2SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr CO-OP Financial Services has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, founded by President Bill Clinton to gather international leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.“CO-OP came to the attention of CGI earlier this year when the organization served as an advisor to the CO-OP THINK Prize 15,” said Samantha Paxson, Chief Marketing Officer for CO-OP. “Our ‘challenge’ encouraged people from all walks of life to develop ideas that called on the power of community to financially empower those who need it most.“It was clear that the goals of CGI align well with the core credit union value of people helping people,” said Paxson. “We are delighted to bring a credit union voice to the spirit of collaboration that is at the heart of CGI, as well as demonstrate to global leaders in the fields of business, philanthropy and government what credit unions can do to effect change for the better.”CO-OP’s inaugural contribution to the organization took place in June by joining more than 1,000 leaders in Denver, Colorado, for the 2015 CGI America conference. The gathering focused on developing solutions for economic growth, long-term competitiveness and social mobility in the United States. CO-OP participated in the Financial Opportunity working group, which was one of 10 topic-specific working groups that met multiple times throughout the meeting. continue reading »

Aug 11, 2009Flu picks up in Asia with monsoon seasonNovel H1N1 influenza is spreading in India, Thailand, and Vietnam with the onset of Asia’s monsoon season, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today, according to Reuters. The regular flu season has started in those countries, and both H1N1 and seasonal flu are being detected, said WHO spokeswoman Aphaluck Bhatiasevi. But the spread of pandemic H1N1 appears to have peaked in parts of the southern hemisphere, including Argentina, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand.http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-41686620090811Aug 11 Reuters article Disease expert notes fever-free flu casesIn his clinical observation of novel flu cases in the United States and South America, Richard P. Wenzel, MD, former president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, has noted that some patients are afebrile, even some with serious infections, and lack of fever might underestimate case totals, the New York Times reported yesterday. He said diarrhea seen in a portion of patients suggests a need for stool testing to assess transmission and the role of better hand hygiene.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/health/11docs.htmlAug 10 New York Times article School nurse shortage could slow ID of sick kidsSchool nurses are expected to be at the frontlines of detecting and fighting novel flu when schools resume this fall, but the ratio of nurses to students in many states falls well below the levels suggested by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA Today reported yesterday. The CDC recommends a workload of 1 nurse per 750 students, but the newspaper’s analysis of census data puts the national average at 1 per 971 students.http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-08-10-school-nurses_N.htmAug 10 USA Today story IOM holds meeting on protective equipment for novel fluThe Institutes of Medicine’s (IOM’s) Board on Health Sciences Policy is convening a meeting today through Aug 13 on pandemic influenza and personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. Today’s agenda includes a call to the committee, with panel discussions starting tomorrow. Topics include the science and clinical experience with novel H1N1, infection control guidelines, risk assessment in health workers, and data on the effectiveness of PPE.http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/activities/workforce/respproth1n1/2009-…IOM meeting home page

Categories: Letters to the Editor, OpinionCommissioners John Franck, Michele Madigan and Skip Scirocco displayed disturbing behavior at the Sept. 19 and Oct. 3 City Council meetings: disrespect of the Charter Commission’s independence and a contempt for the citizens these commissioners were elected to serve.By current charter rules, the charter review process must remain independent of any sitting commissioner’s influence.How else can citizens get an objective review and recommendation? Nonetheless, Commissioner Franck demands that the financial data in the Charter Commission’s report should be verified against his data.This makes no sense, as it will taint data independently collected during the review process.City Attorney Tony Izzo persistently, and correctly, advised the commissioners not to influence the charter review process.Yet these three commissioners continue to ignore his counsel.In addition, Commissioners Franck, Madigan and Scirocco falsely imply they can review the report before it is sent to city voters. The commissioners’ only right, like that of other voters, is to cast their one vote on Nov. 7 — nothing more.Why do they think their constituents are not capable of coming to their own conclusions without undue influence by their politics?Now Commissioner Franck has refused to have the city pay the legitimate cost of mailing the revised charter to voters. Voters are taxpayers, and they have a right to access, and be given adequate time to review, the revised charter prior to voting this November.The commissioners’ obstructionist behavior is further proof that politics must be removed from the city’s operations.Patricia RobertsonSaratoga SpringsMore from The Daily Gazette:EDITORIAL: Find a way to get family members into nursing homesSchenectady, Saratoga casinos say reopening has gone well; revenue down 30%EDITORIAL: Beware of voter intimidationFoss: Should main downtown branch of the Schenectady County Public Library reopen?EDITORIAL: Urgent: Today is the last day to complete the census