Trinity's and Genesis' emergency departments have implemented H1N1 testing guidelines that specify they will not test people with flu-like symptoms who visit the emergency department, because the treatment would be the same with or without a positive H1N1 or seasonal-influenza diagnosis. The only people who will be tested for H1N1 are those who are actually admitted to the hospitals with flu-like/sepsis-like symptoms in all age groups. Patients less than five years old or over 65, as well as those deemed higher risk by the Centers for Disease Control for seasonal-influenza complications, will be treated with Tamiflu or Relenza as though they had tested positive for H1N1. For more information on H1N1, visit CDC.gov/h1n1flu.
The Iowa Department of Economic Development has released its review of the Iowa Film Office. The report (which can be downloaded at IowaLifeChanging.com/downloads/filmreport09.pdf) faults the office for lax record-keeping and controls.
The fourth-annual Operation Medicine Cabinet -- a three-day event in late September allowing residents the opportunity to safely dispose of medications, sharps, mercury thermometers, and sensitive documents -- generated 10,473 pounds of material. This included approximately 1,128 pounds of pharmaceuticals, 975 pounds of sharps, 15 pounds of mercury thermometers, and 8,325 pounds of documents for shredding. The event, which was held September 24 through 26 in Scott County, served 888 households. Residents who were unable to drop materials off at the event can make an appointment at Waste Commission of Scott County Household Hazardous Material Facilities in Buffalo or Davenport. These facilities provide free services to both Scott County and Rock Island County residents. Call (563)381-1300 for more information, or visit WasteCom.com.
Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin aren't the only notable birth anniversaries of 2009. The Rock Island Public Library and Augustana College will mark "anniversaries you might have overlooked" on four Thursdays this fall at the Rock Island Library. The 12th-annual fall series presents four free public lectures at 2 p.m. Thursdays starting October 22, in the Community Room of the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. Lecture subjects include Mary Wollstonecraft (October 22), Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (October 29), Oliver Wendell Holmes (November 5), and Alfred Tennyson (November 12). For more information, visit RockIslandLibrary.org or call (309)732-7303.
Four Iowa Energy Center publications offer tips on cutting costs and increasing efficiencies for home energy usage: "Home Tightening, Insulation, & Ventilation," "Home Heating & Cooling," "Water Heating," and "Major Home Appliances." The four publications are available at http://www.energy.iastate.edu/homeseries.
The Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre is bringing back "Everyone's a Critic," the film series in which the audience rates the movies. For six consecutive Wednesdays beginning October 14, people can see a one-time-only IMAX film for $5, which includes soda and popcorn. Tickets go on sale each Wednesday at 5 p.m., with showtimes at 6 and 7 p.m. For more information, visit Putnam.org or call (563)324-1933.
The Davenport Fall Free for Fall Demolition Derby will be held at 2 p.m. on October 10 at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds grandstand. General Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. A dollar of each general-admission ticket sold will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Changes to the highway system outside Dubuque will force Augustana public-radio station WVIK to vacate the site of its current transmitter tower; the station will relocate to a new frequency at the end of October. WVIK will go back on the air in the Dubuque area at a new frequency of 95.9 FM. The station can still be heard at 90.3 FM in the Quad Cities. For more information, visit WVIK.org or call (309)794-7500.
The Trinity Medical Center Auxiliary, Midland Information Resources, and Southeast National Bank will sponsor the annual celebrity style show and luncheon fundraiser "Fashion to the Rescue" on Thursday, October 15, at the i wireless Center (1201 River Drive in Moline). Social hour for the event begins at 11 a.m., with the luncheon at noon and style show presented at 12:30 p.m. Reservations for the event are $30 and can be made by calling the auxiliary office at (309)779-2343 by Friday, October 9. All proceeds benefit neonatal equipment and the Trinity Health Occupations Scholarship.
The Machine Shed is taking entries from amateur cooks to compete in the upcoming "Iowa Pork Tailgate Challenge," with all proceeds going to the Child Abuse Council. There is no cost to enter, but contestants will need to call and register at the Machine Shed by October 17. The challenge will be held on Saturday, October 24, at the Iowa Machine Shed restaurant (7250 Northwest Boulevard in Davenport). For more information, call (563)391-2427 or visit MachineShed.com/docs/PorkTailgate.doc.
