 was illegally carrying paying civilian passengers.

Only 91 body bags contained complete bodies, according to local news outlet Kompas, which cited personnel at Adam Malik Public Hospital in Medan, where the bags were taken.

Black Box Located

The 51-year-old plane was on a supply mission to the Riau Islands when it after takeoff from Soewondo Air Force Base in Medan, Indonesia's fifth largest city.

On Wednesday, President Joko Widodo ordered Defense Minister Ryamizard Riyacudu and Armed Forces chief Gen. Moeldoko to improve management of the Air Force, including reviewing its procurement procedures and flight operations.

"I have ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of this accident," he added, speaking in Depok, outside Jakarta. 

The black box has been located, according to Air Force Chief of Staff Agus Supriatna.

"Although the black box was found yesterday, June 30, it is still in the hands of military investigators," he said.

Paying passengers?

Meanwhile, lawmakers expressed outrage over reports that the military aircraft was carrying civilians as paying passengers.

"Hercules aircraft are not for mass transport of passengers. This case needs to be investigated, because it concerns flight safety," House of Representatives member Hanafi Rais told BenarNews.

"I received a report that there was a passenger who paid Rp. 900,000 (U.S. $67)," said Tubagus Hasanuddin, another lawmaker.

"I am going to find out if that's true. If it is, it's very regrettable," he told reporters at the House of Representatives.

"Hercules are for carrying military personnel or cargo for military operations. This aircraft can only function as civilian transport in case of emergency, such as a natural disaster."

Agus, the Air Force chief, denied allegations that the military was commercializing its planes.

"Military planes are not authorized to carry civilians except by orders from above, for example to evacuate people in a disaster. Transporting relatives of military personnel is an exception," he said. 

"If commercialization occurred in the case of the Hercules C-130 accident, we will not hesitate to fire" those responsible, he said.

Some Indonesians said it was an open secret that military planes took on civilian passengers, especially in remote areas with inadequate transportation.

Hasan Basuki, 45, a resident of East Java who formerly worked in the vast and underdeveloped eastern province of Papua, said he flew on military aircraft several times during that period.

He travelled from Maumere, in Flores, to Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua, by military aircraft.

"There was no civilian plane in that region, and ground transportation was extremely limited," he said. 

"If the government stops commercial use of military aircraft, they have to be ready for the consequences and prepare adequate transportation for remote areas like Papua and Natuna," Hasan said.

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BENARNEWS- The retired army general poised to head Indonesia's state intelligence agency (BIN) pledged Thursday to take the fight against the Islamic State (IS) into cyberspace, where the militant group attracts new recruits and extends its influence in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
"IS ideology and action are both misleading," Sutiyoso told BenarNews in an interview on Thursday. "Therefore, Indonesia must be serious to overcome this situation. We should ensure that our young generations know about IS so they will not follow their wrong ideology and teachings.
"We will fight IS with the same methods they are using, among other things, through cyberspace," he said, noting that IS has been recruiting followers through social media. "This will be one of the important agenda items for BIN."
Sutiyoso, a retired army lieutenant general who had spent much of his military career in the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), was appointed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo as the head of BIN on June 10th to replace Marciano Norman.
Revamping BIN
Jokowi on Thursday summoned Sutiyoso to the state palace and spoke to him about revamping BIN, reports said, two days after he secured approval for his candidacy from all 10 political parties at the House of Representatives ahead of an expected official approval in a plenary session soon.
Sutiyoso told BenarNews that Jokowi has ordered him to reform BIN's organizational structure to ensure the agency runs effectively, saying he would recruit more personnel to cope with increasing challenges.
"Well, this is a formidable challenge to undertake an organizational improvement and increase the effectiveness of BIN, including in counter-terrorism," he said while indicating that he would recruit about 1,000 new staff although the agency needs to employ five times that number.
"[With new recruits,] we can meet the demands of today's intelligence – including defending Indonesia from threats coming from cyberspace [Internet]," said Sutiyoso, who previously served as Jakarta governor from 1997 to 2007.
"BIN's responsibility is very broad, not only in Indonesia but also abroad," he told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday, explaining that BIN needs at least 5,000 personnel.
BIN has 1,975 personnel at present.
"An additional 1,000 new personnel will greatly help BIN's performance and efficiency."
Sutiyoso had served as Chairman of the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) prior to his nomination as the head of BIN.
The 70-year-old Sutiyoso expressed confidence in his ability to lead BIN, citing his strong and diverse background.
Cyber wars
Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam), said the country needs to strengthen efforts in cyberspace to counter and deter IS ideology.
"Indonesia agrees that IS's ideology should neither exist nor flourish, but without strengthening our cyber efforts, it will be difficult to counter the ideology," he told BenarNews.
"We should not limit the rights of every individual to speak, but radical sites should be monitored – and, if necessary, blocked. Once the ideology is entrenched among Indonesians, it will be more difficult to overcome," he continued.
Irfan Idris, spokesman for Indonesia's National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), said that IS is spreading radical ideology throughout the world via the internet and targeting the young.
"Just look at the last attacks that occurred in three countries [Tunisia, France and Kuwait] on June 26. It has the same pattern: suicide, committed by young people, and with the ideology inspired by IS," he told BenarNews on Thursday.
"Most likely they were radicalized individually. Therefore we have to break this wrong ideology among the youth of Indonesia," said Irfan.
IS claimed responsibility for the attacks in Tunisia and Kuwait and appears to have inspired the attack in France.
Sutiyoso was grilled by the House of Representatives commission overseeing intelligence, defense and foreign affairs earlier this week before all parties in the panel approved his nomination.
"We must ensure that the new BIN Chief has the capacity to cope with any possible threat against Indonesia's defense from inside and outside the country," Mahfud Siddiq, a member of the commission, said Thursday.
The deputy chairman of the commission, Tantowi Yahya, said threats from what he called deviant ideology against the state ideology of Pancasila are extensive and growing.
"IS is a real example of such threats. Therefore, BIN needs to provide a strong cyber defense. In the future, intelligence should not only be conventional but also extend towards information and technology," he said.


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BENARNEWS- The retired army general poised to head Indonesia's state intelligence agency (BIN) pledged Thursday to take the fight against the Islamic State (IS) into cyberspace, where the militant group attracts new recruits and extends its influence in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
"IS ideology and action are both misleading," Sutiyoso told BenarNews in an interview on Thursday. "Therefore, Indonesia must be serious to overcome this situation. We should ensure that our young generations know about IS so they will not follow their wrong ideology and teachings.
"We will fight IS with the same methods they are using, among other things, through cyberspace," he said, noting that IS has been recruiting followers through social media. "This will be one of the important agenda items for BIN."
Sutiyoso, a retired army lieutenant general who had spent much of his military career in the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), was appointed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo as the head of BIN on June 10th to replace Marciano Norman.
Revamping BIN
Jokowi on Thursday summoned Sutiyoso to the state palace and spoke to him about revamping BIN, reports said, two days after he secured approval for his candidacy from all 10 political parties at the House of Representatives ahead of an expected official approval in a plenary session soon.
Sutiyoso told BenarNews that Jokowi has ordered him to reform BIN's organizational structure to ensure the agency runs effectively, saying he would recruit more personnel to cope with increasing challenges.
"Well, this is a formidable challenge to undertake an organizational improvement and increase the effectiveness of BIN, including in counter-terrorism," he said while indicating that he would recruit about 1,000 new staff although the agency needs to employ five times that number.
"[With new recruits,] we can meet the demands of today's intelligence – including defending Indonesia from threats coming from cyberspace [Internet]," said Sutiyoso, who previously served as Jakarta governor from 1997 to 2007.
"BIN's responsibility is very broad, not only in Indonesia but also abroad," he told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday, explaining that BIN needs at least 5,000 personnel.
BIN has 1,975 personnel at present.
"An additional 1,000 new personnel will greatly help BIN's performance and efficiency."
Sutiyoso had served as Chairman of the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) prior to his nomination as the head of BIN.
The 70-year-old Sutiyoso expressed confidence in his ability to lead BIN, citing his strong and diverse background.
Cyber wars
Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam), said the country needs to strengthen efforts in cyberspace to counter and deter IS ideology.
"Indonesia agrees that IS's ideology should neither exist nor flourish, but without strengthening our cyber efforts, it will be difficult to counter the ideology," he told BenarNews.
"We should not limit the rights of every individual to speak, but radical sites should be monitored – and, if necessary, blocked. Once the ideology is entrenched among Indonesians, it will be more difficult to overcome," he continued.
Irfan Idris, spokesman for Indonesia's National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), said that IS is spreading radical ideology throughout the world via the internet and targeting the young.
"Just look at the last attacks that occurred in three countries [Tunisia, France and Kuwait] on June 26. It has the same pattern: suicide, committed by young people, and with the ideology inspired by IS," he told BenarNews on Thursday.
"Most likely they were radicalized individually. Therefore we have to break this wrong ideology among the youth of Indonesia," said Irfan.
IS claimed responsibility for the attacks in Tunisia and Kuwait and appears to have inspired the attack in France.
Sutiyoso was grilled by the House of Representatives commission overseeing intelligence, defense and foreign affairs earlier this week before all parties in the panel approved his nomination.
"We must ensure that the new BIN Chief has the capacity to cope with any possible threat against Indonesia's defense from inside and outside the country," Mahfud Siddiq, a member of the commission, said Thursday.
The deputy chairman of the commission, Tantowi Yahya, said threats from what he called deviant ideology against the state ideology of Pancasila are extensive and growing.
"IS is a real example of such threats. Therefore, BIN needs to provide a strong cyber defense. In the future, intelligence should not only be conventional but also extend towards information and technology," he said.


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BENARNEWS- A former Indonesian guerrilla says he and 100 other ex-members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) want to flee governmental negligence and poverty in their home province, and join the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

"I and 100 comrades [who are] former GAM combatants are ready to go to Syria to join IS, because there is nothing else we can do in Aceh to support our families," Fakhruddin Bin Kasem, a 35-year-old former deputy commander of the guerrilla group in East Aceh Regency, Aceh province, told BenarNews.

By signing up with IS he could use his combat expertise in the group, which has proclaimed a caliphate for itself in parts of Iraq and Syria, as well as deepen his knowledge of Islam, he said.

Fakhruddin's main reason for wanting to enlist with the jihadist group is that, according to him, Aceh's provincial administration has neglected war veterans, even though Gov. Zaini Abdullah and Dep. Gov. Muzakir Manaf are both former GAM members.

For 30 years, Aceh was the arena of a 30-year secessionist conflict waged by GAM against the Indonesian government. The war cost 25,000 lives and ended with a peace deal signed by both sides in Helsinki in August 2005, by which Jakarta agreed to grant Aceh autonomy.

Indonesia's western-most province also is the only one where sharia law is in force throughout.

Indonesia, meanwhile, has banned IS. The government says it is facing an emerging threat from IS recruiting Indonesian fighters for its cause via social media and other venues. Officials with the National Counterterrorism Agency estimate that between 500 and 700 Indonesians have gone to the Middle East to join IS in some kind of capacity.

Asked about the report out of Aceh, National Counter Terrorism Agency chief Saud Usman Nasution commented that it was important to look at what exactly makes such people want to become jihadists.

"Why do they want to join? It means that there are motivating factors. If it is caused by disappointment or any other reasons, we must learn the roots so we can find a solution," he told BenarNews.

No other skills but to 'fight'

Kafrawi, a former GAM spokesman in Peureulak subdistrict, East Aceh, confirmed to BenarNews that Fakhruddin was an ex-combatant.

"The local government in Aceh is not paying attention towards former GAM fighters. Therefore, when other parties [such as IS] give hope for a better life, they are interested," Kafrawi said.

Fakhruddin said that he and most other ex-guerrillas lacked skills and education.

"I only graduated from an elementary school. I do not have any expertise. My skill is just to fight," he said.

If he and the others stayed in Aceh, they would be a burden on society, which already undervalued them for their lack of skills and schooling. 

As a result, many former GAM members have taken to crime, a growing provincial problem in recent years. 

"When we look for a construction job, sometimes the contractor does not [hire] us because we are former GAM combatants. People also questioned why we should become blue-collar workers while other GAM combatants have been enjoying prosperity," Fakhruddin said.

"I know that, being IS soldiers, we will be paid. Therefore, I and other GAM combatants are interested to join so we can support our families," he added.

Daring the police 

He also said he was prepared to accept the consequences of such a decision.

"If the police want to examine me, go ahead. I'm ready. Police can come to my house and see the condition of me and my family," Fakhruddin said.

He and other GAM veterans have sought assistance and counsel from the Muslim Attorney Team (TPM), a legal aid group.

Safaruddin, head of the TPM office in Aceh, confirmed that he had met with Fakhruddin and dozens of his ex-comrades in arms.

"In every meeting, they expressed their determination to join IS for their expertise [in] war," Safaruddin told BenarNews.

"They also said that instead of committing crimes in Aceh, it's better to fight for IS, so they can support their wives and children."

Skeptical

Responding to the criticism about his administration's alleged neglect of GAM veterans, Gov. Zaini Abdullah said he had tried hard to lift them out of poverty and empower them. 

"This is the problem of the country [Indonesia], so it's a pity. IS is a foreign party, and we have no relations with it," he told BenarNews.

When asked about what measures his government was taking to stop ex-guerrillas from venturing overseas to join IS, Zaini replied, "There are no concrete steps because this is Jakarta's problem."

Terrorism expert Al Chaidar, however, expressed doubt about the claim made by Fakhruddin.

He and the other ex-GAM fighters could not be serious because it is a long and arduous process to sign up with the Islamic State, Al Chaidar said.

"To join with IS, it is important to have a similar ideology and the same concerns. GAM and IS have very different ideologies, and I am confident that former GAM members will not be able to follow IS's ideology," he told BenarNews.
Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- Community leaders in Indonesia's Aceh province are urging a group of former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) guerrillas to abandon their plan to join the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
"They have to thoroughly reconsider their plan because it would cost them more than it would benefit them," Yusni Sabi, who heads the Coordination Forum for the Prevention of Terrorism in Aceh, a local NGO, told BenarNews.
"If they insist on going, it would have a negative impact on Aceh. Therefore, all stakeholders have to approach the former GAM rebels to [persuade them to] scrap their plan," he added.
Yusni was among provincial leaders reacting to a claim made to BenarNews by an ex-GAM fighter, Fakhruddin Bin Kasem, that he and 100 other former Acehnese guerrillas hoped to flee from poverty in Aceh and join the IS ranks in Syria.
The 35-year-old told BenarNews that neglect of Acehnese war veterans by the provincial government had compelled him to think of becoming a salaried jihadist because his family was facing desperate times and his only skill was fighting.
For 30 years, GAM fought the Indonesian armed forces in a war of secession that ended in a treaty signed in Helsinki in August 2005, in which Jakarta agreed to grant Aceh autonomy.
'Desperation'
Fakhruddin also said that he intended to enlist with IS because he wanted to deepen his knowledge of Islam.
Yusni, who is also a professor at Ar-Raniry Islamic State University in Banda Aceh, said that IS, through its extremely violent reputation, is an enemy that has tarnished Islam's good name.
"Islam is a compassionate religion. Islam is a religion that forgives. Islam loves peace. In Islamic teaching, no detainee shall be hurt, let alone killed without a legitimate trial like what IS does," he added, referring to IS's notorious executions of prisoners.
The doctrine espoused by the extremist group is incompatible with how Islam is practiced in Aceh, according to Teungku Faisal Ali, head of the Acehnese chapter of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), one of Indonesia's main mass Muslim organizations.
The former GAM combatants' willingness to join the extremist group is a "form of desperation," he said, because they think that the Acehnese government doesn't pay them enough attention.
"How can we say that we defend Islam when we are in despair? Islam forbids feelings of desperation deprived of Allah's blessings. Aceh's soil is vast and there are still plenty of things to do to provide for their families," said Faisal, who is also deputy chairman of the Aceh Ulema Consultative Assembly, a clerical body.
When asked to comment on Fakhruddin's claim that joining IS would deepen his understanding of Islam, Faisal dismissed it.
There are plenty of Islamic schools in Aceh, where people like Fakhruddin can learn about Islam if they are serious about doing so.
"There are a lot of ulema in Aceh who can teach that Islam loves peace and respects each other in a much better way that schools in Syria," Faisal said.
Beyond common sense
In their quest to go to Syria, Fakhruddin and his comrades have sought help from a local Muslim legal aid group, its top official confirmed to BenarNews.
On Thursday, Aceh Police Inspector-General Husein Hamidi told journalists that his department would go after anyone who broke the law, but none of the former GAM combatants had committed a crime, he said.
He brushed off the report of a group of locals planning to join IS.
"There is no such thing. What Aceh people have in mind now is to have a secure Eid celebration. It is just some people being erratic, so never mind," he said.
Aryos Nivada, an expert on Acehnese political and security matters, said that what Fakhruddin and the others were planning defied common sense, because the international community and Indonesian government reject IS.
"I don't think the former GAM guerillas are ready to leave their families in Aceh because their departure would only burden the families," Aryos told BenarNews.
"I am sure that IS would not enlist them in the group because GAM's idea is secular while IS is about establishing an Islamic caliphate. Not to mention the economic reasoning. IS would surely reject them right away," Aryos added.


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BENARNEWS- A court in Indonesia has sentenced three Uyghur men to six years in prison and a $7,500 fine after convicting them on charges of attempting to join a local terrorist group and of entering the country illegally.
Their lawyer, Asludin Hatjani, said the prosecution had failed to furnish direct evidence linking his clients to terrorism. He argued they were Turkish citizens vacationing in Indonesia.

A decision on whether to appeal the verdict within a seven-day window granted by the court will be taken in consultation with Turkish officials, he said.

"We will use the seven days given to consult with the embassy of Turkey, whether to appeal or not," Asludin Hatjani said.

Judge Kun Marioso, who led a panel of three judges, said the defendants came to Indonesia with the intention of joining the Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) and "performing acts of terror."
Government lawyers had argued that the three Uyghurs – Ahmet Mahmud, Altinci Bayram, and Abdul Basit – entered Indonesia with fake Turkish passports and were en route to meet Indonesia's most wanted terrorist, Santoso, when they were arrested in Central Sulawesi last September.

Ahmet Bozoglan, a fourth Uyghur man arrested at the time and accused of being their leader, was tried separately; his verdict is scheduled for July 29.

Santoso's group uses violence to try to establish an Islamic state, notably by carrying out attacks on local police, Kun told the North Jakarta District Court session Monday in announcing the verdict.

MIT is believed to have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), and Santoso has welcomed foreign mujahidin to join the group, security officials say.
During the trial, which started March 23, prosecution witnesses said the four Uyghurs were in touch with one of five foreign nationals who had reportedly joined the MIT. They also stayed at the same lodging in Bogor, West Java, where the five other foreigners had stayed before travelling to Sulawesi.

"With the offenses and crimes they have committed linked to terrorism, each defendant will be sentenced to six years in prison and a fine of 100 million rupiah ($7,500)," Kun said.
The verdict comes amid an international outcry over Thailand's forced repatriation of nearly 100 Uyghur refugees late last week. Chinese officials say the refugees were on their way to Turkey, Syria or Iraq to join IS.
Prosecutor Nana Riana said the three Uyghurs would serve their sentence in an Indonesian prison, unless there is a request from their government to send them back to their country of origin.
However, their citizenship has not yet been established.
Citizenship unclear

Contacted by BenarNews at the start of the trial, officials at the Turkish embassy in Jakarta would not confirm or not deny that the men were Turkish citizens. 

"You should take into account what the lawyer says," Ambassador Zekeriya Akcam said in a statement sent to BenarNews in early April.

"Since the court process is going on, we are not allowed to make any statement except what the court says," he added. "We trust [the] judiciary system of [the] Indonesian Republic and cannot make any comment beyond that."

Earlier this month the embassy denied a request for legal assistance from the fourth defendant, Ahmet Bozoglan.

During the trial of the other three defendants, prosecutor Nana Riana attacked the men's claim of Turkish citizenship, challenging them to sing Turkey's national anthem and arguing that their passports were false.

The uncertainty over their citizenship would not affect the verdict, she said.

"Going forward, their citizenship status may influence the extradition agreement between Indonesian officials and the government of Turkey or China," Nana told BenarNews last week.

"If they are not Turkish citizens, possibly the court will destroy their passports," she said.

China-Turkey tensions

The Uyghurs are a Muslim minority within China, and mostly live in the western Xinjiang region. Uyghurs also are spread across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey.

Uyghur advocates say China has trumped up allegations of "Uyghur terrorism" to justify repression in Xinjiang province. As many as 700 people are believed to have been killed in political violence in the Xinjiang region from 2013 to 2014, the U.S.-based Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) reported earlier this year.

Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times on Friday accused "Turkish agents" of helping an illegal migration of Uyghurs out of China by giving them Turkish documentation once they arrived in Southeast Asia, the Associated Press reported.

Before the Jakarta trial began, Indonesian counterterrorism officials said Chinese officials had contacted them seeking repatriation of the four Uyghurs arrested in Sulawesi.

On Monday, a spokesman for Indonesian's National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) said the fate of the men could not be decided until the judicial process was complete, including any appeals.

"If the court rules that they falsified Turkish passports, then they are not citizens of Turkey, and we will get back to the Chinese government," Irfan Idris told BenarNews.

"We can't make a decision or confirm until the results of the trial are known," he said.

Dimas Gantari contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- A lawyer for three Uyghur men found guilty of trying to join an Indonesian terrorist group is appealing the verdict, BenarNews has learned.

The appeal was filed Wednesday after consultations with Turkish officials in Jakarta, according to defense attorney Asludin Hatjani.

"The embassy of Turkey sent staff to talk with the four defendants at Brimob Headquarters a day after the verdict. They agreed to appeal and I lodged the appeal yesterday after the talks," Asludin told BenarNews on Thursday, referring to the police's Mobile Brigade unit (Brimob).

"Currently we are waiting for a memorandum of appeal from the High Court."

Turkey's involvement corroborates that his clients are Turkish, he said.

"I can confirm they are citizens of Turkey, because their documents themselves are still recognized by the embassy and the police. Even the court itself stated their nationality is Turkish," Asludin said.

On Monday, the court sentenced the three men – Ahmet Mahmud, Altinci Bayram, and Abdul Basit – to six years in prison and a fine of U.S. $7,500 each, after convicting them on charges of attempting to join a local terrorist group and of entering the country illegally last September.

Ahmet Bozoglan, a fourth Uyghur man arrested at the time and accused of being their leader, was tried separately; his verdict is scheduled for July 29.

"In Turkey, there are many Uyghurs. And tension related to the issue of Uyghur terrorism is increasing, including Thailand which has refused to release Uyghurs from custody."

On July 9, Thai authorities confirmed that they had forcibly repatriated nearly 100 Uyghurs to China, drawing criticism from human rights groups and protests in Turkey over the expulsion of the Turkic-speaking Muslim minority that suffers harsh repression under Chinese rule.

Chinese officials claimed that the refugees were on their way to Turkey, Syria or Iraq to join the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

Unclear

During their trial at North Jakarta District Court, the men last month could not sing the Turkish national anthem or name its title when prosecutor Nana Riana challenged them to do so.

"How is it that a citizen doesn't know the national anthem of his own country? I'm Indonesian. My national anthem is 'Indonesia Raya,'" Nana said in court on June10.

The men's citizenship could determine where they are sent once the trial is over, she later told BenarNews.

"Going forward, their citizenship status may influence the extradition agreement between Indonesian officials and the government of Turkey or China," Nana said.

"If they are not Turkish citizens, possibly the court will destroy their passports."

Earlier, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) indicated that the four Uyghurs could be extradited to China after their trials.

The MIT connection

The four are believed to have entered Indonesia using false Turkish passports via Malaysia. During an earlier court session they described taking a motorboat from Malaysia to Pekanbaru, Riau Province, on Sumatra island.

They flew to Jakarta, and visited Bogor and Bandung in Java before flying on to Makassar, in Sulawesi.

Shortly thereafter police arrested the four in Central Sulawesi province. Police said they were on their way to join the Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT), which is believed to be based in Poso regency in Central Sulawesi.

MIT is believed to have sworn allegiance to IS, and its leader Santoso – Indonesia's most wanted terrorist – has welcomed foreign mujahideen to join the group, security officials say.

"We have no other intention but vacation," Basit testified in court. 

Announcing the guilty verdict on Monday, presiding judge Kun Marioso said evidence presented in court had proven the guilt of defendants Mahmud, Bayram and Basit. 

This included testimony that they were in touch with one of five foreign nationals who have reportedly joined MIT since then. 

But Asludin said the prosecution failed to furnish direct evidence linking his clients to terrorism, and that some of the statements made by the judge in announcing the verdict did not match testimony given in court.

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BENARNEWS- The principal of an Islamic school in Indonesia is denying allegations that it encouraged extremism by staging a play about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in which children put on outfits that made them look like jihadis.
The play caused a controversy because the young performers toted toy guns, while wearing headbands inscribed with Arabic words and masking their faces with sarongs, according to Indonesian media reports.
"We are not teaching radicalism. To the contrary, we are concerned for fellow Muslims," Tomi Rohili, principal of Asshafa Islamic Elementary School in Depok, West Java, which staged the play last month, told BenarNews in a phone interview.

"The media seems to have exaggerated this issue that our school has spread radicalism. And, for that, I wanted to clarify it is not true," he said.

Promoting anti-Israeli jihad?
As the principal described it, the play highlighted "the theme of caring for Muslims, especially Muslims in Palestine," referring to the lack of statehood for the Palestinian people – a sore point with many Indonesians.
"In one section, the play was describing jihad against Israel, but the value was solely about solidarity among Muslims," Tomi said.
"We truly hope that people are more receptive to art, and do not associate a children's play with radicalism," he added.
When a BenarNews reporter called him back on Wednesday to ask him to clarify whether he endorsed the concept of jihad against Israel, Tomi replied, "We are not promoting radicalism or terrorism, but we are promoting to our students a humanitarian effort to help our fellow Muslims, including those who are suffering in Palestine."
"Jihad is your hard work," he added. "In this case, your hard work is to help our fellow Muslims."
'Not appropriate'
The school play, nonetheless, angered some people who saw it.
"I think the theme of the story is not appropriate for children. It involves a very sensitive political issue, especially between Palestine and Israel. The two countries have been in conflict for a long time," Herwina Hartini, a resident of Depok and parent of a student at the school, told BenarNews.
Heri Setiawan, another local resident who lives near the school and who has observed children from the school and faculty members pass by, dismissed the criticism of the play as greatly exaggerated.
"This is just a kid's play. It is too early to conclude," he told BenarNews.
As for how the people from the school have conducted themselves in the neighborhood, Heri described the teachers and students as polite and "behaving very religiously."
Laws hinder counterterrorist efforts: BNPT official
The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) has received a complaint about the play at Asshafa Islamic Elementary School, but it has not yet opened an investigation into the matter.
"Even though the message of the play was aimed to build solidarity among Muslims, students or people in general may take it incorrectly," BNPT Deputy Director Arief Dharmawan told BenarNews.
The BNPT is at the center of Indonesian governmental efforts to check the growth of radicalism in the archipelagic nation.
According to officials, Indonesia now faces a threat from the Islamic State (IS) extremist group recruiting young Indonesians for its jihadist cause in the Middle East. By BNPT estimates,at least 500 Indonesians are believed to be in Syria or Iraq, where they support IS's jihadist cause in some form or another.
Apart from efforts to counter recruitment of jihadis via social media, the government says it is working to prevent youths from being recruited via Islamic schools.
According to Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono, a psychologist at the University of Indonesia who advises the BNPT on its de-radicalization program – which aims to rehabilitate and reintegrate convicted terrorist into society – it is necessary to discourage people from becoming radicalized at a very young age.
He advocates changing the national curriculum and adding religious classes that would teach students to say no to radicalism.
"It is not true that religious issues are considered separate from education. The fight against radicalism in Indonesia through educational curriculum must take precedence," Sarlito said.
Security agencies such as the BNPT, meanwhile, are hampered from prosecuting radical or fundamentalist organizations because, under the nation's existing laws, groups that are not registered with the authorities cannot be pursued, Arief Dharmawan noted.
"We proposed to revise Law No. 9 (1998) on the right to speak and Law no.17 (2013) about mass organizations to prevent the spread of the ideology of ISIS," Arief said.
"In Indonesia, there are still many organizations, including Islamic organizations that are not registered," he added.
"How are we going to enforce the law if they are not registered?"
In his view, it is necessary to rewrite the laws so that the BNPT can go after unlicensed organizations such as the hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) group.
"Without this [the revisions], these provocateurs, including IS's supporters, may talk and spread the wrong ideology in public or through school activities such as a play," Arief added.


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BENARNEWS- A panel of Indonesian judges on Wednesday sentenced a Uyghur man to six years in prison after finding him guilty of leading a group of Uyghurs in trying to join a local terrorist group that had declared allegiance to the Islamic State (IS).
In handing down its sentence, the panel at North Jakarta District Court also fined defendant Ahmed Bozoglan 100 million rupiah (U.S. $7,418).
"Using a false passport, the defendant entered Indonesia with the goal of joining the Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) led by Santoso," presiding judge Houtman Lumbang Tobing said as he read out the ruling.
According to the judge, evidence presented in court had proved that Ahmet embraced the vision and mission of IS.
"He was caught uploading allegiance videos from Syria via YouTube social media," Houtman said.
Security was tight at Wednesday's court session, and Ahmet Bozoglan was escorted handcuffed into the building by four armed policemen.
His sentence was identical to that handed down July 13 to his three compatriots – Ahmet Mahmud, Abdul Basit and Altinci Bayram – who were arrested at the same time and found guilty of the same charges, in a separate trial.
All four were arrested in Central Sulawesi last September, while en route to join up with the MIT in a remote area of Poso Regency, prosecutors said.
Attorneys React
Prosecutor Nana Riana said she was satisfied with the verdict, although the sentence was two years shorter than what she had requested.
"I appreciate the verdict of the panel of judges," Nana said after the court session.
"This verdict at least can discourage other foreigners who want to join terrorist groups in Indonesia," she said.
Defense attorney Asludin Hatjani said he would consult with the Turkish embassy about whether to appeal Wednesday's verdict and sentence.
"After that meeting, a decision about Ahmet's next legal steps will be made," Asludin told BenarNews. He could not say when such a meeting would take place.
On July 15, Asludin had lodged an appeal for the other three Uyghurs.
In an earlier phase of the trial, Turkish officials in Jakarta had declined Ahmet Bozoglan's appeal for legal aid.
His citizenship remains unclear. All four Uyghurs claim they are Turkish citizens, and not from China. When asked in court to sing the Turkish national anthem, they could not do so.
Before the trial opened, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) indicated that Indonesia might extradite the four men to China.
Uyghur activists say China has trumped up allegations of "Uyghur terrorism" to justify repression against the Muslim minority in Xinjiang province, in western China, where many Uyghurs live.
"Going forward, their citizenship status may influence the extradition agreement between Indonesian officials and the government of Turkey or China," Nana told BenarNews earlier this month.
"If they are not Turkish citizens, possibly the court will destroy their passports," she said.


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BENARNEWS- Indonesia is bolstering cooperation with Singapore and Britain in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo embarked Tuesday on his first state visit to neighboring Singapore, where he and his Singaporean counterpart announced that their governments would share information about IS.
A day earlier in Jakarta, the Indonesian leader hosted British Prime Minister David Cameron, and the two announced bilateral measures aimed at tackling the threat posed by the jihadist group whose fighters come from across the globe.
"We have agreed to step up our joint efforts both to tackle the terrorist threat and to counter the extremist narrative," Cameron said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday, at the start of a four-nation tour of Southeast Asia.
Britain also would seek to learn from Indonesia's approach to countering extremism through "an exchange program between religious and community leaders here and in the U.K. to foster a better understanding of what works," the visiting prime minister said.
'World's common enemy'
On Thursday, Cameron will visit Kuala Lumpur, where he is scheduled to discuss the IS threat in Southeast Asia with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Officials in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have warned that nationals who have joined the Islamic State's ranks could mount terrorist attacks after they come home from combat tours in the Middle East.
"It is important that Indonesia will cooperate with other countries to tackle IS, because IS is the world's common enemy," University of Indonesia psychology professor Hamdi Muluk told BenarNews on Wednesday.
Among other bilateral activities agreed upon by Jokowi and Cameron, Britain will help Indonesia secure its international airports in Jakarta and Bali by supplying it with extra scanners and other equipment. In addition, some 50 Indonesian cops will go to the United Kingdom to receive training in counter-terrorist investigations, according to news reports.
"Indonesia certainly welcomes this cooperation," National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) spokesman Irfan Idris told BenarNews.
"Although the number of Indonesian citizens who [fight in] Syria is considered a small percentage, Indonesia has to limit the growing radicalism in the country. This is not an easy task to do," he added.
'We will learn from Indonesia'
A day before Cameron landed in Jakarta, British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik spoke at an interfaith dialogue in the nation's capital.
He "strongly" urged Indonesia to take part in the fight against IS.
"Based on data from the Indonesian government, approximately 500 Indonesian citizens have joined ISIS. The figure in the U.K. is higher even though our population is less," the ambassador said, using another acronym for IS.
Citing U.K. government estimates, he noted that more than 1,600 British citizens had joined IS.
"This shows that Indonesia is succeeding in limiting and combating terrorism," the British envoy added. "We will learn from Indonesia how to deal with extremism and build tolerance."
A man named Mustafa
On Tuesday in Singapore, Jokowi and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told a joint news conference that their countries were stepping up cooperation against the Islamic State.
Widodo said he and Lee "agreed that we will share information and other things that are linked to terrorism and ISIS, because we know that this is a threat to almost all countries," Agence France-Presse reported.
"We are both worried about ISIS and we both have nationals from our countries involved in these terrorist activities including in the Middle East," AFP quoted the Singaporean leader as saying for his part.
After the two leaders met, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the arrest and detention under the country's Internal Security Act of a Singaporean Muslim, 51-year-old Mustafa bin Sultan Ali, on suspicion of travelling to Turkey in an attempt to join IS in Syria.
Turkish authorities arrested Mustafa and deported him to Singapore in June, the MHA said in a statement issued Tuesday.
"Investigations showed that Mustafa had been deeply radicalized by the terrorist ideology of ISIS and other radical ideologues he had come across online," the ministry said.
"He had traveled to Turkey and tried to make his way to Syria in order to participate in armed violence by fighting alongside ISIS," it added.
"Mustafa also said that he was prepared to carry out ISIS-directed terrorist attacks against Western establishments in Singapore."


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BENARNEWS- Amid fresh allegations that Thai slave ships are operating in eastern Indonesia, authorities Wednesday rescued 45 Myanmar nationals suspected of having worked without pay on fishing boats off Ambon island, police said.

According to Indonesian-language news reports, the 45 crew members and suspected victims of human trafficking – men aged 20 to 50 years old – were taken into custody from a hotel in Jakarta after authorities received a tip about them from the embassy of Myanmar.
They were from Myanmar but carried fake Thai passports and their boss was a Thai citizen, SoloPos quoted Arie Dharmanto, chief of the Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department, as saying.
It was unclear whether the 45 were Rohingya Muslims, members of a de facto stateless minority in Myanmar.
One of the crewmembers, 23-year-old Sal Weu, told police he had worked on a boat in Ambon for four years without pay, SoloPos reported.
The Ambon case, Arie said, was similar to the alleged enslavement of hundreds of illegal migrants from Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries on the Maluku island of Benjina.
The Benjina case was exposed in March in an investigative report published by the Associated Press. AP's year-long investigation tied Thailand's multi-billion dollar seafood industry to the practice of using forced labor on ships trawling Indonesian waters.
"We'll pursue this case [and] identify the main actors employing them inappropriately," Arie said of the latest Ambon case, according to TribunNews.com, another news outlet.
More slave ships in Indonesian waters?
Wednesday's evacuation came days after Britain's Guardian newspaper reported that a fleet of 33 Thai trawlers, believed to be manned by slaves, was being pursued by maritime authorities off the coast of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia's eastern neighbor.
A 34th ship, named the Blissful Reefer, was intercepted last week off Papua New Guinea. According to a report by AP, six Cambodians and two Myanmar nationals were rescued from the Thai-owned refrigerated cargo ship.
According to the Guardian, a much larger fleet of slave ships is moored off the coast of Ambon. As many as 1,000 slaves might be on board those 240 Thai vessels, the newspaper reported, citing field interviews by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
"We've interviewed the men from over a third of the 240 vessels in the port and discovered over 350 victims of trafficking, virtually all of whom are from Myanmar," Paul Dillon, an IOM official based in Jakarta told the Observer, the Guardian's sister publication.
"If the pattern holds and we're finally able to get access to the remaining men, we could be looking at up to 1,000."
In a blog posted on IOM's website Monday, Dillon wrote that hundreds of more trafficking victims had been identified in Indonesia since the Benjina slave fishing scandal was exposed.
"Since June, a task force involving IOM and the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has identified over 360 victims of trafficking on foreign vessels in the sprawling port of Ambon," Dillon wrote.
"All the men are from Myanmar. The crews of an additional roughly 150 ships there have yet to be interviewed by IOM. Typically, each vessel carries between 15-10 crew."
Benjina fishermen await repatriation
Hundreds of formerly enslaved workers are still awaiting repatriation on Benjina, which is hundreds of miles southeast of Ambon.
Authorities found some 1,185 fishermen working in slave-like conditions there following the AP expose, Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said in April. Most were from Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.
"Many have already been sent to their country of origin. About 680 remain, and the IOM is assisting with providing food and basic necessities to them while they await repatriation," she told BenarNews on August 3.
Meanwhile, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said it was monitoring and looking into cases of suspected enslavement on Ambon and Benjina islands.
"We are working with the government to bring the suspects to justice," Komnas HAM commissioner Sandrayati Moniaga told BenarNews.
Yenny Herawati contributed to this report.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Myanmar workers were evacuated from Ambon.


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BENARNEWS-Indonesia has captured a huge Thai-owned ship believed to be transporting fish caught by slaves, and Thai authorities have announced more arrests in a human trafficking case involving at least 146 suspects.
Early Thursday, the Indonesian navy escorted the Silver Sea 2, a refrigerated cargo ship weighing 2,285 tons and measuring 81.7 meters (268.1 feet) long, to port in Sabang, in Indonesia's westernmost Aceh province.
"Thank you Navy ... The tramper vessel Silver Sea 2 has been captured by @TNI_AL tonight. One week of tracking, finally success," Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti tweeted Wednesday.
'We have never done anything like it'
The Associated Press, which broke the story, had been tracking the ship's movements from waters off Papua New Guinea – the country immediately east of Indonesia – to Sumatra, in the northwestern reaches of the archipelago.
The agency alleged that the vessel was carrying fish from vessels crewed by enslaved men, many of them victims of human trafficking from Myanmar and other countries in southern Asia.
AP said it had alerted Indonesian authorities to the vessel's presence in national waters. The navy spent a week trying to intercept the ship before it succeeded on Wednesday.
A representative of Silver Sea Reefer Co., the Thai firm that owns the Silver Sea 2, denied that the ship had been seized or was in any way tied to human trafficking.
"We have received numerous calls from Thai agencies ... asking about this and basically we have never done anything like it," Venus Pornpasert told AP.
Susi, the Indonesian fisheries minister, said an investigation would be launched into suspected human trafficking and transportation of illegally caught fish.
"There are indications that Silver Sea 2 performs transshipment of fish caught in Indonesian territory by some Benjina vessels," she said in Jakarta on Thursday, according to okezone.com, an Indonesian-language news website.
The minister was referring to seafood company PT Pusaka Benjina Resources, which has been accused of using slave labor. Benjina is also the name of an island in eastern Indonesia's Maluku province, where hundreds of crew members on fishing boats were freed from slave-like conditions in March.

Songkhla case widens
Also on Thursday, Thailand announced it had issued a new batch of arrest warrants for suspects linked to human trafficking in the Deep South.
Southern Thailand is a major transit point for Rohingya Muslims, who pay human traffickers large sums of money to smuggle them into neighboring Malaysia as they flee religious persecution in Myanmar.
In early May, the discovery of the bodies of 32 illegal migrants in the jungles of southern Thailand's Songkhla province led to a governmental crackdown against human traffickers.
On Thursday, Thai officials said warrants had been issued Aug. 11 for the arrests of 26 people on human trafficking charges stemming from that case – as well as 42 other people suspected of money-laundering linked to human trafficking.
"The 26 were involved in the trafficking of Rohingya case since the beginning," Gen. Ek Angsananond, the deputy chief of national police, told reporters in Hat Yai, Songkhla.
"And there were others who were involved with money and were wanted under money laundering offenses, and arrests warrants were also issued on them," he added, noting that authorities had seized 200 million baht (U.S. $5.68 million) worth of assets in their investigation into the money-laundering angle.
Twelve of the new suspects have been arrested and charged thus far, and the rest remain at-large, Police Maj. Gen. Praween Pongsirin, the lead investigator, told reporters.
In late July, the Nathawee court handling the case indicted 72 suspects taken into custody since the crackdown was launched in early May.
At that time, 48 other suspects had been named. One had died, 32 were on the run and 15 were in custody but without enough evidence to indict them, according to the Thai Office of the Attorney General.
Nasueroh contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS-Ten years after an armed conflict ended between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist group and the Indonesian government, the province at the northern tip of Sumatra is still reeling from a lackluster economy, corruption and concerns over a failure by the authorities to provide full reparations to tens of thousands of victims.
The 30-year conflict ended in 2005, when GAM disarmed following the signing of a peace agreement in Helsinki, Finland. But despite its rich natural resources, Aceh lacks interest from investors and its economic growth languishes at Indonesia's lowest levels.
Blaming the local administration for lacking focus on generating growth, Aceh Regional Representatives Council Deputy Chairman Sulaiman Abda lamented that the province's economic development has remained stagnant over the past decade.
In the last 10 years, Aceh's state budget reached more than 100 trillion rupiah (U.S. $7.2 billion), including a special autonomy budget of a mere 42 trillion rupiah (U.S. $3 billion) that allegedly was not well spent.
"Whether or not they realize it, the special autonomy budget is the final result of GAM's struggle that brought blood and tears to the Acehnese people during the conflict," Sulaiman told BenarNews. "But there are still many people, including the ex-combatants, facing a tough life. They are left behind without jobs."
According to the Central Statistics Board, Aceh's economic growth was only 1.65 percent last year. It is far below the average national growth rate of 5.02 percent.
In the first half of 2015, the province's economic growth has been the lowest in the Sumatra region, at 1.9 percent.
The unemployment rate was also high at nine percent, well above the national average of 5.9 percent.
Suliaman, a senior politician of the former ruling Golkar Party, said the poor growth stemmed from what he called a misallocation of the autonomy budget.
He believed the money was spent on projects that provided minimal benefit to the province's economic growth.
Sulaiman also admitted a lack of supervision by parliament that resulted in many infrastructure projects being completed below standards or being even abandoned.
He hoped 2016 would see the development budget revamped to increase economic growth so that the Acehnese people could enjoy better living standards in line with the peace accord signed in Helsinki on Aug. 15, 2005.
"The special autonomy budget has its limits. In 2028, Aceh will no longer receive the budget. If we fail to build a strong economic growth foundation now, there will be worse problems when the period is over," he stated.
Corruption Still Major Issue
Aryos Nivada, an expert from Syiah Kuala University on political and security issues, claimed the autonomy budget had solely been enjoyed by political elites since its first allocation in 2008.
"The budget is susceptible to corruption because of its exclusivity and lack of reporting to the local administration about its use," he told BenarNews.
Citing nepotism, the researcher from the Initiative Survey Network said he believed that political elites were linked to the autonomy budget abuse through infrastructure programs.
On top of this, tens of thousand of families affected by the devastating Aceh conflict are in the dark about the fate of loved ones and without justice, truth and full reparation, according to global human rights group Amnesty International.
Despite promises by successive Indonesian governments, victims are still left to fend for themselves while authorities show little interest in addressing past crimes, the group said in a statement ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the conflict's end.
"This has been a lost decade for far too many people affected by the Aceh conflict," said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's Campaigns Director for South East Asia.
"The 10-year anniversary of the conflict's end must become the start of a genuine effort to address these issues. Indonesian authorities cannot continue to bury their heads in the sand and shirk responsibility – it is only prolonging the suffering in Aceh."
Between 10,000 and 30,000 people, including many civilians, were killed during the Aceh conflict between Indonesian government forces and the pro-independence GAM.
Governor Acknowledges Challenges
Aceh Gov. Zaini Abdullah admitted that the province has been facing huge challenges. He cited economic growth and poverty reduction as leading issues.
"Ten years of peace, we have seen changes in Aceh and [we] hope [we have laid the foundation for] eternal peace," Zaini told reporters after officially opening an international symposium Aceh Peace Forum in the capital Banda Aceh this week.
Asked for comments on Aceh's future challenges, Zaini said, "We still have many, including reintegration and poverty reduction. We should work harder to weather them in the near future."
The local government, he said, had done its best to overcome problems restricting growth and spending provincial budget more wisely.
Gubernatorial Policies
Fadhli Abdullah, 52, a former commander of GAM's local unit in Bireuen District regretted Zaini's policy on addressing the issues of former combatants.
Despite his good life, Fadhli admitted he was upset with the current local government for "abandoning" former combatants, whom he said lived in poverty because of lack of attention by the government.
"Their attention to former combatants is very poor. It seems they have forgotten all the struggles to bring better lives for Acehnese people," he said.
This had led to an increase in crimes in Aceh involving former GAM members, such as kidnappings and robberies.
"There should be a more humane approach to the former GAM members as they demand justice. The governor should prepare a human resource empowerment program that involves them and the conflict's victims," Fadhli said.


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BENARNEWS- Indonesia and Australia will host a summit of 15 Asian Pacific countries in November to discuss staunching the flow of terrorism funding, in the first gathering of its kind.
Australia and Indonesia's financial intelligence units, AUSTRAC and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), will co-host the event, to be held in Sydney.
"We will share our knowledge on how to identify terrorism funding through non-banking channels and how to detect banking transactions that may have links to terrorism funding," Muhammad Yusuf, the head of PPATK, told BenarNews.
The conference will also solicit new ideas on how to tackle terrorism funding, he said.
In a press release, the Australian Embassy in Jakarta said the summit would boost collective efforts to track terrorism financing and the proceeds of crime through a range of financial channels.
"Australia welcomes this unprecedented collaboration between our two countries, because following the money trail is an essential element of tackling terrorism and organized crime, and international cooperation is vital in detecting and disrupting illegal operations," it said.
Participants will include law enforcement and national security officials, policy-makers, industry figures and academics from ASEAN and other key countries, who are at the forefront of countering terrorism financing and violent extremism.
Yusuf said that PPATK would gather a delegation of 20 representatives from various government institutions, banks and banking regulator in Indonesia for the summit.
Values
The plan to co-host the summit was announced this week during the visit of Australia's Justice Minister and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Counter Terrorism Michael Keenan.
It marked the first visit to Indonesia by a high-ranking Australian official since ties between the two countries cooled considerably following Indonesia's execution of two Australian drug convicts – Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran – earlier this year.
During his visit, Keenan met with Vice President Jusuf Kalla and discussed increasing bilateral security cooperation.
Keenan said that Australia could learn from Indonesia, based on the tolerance and respect widely practiced in its multi-faith society.
"I have been pleased to have discussions with the vice president about why those values remain so important, particularly in the world where those values are under challenge by radical and violent terrorist organizations," Keenan said at the Vice Presidential Palace on Aug. 19.
Like Indonesians, Australians are vulnerable to recruitment by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group that has proclaimed a "caliphate" for itself in parts of Iraq and Syria, he said.
"Obviously the Indonesian government, like the Australian government, is concerned about the reach of this barbarous terrorist organization in the Middle East and the methods that they use to radicalize people – and we are very concerned about them radicalizing young Australians – are very similar in Australia as they are in Indonesia," Keenan said.
"So it's good for us to be able to share that experience, but also to share strategies for combatting it as well," he said.
Misuse
Indonesian terrorism experts have warned that money collected for humanitarian aid to help Muslims in Syria could be misused to finance terrorism activities.
In March 2013, the Muslim Concern for Syria and Palestine Forum (FIPS) raised over Rp 30 million (U.S. $2,145) for Syrian Muslims at a mosque in Cibubur, on the eastern outskirts of Jakarta.
Terrorism expert Al Chaidar said that charity drives hosted by religious institutions are mostly transparent and accountable.
But he also said that such fundraising is vulnerable to misuse, citing a case in Aceh where money was raised in the name of Muslim solidarity with Palestinians. It was later discovered that the fundraising group had links to Dulmatin, one of the 2002 Bali bombers.
Indonesia needs more monitoring of such fundraising activities, especially when money is channeled through traditional means known as hawala. The hawala system enables remission of money across international borders without any actual movement of currency, completely outside of formal financial institutions.
PPATK's Yusuf added that Indonesia would also propose an exchange program for financial intelligence agents from the participating countries, as PPATK and AUSTRAC have done.
He said the exchange of PPATK and AUSTRAC agents had resulted in uncovering a syndicate of online children prostitution and money laundering from tobacco smuggling.
"Through the summit, we hope to be able to do that with other Asia Pacific countries," Yusuf said.


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BENARNEWS- Rukaiyah, 42, still remembers the night one of her brothers vanished 13 years ago.
At around 8 p.m. on May 29, 2002, Mahyuddin bin M. Yunus, 15, told his mother that he and another boy were going off to visit a friend.
The two Acehnese youths took off on a motorcycle.
Mayhuddin's family never saw him again.
"After months of looking without success, my mother started becoming sickly, and often got a vacant look on her face," Rukaiyah told BenarNews in Banda Aceh.
A year earlier, another brother – 17-year-old Muhammad Amin – had died in a shootout between government forces and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) guerrillas in the Cot Keu'eung region of Aceh Besar Regency.
"As far as we knew, Amin was not a GAM fighter, just a supporter," she said, relating the loss of her two brothers with a stoic face.
A long vigil for justice
In 2006, a year after GAM and the Indonesian government signed a peace accord in Helsinki, which ended a three-decade armed conflict that cost 25,000 lives in the Indonesian province of Aceh, Rukaiyah and other relatives of people who disappeared during the war formed the Victims of Human Rights Violations Community (KKP HAM) in Aceh Besar.
She was chosen to head it.
Since 2009, she has also served as secretary-general of Kagundah Aceh, which stands for Families of the Missing.
KKP HAM and other such organizations educate local people about human rights. They train them to collect and record data about victims of rights violations – be they victims of the security forces or victims of GAM.
'They want to know why'
Nurjubah , 40, of North Aceh Regency, also works alongside people victimized by the conflict. Back in 1990, the army detained her father for two weeks.
She began assisting families facing similar problems while the war still raged. She frequently visited security officials, seeking information from them about when local people had been kidnapped or arrested.
Before long, feeling under threat, she moved to the city of Lhokseumawe for five years, until the peace pact was signed in 2005.
Nurjubah, who also works for the Women's Justice Network (JARI) of Aceh, said that even today, whenever she meets with families of the missing or killed, they all have a similar hope: for justice to prevail and the truth to be told.
"They want to know why their father was killed. Why their husband was killed, and who did it. They still hope that the perpetrator will be put on trial. But for ten years of peace, this right has not yet been fulfilled," she told BenarNews.
TRC bylaw
The families of the missing are hoping that a bylaw calling for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), and which was approved by Aceh's provincial House of Representatives (DPRA) in late 2013, will soon be implemented.
Both regional law and the Helsinki accord call for the formation of such a commission.
The law says the commission will uncover violence that occurred, and support reconciliation between perpetrators and victims, so that victims can receive reparations.
Deputy parliamentary leader Sulaiman Abda said the TRC law had not yet been implemented because that depended on the Indonesian government in Jakarta.
"It's true the law was already passed in the DPR Aceh, but implementation needs approval by the central government," he said.
An April 1, 2014 letter from the Home Ministry, which BenarNews obtained, states that the Aceh TRC bylaw "is contrary to the public interest and higher legislation."
In the letter, then-Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said the bylaw could be implemented after the promulgation of national TRC laws. Indonesia's Constitutional Court threw out an earlier TRC law in 2006.
Edrian, head of the provincial government's legal bureau, said he never got the Home Minister's letter, although rights activists received it more than a year ago.
"We have never officially received that letter. Usually clarification letters from the Home Ministry on local laws are delivered to the Legal Bureau because we are the ones who respond to them," he told BenarNews.
Attempts to contact Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo for comment were unsuccessful.
Government not serious?
Zulfikar Muhammad, executive director of the Human Rights NGO Coalition of Aceh, says that delayed implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Aceh reflects the local government's lack of seriousness, and "it could be that those now in power in Aceh were involved in rights violations."
"The victims hope that there will be swift disclosure of the truth and reconciliation, because ten years of peace in Aceh has not brought a good impact for them," he told BenarNews.
To assist in the TRC process, rights organizations and relatives groups have collected data and verified the number of victims, he said. Much of that data has been handed over to the DPRA and the national Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM).
If past rights violations are not addressed, it means the government has ignored the rights of victims to truth, justice and healing, in Zulfikar's view.
Victims feel that perpetrators are enjoying impunity, because there is no deterrent effect, he said.
"The TRC and a human rights court must be set up soon in Aceh. For us, the victims, the law must be upheld. If there is no justice, it could be that families will bear grudges, and a new conflict will emerge," Rukaiyah said.


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BENARNEWS- Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), one of Indonesia's largest and most influential Islamic organizations, is reputed to be a male-dominated religious community. Yet women increasingly are taking on authoritative roles as Muslim preachers within the NU ranks and across the country, according to newly published research.

"This is a new phenomenon, which doesn't have a direct correlation with the rise of Islamic orthodoxy happening in other parts of the world," researcher Muhammad Khodafi told BenarNews.

A lecturer at the Islamic State University (UIN) in Surabaya, his research into nyai – women who serve as preachers, or religious teachers and scholars – is featured in a new book titled "Post-Reformasi Islam in Indonesia," which was launched in Jakarta on Aug. 25.

In fact, Indonesian women have held such roles in the past, but a revival has sprung up in the Reformasi (Reform) period, according to Khodafi. Reformasi was the opening of society and religion in Indonesia that came about after President Suharto's 32-year-old New Order regime collapsed in 1998.

"It is more open now and it's possible for liberal to fundamentalist views to prevail. It is unlikely this would have happened in the past," Marzuki Wahid, a lecturer at the Syekh Nurjati State Islamic Institute (IAIN) in Cirebon, West Java, told BenarNews.

Distinctly Indonesian

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, but practices a relatively moderate interpretation of Islam. Although male and female worshipers pray separately at local mosques – as in the rest of the Muslim world – the nyai of Indonesia preach to co-ed audiences – not women only. 

Women also hold high positions on the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the country's most powerful Islamic clerical body, and sit on an MUI commission that decrees fatwas. Two of the council's seven deputy secretaries general are women.

"It's unlikely that these things could happen in many other Muslim countries," Azyumardi Azra, a Muslim scholar and former rector at Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University in Jakarta, told BenarNews. 

The resurgence of nyai is a distinct characteristic of Islam in Indonesia, which reflects gender equality in the public domain, Azyumardi said. Indonesian Muslim women, in other words, have the same opportunities as men to pursue careers as preachers, judges specializing in in Islamic jurisprudence, and civil servants. 

TV preacher

Reformasi was among the factors that spurred the revival of women preachers in Indonesian society, because the reforms opened up more opportunities for women in higher education, Khodafi said.

For his research, he followed and observed two nyai – Uci Nurul Hayati and Hani'ah – who work as preachers in East Java province, an NU stronghold. 

Uci is an Islamic lecturer and Hani'ah has been preaching sermons since she was a student. 

Uci has her own television program, "Apa Kata Bu Nyai" ("What Does the Nyai Say?"), which airs twice weekly on TV9 NU, a channel operated by Nahdlatul Ulama's chapter in East Java. The religious organization claims to have 30 million followers nationwide.

Hani'ah runs a Quran recital group for women, offering them advice about their domestic problems. 

"The rise of nyais in the NU community has been boosted by TV9 NU, which gave significant air time to broadcasting their preaching programs," Khodafi said.

Male chauvinism lingers
Still, nyais face resistance from some of their male colleagues in Islamic clerical and scholarly circles – known as kyais – who contend that female preachers do not reflect their religion's values, Khodafi said.

"Such resistance shows an indication that there is a competition between the nyais and kyais to gain public attention," he said. 

Anik Sofrida, a nyai in Malang, East Java, said she had never experienced such prejudice from her male counterparts.

"Alhamdulilah (praise God), there is no such thing," Anik, who began her career 14 years ago as part of a Quran recital group in her neighborhood, and now preaches about four times a week, told BenarNews.


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BENARNEWS- The bodies of nine more Indonesians who drowned after their boat sank off Malaysia's west coast were recovered Friday, bringing the death toll in Thursday's accident to 24, according to Malaysian and Indonesian officials.
Search teams also rescued another survivor from Strait of Malacca waters, after pulling out 19 other survivors the day before.
The teams still were searching for some 30 other Indonesians who went missing when a 12.2-metre-long (40-foot-long) wooden boat capsized and sank Thursday morning, during a trip from Kuala Sungai Bernam, in Malaysia's Selangor state, to Tanjungbalai, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Amnesty or detention?
All of the passengers aboard the boat were believed to be Indonesians working without permits in Malaysia.
On Friday, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government would give amnesty to the illegal migrants affected by the accident, and help them arrange one-way passages home, so as to prevent such a tragedy from recurring.
"This is a government initiative to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants, but if they intend to return, they will have to apply in accordance with the stipulated procedure and obtain a temporary work permit," Zahid said after observing search-and-rescue operations from the Sungai Sumun jetty in Hutang Melintang, Perak state.
"So, in cooperation with the embassy of Indonesia, the one-way document, a transit document, will be given to them and they will be ushered back to their homeland," he said.
However, Malaysian authorities were holding the 19 who were rescued on Thursday for questioning. A court in Kuala Selangor on Friday issued arrest warrants against the 19 survivors and ordered that they be remanded for 14 days.
The ship's captain was among those being held, and he will be investigated under the country's human trafficking laws, a spokesman for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said.
Jakarta looking to repatriate survivors soon
However, the Indonesian government is hoping that Malaysian authorities will pardon the survivors of the shipwreck on humanitarian grounds and let them go home soon, Hermono, Indonesia's deputy ambassador to Malaysia, told BenarNews.
"We ask that they not be prosecuted, given their traumatized condition. These are relatives of those who died, and they themselves are victims. In principle, this has already been approved," Hermono said in a phone interview.
The majority of the survivors are from Aceh province, on Sumatra, he said.
Hermono is heading up a task force that is assisting the victims.
"The team has already met (the survivors) in Klang (Selangor), recorded data, and will be contacting their families. Some have already contacted their families," he said.
Hata Wahari contributed to this report.


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BENARNEWS- The 12.2-metre (40-foot) boat that capsized off western Malaysia last week was carrying more than five times its passenger capacity, First Adm. Mohd. Aliyas Hamdan of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) told BenarNews on Tuesday.
Authorities had yet to call off their search after finding a man's body late in the afternoon Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 63.
"The boat can only accommodate 12 to 15 people, but carried more than 80 persons. Action should be taken against those responsible," Aliyas said.
The victims of the accident were believed to be Indonesians working in Malaysia without permits and traveling home for the Idul Adha holiday. The boat was sailing from Kuala Sungai Bernam in Selangor to Tanjungbalai, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, when it sank in bad weather off Selangor's Sabak Bernam district.
To date, the dead consist of 39 men, 23 women and a three-year-old girl.
One of the women was pregnant, said Mohd. Zain Mohd. Shuhaily, police chief of Hilir Perak district, in neighboring Perak state, where many of the dead were taken. The bodies of 22 other victims were taken to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for autopsies, he said.
Over the weekend, relatives of victims claimed the remains of loved ones at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) in Perak. The Indonesian embassy was helping Malaysian officials arrange for the remains of a handful of victims to be repatriated.
Searching for captain
Meanwhile, 20 survivors were still being detained as part of a criminal investigation into the disaster, Aliyas said.
Malaysian authorities have yet to identify the captain of the ill-fated boat.
None of the 20 survivors confessed to being the skipper, he said.
"The investigation is ongoing and we will contact their employers to identify those who survived," Aliyas said.
"MMEA will undoubtedly be able to identify them."


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BENARNEWS- Police in Indonesia's restive Central Sulawesi province say they suspect that an armed band led by Santoso, the nation's most wanted militant, was behind the decapitations of two cocoa farmers in the past few days.
Santoso heads the Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) group, which reportedly has aligned itself with the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group and is believed to be hiding out in jungles of Poso, a regency located in this province on Sulawesi island.
"Our suspicion is that they (Santoso's men) did it. We have not been able prove it yet because the identification team is still collecting evidence on location," Central Sulawesi Police spokesman Hari Suprapto told BenarNews, referring to the killings of the two farmers in Parigi Moutong Regency.
Central Sulawesi police also suspect that MIT is trying to spread terror in the region ahead of Sail Tomini 2015, an international sailing event taking place in Tomini Bay, Indonesia's largest bay, off the coast of Parigi Moutong.
Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, foreign ambassadors and other dignitaries are expected to attend. Organizers say around 10,000 people will participate in the event's conclusion on Saturday.
"The police are sending 600 extra personnel on location. We do not need to worry about security. The event will go ahead as planned, and the president will be there," Central Sulawesi Gov. Longki Djanggola told BenarNews.
Decapitated
On Monday, police recovered the headless corpses of I Nyoman Astika, 71, a resident of Balinggi village, and Simon Taliko, 55, a resident of West Tolai village, from their respective plantations.
Astika's wife found his body. He was killed around 1 p.m. Sunday (local time), according to police.
Earlier that day, five unknown men took the couple to their cocoa plantation, Ni Nengah, Astika's wife, told reporters. The men carried backpacks, long guns and machetes.
"I was brought to the hut (in the plantation), then was asked, 'How many children do you have?' I said 'four.' 'Any of them work as security personnel?' I said no," Nengah recalled.
She said she was not allowed to leave the hut when the strangers led her husband away.
"They told me that if I left the hut, their friends were going to kill me. So I waited in the hut," she said.
"I waited a long time in the hut. Finally I screwed up the courage to leave and I saw that my husband was dead, with no head," she said.
She ran home to her village, about 4 km (2.5 miles) away, and her family contacted the police.
Parigi Moutong police arrived on Monday morning to remove her husband's body. That same day, villagers in neighboring Tolai Barat reported that another cocoa farmer, Simon Taliko, had been decapitated on his farm in Buana Sari village.
A most dangerous man
Parigi Moutong is situated some 125 km (78 miles) from Poso Regency, Santoso's suspected haven. The two regencies are separated by a large, mountainous forest.
Central Sulawesi police says they have dispatched 200 personnel to the crime scenes to hunt down the farmers' killers, who are still believed to be in the area.
Santoso and other MIT network members are wanted by the national police as suspects in various bombings carried out in Poso, elsewhere in Central Sulawesi as well as East Java province.
Indonesian police have called Santoso "the most dangerous man in Indonesia."
His group is also known to have pledged its allegiance to IS, which is banned in Indonesia.
In a video posted on YouTube in July 2013, Santoso called on his followers to keep fighting Densus 88, the country's counterterrorism squad. He called them "the real demons" for having killed and jailed dozens of jihadists.
Indonesian officials say that the country faces a threat from IS targeting young Indonesians as potential recruits through social media and the campuses of Islamic schools. The National
Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) estimates that at least 500 Indonesians have travelled to Syria or Iraq to fight for or support IS


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