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CURRENT NEWS

WHS teacher is connected to the NFL through George Taliaferro

February 2nd, 2012 by admin

Dawn Knight, a graduate of Indiana University and an English teacher at Westfield High School will be hosting a book signing and discussion of her book, Taliafero-Breaking Barriers From the NFL Draft to the Ivory Tower at 11:00 am on Saturday, February 4 at the Carmel/Westfield store.

Ms. Knight, a recipient of FOREWORD Magazine’s Book Of the Year Award for Sports, was a student in Mr.Taliaferro’s class at Indiana University fifty years after he broke racial barriers there as a star on Indiana’s undefeated football team of 1945. Surprised that she had never heard of her professor’s story as the Jackie Robinson of the NFL, Knight resolved to tell this amazing story—and as NFL sports analyst Tony Dungy, wrote: “every African American in the NFL today owes a debt of gratitude to George…”

“We, at Barnes & Noble Carmel/Westfield, are excited during this Super Bowl Weekend and Black History Month, to have Dawn Knight, discuss her biography about the legendary Indiana University football player, NFL star and pathfinder, George Taliaferro and the challenges he faced as an athlete and citizen”, said Thomas E. McLean, Community Relations Manager.

The book signing will follow Ms. Knight’s discussion and a brief question and answer period.

Sickweather and Community Health Network team up for Super Bowl

February 1st, 2012 by admin

While watchful eyes have been paying close attention to the weather forecast for Super Bowl weekend, another kind of forecast is being monitored by Sickweather, the world’s first real-time service that forecasts sickness and allows fans to self-report common illnesses, such as colds and the flu, based on their geographical location. After fans report illnesses at Sickweather.com, they’ll be able to schedule an online appointment at one of Community Health Network’s MedCheck locations for treatment. Appointments can be made via a smartphone through MedCheck WebAhead, a scheduling application.

“February is the height of cold and flu season in the U.S. and there will be plenty of Super Bowl patrons who won’t let a cough stop them from going to the big game,” said Graham Dodge, CEO & co-founder of Sickweather. “We’ll not only be tracking the impact of the Super Bowl on the health of Indianapolis, but also directing visitors and locals alike to the nearest MedCheck clinics, so they can get the help that they need.”

Community and Sickweather are placing reciprocal links on their respective web sites. Once on the Sickweather.com website, fans and visitors can see a Central Indiana map, along with the six MedCheck urgent care clinics located around Indianapolis. They can then automatically link to a quick and easy real-time appointment scheduling mobile application to book an appointment and avoid the wait.

“The Super Care Clinic, established by local healthcare providers and located in Super Bowl Village, is still the most convenient option for Super Bowl fans,” said Dan Rench, vice president of eBusiness at Community Health Network. “However, if they are staying with family and friends in surrounding areas of the city, our MedCheck WebAhead smartphone scheduling application can be a huge time saver.”

 

About Community Health Network

Ranked among the nation’s most integrated healthcare systems, Community Health Network is Central Indiana’s leader in providing convenient access to exceptional healthcare services, where and when patients need them—in hospitals, health pavilions and doctor’s offices, as well as workplaces, schools and homes. As a non-profit health system with over 100 sites of care and affiliates throughout Central Indiana, Community’s full continuum of care integrates hundreds of physicians, specialty and acute care hospitals, surgery centers, home care services, MedChecks, behavioral health and employer health services. To learn more, visit eCommunity.com or call 800-777-7775.

About Sickweather

Sickweather is an online social health network and the world’s first real-time sickness mapping and forecasting server, currently available in a public beta release. For more information, please visit: http://www.sickweather.com.

Super Baskets of Hope to deliver 7,000 baskets to hospitalized children

January 25th, 2012 by admin

Former Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy, Riley Children’s Foundation, and Basket of Hope are making a difference for 7,000 hospitalized children. Super Baskets of Hope is the first-ever Super Bowl host city service project that reaches across the nation.

Super Baskets of Hope will deliver 7,000 gift-filled baskets to critically ill children in each of America’s 32 NFL markets – including Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis – and throughout Indiana.

Northview Church in Carmel helped tag and deliver 7,000 Pillow Pets donated by KLOVE radio in memory of Jacob McConahay, a Westfield 7-year-old who died of cancer. The story of his Pillow Pet mission is here: http://www.rileykids.org/stories/archives/jake_mcconahay/.

Nearly 1,000 volunteers will gather January 30 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis to fill baskets with items that will provide entertainment and inspiration to sick children. NFL players, coaches, alumni and other regional volunteers will deliver the baskets to children in each city.

For Dungy, this is a natural extension of the Basket of Hope program, for which he is the national spokesman. The program’s goal is to nurture hospitalized children mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But, as Dungy notes, “I think this program does as much for the volunteers as it does for the kids. To see the fight and resolve these children have is truly special. After these visits, we feel they’ve helped us see life more clearly.”

For further details visit www.SuperBasketsofHope.org. Donations can be made on the web site as well as by texting RILEY to 90999 for a $5 contribution.

 

Indiana State announces dean’s list

January 24th, 2012 by admin

Indiana State University has announced its dean’s list for the fall semester. Students must have a 3.5 grade point average or above on a 4.0 scale in order to be eligible for the dean’s list at Indiana State.

Area students making the fall 2011 ISU dean’s list include Kayla Hanley of Arcadia; Amy Nakanishi of Brimfield; Kayla Blackburn, Megan Bowers, Amanda Crabb, Jennifer Desotell, Sara Hochgesang, Randall Miller, Jeffrey Pierce and Jasmine Stiles, all of Carmel; David Harbit and Avery Hollenback, both of Cicero; Kristin Becker, Nicholas Blackwell, Katherine Graham, Jessica Hupp, Amanda Jones, Valerie Keller, Ann Lawton, Danielle Rasor, Matthew Thomas and Rylan Wistrom, all of Fishers; Samantha Duncan of Fortville; Tina Sprinkle of Kennewick; Joshua Bowen of Indianapolis; Christina Beyerl of McCordsville; David Badger, Anna Buck, Allison Davis, Nicholas Dawson, Lauren Gonzales, Natalie Hottinger, Alexa Larkin, Victoria Lepper, Paige Moore and Andrew Skaggs, all of Noblesville; Erick Pickett of Sheridan; and James Curtis, Chelsea Ligon and Christopher Morin, all of Westfield

Meet Your Teacher – Michelle Snyder

January 23rd, 2012 by admin

Meet Your Teacher – Michelle Snyder

Name: Michelle Snyder

Grade/Subject at what school: First Grade, Shamrock Springs Elementary School

Number of years teaching: 15

Background/Schooling (college and high school):

Highland High School, Anderson, Ind.
B.S. Elementary Education, Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind.

M.A Education Administration, Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind.

Why did you become a teacher? Teaching is in my blood! My dad was an elementary school principal. Thus, I spent a lot of time at school. I always enjoyed that time. During high school, I spent my summers working for the local parks department. That’s truly when I knew I wanted to become a teacher. I really enjoyed being around and helping the children. It was nice to feel like I was making a difference in their lives. I became a teacher to make a difference.

What goals do you have for your students? I encourage my students to always do their personal best and to strive to be better. I have high expectations and my students really try to meet those expectations. My main goal is for my students to grow as much as possible academically, socially, emotionally and behaviorally while in my class.

What do you encourage parents to do at home to help their children strengthen particular skills? It is important to spend time really talking with your child. Teach them things in their natural environment. You can teach things no matter where you are – in the car, at the store, taking a walk, etc. Quality time is what really matters.

Name your favorite movie. My favorite movie is “The Notebook.”

Name your favorite musician or band. I listen to various types of music. It depends on my mood. A few artists I enjoy are Chris Tomlin, Tim McGraw, Pink and Lifehouse.

What’s something your students might not know about you? In high school, I was a majorette and marched and performed in the Disney World parade!

Senate committee supports redevelopment commission legislation

January 22nd, 2012 by admin

Members of the Senate Committee on Local Government voted 8-1 last week in favor of legislation authored by Sen. Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) that would provide additional oversight and improve the transparency of redevelopment commissions in Indiana.

“Redevelopment commissions are important tools for economic development, but they shouldn’t be able to operate under veils of secrecy,” Kenley said. “There have been too many instances across the state of these commissions spending large sums of taxpayer money without proper public notice or proper review and approval by elected officials.”

Senate Bill 25 would require redevelopment commissions to gain approval by legislative or fiscal bodies of local units of government before using public funds, except for the acquisition of real property and where the payments are for three years or less,or the purchase price is less than $5 million.

Redevelopment commissions are quasi-agencies established by local units of government to assist in addressing conditions of blight in a community. The creation of a redevelopment commission comes with a special taxing unit and allows a property tax levy to be used for redevelopment purposes.

SB 25 now heads to the Senate for further action.

Hamilton County leaders to be thanked for Super Service

January 19th, 2012 by admin

As a thank you for participating in this Super Service project, two 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee co-chairs, Mike Harmless and Keira Amstutz, will personally visit town and city halls today, in Fishers, Noblesville, Carmel and Westfield to deliver super scarves and pins to key leaders in those communities. Morethan 5,300 Super Kids, Super Welcome cards were collected in Hamilton County and will be distributed throughout hotels in the Indianapolis area during Super Bowl XLVI as part of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee’s Super Service program. That’s more cards than any county in Indiana contributed. Girl Scouts from Hamilton County helped provide 1,300 Super Kids, Super Welcome cards.

Indiana Humanities and the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee partnered to create the Super Kids, Super Welcome cards with a goal of collecting 18,000 cards.

“Thanks to the support of mayors, schools, volunteers and organizations across Indiana, we not only received cards from all 92 counties, but we collected nearly double our goal,” said Keira Amstutz, president and CEO of Indiana Humanities and a co-chair of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee’s cultural and arts program committee. “This program is yet another way to display Hoosier hospitality and engage kids in writing and illustrating what they think makes Indiana great.”

Harmless, a director at Crowe Horwath and former mayor of Greencastle, Ind., also serves as co-chair of the Statewide Outreach committee for the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee and was instrumental inspreading the importance of this program statewide.

The times and locations for the personal deliveries will be:

11:30 a.m. – Fishers Town Hall

  • A representative from the town will be present to be recognized.

12:30 p.m. – Noblesville City Hall

  • Harmless and Amstutz will present the thank you gifts to Mayor John Ditslear.

1:30 p.m. – Carmel City Hall

  • Nancy Heck, director of community relations for the City of Carmel, will be present to be recognized.

2:30 p.m. – Westfield City Hall

  • Carrie Cason, communications director for the City of Westfield, will be present to be recognized.

Senate committee votes 8-1 in favor of Kenley legislation

January 18th, 2012 by admin

Members of the Senate Committee on Local Government voted 8-1 today in favor of legislation authored by Sen. Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) that will provide additional oversight and improve the transparency of redevelopment commissions in Indiana.

“Redevelopment commissions are important tools for economic development, but they shouldn’t be able to operate under veils of secrecy,” Kenley said. “There have been too many instances across the state of these commissions spending large sums of taxpayer money without proper public notice or proper review and approval by elected officials. My goal with this law is to make redevelopment commissions as accountable to the public as other governmental entities.”

Senate Bill 25 would require redevelopment commissions to gain approval by legislative or fiscal bodies of local units of government before using public funds, except for the acquisition of real property and where the payments are for three years or less or the purchase price is less than five million dollars.

Kenley’s legislation also expands oversight of redevelopment commissions by:

  • Review of annual budgets by the legislative body of the government unit
  • Subject to audit by the State Board of Accounts
  • Follow the public meeting and public records law
  • Require the commission to report to the legislative body of the government unit at a public meeting all information supporting the action of commission proposals to take regarding the sale, transfer or other disposition of property

Redevelopment commissions are quasi-agencies established by local units of government to assist in addressing conditions of blight in a community. The creation of a redevelopment commission comes with a special taxing unit and allows a property tax levy to be used for redevelopment purposes.

SB 25 now heads to the Senate for further action. Hoosiers can get a full, updated copy of the legislation online by visiting www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2012/PDF/IN/IN0025.1.pdf.

St.Vincent Health honored as one of the 15 best health systems in nation

January 17th, 2012 by admin

St.Vincent Health was identified in the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: 15 Top Health Systems study as one of 15 best health systems in the nation. The faith-based health system is the only one in Indiana and the Midwest to be honored in the large health system group.

The annual, quantitative study uses objective, independent research and public data sources, and aggregates individual hospital performance into system-level data.

Winners of the 15 Top Health Systems award outperformed other providers by:

  • Saving more lives and causing fewer patient complications
  • Following industry-recommended standards of care more closely
  • Making fewer patient safety errors
  • Releasing patients half a day sooner
  • Scoring better on overall patient satisfaction

St.Vincent Health, a 20-hospital system, is one of Indiana’s largest employers with more than 16,000 associates serving 47 counties in Central and Southern Indiana. The 130-year-old health system delivers high quality, compassionate care in service areas such as cardiovascular, women’s, children’s, neurosciences, cancer care, orthopedics, bariatrics, primary care, emergency medicine, imaging, general surgery and long-term acute care. In 2011, the faith-based health organization provided more than $191 million of charity care and community benefit.

The study included nearly every system with valid 2009 and 2010 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) and 2011 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data. Key performance measures include: risk-adjusted mortality index; risk-adjusted complication index; risk-adjusted patient safety index; core measures mean percent; 30-day risk-adjusted mortality rate; 30-day risk-adjusted readmission rate; severity-adjusted average length of stay; and HCAHPS scores (patient rating of overall hospital performance).

Health systems honored in the Thomson Reuters 15 Top Health Systems study do not apply, and winners do not pay to market their respective awards.

Center for the Performing Arts releases financial audit, internal review

January 17th, 2012 by admin
The Center for the Performing Arts released its financial audit and internal review at 8 a.m. today. Read it here:
Ad Space – Tom Wood Ford
St.Vincent Heart Center

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