Genesis Health System has again earned distinction as one of the nation's top-100 health systems for integrating services to improve quality and reduce costs. The 2008 Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Network is an annual survey compiled by Verispan, a health-care data and consulting firm based in Pennsylvania. Genesis has received the Top 100 honor several times previously. The results of the 11th-annual survey were published in the February 4 edition of Modern Healthcare.

 

Travelers who want to experience Iowa's wine and beer industry can find even more trip-planning features in the 2008 Iowa Wine & Beer Directory. A new amenities index indicates whether the winery or brewery offers a tasting room, guided tours, special events, process/viewing room, gift shop, motorcoach/RV parking, wheelchair accessibility, picnic area, and wedding/reception facilities. A color-coded map identifies breweries and the five Iowa wine trails. As in previous editions, the guide also contains contact information, a map, and a brief description of each location. The directories are available free from any Iowa Welcome Center, at any of the included wineries or breweries, and online at (http://www.iowawineandbeer.com).

 

Following last year's first-ever Iowa Women's Leadership Conference, a similar - but shorter - Women's Leadership Luncheon will be offered in April. "Choosing to Lead: Meeting Challenges with Grace & Humor" will be held on Thursday, April 24, at 11:30 a.m. at the Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa. For more information or to make a reservation, visit (http://www.iowawomensconference.com) or call (800) 551-9029.

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley will hold its Sixth Annual Putt-A-Round Tournament event on February 28 and 29 at the RiverCenter in downtown Davenport. The event will feature an 18-hole miniature-golf course, with each hole sponsored - and designed - by a local business. The course will be open to the public on Thursday, February 28, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. and on Friday, February 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The entry fee will be $40 per golfer. For more information about the Putt-A-Round event, call Laura Lortz at (888) 822-2447.

 

The Quad City Flames have introduced Neil Bossola as the team's new chief executive officer. Bossola joins the organization from Capitals District Sports, the owner of the American Hockey League's Albany River Rats and the Albany Conquest of arenafootball2. He served as vice president of sales for the Albany teams since January 2007. Bossola will oversee all departments of the Flames' operation in conjunction with team President Tim Taylor.

 

The Bi-State Literacy Council will host its 12th-annual fundraiser, now called the "Winter Blast for Literacy," from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, February 22, at The Rock Island Arsenal Golf Club, 1838 Gillespie Street. Reservations are required and can be obtained by contacting Judy Hutchinson at (309) 799-3155 extension 3150 or (judyh@palsnet.info).

 

Trinity Gifts & Goods has announced the addition of a new Mom & Baby Boutique at its Seventh Street shop (500 John Deere Road in Moline) to meet the needs of new and expecting moms. Natural baby-food kits, breastfeeding supplies, and educational books and CDs for both baby and mom are just a few of the new additions to the store. The boutique also will carry products for preemies and special-needs babies, as well as health-related items such as anti-nausea lollipops, prenatal vitamins, and stretch-mark creams for moms. To reach the Mom & Baby Boutique, call (309) 779-5440. The Mom & Baby Boutique is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

 

Multimedia artist Michael Meihlahn of Wisconsin will be at the Figge Art Museum at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 23, to speak about his work. He will also present a glass-blowing demonstration at Liquid Fire Studios from 1 to 3 p.m. (The studio is located at 200 24th Street in Rock Island.) The programming is in conjunction with Clear Your Mind: Contemporary Glass Invitational, on view at the museum through May 11. (See review starting on page 12.) Meihlahn's installation Corn Zone can be seen in the Figge's Orientation Gallery on Level 1.

 

Black Hawk College is sponsoring a workshop and artist reception in February for Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, a BHC alumnus and assistant professor of drawing/painting at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Since 1989, he has created several series, including What Lies Beneath: The Breast Cancer Series. The artwork targets African-American women "whose high mortality rate from breast cancer suggests that the traditional modes of health education need to be supplemented and other avenues explored, such as art." The series is on display through Friday, February 29, in the ArtSpace Gallery on the first floor of Building 4 at the Quad-Cities Campus, 6600 34th Avenue in Moline. On Thursday, February 21, the artist will conduct a workshop with BHC students from 1 to 3 p.m. in Building 4, Room 131. The workshop is open to the public. For more information about the exhibit, the workshops, or the reception, contact David Murray at (309) 796-5471 or (murrayda@bhc.edu).

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