Tell the DC Mayor to Make One City Possible

Via Miriam’s Kitchen:

DC Mayor Vincent Gray is currently finalizing his proposed city budget for fiscal year 2013. Now is the time for us to let him know that we want to make DC a comfortable place for all people to live.

We’re joining forces with the Fair Budget Coalition and their Make One City Possible campaign, and are calling and emailing Mayor Gray today to let him know that we need his help to ensure our guests have the resources they need to survive.

In particular, we’d like Mayor Gray to:

• Direct $34 million in funding to DC’s core affordable and supportive housing programs.
• Invest $2.25 million to provide intensive employment support and stable housing to enable homeless families on TANF to move towards self-sufficiency. 
• Invest $2.5 million to create housing and social services for homeless young people.
• Encourage DC’s housing and human services agencies to work together to reduce pressure on the emergency shelter system by helping tenants avoid unnecessary evictions. 

Our guests depend on many of these programs and it’s important that we let Mayor Gray know how critical these programs are to our guests’ survival. 

We’ve heard from city government that these calls and emails really do make a difference, which is why we’re asking you to join us today.
Please join us by calling or emailing Mayor Gray today (here’s his contact information and some suggested text) and letting him know that you want to Make One City Possible too.

The Business of Football Infographic

IBM SmartCloud Enterprise Solutions

Nymgo contest offering free tickets anywhere to celebrate relaunch

Abraham Harrison’s new client, Nymgo, has now completely re-developed its networking infrastructure and is accordingly re-launching its product, website and brand with a completely new look and set of functions that pushes the envelope of mass consumer VoIP technology in 2012 — and, to celebrate that launch, they’re also offering 5 tickets to anywhere to a lucky 5 folks.

This contest is called the “Nymgo, fly me to visit someone” contest and it takes place on its regional Facebook pages for Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan — one round-trip ticket to anywhere in the world will be available to  each Facebook Page by simply choosing a friend they would like to visit. The contestant simply uploads a picture along with a required caption (maximum 500 words) explaining why they should win the trip to see that person.

Marvin White joins Fuad El-Hibri at Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.

“Mr. White's expertise in financial management, gained in a patient-focused health care system and service-oriented environment, will prove an invaluable asset in guiding Emergent's management team towards further growth and in increasing value for shareholders,” Fuad El-Hibri, Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.'s chairman and CEO, said. “We are delighted to welcome him to Emergent's Board of Directors, composed of seasoned experts with diverse skill sets.”

Goethe-Institut Summer 2010 Schedule of Events

• Goethe-Institut Washington is an organization dedicated to providing access to the German language, culture and society, and fostering intercultural exchange in the Washington, DC area. It is part of the international network of Goethe-Institutes, and is a non-profit organization supported in part by the German government. There are 149 Goethe-Institutes and 11 liaison offices in 92 countries.
• The Goethe-Institut Washington offers a wide selection of classes this summer for every skill level, with both regular and intensive classes, including Elementary German A1, Elementary German A2, Intermediate German B1, An Introduction to Reading Scholarly German, and more — view the full schedule. Registration for summer classes is currently open.
• Goethe-Institut Washington is now on Twitter and Facebook. Our weekly email newsletter keeps subscribers informed of our German cultural events and courses; more local events, class information, quizzes, questions, answers, and other resources are available by following and/or liking us.
• The Goethe-Institut Washington presents films (classics and new; features and documentaries) every Monday night in its screening room. German films are screened with English subtitles. The May-July film series presents a selection of award-winning films from the Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival, including 12 Angry Men, Signs of Life (Lebenszeichen), Solo Sunny, Trace of the Bears (Spur der Bären), Veronika Voss (Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss), Life is All You Get (Das Leben ist eine Baustelle) and Head-On (Gegen die Wand). View the Goethe-Institut Washington’s full schedule of cultural events.
• FotoGalerie, the Goethe-Institut Washington’s exhibition space, is an ongoing showcase for the work of young German photographers. In Our Time – Photographs by Anne Lass is on display through the end of May. Next up: an annual favorite, winning works from Germany’s annual graduate photography competition, gute aussichten: new german photography 2009/2010, will be on display June-August. View the Goethe-Institut Washington’s full schedule of cultural events.

Register with Team USA for tomorrow’s Winter Games

Tomorrow marks the first day of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver, BC.  Years of training, hard work, discipline and relentless dedication have given the great athletes of Team USA the right edge to grab that gold.  To make sure you keep track of who is skiing the fastest and skating the hardest, register with TeamUSA.org where fans get chance to take part in all of the action.  GO USA!

Register at TeamUSA.org and you will:

• Receive exclusive updates during the Winter Games
• Get the inside scoop, event by event
• Hear directly from our Olympic athletes as they chase their dream
• Be able to download photo and video highlights, right to your desktop

There is more than one way to get involved with this year’s Olympics.  Show your support by making a donation or becoming a member the Sixth Ring.  Check out TeamUSAnews.org and get ready to rally behind the great USA!

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) prevention week

When someone develops an infection at a hospital or other patient care facility that they did not have prior to treatment, this is referred to as a healthcare-associated (sometimes hospital-acquired) infection (HAI).

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a global crisis affecting both patients and healthcare workers.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at any point in time, 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infections acquired in hospitals.

A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report published in March-April 2007 estimated the number of U.S. deaths from healthcare asociated infections in 2002 at 98,987.

The risk of acquiring healthcare-associated infections in developing countries is 2-20 times higher than in developed countries.

Afflicting thousands of patients every year, HAI often leads to lengthening hospitalization, increasing the likelihood of readmission, and adding sizably to the cost of care per patient.

Financially, HAIs represent an estimated annual impact of $6.7 billion to healthcare facilities, but the human cost is even higher.

Until recently, a lack of HAI reporting requirements for healthcare facilities has contributed to less-than-optimal emphasis being placed on eliminating the sources of healthcare associated infections. However, growing public anxiety regarding the issue and resulting legislation on state and local levels demanding accountability is serving to accelerate initiatives to combat HAIs.

To learn more about the impact of healthcare-associated infections for both medical professionals and patients, please visit www.haiwatch.com.

About Not on My Watch Prevention Campaign
To protect patients by reducing the risk of HAI, healthcare professionals must continually update their knowledge of infection management.

As part of an ongoing commitment to quality care and infection prevention, nationwide doctors and hospitals are partnering with Kimberly-Clark to deliver continuing education programs on healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevention to staff and management. As simple as education sounds, busy doctors and nurses on the front lines of delivering care can find it difficult to find the time to take advantage of scheduled programs within their hospitals.
The HAI Education Program is part of a national infection awareness campaign for healthcare professionals called “Not on My Watch” and will provide the facility with a toolkit that contains informational flyers, patient safety tips and posters.

The "Not on My Watch" campaign provides accredited continuing education (CE) programs based on best practices and guidelines as well as research available on reducing the incidence of healthcare-associated infections.

For details about the "Not On My Watch" campaign, and the HAI Education Bus please visit www.HAIwatch.com.

HAI Education Bus

At Kimberly-Clark, it’s our mission to find innovative ways to develop and maintain a variety of accredited education, equipping healthcare providers with critical insights and information on today’s important clinical issues. That’s why we’re proud to introduce the HAI Education Bus, an impressive new one-of-a-kind mobile classroom that brings accredited CE education right to your door.

Look for this tour bus as it makes its way across the country, delivering education about healthcare-associated infections and other critical healthcare issues from the plains of Texas to the California coast to New York City and places in between.

Types of Healthcare-Associated Infections
Ventilator - Associated Pneumonia (VAP)

VAP is the source of the highest morbidity and mortality of all Healthcare Associated Infections.

Read More About VAP


Surgical Site Infections (SSIs)

Any breach of patient skin can lead to a surgical site infection.

Read More About SSIs



Cross Contamination (Contact Transfer)

Contact transfer (touch contamination) is the number one source of Healthcare Associated Infections.

Read More About Contact Transfer

About HAI Watch
HAI Watch is your resource for collateral and supplies to help keep your organization aware of the importance of healthcare associated infection prevention. The following guidelines on hand hygiene in healthcare settings and other tips are available now, but keep checking back. New HAI awareness tools will be added on an ongoing basis.

About Kimberly-Clark Health Care
At Kimberly-Clark Health Care, we deliver innovative healthcare solutions that you can depend on to meet the demands of your fast-paced world, supported by in-service training, clinical research and accredited education.

Our solutions help you prevent, diagnose, and manage major issues in these clinical areas: Infection Prevention (Protection & Infection Control, Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia and Surgical Site Infections), Digestive Health and Pain Management.

About Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries.

Every day, 1.3 billion people - nearly a quarter of the world's population - trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being.

With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 137-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com