In  a press release today, Coast2Coast Rx announced that the Illinois Association of County Board Members and Commissioners (IACBMC) has endorsed the free discount prescription card. The program, already approved in 10 counties statewide and dozens of townships, has reached thousands of residents, collectively saving them millions of dollars on prescription costs.

Coast2Coast Rx saves consumers significantly on their prescriptions and other healthcare services?up to 75 percent on more than 60,000 brand name and generic prescriptions. The card is a public to residents and the county: it requires no administrative work by county personnel, and the card actually generates revenue for public programs?providing $1.25 to the participating county for each prescription filled using the card.

With no restrictions on age, income status, or existing health conditions, the benefits of the card extends to everyone: those without insurance, the underinsured and those even those with high deductibles or expenses?such as certain prescriptions or flu vaccines?not covered by their health plan may save significantly by using the free program. In some cases even Medicare Part D patients experiencing the "donut hole" can use the card to help relieve their out-of-pocket expenses.

Our goal is to increase awareness of this resource so that more residents are aware of this great program, and we hope to have your support. As many consumers struggle with the high cost of medications and health care expenses, the Coast2Coast Rx card allows many consumers to save on this needed prescriptions while creating a revenue stream for their community?making this program a win-win.

Given the effect this program has already made on residents and its potential to expand its positive impact, I hope to speak to you about a feature. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for your consideration!

Join us as we learn the art of paper cutting with teacher Keith Bonnstetter on Sunday, March 3rd at 1:30! Class Size is limited to 20, so register now by clicking below!!!
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Don't want to register online? Call Kelly at 563-322-8844 to sign up over the phone!

MADISON - Several thousand students received degrees during the University of Wisconsin-Madison's winter commencement ceremonies, Dec. 16, 2012, including Elizabeth Kwan of Bettendorf with a Bachelor of Arts fro the College of Letters and Science.

Badger football legend Pat Richter delivered the charge to graduates at commencement ceremonies held at the Kohl Center.

For more information about UW-Madison, visit http://www.wisc.edu.

SPRINGFIELD - February 5, 2013. Governor Pat Quinn today released the following statement on the passing of former U.S. Congresswoman Cardiss Collins (D-IL):

"Cardiss Collins was one of the strongest, most dedicated public servants in Illinois history.

"She inspired generations with her never-ending fight for consumers and unmatched commitment to her constituents on the West Side of Chicago.

"Cardiss Collins was a trailblazer. She was the first African-American woman to represent the state of Illinois in Congress and one of the longest-serving women in Congressional history. In addition to being a leading national voice, she was a dedicated mother and, prior to her time as an elected official, a hard-working state employee.

"Cardiss Collins is a legend in our state. She will be greatly missed."

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With More Employees "Bringing Their Own Devices", Networks Are Getting More Complex


DAVENPORT, IA- DATE - Midland Communications, a leading provider of unified communications and technology management services, announced today the launch of their Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) management services. With more and more organizations finding themselves facing the challenges of a BYOD environment, Midland Communications' solutions are coming at just the right time.
Increasingly, organizations are recognizing the need for a diversity of support in their infrastructure. They're facing new challenges every day in trying to support mesh wireless, transient users, and meet the security challenges that go along with it. In addition, as employees continue to seek out best of breed solutions for individual tasks, today's networks face are far from unified networking environment.
Midland Communications lets organizations be proactive in managing their infrastructure. This means reduced costs, better security, and a network that's more aware of who and what is connecting to it.
Organizations need to be alerted when a new device is coming onto the network. Midland Communications helps an organization scan a device to make sure it's not bringing with it security risks, and establish proper security measures for access control levels, including the separation of employees from guests. Midland Communications can identify which devices are using the lion's share of an organization's bandwidth, and make infrastructure changes to accommodate the changing needs of the BYOD user.
"A business should be able to focus on what it does best and our solutions free up businesses to do just that. By bringing proactive infrastructure management to the BYOD environment, our clients enjoy greater efficiency, security, and agility. A more efficient network means that our customer's technology is running to its fullest capacity. When we're increasing overall productivity our customers are dropping more to the bottom line and that's how we know that our customers have a leg up on their competition," stated Scott Nauman, Consultant, of Midland Communications.

ABOUT MIDLAND COMMUNICATIONS
Midland Communications began more than 60 years ago in 1946 as the Worldwide Marketing Arm of Victor-Animagraph Projectors. In 1977 a communications division was formed due to a partnership with NEC America. Today, As a distributor of NEC America, for 33 years, Midland Communications has a customer base of more than 3,000 satisfied customers that include general businesses, government agencies, Universities, colleges, hospitals, and hotels.
Midland provides a wide range of communication services including VOIP, PBX and key systems, Wide Area and Local Area networking, computers, Computer integration, voice mail, CCIS, and video conferencing and paging systems. Our philosophy is simple, provide quality products at a fair price, backed by an average emergency response time of twenty minutes, and the best service in the industry. For more information on Midland Communications, call (563) 326-1237 or visit www.midlandcom.com.

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DAVENPORT, Iowa - Feb. 5, 2013 -- The Genesis Health System Foundation has announced applications for BSN and MSN degree completion scholarships are now available online.

This year, the award has increased from $2,000 to $2,500 for each degree completion scholarship for current Genesis nurses.

Applications for scholarships to current full-time nursing students are also available, and are awarded in the form of a forgivable loan based upon subsequent employment with Genesis Health System.

In 2012, the Genesis Health System Foundation awarded more than 40 degree completion scholarships to nurses employed at Genesis valued at more than $80,000.

Applications for the scholarships are due on or before March 25, 2013. Scholarship recipients will be announced in early May.

Scholarship applications can be found at the Genesis Health System website, www.genesishealth.com/scholarships.

For more information, call the Genesis Health Services Foundation office at (563) 421-6864.

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SPRINGFIELD - February 5, 2013. Governor Pat Quinn today gave the following statement on the movement of Senate Bill 10 out of the Illinois Senate Executive Committee:

"Marriage equality is a matter of fairness and equal rights under law.

"We took the first step towards marriage equality two years ago when I signed civil unions into law. Since that day, thousands of committed couples in 92 counties across our state have entered into civil unions.

"Now is the time for the next step in providing equal rights to all people in Illinois.

"I thank the members of the Senate Executive Committee for advancing this measure today, and look forward to working to pass this bill through both houses in the days to come."

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Hiring Anticipated Within Three Weeks

IA/IL QUAD-CITIES - Despite winter winds, the Career Fair held recently by Vista International Operations was a success, bringing in 58 Quad-Cities job-seekers, according to Teresa Johnston, the company's Communications Director. Vista is now processing and reviewing the applications received, in preparation for potential hiring within three weeks.
"Vista is preparing to start work on multiple potential contracts," Johnston said. "Once we get the green light, we may need to fill hundreds of jobs, both stateside and abroad. Many jobs are anticipated to be located in the Quad-Cities. More applicants are needed, so we encourage job-seekers to visit the Employment page at www.viops.com."

Available positions with Vista, Johnston stated, include Call Center Associate, Computer System Support Specialist, Database Administrator, LAN Administrator, System Administrator, Web Developer, Email Administrator, and Application Programmer. The Career Fair also included positions with Vista Technical Services, another BBNC subsidiary.
The Vista Career Fair was held January 31 at Western Illinois University-Quad Cities, Moline, IL. Vista International Operations is a global provider of enterprise-level information technology (IT) services, logistics management, and engineering support services to government and private industry. Vista is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC), which was formed in 1972 as part of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
At the Vista Career Fair
Jim Patterson, Assistant Dean of the College of Business and Technology at Western Illinois University (WIU), was pleased by the turn-out of the event. "We advertised the Career Fair on the signage out front for a couple of weeks," he said. "We invite public organizations to use the building as outreach to the community. The community is the reason we're here."
Patterson added that Western Illinois University has a lot of students on the Rock Island Arsenal, where Vista's Quad-Cities operations are based. "A lot of our students want to work for the Department of Defense when they graduate," he said. "It's a good partnership. Our WIU School of Engineering is here in the Quad-Cities, and we work closely with the Arsenal."

Abbey Siefker, Administrative Assistant with Vista, noted that most people who apply will need appropriate certification, and she can help to facilitate the exams. "We have many people asking about certifications," she said. "We can help with that, and we can also help with education and schooling." Regarding positions overseas, Siefker added, "We've had military people try for these jobs who already enjoy the military lifestyle."
According to Shaun Easler, Program Manager with Vista, the event was one of the more active career fairs in which he has participated. "I saw a lot of enthusiasm in the people showing up," he said. He added that Vista is open to hiring new graduates. "It's exciting to work with a new grad and watch them flourish within the system," he said.
Career Fair attendee Rhonda Brunning, 47, was laid off by the Rock Island Arsenal last December after 24 years of employment. "I loved working there and would love to get back on there," she said. Receiving a position through the Vista Career Fair, she added, would end more than a year of unemployment.
"I'm trying for a position as an Administrative Assistant," Brunning said. "I'm also looking at Video-Conferencing Facilitator." Brunning's supervisor from her years at the Arsenal now works at Vista, and was the one who had suggested that she apply.
Another Career Fair attendee, Nathaniel Haire, 22, would like to join the Video-Conferencing Team. According to Haire, he has been unemployed for a month. "I'm looking for a position that will turn into a long-term career," he said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to get my foot in the door." If offered an overseas opportunity, Haire stated that he would take it.
Job-seeker Rhonda Simpson, 53, came to the Vista Career Fair because "Vista sounds like a good company - it's been around for a while, it's stable." She noted that the Vista representatives were very helpful and encouraging. "They filled me in on everything I needed to know," she said. 
For more information on careers with Vista International Operations, call Teresa Johnston, Communications Director, at 563-823-6657, or visit www.viops.com.
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The Arc of the Quad Cities Area will host its 2013 "Texas Hold'Em Tournament & Sponsors' Gala" this Saturday, February 9, 2013. The tournament will be held in the Event Center at Jumer's Casino & Hotel in Rock Island. Proceeds of this charity gaming event of Texas No Limit Hold'Em Poker benefits programs and services for 325 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc's Texas Hold'Em Tournament & Sponsors Gala is sponsored by CBS4/WHBF-TV and Jumer's Casino & Hotel.

The Arc's 2012 champion Ryan York, Davenport, Iowa, returns to defend his title. York's placement in last year's tournament qualified him for a seat in the Main Event of the July World Series of Poker at The Rio in Las Vegas. The "QcKid" made The Arc proud,  advancing as far as Day 3 of nearly 6,600 players, ranking him among the top 300 players in the world! Sponsors ($100+ contributors) will have an opportunity to hear first-hand about York's WSOP experiences at the High Rollers Champagne Brunch at 10:30 am prior to the opening session. The odds are worth the stake, with a reasonable buy-in and capacity limited in the tournament's two sessions.

Buy-in is $60 with a $30 re-buy opportunity in the first hour of play. The event features two sessions - the first at 12 pm and the second at 4:30 pm. Admission is only guaranteed for players who pre- register at www.arcqca.org/store/ , through Facebook at The Arc of the Quad Cities Area, or via phone (through noon on Friday) at 309-786-6474. Each session will play to 10 winners and the 20
finalists will compete in the Final Round beginning at 9 pm. The tournament pays to the top 20 places, with the champion winning at seat at the World Series of Poker.

Founded in 1952, The Arc promotes living and working in partnership with the community to support individuals with developmental and other disabilities, through a variety of support services.

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