Rock Island, IL - Some community heroes  don't wear capes - they give life-saving blood. As part of its summer "Every Hero Has a Story" activities, the Rock Island Public Library will host a community blood drive from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm on Wednesday, July 15 at the downtown Main Library, 401 19th Street. Donors will give blood in the MVRBC Donor Bus in the library parking lot off 20th Street.

The rate of blood donation typically drops by about 20 percent in summer months, according to the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center.

What: Rock Island Public Library Community Blood Drive

When: Wednesday, July 15, 10:00 am - 1:30 pm

Where: MVRBC Donor Bus, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th St., Rock Island, IL

Appointments: To donate, please contact Amy Sisul at (309) 732-7302 or visit www.bloodcenterimpact.org and use code 3013 to locate the drive.

Donor Eligibility Criteria: Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo ID or MVRBC Donor Card is required to donate. For questions about eligibility, please call the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center at (800)747-5401. Donors who last gave blood on or before 5/20/15 are eligible to give at this drive.

About Blood Donation: Blood donation is a safe, simple procedure that takes about 45 minutes to one hour. Individuals with diabetes or controlled high blood pressure may be accepted as eligible donors.

Donors at the Rock Island Library site will be automatically entered into a drawing from the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center for a 2015 Jeep Patriot. The drawing is part of the center's "Made in the USA" promotion to support the blood supply through the difficult summer months. The 2015 Jeep Patriot, provided with support from Ron's Toy Box (www.ronstoybox.com), is a small SUV, dark navy in color with air conditioning, cruise control, power windows, remote power locks and other features. The Blood Center will select a winner from everyone who registers to give blood at our Donor Centers and mobile blood drives until September 5. To learn more, visit www.bloodcenter.org/win.

ABOUT MVRBC: Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center is the provider of blood and blood components to more than 90 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. Locally, MVRBC is the exclusive provider to Genesis Health System, Select Specialty Hospital and UnityPoint Health - Quad Cities.

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Quad City friends and neighbors invited to attend informative presentation 

 

DAVENPORT, IA (June 30, 2015) - Senior Star at Elmore Place is pleased to present a discussion on the 10 early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14 at 4500 Elmore Avenue, Davenport.

Jerry Schroeder, senior program specialist with the Alzheimer's Association, will discuss early symptoms of the disease including memory loss disrupting daily life, challenges in planning and problem solving, withdrawal from work or social activities and confusion with time or place.

"Our ongoing relationship with the local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association has been vital in addressing a proactive approach to living well," said Marc Strohschein, executive director at Senior Star at Elmore Place.  "We will continue to offer informative presentations and seminars to community seniors, their families and friends as discussions with an expert beyond online research are beneficial."

According to the Alzheimer's Association website, the early signs of Alzheimer's are often mistaken for typical age-related changes such as memory loss.  It's important to understand the difference between normal cognitive experiences for aging adults and the symptoms of this disease as individuals may have one or more of the early signs of Alzheimer's in varying degrees.  With early detection, individuals are able to explore treatment options and plan for future care and support.

Refreshments will be served at the free presentation.  Seating is limited, so please RSVP by July 13 to reserve your spot at 563.359.0100.

To learn more about Senior Star at Elmore Place and Senior Star's innovative approach to memory care, please call 563.359.0100 or visit the website at www.seniorstar.com.

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.

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Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on the Supreme Court's ruling in King v. Burwell on the President's health care law.

"I respect the court and its role in our system of government, but Obamacare remains a terrible law.  It's led to too many people losing the coverage they had and spending more for what coverage they can get.  Iowans tell me directly in town meetings and in emails and letters to my office that they don't like the law.  Obamacare upended the whole health system instead of targeting what was wrong and fixing those problems.  Now the debate returns to the Congress and next year's presidential election.  I'm committed to replacing Obamacare with health care reforms that empower consumers, drive down costs, and use marketplace incentives to make health care coverage accessible and affordable.  The current majority in Congress is committed to repealing Obamacare and replacing it with effective reforms driven by the marketplace, not the heavy hand of government."