REKKI FOR BEGINNERS

Presentor:NEA WILLIAMS, Rekki Master

Nea will show you how to tap into your own energy and how to heal yourself.  Her presentation will also touch on the history of Reikki.

About the presentor:  Nea was trained by her Grandfather, a Knowing man with a natural gift and ability who opened many doors for her. He taught and trained her.  In the Quad City area, Nea has been trained by Jim Wright, Rekki Master.  Nea is a delivery driver for a motor parts company.

APRIL 29th. 2010
The Moline Club ( 2nd Floor)
513 16th Street, Moline
7.00 p.m. (doors open at 6.30 pm )
Light refreshments will be served
The event is free and open to the public

Please call 309-762-9202 for further information
www.qcinstitute.org

Independent Scholars' Evenings are sponsored by The Institute for Cultural and Healing Traditions, Ltd. &
and The Moline Commercial Club.

Iowa Governor Chet Culver plans bill-signing ceremony at Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center; law supports cost containment, promotes job growth by ending tax on blood testing reagents, equipment.

Davenport, Iowa -- Iowa Governor Chet Culver will visit the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC) later this week to sign a new law that will assist MVRBC in developing a regional testing laboratory with other Midwestern blood centers. The bill-signing ceremony is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 21 at MVRBC's Headquarters building (5500 Lakeview Pkwy., Davenport). State Senator Joe Seng, who sponsored the bill, will also attend the ceremony.

The bill includes a provision that would exempt a planned regional testing laboratory from paying state sales tax on testing reagents and equipment, a tax that currently costs MVRBC more than $400,000 annually. It received bipartisan support from all of the Iowa Quad Cities' legislative representatives. "This tax is ultimately paid by the hospitals and patients we serve," said MVRBC President David Green, noting that Iowa was the only state in the Midwest to tax not-for-profit community blood centers on their testing reagents and equipment. "We are grateful for the efforts of Sen. Seng and his colleagues in Des Moines to end this unfair tax and we are pleased that Gov. Culver has chosen our facility as the location where the bill will become law."

The regional testing laboratory would consolidate testing of blood donations for a group of Midwestern blood centers. Participating blood centers would lower their testing costs by integrating testing operations at a single location to leverage economies of scale. "Testing every unit ensures the products we provide to hospitals are safe, and that is our first obligation," said Green. "But there is a substantial fixed cost in running a laboratory to test blood. We will contain those costs by working together with others who have similar needs."

While it will help contain the cost of healthcare, the tax exemption on testing reagents and equipment is also viewed as an economic development bill because the tax, which is not assessed in neighboring states, was an impediment to locating the laboratory in Iowa. "This law helps us retain and grow high-quality jobs in our community as we continue our role in providing a critical resource to hospitals throughout our region," said Green.

If the regional laboratory is not developed in Iowa by January 2011, the tax exemption will expire. Discussions about the size and scope of the regional laboratory are ongoing.

Announcements of which centers are involved and the number of staff that would be hired to work in the laboratory cannot be made until agreements are finalized. "By signing the tax exemption into law, Gov. Culver allows to move forward in those discussions knowing we can locate this project in Iowa without paying an unfair tax on the purchase of testing reagents," said Green.

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Will encourage innovative physical education programs across America

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) introduced the Fitness for Life Act to combat childhood obesity and promote innovation in physical education curriculum. The bill is based on a successful partnership between the University of Northern Iowa and Grundy Center School District to develop innovative ways to embed technology in physical education curriculum. The Fitness for Life Act will create a competitive grant program that allows 10 colleges or universities to develop new methods of innovation in physical education with technology and ground-breaking teaching practices.

 

"America's obesity epidemic is spiraling out of control, jeopardizing America's physical and fiscal well-being," Braley said. "To teach our children healthy behaviors, I introduced the Fitness for Life Act, which will create a grant program based on UNI's successful 'Teaching with Technology' physical education program. I believe this legislation will have a tremendous impact, reducing childhood obesity and encouraging healthy behaviors in our children that will last a lifetime."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in four Iowa children are overweight or obese. Many obese and overweight children develop illnesses like heart disease or Type 2 diabetes, which require long-term medical care.

 

Building on UNI and Grundy Center's successful partnership, funds from this grant program would be used for the purchase of equipment and technology to increase or enhance physical activity and fitness levels, including heart rate monitors, fitness assessment systems and pocket PC's.

 

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WASHINGTON, April 14, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA will invest in pilot projects to increase access and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, among low-income seniors. Award grants totaling approximately $8 million will allow State agencies to pursue innovative outreach and delivery pilot projects.

"The Obama Administration has put in place unprecedented measures and legislation to combat hunger and poverty in America and to assist food insecure households," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Expanding nutrition assistance among underserved populations, such as seniors, will require us to seek innovative methods for program outreach and delivery. These grants will allow State agencies to pursue those programs and deliver help to Americans in need."

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is encouraging State agencies to submit grant applications for programs designed to boost SNAP participation among Medicare's Extra Help population. Extra Help, also called the Low Income Subsidy, is a program to help low-income individuals or couples with limited resources pay for their Medicare prescription drug plan costs. Under a new law, data from these applications is sent to State Medicaid agencies to enroll people in Medicare Savings Programs. FNS will provide funding to encourage the Extra Help population to participate in SNAP by using State Medicaid agency data from Medicare Savings Programs. FNS invites State agencies to submit applications that will implement outreach efforts, simplify eligibility, or standardize benefits for this population. The deadline to submit grant proposal applications is June 30, 2010.

"USDA has worked with State agencies for years on pilot programs to make it easier for elderly and disabled persons who get certain cash assistance from the Social Security Administration to enroll in SNAP. These projects aim at building on that success," said Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon. "The pilot programs under this announcement today further advance our mission of ensuring nutrition assistance for all those who are eligible."

While the participation rate among all eligible persons was 66 percent in 2007, the participation rate is less than one third (32%) among eligible elderly. Research shows multiple reasons why eligible people, including seniors, do not participate in SNAP. These include stigma, unawareness of eligibility, confusion about program rules and requirements, and lack of transportation.

FNS oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs that touch the lives of one in four Americans over the course of a year. The largest program, SNAP, puts healthy food on the table for more than 39.4 million people each month.

Interested State agencies may obtain grant applications at www.grants.gov or www.fns.usda.gov/snap

New Director to Boost Illinois' Quality of Care, Support Initiatives

CHICAGO - April 9, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today named State Representative Julie Hamos as Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS). As agency director, Hamos will focus on expanding access to healthcare while improving patient safety.

"Julie has served our state with professionalism and integrity for many years and is a longtime champion of improving access to healthcare," said Governor Quinn. "In this new role, she will continue to be a strong advocate for families in need of better, more efficient and patient-centered healthcare. Julie will also be instrumental in the Illinois implementation of President Obama's ground-breaking healthcare reform plan."

Hamos has served in the Illinois House of Representatives since 1999 and represents the 18th District. Previously, she worked as the legislative counsel and policy advisor to then-State's Attorney Richard M. Daley, before being appointed director of the Child Support Division, which overseas more than 300,000 child support cases each year. Hamos earned a Bachelor's degree from Washington University and a law degree George Washington University. (See attached background sheet.)

"I am honored to serve the people of Illinois as Director of Healthcare and Family Services and thank Governor Quinn for this opportunity," said Hamos. "I am a longtime advocate for expanding access to healthcare and believe in improving the quality of healthcare for Illinois families and protecting patients."

In 2003, Hamos worked to enact the Consumer Guide to Health Care Act, which requires hospitals and outpatient surgical treatment centers to disclose data on key measures for 30 medical procedures - part of a national movement to help consumers make comparisons based on quality healthcare data.

In 2005, Hamos sponsored legislation that created the Electronic Health Records Taskforce, and this year she is sponsoring the Illinois Health Information Exchange and Technology Act. That Act will establish a public-private Health Information Exchange Authority to work in conjunction with the Governor's Office of Health Information Technology to enable providers throughout Illinois to securely share patient health information, and it is a step toward the adoption of statewide electronic health records.

"Just a few weeks ago, President Obama signed historic legislation into law that will reform the healthcare system in our country," said Hamos. "I look forward to working on the frontline to carry out that reform throughout Illinois." 

Hamos succeeds former HFS Director Barry Maram, who is assisting in the leadership transition. Her position is effective April 16, 2010.

HFS provides affordable healthcare coverage for adults and children who qualify. The department also provides free child support enforcement services to help ensure that Illinois children receive financial support from both parents. For more information on HFS, please visit www.hfs.illinois.gov.
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WASHINGTON & DES MOINES (April 8, 2010)?As a part of its efforts to help older Americans understand the impact of the recently enacted health reform package, AARP has launched new on-line resources for people with questions about the new law.

The AARP Bulletin's new "Health Care Reform Explained" column - available at www.aarp.org/getthefacts - provides practical answers to questions submitted by visitors.  Each week, AARP is answering the top questions about the new health care reform law emailed by readers to HCRquestions@aarp.org.

"Older Americans have a lot at stake as the new health reform package rolls out, and they're having a hard time getting complete or consistent information about how it will affect them," said AARP Senior Vice President Drew Nannis.  "This new resource is just the latest part of our efforts to make sure they have straightforward, reliable information to make the best decisions for themselves and their families."

AARP's Get the Facts website hosts a user-friendly guide to understanding the benefits of the new health care law, as well as fact sheets in plain language on various topics including prescription drugs and long-term care.  The page offers information both for people in Medicare and for those with private health insurance.

The new "Health Care Reform Explained" column follows the model of the AARP Bulletin's "Ask Ms. Medicare" column, which has become the go-to consumer information resource for millions of people who navigate the in's and out's of the Medicare program.  Since announcing the new effort in an email to members late last week, more than 30,000 people have visited the page and submitted hundreds of questions.

Nannis added: "AARP will use all of our communication channels - from our publications and website to in-person events - to make sure that our members and all older Americans have reliable information about what they can expect - and how they can benefit - from health care reform."

AARP's web site will be continually updated with answers to the latest questions sent in to HCRquestions@aarp.org, as well as other useful information to help older Americans get the most out of the new health care reform law.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole.  AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates.  We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 35.7 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's 40 million members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org.  AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors.  We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Monday, April 5, 2010

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley is asking the Secretary of Health and Human Services to account for the fact that the agency that runs Medicare failed to respond for over a year to credible information about fraudulent pharmacies bilking Medicare.

The pharmacies in question included empty store fronts that successfully billed millions of dollars to private insurers, where they were identified, yet Medicare officials completely ignored the warnings, despite repeated warnings.

"Every Medicare dollar that's lost to fraud is a tax dollar wasted and a dollar that doesn't go to serve Medicare beneficiaries, as intended," Grassley said.

Here is Grassley's letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

This information comes on top of Inspector General reports last year about the Department's repeated failure to respond to formal reports about programmatic flaws that led to Medicare fraud, waste and abuse.

Conservative estimates say that at least $60 billion in Medicare dollars are lost every year to fraud, waste and abuse.  Earlier this year, Grassley introduced a comprehensive bill, the Strengthening Program Integrity and Accountability in Health Care Act, to combat this loss in federal health programs including Medicare.  It includes better screening requirements to keep fraudulent providers out of Medicare, as well as a stop-gap to prevent the federal government from paying first and asking questions later about whether claims for payment are legitimate.

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WASHINGTON - Chuck Grassley today said that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded two competitive grants totaling $3,030,257 to the Iowa Department of Public Health and the University of Iowa.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will distribute the money as shown below.

  • $2,745,257 to the Iowa Department of Public Health to help pay for the Ryan White Care Act Title II.

  • $285,000 to the University of Iowa from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to help pay for pharmacology, physiology and biological chemistry research project titled, "Evolution of Pre-mRNA Splicing in Primates."

Each year, thousands of local Iowa organizations, colleges and universities, individuals and state agencies apply for competitive grants from the federal government. The funding is then awarded based on each local organization or individual's ability to meet criteria set by the federal entity.

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Mar 29, 2010 Tucson, Arizona. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) became the first medical society to sue to overturn the newly enacted health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). AAPS sued Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (AAPS v. Sebelius et al.).

"If the PPACA goes unchallenged, then it spells the end of freedom in medicine as we know it," observed Jane Orient, M.D., the Executive Director of AAPS. "Courts should not allow this massive intrusion into the practice of medicine and the rights of patients."

"There will be a dire shortage of physicians if the PPACA becomes effective and is not overturned by the courts."

The PPACA requires most Americans to buy government-approved insurance starting in 2014, or face stiff penalties. Insurance company executives will be enriched by this requirement, but it violates the Fifth Amendment protection against the government forcing one person to pay cash to another. AAPS is the first to assert this important constitutional claim.


The PPACA also violates the Tenth Amendment, the Commerce Clause, and the provisions authorizing taxation. The Taxing and Spending power cannot be invoked, as the premiums go to private insurance companies. The traditional sovereignty of the States over the practice of medicine is destroyed by the PPACA.


AAPS notes that in scoring the proposal the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was bound by assumptions imposed by Congress, including the ability to "save" $500 billion in Medicare, and to redirect $50 billion from Social Security. HHS Secretary Sebelius stated that PPACA would reduce the federal deficit, knowing the opposite to be true if these assumptions are unrealistic.


AAPS asks the Court to enjoin the government from promulgating or enforcing insurance mandates and require HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue to provide the Court with an accounting of Medicare and Social Security solvency.

Congress recognized that PPACA cannot be funded without the insurance mandates, and will become unenforceable without them.

Court action is necessary "to preserve individual liberty" and "to prevent PPACA from bankrupting the United States generally and Medicare and Social Security specifically," AAPS stated.


AAPS is a voice for patient and physician independence since 1943. The complaint is posted at http://www.aapsonline.org/hhslawsuit

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, today made the following comment on media reports that the President will soon name Dr. Donald M. Berwick as his nominee to serve as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  The programs serve nearly one-third of all Americans.  The Finance Committee will handle the nomination.

"This is always a big job, but the administration of health care reform, which includes implementing the hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicare cuts and the biggest expansion of Medicaid in its history, will make it more challenging than ever.  The Finance Committee vetting will need to explore the nominee's preparedness for the enormous challenges that face the agency."

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