GENESIS SPONSORS RED, WHITE AND BOOM!

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 60 percent of those injuries are sustained between June 22 and July 22.

David Dierks, D.O., emergency department physician, said the best way to avoid a trip to the emergency department is to leave fireworks displays to the professionals.

Again this year, Genesis Health System is sponsoring the spectacular Red, White and Boom! fireworks display on Saturday, July 4. The show will be bigger and brighter than ever before with more than two tons of fireworks shot from two barges in the Mississippi River.

Prime viewing locations will be Schwiebert Park in Rock Island, the Genesis Family Viewing Area in LeClaire Park in Davenport and Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport.

"The professional fireworks displays are safer, bigger and better than anything we can do in our backyards,'' Dr. Dierks said.  "Even sparklers burn at 1,800 degrees (Fahrenheit) and can be dangerous.  Used improperly, they can cause burns and burn clothing.

"If kids use sparklers, we urge close parental supervision and urge kids to stay in one place and not run with sparklers.''

Sparklers account for 19 percent of the total fireworks-related injuries seen in emergency departments each year.  About one-quarter of all fireworks-related injuries are sustained by children nine years old and younger.

Firecrackers, illegal for use in Iowa and Illinois, account for about 20 percent of injuries.

Dierks said that people in the Quad Cities are listening to the messages about fireworks safety.  Genesis Medical Center has had very few hospital admissions related to fireworks injuries in recent years.  There is a similar trend of fewer fireworks injuries being reported across the country.

"Fireworks accidents happen, however, we have fewer injuries locally than in many other areas,'' Dierks said. "I think this is due, in part, because of the high quality of our local professional fireworks displays.

"Thousands of people in the Quad Cities attend these public shows and these shows have safety records that are outstanding.  Most  injuries locally happen when people use fireworks at home.''

Dierks said the most disturbing statistic is that children under age 15 account for about 35 percent of the injuries.

"A child will tell parents, 'I can do it myself, I don't need help.'  Often the child can't do it themselves and there are injuries,'' Dierks said.  "Those injuries can be severe.

"One of the reasons we continue to see fireworks injuries, some of them severe or fatal, is that people don't recognize how dangerous these devices can be.  Children often lack the physical coordination to handle any fireworks safely.  Even with a sparkler, they can fall and suffer burns.''

Here are recommendations from Genesis and from the U.S. Consumer Produc Safety Commission to prevent fireworks injuries at home:

• Make sure the fireworks you want to buy are legal in your area before buying or using them.

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 1,800 degrees?hot enough to melt some metals.

• Do not buy fireworks that are packaged in brown paper, which is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays.

• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.

• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy, in case of fire or other mishap.

• Never try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Soak them with water and throw them away.

• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.

• Light fireworks one at a time, then move away from them quickly.

• After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding the device to prevent a trash fire.

• Light fireworks outdoors in areas clear of houses, dry leaves, grass or flammable materials.

• Do not smoke while handling fireworks.

• Ignite fireworks only smooth, flat surfaces.

• Don't place fireworks in containers before lighting.

• Alcohol and fireworks are a dangerous combination.

June 29, 2015 - Rock Island, IL - Rock Island County marked the sixth anniversary of its partnership with the Coast2Coast Rx program, the County's free prescription discount card that offers significant savings on thousands of prescriptions and other health care services.  The Coast2Coast Rx Card has saved participating residents over $6 million at its six-year anniversary.  Since its launch in June 2009 -- 19,728 participants have used the card to fill 191,711 prescriptions with an average savings to date of about 58 percent off the retail price in Rock Island County.

The card helps uninsured residents as well as insured residents that don't have a particular drug covered in their formulary.  In some instances the card is less than an insured's co-pay so insureds should always check the card's pricing versus the co-pay amount.

Rock Island County's endorsement of the program is based on the card's ability to save consumers significantly on their prescriptions and other healthcare services. The card generates revenue for public programs?providing $1.25 to the county for each prescription filled using the card.  "We are proud to be able to assist the residents of Rock Island County with their overall health and well-being.  We look forward to saving residents of Rock Island County a million or more dollars every year," said Martin Dettelbach, Chief Marketing Officer for the Coast2Coast Rx program.

As many consumers struggle with the high cost of medications and health care expenses, the Coast2Coast Rx card allows many consumers to save on their needed prescriptions while creating a revenue stream for their community. " We are confident the results will continue to grow as more residents participate in the available discounts on prescriptions and healthcare services.  We look forward to the strengthening partnership between Rock Island County and Coast2Coast Rx," said Steve Rohm, National Sales Manager for the Coast2Coast Rx program.

Consumers can easily access the card by simply printing it from the Coast2Coast Rx website - http://www.coast2coastrx.com/counties/il/rockisland/

The Coast2Coast Rx card allows all County residents, regardless of income, age, or health status to participate in the program and save on the cost of their medications.  The program has saved cardholders throughout the nation an average of 60% in 2015 on the cost of prescription drugs.  Even pets and people living outside the County are able to take part in the program.  The Rx card is distributed free of charge and may be used at all pharmacy chains and most independent pharmacies in Rock Island County and includes over 60,000 drugs in its formulary.

###

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Bruce Rauner took action today the following bill:

Bill No.: SB 96

An Act Concerning: Regulation

Action: Signed

Effective: This Act takes effect immediately, except Article II of this Act takes effect on January 1, 2016.

By Jason Alderman

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing fraud issues at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Online thieves have been capturing Social Security numbers and other tax filing data to file fraudulent returns, principally for the purpose of stealing refunds.

Just this past tax season, TurboTax, the leading tax preparation software company, had to stop transmitting state tax returns and introduce new safeguards after a run of suspicious returns. In March, the U.S. Treasury Department reported slightly over 2.9 million incidents of tax-related identity theft in 2013, up from 1.8 million in 2012. As to dollar loss, in January, the General Accounting Office (GAO) said the IRS had prevented an estimated $24.2 billion in fraudulent identity theft tax refunds in 2013, but actually paid $5.8 billion in refunds later determined to be fraudulent.

In terms of damage, tax identity theft is really no different than any other form of identity theft. Thieves illegally obtain your Social Security number through online or other resources and then go to work on your finances and reputation. The first you'll see of it will be on your credit report in the form of unfamiliar (and likely unpaid) accounts or unusual credit inquiries from employers or agencies you've never contacted. The problem may take months or years to straighten out.

Hearing about a false tax return might take time. Many taxpayers find out they've been hacked via a physical letter from the U.S. Postal Service - the IRS never sends (http://www.irs.gov/uac/Report-Phishing) taxpayer-specific correspondence via email -indicating that a duplicate return has been filed in the taxpayer's name. That means a significant amount of time might have passed between the hack and the taxpayer learning about the problem. Electronic filers might find out sooner because their return might bounce if a fraudulent one was successfully filed earlier.

Recent reports quote the IRS as saying it tries to settle such cases within 4-6 months, but news reports have indicated wait times might be longer. This is why anyone dealing with identity theft needs to move fast and be actively involved in containing the damage. Regulators can't do it for you and advertised services that say they can handle everything probably won't. You'll need to investigate and clean up your own records.

If you've been hit, first go to the identity theft action pages on both the Federal Trade Commission (http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0008-tax-related-identity-theft) and the IRS (http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Identity-Protection) websites for immediate ways to deal with the problem. Start with the following immediate steps:

• Order your current credit reports and set a fraud alert on each at the three major consumer credit rating agencies - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Follow up to make sure those alerts are active.
• Set up a physical or computer-based file where you can organize, date and file all contacts, communications and paperwork associated with your case and keep track of any fraudulent transactions that occur.
• Create an identity theft report (http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0277-create-identity-theft-report) with the FTC and your local police department. This will help you document your contacts with regulators and law enforcement if there is an arrest.
• Make a call list for all creditors, banks, investment companies, utilities and your employer to let them know about the breach. If you work with qualified financial and tax experts, inform them too. If you've spotted fraudulent accounts, contact those entities to put a freeze on them and thereby limit potential losses.

If you've never experienced this type of identity theft, don't take your luck for granted. Even if you file your taxes by regular mail, make sure you set up your own personal IRS e-services (http://www.irs.gov/uac/Step-1-Create-an-IRS-e-services-Account) account, because reports have surfaced that identity thieves are opening false accounts with stolen taxpayer data. Finally, schedule receipt throughout the year of your three credit reports, which you can receive free once a year.

Bottom line: Anywhere your Social Security number goes, identity thieves follow - this tax filing season proved that. Safeguard your data and check your credit reports several times a year for irregularities.