Tomorrow: History of the Ignaugural Address

American Identity and Inaugural Addresses, Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 6:00 pm in our Main Library.

Featuring Dr. Steve Klien of Augustana College's Communication Studies Department, the program will consider the role of these speeches in shaping American political and cultural identity. From words by FDR to John F. Kennedy, some inaugural speeches have played a lasting role in American culture.

Join us, as we take another look at a national ritual 224 years in the making, with highlights from some of the most powerful and important orations in US history!

Teen Fun @ Your Library

Read to Survive, Survive to Read Teen READ challenge is Jan. 6-Jan. 26. Forms are available all Rock Island Library locations. Read, survive and win!

After you pick up your challenge form, take part in a Teen Read Scavenger Hunt, at 6:00 pm THIS Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Rock Island Main Library.  Test your survival skills and see if you have what it takes to follow the clues and stay alive in this battle of endurance and wits! Come and try your luck for a chance to win great prizes! Ages 12-18.

More teen fun in January:

Jan. 17: Teen Trivia Night, 6:00 pm, Main Library

Jan. 22: Teen Gaming Night, 6:00 pm, Main Library

Jan. 31: Teen Iron Chef, 6:00 pm, Main Library.

Do You Have An E-reader?

Try our second session of Getting Started with Downloading eBooks for help with checking out free books for your eReader, tablet, computer or smartphone:  5:30 pm, Tuesday, Jan. 15, SOUTHWEST Branch, 9010 Ridgewood Road.  Free, no registration required.

Looking for something to do with the kids next Friday?

Friday, Jan. 18 is an early dismissal day for Rock Island/Milan school. If you're looking for something to do, bring them to our Friday Fest movie at the Main Library.  "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" starts at 1:00 pm in the 2nd floor Community Room. It's rated PG.

There's a crisis in primary health care. In some cities, almost 90 percent of primary care physicians are not accepting new patients because their practices are full. And it's only going to get worse, warns noted physician and emeritus professor of medicine Dr. Paul Griner (www.DrPaulGriner.com), author of "The Power of Patient Stories: Learning Moments in Medicine."

"In 2014, 32 million people currently without health insurance will become insured and there will be nowhere near enough primary-care physicians to meet their needs," Griner says. "Less than 20 percent of new physicians are entering primary care, which includes the specialties of family medicine, general internal medicine and general pediatrics."

Griner, an internist and longtime advocate of physician-patient relationship as the first and most vital diagnostic tool, says it's important to find a doctor who will take the time to listen to you. But first, you need to decide what kind of primary care physician will best meet your needs. For instance, a family physician can care for both you and your children. A general internist is trained for the care of adults. A geriatrician has additional training in the care of older patients. A gynecologist may also have an interest in primary care.

Once you've made that decision, he offers these suggestions for qualities to look for:

• Someone who is interested in knowing the whole patient -- not just the illness. As the great Sir William Osler, Regis Professor of Medicine at Oxford, once said, "The good physician knows the disease the patient has. The great physician knows the patient who has the disease."

• A patient-centered atmosphere in the office

• Someone who is a good listener. Most diagnoses can be made or suspected by letting the patient tell his or her story

• Someone who is willing to say, "I don't know," but does know where to go to get the answer, such as referring you to another doctor or using medical knowledge bases such as "Up To Date."

• Readiness to use the latest technology for communicating with patients, such as the I-phone, e-mail or Skype.

• Someone who values team care and values the role of advanced practice nurses or physician's assistants.

"Ask around," Griner says. "Get recommendations from friends and colleagues; the experience of other patients is always helpful. Askyour county medical society for names of physicians who are accepting new patients, or ask the premier hospital in your area, then check their credentials and look for feedback about timeliness, friendliness, etc., on-line."

If you want to do something about the primary care physician shortage, there are ways the public can help, Griner adds.

• Advocate for more support for primary care through your state and U.S. representatives. "Support" can include more money for primary care training grants; better compensation for primary care physicians; and expansion of sites that qualify as physician shortage areas

• Support the development of local "accountable care organizations" or networks by your local hospital, health system or group practice. The goal of these new organizations is to guarantee comprehensive, continuous care with the primary care physician as the manager of a team of health professionals.

• Support community initiatives to recruit primary care physicians through incentives such as loan relief.

About Paul Griner, M.D.

Hematologist/internist Paul Griner has had a 59-year career in medicine. He is a professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and was a consultant at the Massachusetts General Hospital, senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, and consultant to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in Cambridge, Mass. He has written or co-written 130 journal articles, book chapters, and books on clinical medicine, medical education, and health policy. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and was president of a number of national medical organizations, including the American College of Physicians.

SPRINGFIELD - January 8, 2013. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon today issued the following statement regarding the House's 65-46 passage of Senate Bill 957, a bill which would allow every qualified Illinois resident to apply for a driver's license.

"Today's vote means we are one step closer to making our roads safer for all Illinois residents," Lt. Governor Simon said. "Regardless of legal status, we need to make sure every eligible driver in our state has received the proper training and carries insurance - before they get behind the wheel. This is an important public safety measure, and I'm pleased to see it headed to the Governor's desk." 

Simon saw first-hand the damaging financial impact of uninsured, unlicensed drivers on Illinois roadways as a Jackson County prosecutor. Simon joined a bipartisan coalition in her support of this bill.

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BOURBONNAIS, IL (01/08/2013)(readMedia)-- Moline resident Nicholas Mizeur, a senior majoring in youth ministry and political science at Olivet Nazarene University during the 2012-2013 academic year, was recently honored for outstanding achievements while participating and competing in the Tiger athletics program. His honors include :

2012 Daktronics-National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Scholar-Athlete (men's cross country)

Named to the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) All-Conference First Team (Fall 2012 season) (men's cross country)

Olivet Nazarene University is an accredited Christian, liberal arts university offering more than 100 areas of undergraduate and graduate study, including the Doctor of Education in ethical leadership. Olivet has one main campus in Bourbonnais, Ill. - just 50 miles south of Chicago; three sites: Rolling Meadows and Oak Brook, Ill., and Hong Kong; and more than 100 School of Graduate and Continuing Studies learning locations throughout Chicagoland and the Midwest. From Oxford to Tokyo, hundreds of Olivet students also experience the global classroom each year, whether through study abroad opportunities or worldwide mission trips.