Category: LegacyImport2

Jefferson Health in New Jersey Receives MAAPE Proficiency Award

CHERRY HILL, NJ (Nov. 22, 2019)–Jefferson Health in New Jersey (JHNJ) recently received a Proficiency Award from the nonprofit Mid-Atlantic Alliance for Performance Excellence (MAAPE). The award is the next tier in JHNJ’s journey to achieve Baldrige Performance Excellence, after receiving MAAPE’s Commitment Award in 2017.

JHNJ began its Baldrige journey in 2017 — under the leadership of Dr. David Condoluci, Senior Vice President and Chief Patient Safety & Quality Officer; Kathleen Victor, Corporate Director for Performance Improvement; and Abbey Driendl, Performance Excellence Specialist — by using the

Baldridge Health Care Excellence Framework

. Many organizations use the framework to reach their goals, improve and sustain results, and become more competitive.

“I am pleased we have been awarded the next tier level in the Baldrige Journey,” said Joseph W. Devine, FACHE, President, New Jersey Division. “This is a monumental achievement for our program, after just two years on the journey. The award acknowledges our commitment to excellence, and our drive to establish and execute processes for continuous improvement.”

The MAAPE is a Baldrige-based awards program serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. MAAPE helps organizations improve their performance and outcomes; it uses the leading-edge Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence as the basis for its process and for giving feedback to applicants. The result of this feedback supports JHNJ’s performance advancement and achieving increasing levels of excellence through MAAPE and, eventually, at the national level through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The Baldrige Framework helps JHNJ accelerate its performance in 17 Health Care Criteria in leadership, strategy, customers, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce, operations, and results. Dr. Condoluci, who last spring completed the nationally recognized

Baldrige Executive Fellowship Program

, says, “We are excited to see this framework shape our organization to be a high-performing healthcare system dedicated to improving lives by putting people first, doing the right thing, and being bold and thinking differently.”

Devine will accept the award at MAAPE’s annual Awards Banquet & Conference, in Malvern, PA, on Nov. 13. Among the six other award recipients will be Abington – Jefferson Health, who will receive MAAPE’s Excellence Award, the highest level of recognition. For more, visit

www.midatlanticape.org

.

Salaries for Pennsylvania and New Jersey Governors are among the Highest in the Country

The Center Square

Nov 19, 2019

The governor of Pennsylvania now draws a yearly salary of $194,850, the fourth-highest salary among the governors of the 50 states, according to recently reported financial

Gloucester City News blog files

data and media reports.

Based on the most recent numbers, the average U.S. governor’s salary stands at $144,046.

Either state constitutions or statutes determine the governors’ salaries, according to

Ballotpeda.com

. But salaries are only one part of the compensation provided to states’ chief executives since other benefits can include an official residence, insurance and travel subsidies.

In some states, salaries rise automatically every year based on the rate of inflation or a previously determined percentage. In other states, however, legislatures must approve pay hikes before they can take effect.

—

Governor Salaries Among the 50 States, 2018-19

State

2018 Salary

2018 Rank

California *

$210,000

1

New York

$200,000

2

Massachusetts

$195,970

3

Pennsylvania

$194,850

4

Tennessee

$194,112

5

Washington

$183,072

6

Vermont

$178,274

7

Illinois

$177,412

8

Georgia

$175,000

9

New Jersey

$175,000

10

Virginia

$175,000

11

Delaware

$171,000

12

Maryland

$170,000

13

Nevada

$163,474

14

Michigan

$159,300

15

Hawaii

$158,700

16

Texas

$153,750

17

Ohio

$153,650

18

Wisconsin

$152,756

19

Connecticut

$150,000

20

Utah

$150,000

21

West Virginia

$150,000

22

Kentucky

$148,781

23

Arkansas

$148,134

24

Oklahoma

$147,000

25

Rhode Island

$145,755

26

Alaska

$145,000

27

North Carolina

$144,349

28

Idaho

$138,302

29

New Hampshire

$134,581

30

Missouri

$133,821

31

Florida

$130,273

32

Iowa

$130,000

33

Louisiana

$130,000

34

North Dakota

$129,096

35

Minnesota

$127,629

36

Mississippi

$122,160

37

Indiana

$121,331

38

Alabama

$120,395

39

Montana

$118,397

40

South Dakota

$113,961

41

New Mexico

$110,000

42

South Carolina

$106,078

43

Nebraska

$105,000

44

Wyoming

$105,000

45

Kansas

$99,636

46

Oregon

$98,600

47

Arizona

$95,000

48

Colorado

$92,700

49

Maine

$70,000

50

U.S. average

$144,046

—

* as of December 2019

Source:

Ballotpedia.org

; media reports

published here with permission of

The Center Square

$90 Million Powerball Jackpot; Next Drawing Saturday

Thousands of New Jersey Players Win Prizes

TRENTON (Nov. 21, 2019) – The Powerball jackpot has rolled to $90 million! Although no one won the jackpot in the Nov. 20, drawing, 17,725 New Jersey players took home an estimated $92,092 in prizes ranging from $4 to $200, according to Lottery Acting Executive Director James Carey.

The winning numbers for the Wednesday, Nov. 20, drawing were: 07, 15, 39, 40 and 57. The Red Power Ball number was 12. The Multiplier number was 02. The Powerball jackpot rolls to $90,000,000 for the next drawing to be held Saturday Nov. 23, at 10:59 pm.

Jefferson Health New Jersey Using MyChart for Patient Medical Records

On September 28, Jefferson Health in New Jersey transitioned to a new patient portal called MyChart. The innovative, user-friendly platform will enhance the safety and security of the organization of medical records, as well as offer unique benefits to

patients.

MyChart allows patients to access real-time results, right at their fingertips, explains Brenda Gorman, oncology assistant at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center – Washington Township.

“It’s one chart – everywhere you go,” said Gorman. “That’s what we are so excited about! All of the patient’s information will be comprehensive, in one spot, to help us provide the best possible care.”

If you’re a Jefferson Health patient using MyChart through a secure, internet connection, you can:

Schedule medical appointments during or after office hours.

Swap your appointment for an earlier one.

Message your provider directly (*note: not meant for urgent matters).

Schedule video visits with Jefferson Health doctors.

View test results electronically – no more waiting for a phone call or letter in the mail.

Request prescription refills at Jefferson pharmacies.

View your health information while you\’re in the hospital, with

MyChart Bedside

, a 24/7 tool that provides you with safe and secure access to your medical record, treatment plan, test results and more.

If you or a loved one requires additional assistance in managing and navigating medical care, you can also

assign a Proxy

through MyChart. If you are a parent, legal guardian or other designated adult, you might be eligible to become a designated proxy.

Gorman and all other clinical employees at Jefferson Health in New Jersey have received extensive training in MyChart and Epic (the new internal electronic medical record system).

“It’s our priority to have complete accuracy in each patient’s chart,” continued Gorman. “In addition, no one can access patient records without a proper, credential login, and we can see everyone who views a chart. We want these records to be as safe as our patients.”

With this transition, you’ll be able to manage your healthcare information like never before. You can sign-up for MyChart at your next Jefferson Health visit.

To learn more about MyChart, including how to login, schedule an appointment, pay your bill online, and more, click

HERE

.

Check out Jefferson Health in New Jersey\’s journey to implementing Epic and MyChart by watching the video below!

Pennsylvania Game Commission Director Touts the Advantage of Sunday Hunting

By Kim Jarrett |

The Center Square

After years of debate, Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania appears to be on a path for approval. The bill passed by the House of Representatives last month will allow hunting on three Sundays.

The Senate is expected to take up the bill as soon as Monday, and reports indicate that Gov. Tom Wolf is inclined to sign it.

The bill is a “positive step in the right direction,” said Bryan Burhans, executive director of the Pennsylvania Game and Fish Commission. He has worked in several states where Sunday hunting passed and fought off the same arguments.

“There’s religious groups that would say, ‘Hey, Sundays are for worship,’” Burhans said this week on the PCN Call-in show, noting also that some people enjoy having a day to be in the woods without having to worry about hunters.

But no one should have to be worried about hunters because the sport is extremely safe and the state’s safety record is “second-to-none,” Burhans said.

Sunday hunting may also bring an economic boost to Pennsylvania. Burhans said he knows several people who hunt on Sunday in surrounding states, where it is legal.

Burhans also addressed chronic wasting disease (CWD), which affects the state’s deer population. While some deer infected with the disease may have a drooping head, be salivating and not be afraid of humans, some deer will show no signs for up to two year after they are infected. The disease has not been reported in humans.

The state has set up disease management areas where infected deer have been found. The numbers of infected deer are growing but remains below 5 percent, Burhans said.

The Game Commission offers free testing of deer heads, Burnham said. The testing is completed in two to three weeks, Burhans said.

Public comments are being accepted until February 2020 on a comprehensive plan to address CWD. Some of the possible solutions include extending deer season and allowing hunters to take additional antlered deer in an isolated area where an infected deer was found.

Burhans reiterated what he said earlier about the importance of hunters.

“Without the effort they put in hunting and harvesting deer, and submitting samples from the deer they harvest in CWD areas, our collective fight to slow CWDs spread and limit the disease where it exists in Pennsylvania would be all the more an uphill battle,” he said.

published with permission of

The Center Square

\’An act of faith and kindness\’: How Buddy Checks make a difference

(Photo by Steven B. Brooks)

T

he American Legion

NOV 20, 2019

Prior to Veterans Day, American Legion National Commander Bill Oxford

called on Legionnaires

to follow up on the inaugural Buddy Checks to fellow veterans that debuted last March and received National Executive Committee support the following spring.

During the 2019 Spring Meetings, the NEC passed Resolution 18, which calls for the twice-annual Buddy Checks to be conducted Legion-wide on the weeks of The American Legion’s birthday and Veterans Day.

American Legion posts again stepped up. In Weehawken, N.J., members of Post 18

took to the streets

to connect with members of the post who haven’t been active in recent years, including one 91-year-old World War II widower.

“That’s what (non-commissioned officers) do in the service. You’re supposed to check up on your troops,” Post 18 Commander Chris Page said. “We’re charged … with the health and welfare of our troops. What we like to do is check up on our members and make sure they’re OK. We also check in on their families as well. It goes back to helping out with the community.”

And in Fort Gibson, Okla., members of Frank Gladd Post 20 were conducting Buddy Checks and came into contact with an 87-year-old Korean War veteran who hadn’t paid his membership dues in two years. Past Post and District Commander Jim Quinn said the veteran told the post he could no longer make it to post meetings and that his membership in the Legion was no longer important to anyone.

“I was dispatched to the veteran\’s house with his membership card,” Quinn said. “When I arrived at the veteran’s house, he invited me in and we had about a half-hour conversation about the current weather and our time in service. I asked him about his welfare and if there was anything we at the post could do for him. He replied that he was fine but he had trouble driving.”

Quinn left the veteran’s membership card with him and “told him if he needed any help with going places to call the post and we would arrange to take him where he needed to go. He told me he was not in that bad of shape but if he needed help he would call.”

The post processed the veteran’s membership with “Pay It Forward” funds. Two weeks later the veteran called the post and requested Quinn return to his house. “When I arrived he presented me with a check for his 2019 and 2020 dues,” Quinn said. “The moral of this story is cast your bread upon the waters, and it will be returned to you tenfold. An act of faith and kindness shown to this veteran convinced him that his post stands for the ideals of The American Legion and not just to collect dues.”

The following are a few more examples of what posts did on Veterans Day or have developed as programs to follow the Buddy Check philosophy.

• In St. James, N.C., American Legion Post 543 had a busy Veterans Day weekend that included distributing poppies that Saturday, and taking part in a parade and a Veterans Day picnic. A Buddy Check also was performed on Veterans Day, when the post’s honor guard and officers visited the Carillion Assisted Living where – after the colors were presented and the national anthem played – veteran residents were given a challenge coin from the Post 543 Commander George Freeman, and widows of veterans were given U.S. flags representing their loved ones’ service. Post 543 Service Officer Steve Muir said the post also has 70 active programs that regularly reach out to veterans in need in the community. “I must say that what Post 543 does in the Brunswick County, North Carolina community goes way beyond Buddy Checks,” said Muir.

• In Blue Ash, Ohio, American Legion Post 630 has initiated a “Never Alone” program. Coordinating with the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, the post receives notice whenever a veteran with no known family passes away. The post ensures there are veterans graveside to give their fellow veteran the proper farewell. The program was the idea of Post 630 member Pat Buschman.

Two Warrant Officers Die When Their Helicopter Crashes in Afghanistan

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kirk T. Fuchigami Jr. (left) and Chief Warrant Officer 2 David C. Knadle,

Nov. 21, 2019–The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Freedom\’s Sentinel.

Both soldiers died Nov. 20, 2019, in Logar Province, Afghanistan, when their helicopter crashed while providing security for troops on the ground. The incident is under investigation.

The deceased are:

Chief Warrant Officer 2 David C. Knadle, 33, from Tarrant, Texas.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kirk T. Fuchigami Jr., 25, from Keaau, Hawaii.

Both soldiers were assigned to 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

For more information regarding CW2 David C. Knadle and CW2 Kirk T. Fuchigami Jr., media may contact Lt. Col. Chris Brautigam, 1st Cavalry Division public affairs officer at 254-287-9398 or

christopher.r.brautigam.mil@mail.mil

.

Camden County Prosecutor Concludes Use of Force by Police was Accidental in Camden City Shooting

CAMDEN CITY, NJ (Nov. 21, 2019)–The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office (“CCPO”) has completed its investigation into the use of force by an Investigator of the Camden

County Sheriff’s Department and has concluded that the use of force was accidental and not criminal.  The CCPO determined that it is not necessary to present this matter to the Grand Jury because there were no material facts in dispute regarding the lawfulness of the use of force.  The investigation was conducted in accordance with the Attorney General’s Independent Prosecutor Directive (July 28, 2015, Supplemental Law Enforcement Directive Regarding Uniform Statewide Procedures and Best Practices for Conducting Police Use of Force Investigations) (“Directive”).  Pursuant to the Directive, the Attorney General’s Office conducted an independent review of the use of force and agreed with the CCPO’s determination that there were no material facts in dispute and that the actions of  the Investigator in this case that led to the accidental discharge were justified.  The Attorney General’s Office concurred with the CCPO’s conclusion to forego presentation of this matter to the Grand Jury.

The incident occurred on August 22, 2018, within a residence located on 2

nd

Street, in the City of Camden.  The Investigator accidentally discharged his department-issued handgun, while clearing a residence during the execution of a narcotics, no-knock, search warrant, resulting in a graze wound to the arm of a seventeen-year-old male.  Upon entering the basement apartment, the Investigator encountered a male resident in the hallway.  That resident refused to comply with the Investigator’s commands to get onto the ground and to stop moving toward the investigator and his team behind him.  As a result, the Investigator unholstered his weapon to use the flashlight attached to the frame of his weapon, directly in front of the trigger guard.  As the Investigator tried to flick the flashlight and momentarily distract the resident, he accidentally hit the trigger instead.  The resident was not injured.  However, his seventeen-year-old friend was behind him in the hallway, and his arm was grazed.

Personnel from the CCPO responded and conducted an investigation.  Statements were taken from the Investigator, the resident, and the other officers present.  During the course of the investigation, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office complied with all portions of the Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Directive regarding uniform statewide procedures and best practices for conducting police use-of-force investigations.  The investigation revealed that the discharge was accidental and that the Investigator’s actions were not criminal.  Accordingly, no criminal charges are being filed against the Investigator with regard to this incident.

Following the investigation, the CCPO charged the resident with multiple counts of Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Distribution/Intent to Distribute a Controlled Dangerous Substance and Distribution/Intent to Distribute a Controlled Dangerous Substance within 500 feet of a Park.

All persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The undisputed facts indicate the Investigator’s conduct was justifiable under the law, and taking all of the facts into account, all of the evidence supports the conclusion that the discharge was accidental.  Accordingly, our investigation and review of all information failed to disclose sufficient evidence to prove an allegation of criminal conduct against the Investigator.  This statement was prepared and disseminated to the public in accordance with §8 of the Directive.

Released Thursday, November 21, 2019

Report Shows How Google Promoted Amazon Over Over Smaller Competitors

Chris White |

The Daily Caller

Google makes algorithmic changes to help larger corporations over smaller ones and the mega search engine boosted Amazon and Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing inside sources.

The company made algorithmic changes to its search results that favored fellow big tech giants,

according

to the report, which relied on an analysis of the company’s system and interviews with sources. Google believes customers prefer products from larger outlets, the report notes.

The move to tilt algorithms toward monster corporations, which was a hotly discussed decision inside the company, boosted Amazon’s products, even if such items were discontinued, the report notes, citing sources.

Google pushed back on TheWSJ’s representation of its algorithms.  “It’s inaccurate to suggest we did not address issues like discontinued products appearing high up in results,” Lara Levin, the spokeswoman, told reporters.

Google also takes measures to help Silicon Valley giants Facebook and Amazon appear more often in search results, one source told TheWSJ.

“There’s this idea that the search algorithm is all neutral and goes out and combs the web and comes back and shows what it found, and that’s total BS,” the former executive said. “Google deals with special cases all the time.”

Levin addressed that issue, too.

“We prioritize issues based on impact, not any commercial relationships,” she said, noting that the search team does not seek to provide specialized guidance to website owners. Faster indexing of a site does not guarantee more results, Levin added.

TheWSJ report also highlighted several examples where Google shut off a company’s lifeline. Online marketer eBay, for instance saw a $200 million hit on its revenue in 2014 after Google lowered the ranking of several of eBay pages that provided traffic to eBay.

Executives decided to pressure Google, with employees meeting with search engineers, the report notes.

Google agreed to improve rankings as eBay worked to make its pages more “useful and relevant,” sources told TheWSJ. The corrections did not prevent Google from later levelling more demotions on eBay, the report notes.

TheWSJ report dovetails with an exclusive the Daily Caller

broke in April

in which documents showed Google employed two official policies called the “misrepresentation policy” and the “good neighbor policy” that informed the company’s “XPA news blacklist.”

“The deceptive_news domain blacklist is going to be used by many search features to filter problematic sites that violate the good neighbor and misrepresentation policies,” the policy document states, according to the TheDC’s report.

WSJ’s Friday report will not tamp down calls from Democrats and Republicans to investigate Google.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for instance, released a plan in March to

impose

new rules on tech companies with $25 billion or more in annual ad revenue, forcing Amazon and Google to dramatically reduce their hold on online commerce. She

announced

her bid to run

against

President Donald Trump in February.

Trump is also a critic of Google and other tech companies. He

laid

into CEO Sundar Pichai in August after a company insider claimed at the time that the tech giant is preparing to foil the president’s reelection bid.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact

licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

published here with permission

The Daily Caller

Ohio State Program Helps Pet Owners Cope During Grief Process

Newswise — COLUMBUS, Ohio – Making end-of-life decisions for your pet or coping with the loss of an animal is something that no pet owner wants to think about. A program at

The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center

recognizes the importance of human-animal bonds and

provides grief support for pet owners facing tough decisions for their animal.

“Grief is a very real and life-impacting feeling – whether that loss of a loved one is a human or animal,” said Joelle Nielsen, a licensed social worker and Honoring the Bond program coordinator at Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center. “We believe every veterinary medical center should have a social worker available to support pet owners navigating this loss.”

The

Honoring the Bond

program at Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center is one of only about 30 programs in the U.S. that provides a full time social worker to support pet owners faced with the loss of their beloved pet.

“If you go to a human hospital, you’re guaranteed to have the support of either a social worker or a chaplain. That’s rare in a veterinary hospital setting,” Nielsen said.

Credit: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Sally Malaret made a scrapbook to remember her dog, Max. Talking to a veterinary social worker after Max passed away helped Sally cope with the loss and open her heart to her new dog, Fiona.

Ohio State’s Veterinary Medical Center treats more than 40,000 pets each year with a variety of specialty services ranging from emergency medicine to oncology. Nielsen works as a liaison between the veterinary team and the client to help sort through confusing medical terminology, offer support for those coming in on an unexpected emergency basis, assist with processing difficult end-of-life decisions, facilitate family discussions with children and provide assessment and referral for additional resources.

Nielsen acknowledges that­ – as with any type of grief – the process is different for everyone and stresses that one of the most important things she does with pet owners is to normalize their experience. “It’s common for people to face conflicting feelings generated from a societal stigma surrounding grieving the loss of an animal,” said Nielsen. “I want people to know that it’s completely normal to grieve the loss of their pet.” Nielsen suggests the following to help people through the loss of a beloved pet:

Try not to compare your experience to others.

We all grieve differently.

Remember there is no standard timeline for the grief process.

The goal is to begin to feel better as the days go by but there may be ups and downs.

Find an outlet for your emotions.

If talking about your feelings is difficult, you can also memorialize your pet by making a scrapbook, creating a memory box or journaling.

Find a pet loss support group

, book, website or therapist who specializes in pet loss for ongoing support.

If the sadness doesn’t ease with time,

don’t be afraid to seek help from a professional counselor.

Nielsen developed and coordinates the Hospital-Based Veterinary Social Work Group, which provides support and collaborative opportunities for the small niche of social workers employed by veterinary medical centers across the U.S. and Canada.

“We hope this group can serve as a model for veterinary medical centers and ultimately expand support services to more pet owners,” Nielsen said.

To learn more about the Honoring the Bond Program, visit

vet.osu.edu/honoringthebond

###