Also to participate in discussions about NATO missions, anti-corruption efforts and immigration

WASHINGTON - May 29, 2011 - Senator Chuck Grassley is traveling this week to participate in meetings in Brussels and Moscow.  He said the trip provides an opportunity to address market access problems for soybean and pork producers in the United States and the need to protect intellectual property rights.  He also will receive a briefing on NATO-led efforts in Libya and Afghanistan, discuss anti-corruption efforts of Russian law enforcement in cooperation with U.S. authorities, address human rights and press freedoms, and discuss U.S. visa requirements for Russian travelers.

Of the trade issues for American agriculture, Grassley said, "Both the European Union and Russia are imposing non-tariff trade barriers against soybeans and pork produced by U.S. farmers for the export market.  The European Union's position on soybeans has created uncertainty for farmers, traders, co-ops and processors in the United States.  American farmers need the EU to engage in a dialogue to try to resolve an unfair situation.  Likewise, Russia's unjustified position against U.S. pork has delisted plants that account for 60 percent of U.S. pork production capacity.  I look forward to taking on both of these issues in meetings this week."

Grassley said he will deliver a letter on the soybean export dispute addressed to European Union Commissioner Karel De Gucht, the Directorate General for Trade.  The Renewable Energy Directive of the European Union relies on a faulty Brazilian model to establish emission savings and applying directive guidelines all the way down to the farm level.  Grassley said aggregate certification is needed as a fair trade matter for U.S. oilseed producers, along the lines of the sustainability requirement in the U.S. renewable fuel standard.

Separately, Grassley plans to deliver a letter about Russia's unjustified limits on U.S. pork addressed to First Deputy Prime Minster of the Russian Federation Igor Shuvalov and Aide of the President of the Russian Federation Arkady Dvorkovich.  Pork products from the United States face an array of sanitary phytosanitary restrictions by the Russian government.  Grassley said that if Russia is to gain membership in the World Trade Organization, which it is currently seeking, then Russia needs to abandon import restrictions, like this one, which are unscientifically based.  The United States was able to obtain commitments from China and Vietnam to overcome similar obstacles as part of those countries' accession to the World Trade Organization.  Twenty-five percent of all U.S. pork is produced in Iowa.

Grassley said that Russia's desire to join the World Trade Organization also should help to encourage Russian officials to improve enforcement efforts to protect intellectual property rights, which are important to promoting innovation, creating jobs and advancing economic growth.  He said the Senate-passed PROTECT IP Act that he sponsored this year with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont provides a model for working to stop online piracy and the sale of counterfeit goods.

In other meetings, Grassley said he will seek more information about possible outcomes for the NATO-led effort in Libya and how military operations have shaped those possibilities.  He also wants to ask for a NATO assessment of support from the Afghan people for the Karzai government, progress in eliminating government corruption, the capability of Afghan security forces, and the outlook for the strength of the Afghan National Army.

In Russia, Grassley said he is concerned about human rights abuses and efforts by government authorities to restrict media coverage and allow political pressure in the judicial system.

Grassley and others senators on the trip left Washington yesterday and will return on June 4.  Grassley is Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.  He is a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.  He is a senior member and former Chairman and Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over international trade.

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Study: High-risk minority groups not being screened for diabetes

Even for patients with insurance, screening is below desired levels

 MADISON, Wis. -- Although people from certain ethnic groups are at high risk for getting diabetes and should be screened, a new study suggests that such screenings are not being done as often as they should.

Dr. Ann Sheehy, a hospitalist and clinical assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, was lead author of the findings, which will appear in the June edition of Diabetes Care.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says that African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian-Americans, and Pacific Islanders should be screened through fasting blood tests. The research gathered data from more than 15,000 patients between 2003 and 2007.  All patients were insured and eligible for diabetes screening based on a number of ADA risk factors: 45 years or older, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, polycystic ovarian syndrome, obesity, heart disease, history of pre-diabetes, and ethnicity.

Sheehy and her colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Health Innovation Program say according to information obtained from the doctor visits of those in the study, more than 40 percent of minority patients should have been screened for diabetes based on their ethnic background, but were not.

"I believe there is a lack of awareness that minority status is an independent risk factor not only for having diabetes, but for complications with diabetes," she said.  "Minorities get diabetes more often and tend to do worse when they have diabetes.  I don't think providers are necessarily aware of this.  There has also not been enough public and provider education about the increased risks minority patients face not only in getting diabetes but also to have complications with the disease. We hope the information learned in this study will help us care for these patients better."

Sheehy said the research proves that increased screening efforts are needed for minority populations.

"Studies have previously shown that minority preventive care is less optimal due to a lack of health care insurance or lack of clinic visits," she said.  "In this study, we wanted to look at the effect of minority status alone without the confounding effects of lack of insurance or lack of visits.  That's why we only included patients with insurance and mandated at least one visit per year.  So, we were really able to focus on the fact that insurance status and access to care were not factors in our findings. In fact, the minority patients in this study actually had significantly more primary-care visits than our non- minority patients, so access to health care was clearly not a factor in our findings."

Sheehy said it is possible primary-care providers recommended diabetes screening for minorities, but those patients did not follow through on what needed to be done.

"Although we were unable to test for this possibility in the current study, it may be that minorities had unique barriers that prevented them from being able to return for fasting labs as frequently as other patients," she said.  "Historically, a patient would come to clinic, the doctor ordered lab work to be done, and since diabetes screening used to require fasting, the patient would have to return another day after an overnight fast to get this done."

Sheehy says new standards endorsed last year by the ADA that allow a non-fasting test to be done at the same time as the clinic visit may lead to increased diabetes screenings for minorities.

For more information on diabetes programs offered at UW Health, visit www.uwhealth.org/diabetes

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·       Flooding is the #1 natural disaster in the United States. Just a few inches of water from a flood can cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

·       Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood damage. State Farm's homeowner policies do not provide coverage for flood.

·       If your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), you can buy a flood insurance policy through your agent.

·       A flood insurance policy normally takes 30 days from the date of purchase to go into effect. So, don't wait until a flood is imminent to buy a policy.

·       According to FEMA, over the past 10 years, the average flood claim has amounted to nearly $48,000. Flood insurance is the best way to protect yourself from devastating financial loss.

·       Nearly 25% of flood claims come from low to moderate risk areas.

·       Flood insurance is available to homeowners, renters, condo owners/renters, and commercial owners/renters. Costs vary depending on how much insurance is purchased, what it covers, and the property's flood risk.

If a flood is likely in your area, you should:

·       Listen to the radio or television for information.

·       Be aware that flash flooding can occur. If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move.

·       Be aware of streams, drainage channels, canyons, and other areas known to flood suddenly. Flash floods can occur in these areas with or without such typical warnings as rain clouds or heavy rain.

If you must prepare to evacuate, you should do the following:

·       Secure your home. If you have time, bring in outdoor furniture. Move essential items to an upper floor.

·       Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.

If you have to leave your home, remember these evacuation tips:

·       Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.

·       Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely. You and the vehicle can be quickly swept away.

Driving Flood Facts

The following are important points to remember when driving in flood conditions:

·       Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars causing loss of control and possible stalling.

·       A foot of water will float many vehicles.

Two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles including sport utility vehicles (SUV's) and pick-ups.

Your automobiles/recreational vehicles

If you carry comprehensive coverage (optional) on your automobile/recreational vehicle policy, then the direct, sudden damage to your vehicle resulting from most flooding would be covered under the terms of most policies.

Keep young minds sharp over the summer with educational programs at Rivermont Collegiate! Rivermont is offering an assortment of Summer Adventures for children from preschool age and up.  Programs cover a wide variety of interests - from cooking to dinosaurs - to French and microbiology. Children from any school may register. Sessions run for one week from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. or from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.; each session cost $110 and some require an additional $25 lab fee. Students attending two classes per day need to bring a sack lunch. Lunch time will be from 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Rivermont strives to prepare students who are grounded in the basics, yet able to think analytically and creatively, to confidently meet the challenges of the 21st century.  Check out full class descriptions and obtain a registration form at www.rvmt.org.

Preschool - Junior Kindergarten - Kindergarten

June 20-24          Mad Science! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

June 20-24          Stories & More (12:00 - 3:00 p.m.)

June 27-July 1     Cooking Class     (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Grades K - 2

July 18-22        Dig Into Dinosaurs (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Grades 1 - 5

June 20-24        Bits, Bytes and Hopefully NO Bugs! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Grades 3 - 12

June 27-July 1     Une Semaine à Paris! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

July 18-22            Scrapadoodle (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Grades 8 - 10

July 18-22            Seeing the Unseen: Basic Microbiology Techniques (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

For enrollment information on Rivermont Collegiate contact Cindy Murray at 563-359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.

For additional information on Summer Adventures at Rivermont Collegiate contact Tammi Burrell at 563-359-1366 ext. 337 or burrell@rvmt.org.

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Rivermont Collegiate is the Quad Cities' only independent, non-sectarian, PS-12 college preparatory school, ranked #1 on Iowa's AP Index.