Con el fin de las licencias pagas por covid, empleados sienten la presión de ir a la oficina

Tanto economistas como expertos en salud pública dicen que la licencia por enfermedad con goce de sueldo es una herramienta esencial, tanto como las pruebas, las máscaras y las vacunas, en el esfuerzo por prevenir la infección por covid-19 y mantener seguros los lugares de trabajo.

Sin embargo, Estados Unidos se encuentra en medio de otra temporada navideña con covid, y las leyes federales que ofrecían a sus trabajadores licencias pagas por enfermedad vinculadas a esta infección han expirado.

Colorado, Los Ángeles y Pittsburgh se encuentran entre una pequeña cantidad de lugares que han implementado sus propias protecciones contra covid. Pero alrededor del país, muchos trabajadores enfermos deben lidiar con difíciles cuestiones financieras y éticas al decidir si quedarse o no en casa.

“Millones de trabajadores no tienen acceso a licencias por enfermedad pagas y todavía estamos en una pandemia”, dijo Nicolas Ziebarth, economista experto en el mercado laboral de la Universidad Cornell.

Estados Unidos es uno de los pocos países industrializados que no tiene una política nacional de licencia por enfermedad paga. Por el contrario, Alemania, la patria de Ziebarth, ha tenido una durante casi 140 años.

La pandemia de coronavirus provocó un cambio a corto plazo. Según explicó Ziebarth, el Families First Coronavirus Response Act ordenó una licencia por enfermedad con goce de sueldo a nivel nacional, la primera en la historia del país.

La ley incluyó aproximadamente dos semanas de pago completo para los empleados que fueran puestos en cuarentena o que buscaran atención médica por síntomas similares a los de covid, y semanas adicionales con pago parcial para cuidar a un niño en cuarentena debido al virus.

Pero el mandato de licencia por enfermedad paga solo se aplicó consistentemente a los empleadores con 50 a 499 empleados, por solo nueve meses, y expiró a fines de 2020. Después, los empleadores pudieron decidir si querían seguir ofreciendo la licencia por enfermedad con goce de sueldo a cambio de créditos fiscales, aunque éstas expiraron a finales de septiembre.

Alrededor del 5% de los empleados en el país utilizaron esta protección federal, escribieron Ziebarth y sus colegas en la revista PNAS, y parece haber ayudado inicialmente a aplanar la curva de la pandemia. Pero no fue suficiente. La cantidad de personas que estaban enfermas, con cualquier enfermedad, pero que no podían tomarse un descanso pasó de unos 5 millones por mes antes de la pandemia a 15 millones a fines de 2020, incluso con la licencia federal vigente.

Las personas con los ingresos más bajos son las que tienen menos probabilidades de contar con licencias por enfermedad pagas, dijo la doctora Rita Hamad, epidemióloga social y médica de familia de la Universidad de California-San Francisco. “Nos quedamos con cualquier mosaico de políticas estatales y de empleadores que existían antes, que dejan a las personas más vulnerables menos cubiertas”, expresó.

La Ley Build Back Better, que fue aprobada en la Cámara de Representantes el 19 de noviembre y espera el voto del Senado, puede otorgar algunos permisos médicos y familiares pagos para que los trabajadores puedan lidiar con enfermedades de más largo plazo o con el cuidado de un ser querido, pero no incluye tiempo fuera del trabajo para recuperarse de una enfermedad de corto plazo.

Jared Make, vicepresidente de A Better Balance, una organización legal nacional sin fines de lucro que aboga por los derechos de los trabajadores, ha estado presionando a los legisladores federales, estatales y locales durante años para que amplíen la licencia por enfermedad con goce de sueldo y ha redactado una legislación modelo.

Make dijo que 16 estados, Washington, DC. y alrededor de 20 localidades tienen leyes permanentes de tiempo por enfermedad remunerado. Una de las más generosas, la de Nuevo México, entrará en vigencia en julio. Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, Nueva York y el Distrito de Columbia ofrecen licencias por enfermedad de emergencia específicas para covid, al igual que Pittsburgh y algunas ciudades de California, como Los Ángeles, Oakland y Long Beach.

En algunos lugares, los empleadores están tomando la iniciativa para abordar el problema. Una encuesta reciente de KFF con alrededor de 1,700 empleadores de todo el país halló que el 37% de los empleados trabajan en un lugar que expandió o comenzó a ofrecer licencias pagas, ya sea para recuperarse de una enfermedad o para ayudar a un familiar a recuperarse de una. Mientras tanto, al 1% de los trabajadores se les redujo o eliminó la licencia paga por enfermedad.

Aún así, las llamadas a la línea de ayuda legal gratuita de A Better Balance se han disparado desde que comenzó la pandemia, dijo Make. “Muchos trabajadores están arriesgando su trabajo o no tienen más remedio que ir a trabajar cuando están enfermos, y es un verdadero problema de salud pública”.

En agosto, los departamentos de salud pública locales en California pidieron a los líderes estatales que extendieran la licencia por enfermedad paga a todos los trabajadores, diciendo que no hacerlo desanimaba a las personas a recibir una vacuna contra covid y afectaba desproporcionadamente a las comunidades desfavorecidas.

Muchas personas que han evitado la vacunación temen sufrir efectos secundarios que las obligarán a faltar al trabajo durante uno o dos días, algo que no pueden permitirse, dijo Hamad.

Pero sin fondos federales para reembolsar a los empleadores, California y otros estados tendrían que encontrar dinero para pagar las licencias por enfermedad, y hay poco entusiasmo entre los legisladores por pasar los costos a las empresas.

“En nuestra opinión, es una brecha evidente que el gobierno federal no haya continuado con alguna forma de licencia por enfermedad de emergencia, ni siquiera por covid-19”, dijo Make. “Obviamente, es una gran deficiencia dado el punto en el que nos encontramos en la pandemia”.

Colorado, que está experimentando un aumento de casos de covid, aprobó el año pasado lo que Make, con sede en Denver, considera las protecciones de licencia por enfermedad por covid más sólidas que cualquier otro estado.

La ley, que permite a cualquier empleado ganar hasta seis días de licencia por enfermedad con goce de sueldo por año y entra en vigencia por completo en enero, dice que cuando los funcionarios locales, estatales o federales declaran una emergencia de salud pública, los empleadores deben complementar la licencia acumulada de los trabajadores para que el empleado pueda tomar hasta dos semanas de licencia por enfermedad paga por, en este caso, motivos relacionados con covid. La disposición de licencia de emergencia no vencerá al menos hasta febrero.

Sin embargo, algunos empleadores no la cumplen. A principios de noviembre, la División de Normas y Estadísticas Laborales de Colorado estaba investigando las quejas relacionadas con la ley de licencia por enfermedad que se presentaron contra 71 empleadores, según Eric Yohe, gerente de alcance. Eso representó alrededor del 8% de todas sus quejas salariales bajo investigación. Yohe dijo que su división ya había restablecido la licencia remunerada para “un buen número” de empleados bajo la nueva ley.

La ley de licencias de Colorado todavía tiene limitaciones. Los trabajadores no reciben “recargas” de la licencia por covid si se enferman de nuevo o un familiar se enferma: solo 80 horas en total desde enero de 2021 hasta que finalice la emergencia de salud pública. Y la ley permite que algunos lugares de trabajo obliguen a los empleados a utilizar su tiempo libre remunerado (PTO), siempre que notifiquen a los empleados con anticipación y ofrezcan al menos dos semanas de PTO a los empleados de tiempo completo.

Jamie Bradt, maestra de educación especial en una escuela secundaria en Mead, Colorado, se encontró en esa situación este mes después de dar positivo para covid. Bradt, que está completamente vacunada, pensó que podría aprovechar la licencia por enfermedad por covid sancionada por el estado. Pero su empleador, St. Vrain Valley Schools, le dijo que tendría que usar su PTO, que había estado guardando durante una década.

“Es tan frustrante que me estén castigando por acumular mi licencia”, dijo Bradt, que estuvo en cuarentena en su casa. El distrito no respondió a las preguntas.

Las políticas que obligan a los empleados a trabajar cuando están enfermos son contraproducentes, dijo Barbara Holland, asesora de la Society for Human Resource Management, un grupo comercial nacional. “Es una enfermedad contagiosa”, dijo. “No quieres que se presente en el lugar de trabajo”.

Desde que expiraron las disposiciones federales, Cristina Cuevas y sus colegas en una escuela de Minnesota deben usar su tiempo acumulado por enfermedad y vacaciones si contraen covid.

Recientemente, un compañero de trabajo de Cuevas fue a trabajar enfermo, asumiendo que era un resfriado. “De hecho, tuvo covid todo el tiempo”, dijo Cuevas. La escuela tuvo que cerrar brevemente y varios estudiantes se enfermaron, contó.

La corresponsal de California Healthline, Rachel Bluth, colaboró con esta historia.

Rae Ellen Bichell:
rbichell@kff.org,
@raelnb

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Rays swap all-star Joey Wendle for marlins

NS. PETERSBURG – The Rays cleared some space in their infield as well as on their list and payroll by swapping all-star infielder Joey Wendle for the Marlins on Tuesday.

The return is Kameron Misner, a 23 year old outfield player. Misner was the No. 35 overall pick on the 2019 draft, splitting between High-A and Double-A in 2021, hitting .253 with 12 homers, 59 RBIs and a .788 OPS, and being named the No. 21 prospectus by the Marlins classified mlbpipeline.com.

The Rays had to clear a spot on their 40-man roster to include pitcher Corey Kluber, and the Wendle swap saved them a planned salary of $ 4 million and opened up season for potential Taylor Walls and others.

Ahead of Tuesday’s 8:00 p.m. deadline to write contracts, the Rays agreed on a $ 3.2 million deal with first baseman Ji-Man Choi, one of their 14 remaining arbitrators. Choi was forecast at $ 3.5 million by mlbtraderumors.com.

Kameron Misner destroyed two baseballs at full throttle today. Just look. #Marlins pic.twitter.com/LPmVnLLsl0

– Josh Norris (@ jnorris427) November 10, 2021

The 31-year-old Wendle has been an important player for the last four seasons and something of a team leader for the Rays since he was taken over in December 2017 in what appeared to be a small deal with the A’s who had designated him for the mission.

Wendle has often received praise from the Rays for his performance on the field. He played well in second base, shortstop and third base, hitting .274 with 25 homers, 151 RBIs and a .744 OPS.

And also, as he did, with a work ethic and professionalism that the Rays hoped others would emulate.

Wendle was an injury-related replacement for the American League All-Star team that season and a finalist for a Gold Glove Award at the third base. In 2018 he finished fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year election.

Although Wendle preferred to avoid the attention, he was often teased by manager Kevin Cash and was pretty good at returning it in an unobtrusive way.

This story will be updated.

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Chamber of Commerce Hall reflected on career after winning the top award

mailto: banderson@gainesvilletimes.com

He served as the vice president of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce for the past 16 years and was recently recognized with the state’s top award for economic development – the Georgia Economic Development Association’s Rip Wiley Award for Professional Excellence.

When asked why he was chosen from among hundreds of other candidates, he commented that he preferred working together over competition.

“We are not a competitor to the other counties in the region, we work together,” said Evans. “If there is something I can do to help the new person in the county next door, make their life a little easier and save them some time studying, then we’re both better off.”

The youngest of four children, Evans grew up in a small town in Jefferson, but spent much of his youth in Gainesville, which felt like a big city by comparison.

“You couldn’t get into trouble in Jefferson without someone calling your mother,” he said. “It was so small so we came over here in Gainesville and took a cruise.”

After graduating from Jackson County High School, he attended Oglethorpe University, a humanities college in Atlanta. He initially completed an engineering degree, but soon realized that he lacked the personality for it.

“I am human,” he said. “I wanted to go out with my friends, and I wanted to do some things with the student administration and the program committee. Nobody in this engineering program did anything like that. ”

He played tennis in college and was involved in student government. He also chaired the program committee, which was responsible for planning concerts, parties and events. He switched major and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science. He later earned his Masters in Business from the University of Georgia.

In Oglethorpe, he interned with the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, now known as the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and later accepted a full-time position for the department, marking the start of a 27-year career in economic development. He worked under his current mentor, Jim Steed, who presented the award to Evans. Steed worked under Rip Wiley, on whose behalf the award was launched after his death in 1978.

Evans was influenced by classic business texts like Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations in college, but he found that economic development is more about understanding people than economic theory.

Evans said that almost everyone in business development has an “oh, wow” moment where they realize that what they do has a positive impact on everyday professionals. He had one such moment about 25 years ago when he finished his job at a textile company in LaFayette, Georgia, where the unemployment rate was about 13% at the time. He visited the facility and saw a man, accompanied by his wife and young daughter, fill out an application.

“I was like, ‘This guy is here to get a job from this project that I was working on. He wants to bring bread to his family, ”recalls Evans. “I saw then that this is not just a job. You won’t get rich with it. You have to love what you do, and when you realize that what you are doing is having an effect, it becomes more valuable personally. “

Working with a company as a business developer, he said, is more like a real estate agent helping someone buy a home, except at a higher level, Evans said. The realtor helps the homebuyer find a home and location that can tick off their wish list but also fit their budget.

“The location process for many industries and companies is very similar,” said Evans. “Instead of the list of 20 items, however, it could be 100 because they require a workforce and proximity to customers and suppliers.”

Evans recalls when he was starting to learn about economic development and someone asked him, “What is a lot of money to you?” As a freshman college graduate, $ 20,000 seemed like a lot of money back then. But he soon found that as an economic developer managing projects costing hundreds of millions of dollars, he had to think on a much larger scale.

“As a young college graduate student, it was beyond my imagination to work on a $ 400 million project,” he said. “But before I knew it, I did just that. I worked on massive capital investments across Georgia. “

Evans worked with companies in Georgia, but also traveled internationally to Italy, Germany, Korea and Japan. The trip began to weigh on him, however, and he decided to settle down and, after dinner at Rudolph’s (now Mellow Mushroom) with Chamber President Kit Dunlap, accepted a position at the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce in 2005.

In his spare time, Evans spends time with his 9-year-old son mountain biking, playing basketball, and archery.

“Pretty much anything my 9-year-old wants to do, I’m in,” he said.

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Brother of Surfside Condo Collapsed Victims Testifies Against Bill That It Will Reduce Time For Construction Claims Lawsuits – CBS Miami

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – Hoping to make a difference, the brother of a victim of the collapse of a Surfside condo testified Tuesday in Tallahassee against a law that would shorten the time it takes to file a property defect complaint.

“Senate Bill 736 suggests the opposite of what must be done after such an unimaginable event,” said Martin Langesfeld, who lost his sister Nicole and her husband in the collapse of the Champlain Towers South, which killed 98 people on June 24th Life came.

CONTINUE READING: Homecoming celebration, memorial service for Congresswoman Carrie Meek

Since the Surfside tragedy, he has been fighting for his family and everyone else, pushing for better laws and more accountability for property developers and building construction.

As things stand at present, if the building in which you live is defective, you can file a lawsuit against contractors and builders within 10 years. The proposed law would shorten this period to just four years.

Langesfeld says at a time when developers should be held accountable, this bill suggests the opposite.

“When I saw Senate Law 736, I couldn’t believe that accountability to a developer would be reduced to 4 years so developers could look the other way quickly,” Langesfeld said.

His frank testimony on Tuesday called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote against Senate Law 736.

CONTINUE READING: CBS4 Investigates: Hollywood Condominium Building Has Lost Power For Weeks

“Nobody in the United States would have expected a building to collapse in a total of 12 seconds. But it has, ”said Langesfeld.

He testified that the proposed bill will remove responsibility from contractors and builders in the face of tragedy like Surfside.

“With this draft law, it became clear to me how difficult it is for anyone who has no development or construction skills to make claims for their own safety within their own four walls because of a construction defect.”

According to Senate Law 736, complaints about latent defects such as building cracks, leaks, pipeline problems or toxic conditions would have to be filed within just four years.

“You don’t see construction defects until 5, maybe 10 years later. Most of the time it’s longer. It took Surfside 40 years and sometimes you don’t even see the flaws, ”argued Langesfeld.

He says, if anything, lawmakers should consider lengthening rather than shortening the timeframe. He says when this law is passed, “The negligence will continue and that is why so many innocent people have died.”

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The next hearing on Senate Law 736 is expected to take place in January. Langesfeld said he planned to be there.

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Naples’ Devin Moore leaves Notre Dame after Brian Kelly leaves

Publisher’s Note: This story is being updated …

Given the latest news, one of Southwest Florida’s most sought-after candidates is back in the college coach market.

Naples defender Devin Moore announced his resignation from Notre Dame on Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after Irish head coach Brian Kelly announced his departure from LSU on a 10-year $ 95 million deal.

“I would like to thank the coaches and fans of Notre Dame for believing in me and welcoming me into their family,” Moore wrote in a statement on his Instagram and Twitter accounts. “Choosing a college is a big decision and there are many factors.” I feel like I need more time to figure out what suits me best.

The big 15: Devin Moore is aiming for a state title in his fourth year from Naples High

More about Moore:Naples defensive defender Devin Moore receives invitation to the prestigious All-American Bowl

“After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to leave Notre Dame and resume my recruiting. I will take this time to reevaluate my options and see what is best for my future. I appreciate your patience and support as I complete my recruiting journey. “

Moore has been a bailout throughout his time in Naples, ending that season with four fumble recoveries. He didn’t pick up any passes because the high corner defensively took away half the field.

In his career he had 10 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. The Golden Eagles were 39-7 during his four college seasons.

Coincidentally, Florida Gators cornerback coach and Naples High graduate Jules Montinar, The Naples Daily News Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, paid a visit to Moore on Monday, just at the time the news was leaked, that Kelly would leave Notre Dame for LSU.

When reached by the Naples Daily News, Moore said he didn’t have time to talk at the moment.

Follow Southwest Florida sports journalist Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. Follow for the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

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As Seminole Tribe tries to rebound from defeat of gambling compact, feds offer little help

New court filings Tuesday from Florida pari-mutuel facilities and federal Indian gaming regulators suggest the Seminole Tribe of Florida may face an uphill battle to resurrect its gambling compact with the State of Florida.

A U.S. district judge struck down the compact in a ruling last week. The tribe, which launched Florida’s first statewide sports betting statewide on Nov. 1 under the auspices of the compact, is appealing and continues taking bets.

The tribe’s alliance with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a federal bureau that allowed the gambling compact to take effect by default in August, may be unraveling, judging from the brief filed Tuesday in appellate court by U.S. Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland. The Interior Department oversees the BIA, which regulates Indian gaming.

Haaland’s brief loosely agrees with one filed Tuesday by the two Florida pari-mutuel companies that sued her to bring down the gambling compact.

Both filings contend the Seminole Tribe is not likely to win its appeal of the Nov. 22 ruling by Judge Dabney Friedrich that vacated the lucrative gambling compact as a violation of federal Indian gaming laws.

For that reason, the pari-mutuels argue the appellate court should deny the tribe’s request for a stay and its appeal. Haaland’s brief doesn’t go that far but offers little support, much like it did when it allowed the compact to take effect by default at the end of a 45-day review period but did not endorse it with an official approval.

“The federal government advises that, while it does not join in the Tribe’s motion for stay pending appeal and does not agree with all analysis presented in that motion, it also does not oppose the motion,” wrote lawyers for Secretary Haaland.

“The Tribe has no likelihood of success on appeal,” wrote lawyers for Magic City Casino and Bonita Springs Poker Room, the pari-mutuel facilities who sued the Interior Department to permanently dismantle the gambling compact and its sports-betting provisions.

The pari-mutuel facilities do not oppose sports betting and in fact want to be allowed to take part in it without having to get the permission of the Seminole Tribe, to whom the compact grants 30 years of exclusive control.

Haaland’s lawyers conceded in Tuesday’s filing that the tribe has a thin case on appeal, one that is more a procedural dispute than an argument about sports betting, Indian gaming laws and the compact.

The tribe’s motion to intervene was based on a complex claim of sovereign immunity that the tribe hoped would cause the pari-mutuels’ case to fall apart.

In Judge Friedrich’s view, it did not. Which left at the heart of the dispute the court’s interpretation of federal Indian gaming law that has for decades authorized Indian gambling on Indian lands but not beyond. The arrangement proposed in the gambling compact between the Seminole Tribe and the State of Florida is an innovative one that contends bets placed anywhere in Florida on mobile devices are deemed to have been made on Indian land so long as the bets are processed on servers on tribal property.

Proponents dubbed it a “hub and spoke” model. Opponents called it a “fiction” that violates federal law.

The pari-mutuel facilities argued in their filings Tuesday that sports betting should be shut down rather than continue a “gambling scheme that violates state and federal laws and makes unwitting bettors into accomplices in the violations of those laws.”

The tribe has until midday Wednesday to file additional briefs. A ruling from a three-person appellate panel on upholding or overturning Judge Friedrich’s ruling is expected to come quickly.

The gambling compact was negotiated between Gov. Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribal Chairman Marcellus W. Osceola Jr. They signed it in April, the Legislature ratified it in special session in May. It grants the tribe a 30-year contract that includes exclusive control of sports betting, permission to build new casinos on its property, and permission to play formerly illegal games at its casinos such as craps and roulette.

The state would reap an average of $500 million a year in Seminole gambling revenue — a minimum of $2.5 billion over five years — and more billions to come over the course of the compact.

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Omicron and Other Coronavirus Variants: What You Need to Know

Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact

Americans, already weary of a pandemic nearly two years long, were dealt a new blow during the long Thanksgiving weekend: the announcement that a new coronavirus variant had emerged.

The omicron variant, officially known as B.1.1.529, surfaced in November in several southern African nations. It set off alarm bells worldwide when public health officials in South Africa saw it beginning to outcompete the previous reigning variant, delta. This suggested that omicron could eventually spread widely. Indeed, omicron has since been reported on multiple continents, likely due to international travel by people unknowingly infected.

After the emergence of omicron was announced, several nations imposed travel bans hoping to contain the virus. Whether those bans will effectively slow the spread remains unknown. “Travel bans don’t help once the horse is already out of the barn, as we’ve seen before and are seeing now,” said Tara Smith, a Kent State University epidemiologist.

Scientists caution that it’s still too early to say whether omicron will prove as dangerous as delta. Other variants that initially seemed worrisome have flamed out.

For now, here’s what we know, and don’t know, about the omicron variant.

What Is a Variant?

A variant of a virus is one that has mutated in a way that bolsters its spread or severity compared with the original strain that emerged in Wuhan, China. “RNA viruses like the coronavirus can mutate when they replicate, especially when circulating at high rates,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, professor of medicine at the University of California-San Francisco.

Coronaviruses do not mutate as readily as influenza viruses do, but they do mutate over time. The variants generally produce the same range of symptoms as the original strain of the coronavirus. But the mutations may help the virus spread more effectively from person to person, or have an advantage in sneaking past either natural or vaccine immunity.

What Variants Were Already Circulating in the United States?

To date, public health officials have noted five “variants of concern,” plus two “variants of interest” not yet considered as worrisome. So far, no variants have emerged that fit the most worrisome of the three official categories — “variants of high consequence.”

The World Health Organization decided early this year to name the variants after Greek letters, both to simplify the discussion and to limit the stigma of having a variant named for a country.

The first four “variants of concern” — alpha, beta, gamma and delta — have been circulating in the United States for most of this year. But the most dominant variant has been delta, due to its ability to spread from person to person more quickly than other variants. For months, delta has accounted for more than 99% of coronavirus infections in the U.S.

There were no confirmed cases of omicron in the United States as of midday Nov. 29, but experts warn it’s just a matter of time. It could be in the U.S. already, merely undetected.

How Did Omicron Emerge?

Though scientists aren’t sure precisely where omicron first surfaced, it was most likely in a southern African nation.

Experts say low vaccination rates in that part of the world probably played a role in creating a favorable environment for the mutations that produced omicron. (It can be pronounced either AH-mi-crahn or OH-mi-crahn.)

“Many countries in Africa have populations with very low immunity — about 30% in South Africa are vaccinated,” Smith said. “In a largely non-immune population, the virus can sweep through, and each new person infected is a chance for the virus to mutate.”

Why Did Public Health Officials React So Urgently to Omicron?

The concern stems from the scope and nature of the new variant’s mutations. South African health officials noted 50 notable mutations, 30 of which are on the spike protein, a key structure in the virus, New York magazine reported. That’s more than previous variants have had.

“If we were looking out for mutations that do affect transmissibility, it’s got all of them,” University of Oxford evolutionary biologist Aris Katzourakis told Science magazine. 

Still, what’s uncertain at this point is how effectively those mutations will work together in creating a variant that can consistently outcompete delta.

What Do We Know About Omicron’s Degree of Infectiousness?

The omicron variant is so new that scientists are just beginning to learn about its characteristics. Because of this, experts urge caution in drawing conclusions, especially from anecdotal evidence.

That said, scientists say they would not be shocked if omicron becomes as easily transmissible as delta. 

“The answer is uncertain, of course, but it looks as though it will be at least as infectious as delta,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

One complicating factor, Schaffner said, is that the initial areas of fastest spread have been in areas of Johannesburg populated by young adults and college students, who tend to have lower vaccination rates. The vulnerability of these groups to infection may be exaggerating how rapidly omicron seems to be spreading.

What Do We Know About Whether Omicron Makes Patients Sicker?

The early evidence is somewhat conflicting, but there are signs that symptoms from omicron may not be more severe than previous variants. Dr. Angelique Coetzee, who chairs the South African Medical Association, has said that the early cases being seen among the unvaccinated are mild.

It remains to be seen, however, whether older and unhealthier patients will also see milder symptoms. Another caveat is that it may be too early in omicron’s spread to see cases that have seriously progressed.

Will Existing Vaccines Be Effective Against the Omicron Variant?

Scientists are cautiously optimistic that existing vaccines will also be effective against omicron, just as they have been against delta, at least in being able to prevent illness severe enough to require hospitalization.

“Scientists in South Africa and Israel, where the variant has also been detected, have indicated that they are not seeing severe disease among the vaccinated,” Gandhi said.

Gandhi added that the immunity-providing B cells produced by the vaccines have been shown to produce antibodies against variants, and that T-cell immunity, which protects against severe disease, is robust and should not be at risk from the mutations being seen in omicron. The vaccines also produce polyclonal antibodies that work against multiple parts of the spike protein, she said. Finally, booster shots have been shown to be effective in strengthening immunity quickly.

“Most scientists believe we should still have protection against severe disease with vaccinations, and vaccination remains the mainstay of control,” Gandhi said.

Bottom line: If you haven’t been vaccinated, and especially if you haven’t had the disease yet, get vaccinated. And if you’ve already been vaccinated, get a booster.

How Long Will It Be Before We Have a Better Handle on the Threat From Omicron?

Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson are all testing the effectiveness of their existing vaccines against omicron in the lab, based on variant-analysis protocols developed early this year. Those results should be available in a week or two.

Other questions — including whether omicron makes you sicker, and whether it’s more transmissible — will take longer to answer because they require careful contact tracing and accurate diagnoses of those infected. 

To better answer those questions, Smith said, “I think, at a minimum, it will take a month to get some preliminary data, and quite possibly longer to really know the fuller picture. We also won’t know about real-world experience in vaccine breakthroughs until that time.”

Can We Expect a Specific New Booster to be Developed for Omicron?

It’s unknown whether the omicron variant will require a reformulated booster. A newly formulated booster wasn’t necessary for delta, because researchers determined that the existing formulation was still effective.

That said, vaccine makers can jump in with a new booster quickly if they have to. 

In the event that such a variant emerges, Pfizer and BioNTech “expect to be able to develop and produce a tailor-made vaccine against that variant” within 100 days, pending regulatory approval, a Pfizer spokesperson told The Washington Post.

Dr. Matthew Laurens, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said he’s confident boosters could be developed and tested quickly if needed, “likely within a few months.”

What Happened to the Other Variants?

Between May 2021, when delta was named a variant of concern, and November 2021, when omicron was given the same label, two other variants were elevated to the lower “variant of interest” status: lambda from Peru and mu from Colombia. Other variants, such as one discovered in Nepal called “delta-plus,” attracted notice during that period as well. But none of these managed to outcompete delta in a consistent way, so they were never elevated to “variant of concern.”

This is the most hopeful outcome for omicron. The other variants “all had similar concerns around them, but they didn’t expand to any significant degree after the initial reporting,” Gandhi said.

Is It Reasonable to Think the U.S. Is in a Better Position to Handle Omicron Than It Was for Delta?

Experts generally agreed that the United States should be better prepared to battle omicron than it was when delta emerged earlier this year.

“We are in a much better position since we have higher rates of vaccination, the availability of boosters for everyone over 18 and vaccine eligibility down to 5 years old,” Gandhi said. “We also have higher rates of natural immunity in this country due to the delta variant’s spread since July 2021. And we have oral antiviral therapeutics on the horizon. So we have the tools to fight this new variant.”

The challenge, Schaffner said, will be to make sure Americans continue to get vaccinated and boosted, and to make use of testing and maintain safe behavior in public.

“All these tools are available,” he said. “The big question is how inclined the general public is to use these tools.”

Is the Coronavirus Going to Be Around Permanently, Like the Flu?

Experts now believe it’s unlikely that the coronavirus will either be eradicated from the globe, like smallpox has been, or even eliminated in the United States, as polio was following near-universal vaccination. The combination of rapid mutations and too-low vaccination rates make it likely that covid-19 won’t follow smallpox and polio into submission.

“This will more likely be the influenza model, where we have to track mutations annually and alter the boosters accordingly,” Schaffner said. In fact, he said, efforts to create combined coronavirus-flu shots are already underway.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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Raley signs a 2-year $ 10 million deal with Tampa Bay

NS. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – The Tampa Bay Rays signed a $ 10 million two-year deal Tuesday with a club option for 2024.

Raley went 2-3 with a 4.78 ERA in 58 games with Houston that season. The 33-year-old hit 65 and went 16 in 49 innings.

“I just feel like there is more in the tank and I want to grow as a player and as a person and I thought Tampa was a perfect fit,” said Raley. “I had the feeling that we found common ground and made everything work.”

In four major league seasons, Raley is 3-6 with 5.62 ERA in 93 games and has 122 strikeouts over 107 1/3 innings. The left-handed player played 14 games for the Chicago Cubs in 2012-13 and spent 2015-19 in South Korea before returning to the Majors in 2020.

Tampa Bay is also working on closing a free agent deal with right-handed Corey Kluber.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner with Cleveland was hampered by a shoulder injury and went with the New York Yankees in 16 games with a 3.83 ERA 5-3 last season. He was limited to 36 2/3 innings by injury in 2019-20.

___

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The Selfie Museum is designed to bring young blood back to the Lakeshore Mall

William had most of the in-store stand design ideas, but Shannon built most of the sets, they said.

“One thing we look forward to is being in a mall trying to help the mall,” said William.

“I think malls need to have more things that you can’t do online,” Shannan said. “Because people shop online all the time, but you can’t do that online. Shopping centers need to be transformed into entertainment venues. ”

To keep the place fresh, William said they’ll keep track of the booths highlighted most on social media and swap out the less popular designs.

It costs $ 20 for an hour per person on weekdays and $ 25 on weekends. Each additional hour costs $ 10.

Mugshotz celebrated its grand opening on Black Friday November 26th and is located between the finish line and Flip ‘n Fun in the Lakeshore Mall.

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Warming Trend Continues This Week – CBS Miami

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Dominant high pressure system is closed over the southeastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico.

This means that a long drought with warmer temperatures is forecast for South Florida.

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Tuesday night requires calm conditions with few clouds and a light northeast wind. Temperatures will drop into the low 60s.

(CBS4)

CONTINUE READING: Pari-Mutuels fire back on Seminoles in gambling appeal

Not that cool, but still a cool way to start Wednesday, so a light sweater or jacket will do if you go to work and school in the morning. Then sunshine with clouds blending in for the afternoon. Wednesday’s high will surpass the upper 70s.

The warming trend is small but will last until the weekend. The high temperatures will hit 80 degrees on Thursday afternoon and then the lower 80s by Saturday. At the same time, the morning will feel a little milder. The low temperatures will creep into the upper 60s by the weekend.

MORE NEWS: Three dead, six injured in shooting in Michigan, 15-year-old suspect in custody

As for the high pressure system, it stays until Sunday. However, forecast models suggest that the next cold front could arrive early next week.

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Estate agents? Car dealer? TCC graduate Kyle Footman is about to graduate from FAMU

While many college students are just trying to get ahead in life, Tallahassee Community College alumnus Kyle Footman, 23, has become a successful CEO by opening his own car dealership, Footman Motorsports, and the # 1 real estate agent on social media in Tallahassee to Property Spark.

At the age of 19, Kyle became the youngest real estate agent in the Tallahassee area, according to Susan Ray, who is responsible for communications with the Tallahassee Board of Realtors. Footman explained during an interview with Black News Channel in May how a summer job at his father’s Footman Brothers Concrete business fueled his desire for real estate.

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“I watched the dynamics of what was going on and saw builders come out,” Footman said. “I would see realtors come to the construction sites. I would see everything that was going on. And I would say they work smarter, not harder. That really shaped my experience and brought me to the real estate market. ”

On December 12th, Footman will take the stage at Florida A&M University’s Al Lawson, Jr., Multipurpose Center to earn his bachelor’s degree in public relations. His real estate urge came from the fact that Footman didn’t believe in going to college but wanted to be successful. Old cars were his passion.

Footman said when he was younger, with most of the kids his age running around outside, he would go to the racetrack.

“I didn’t want to go to college because no man in my family had ever gone to college, so I thought it was just not for us,” Footman, who referred to himself as Kyle the Realtor. “But then I thought, ‘Kyle, this is why you should go to college because no man in my family had one.’ ”

In 2019, Footman announced that he would like to continue studying at FAMU after graduating from Tallahassee Community College. Dr. Kenya Thompkins, co-advisor to TCC’s Black Male Achievers program, said Footman rose to the opportunity when he was vice president of BMA.

“Kyle has been quite successful at balancing the vice president’s needs with college and real estate career. He has rarely missed any BMA meeting or activity, ”Thompkins said in a recent email. “I was equally impressed that he set priorities and was able to graduate with his associate degree.”

Footman’s next big announcement came on May 2, 2019, when Footman Motorsports held its official ribbon cutting ceremony. Since it opened, Footman Motorsports has been successful in the midst of a pandemic.

Wharton University Management Professor J. Daniel Kim conducted a study entitled “Old Age and High Growth Entrepreneurship” which found that the most successful entrepreneurs are in their 40s. But he found that younger entrepreneurs often succeed because they find it easier to think outside the box.

“Younger people may be more likely to have disruptive ideas because they are less bound by existing paradigms or practices,” Kim said in a Q&A posted on the Wharton University website. “The second idea is that young people simply have more time and energy. Because starting a business is a really grueling journey that may give you an edge. ”

By graduation, Footman said he was just getting started. His five-year plan calls for him to continue selling properties and growing his auto business.

“I plan to work in the real estate industry. I can see that for the rest of my life. What in the real estate industry? I do not know. It can still sell houses, I might get onto the development side. Maybe I’ll get to the commercial side, ”said Footman.

“When it comes to Footman Motorsports, I definitely want to continue that. And I want to expand that to big cities like Houston, Atlanta and Miami. And get into the exotic cars more. And then I plan to do my master’s degree. ”

So far, Footman has several satisfied customers and ensures this fact. He has received multiple reviews on Zillow and his Footman Motorsports Instagram account with every car sold. Zillow has two reviews for Kyle’s customer service, customer engagement, and quick response pages.

“Kyle worked incredibly well and carefully with the agent to ensure the process went as smoothly as possible,” wrote one Zillow buyer of her 2020 home purchase.

“Kyle was detail-oriented and was always prepared and one step ahead. We never had a problem reaching Kyle. He was always available and contacted us promptly. “

LaToya Hannah is a student at Tallahassee Community College and Associate Editor of Talon, the TCC’s student newspaper. Hannah dreams of moderating a podcast together and owning her own radio station.

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U.S. House Dems mull how to address Rep. Lauren Boebert’s anti-Muslim remarks

WASHINGTON—U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday that Democrats are weighing what to do about Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado in connection with anti-Muslim comments she made about a colleague in the House.

“We’re considering what action ought to be taken,” said Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, at a briefing with reporters.

Hoyer would not comment on whether Democrats might censure Boebert or strip her of her committee assignments, and instead said that it is the Republican Party that has a duty to condemn Boebert.

Boebert and Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, clashed in a phone call on Monday, following a dispute over a video in which Boebert said she felt safe sharing an elevator ride with Omar because Omar was not wearing a backpack—equating one of the first Muslim women in Congress to a terrorist.

Omar said the interaction on the elevator never happened, and accused Boebert of falsifying the story to arouse her base.

The video of Boebert was taken at a campaign event over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Hoyer said it wasn’t a first for Boebert. CNN reported on Tuesday that Boebert also suggested to a crowd in September that Omar was a terrorist.

“It’s a pattern, and so that makes it even more concerning, particularly concerning because it inflames … the passions of people who then convert words into dangerous, threatening and harmful actions,” Hoyer told reporters.

He added that there hasn’t been much discussion yet among Democrats about Boebert’s comments and that he doesn’t want to “prejudge what action we think will be necessary.”

Hoyer said that Republicans use that kind of tactic to raise money for their campaigns “because it’s confrontational and demeaning to others.”

Hoyer also said Boebert did not give an adequate apology to Omar.

The Monday phone call ended with the Minnesota lawmaker hanging up because “Boebert refused to publicly acknowledge her hurtful and dangerous comments. She instead doubled down on her rhetoric and I decided to end the unproductive call,” Omar said in a statement.

“It was not an apology, it was rationalization,” Hoyer said, referring to the call. “It was excuses for words and conduct that are I think unacceptable, and should be sanctioned not only by the Republican leadership, but by Republicans in general.”

Hoyer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of the House Democratic leadership last week called on GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy to “finally take real action against racism” in reaction to Boebert’s comments.

Democrats this year already have taken away committee assignments from two House Republicans over their actions.

In November, Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona was censured and had his committee assignments eliminated for posting a video to Twitter of a manipulated cartoon that depicted him killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

And in February, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia was stripped of her two committee seats after social media posts surfaced of her spreading baseless conspiracy theories that the deadly mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla.,  was staged, and for encouraging violence against Democratic leadership.

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Both NCH Baker and North Naples, Florida Hospitals are nationally rated “A” Leapfrog … | news

Naples, Florida, November 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – NAPLES, Florida – November 30, 2021 NCH Baker Hospital and NCH North Naples Hospital have both earned Leapfrog Hospital Safety Class “A” for Fall 2021. This national award recognizes our achievements in protecting patients from harm and errors in hospitals. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital assessment program based solely on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients.

More and more patients are demanding transparency from their health care providers and turning to independent organizations like Leapfrog Group to validate their decisions in finding quality care. An “A” rating from Leapfrog Group is the gold standard for patient safety and a huge hit for those who deserve it.

In the past two years, NCH has come a long way to achieve today’s A grade from Leapfrog. We’ve changed the way we review data to improve our quality metrics and improve the patient experience. We have a team led by our Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kristin Mascotti and Chief Quality Officer Dr. Carlos Quintero put together to focus efforts on improving quality with an exceptional patient experience. The transparency we have with our employees and the community, as well as the invitation from medical practitioners, both freelance and employed, to participate in the decision-making process contributed to the excellent grades we received today.

“I am proud of the NCH team for their commitment to patient safety and quality,” said Carlos Quintero, MD, chief quality officer, NCH Healthcare System. “These” A “ratings from Leapfrog Group are positive evidence that our efforts to continually provide a safe environment for our patients not only work, but are recognized nationally as exceptional.”

“A security level is an enormous achievement that this community should be very proud of,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of Leapfrog Group. “It is very rare for a hospital to go from a ‘D’ to an ‘A’, and it is extremely rare that so quickly. I would like to thank the NCH leadership and staff for their dedication to prioritizing patients and their safety, especially during these difficult times. “

Leapfrog Group, an independent national monitoring organization, assigns hospitals across the country an A, B, C, D, or F rating based on over thirty national performance metrics that identify errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems that hospitals have for loss prevention.

“Providing high quality care to those we serve has always been at the forefront of our mission to help everyone live longer, happier, healthier lives,” said Paul Hiltz, President and CEO of NCH Healthcare System. “We thank Leapfrog for recognizing the outstanding results NCH has brought to the community, and I thank our staff for their efforts and dedication in bringing us this remarkable recognition. It is this passion for first-class care that has not only earned us this award today, but will also help us to achieve other significant awards. “

To see full grade details from NCH, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

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About the NCH health system

The NCH Healthcare System is a multi-facility, nonprofit healthcare system based in Naples, Florida and is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The system consists of more than two hospitals (referred to as NCH Baker Hospital and NCH North Naples Hospital) with a total of 713 beds. NCH ​​is an alliance of 775 physicians and medical facilities in dozen of locations across Collier County and southwest Florida providing nationally recognized, high quality healthcare to our community. Our mission is to help everyone live longer, happier, healthier lives. More information is available at www.NCHmd.org.

About the Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by major employers and other buyers, Leapfrog Group is a national not-for-profit organization driving a movement for huge advances in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and the new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) study transparently capture and report the performance of hospitals and ASCs so that shoppers can find the highest quality care and consumers are provided with the life-saving information that they need to make informed decisions. Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their patient safety records and helps consumers keep themselves and their families safe from mistakes, injuries, accidents and infections.

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Shaheen Solomon NCH Health System 404-880-0080 shaheen@thepartnership.com

Copyright 2021 GlobeNewswire, Inc.

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Federal vaccine mandate for health care workers in 10 states blocked by judge

WASHINGTON — Enforcement of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for millions of health care workers was blocked in 10 states on Monday, after a ruling by a federal judge in Missouri.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp affects the states involved in the lawsuit, which include Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and New Hampshire.

The others are North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas, Wyoming and Alaska.

At issue is President Joe Biden’s campaign to ensure that workers throughout the country are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Many private sector employees will be required to get vaccinated or undergo weekly tests, while some 17 million health care providers at facilities participating in the federal Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs must be vaccinated — with no option to choose weekly testing instead.

Under the requirement, health care workers were to be vaccinated by Jan. 4, 2022.

In his 32-page opinion granting a preliminary injunction while the lawsuit proceeds, Schelp wrote that the state attorneys general challenging the mandate appear likely to succeed in their argument that federal health officials lack the authority to implement the requirement.

He also agreed with claims from the plaintiffs that health care facilities will suffer staffing shortages due to the requirement.

“The public has an interest in stopping the spread of COVID. No one disputes that,” Schelp, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2019, wrote in the 32-page opinion. “But the court concludes that the public would suffer little, if any, harm from maintaining the ‘status quo’ through the litigation of this case.”

In a statement after the ruling, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt described the injunction as “a huge victory for healthcare workers in Missouri and across the country, including rural hospitals who were facing near-certain collapse due to this mandate.”

“While today’s ruling is a victory, there’s more work to be done, and I will keep fighting to push back on this unprecedented federal overreach,” Schmitt added.

Several other lawsuits from states are pending in federal courts, challenging both the mandate on health care workers and the broader mandate on most private sector employees.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday that the administration is “obviously going to abide by the law and fight any efforts in courts or otherwise” to prevent health care facilities from protecting their work forces.

Meanwhile, in Florida, Attorney General Ashley Moody tweeted Tuesday: “I filed an emergency motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to stop the unlawful CMS vaccine mandate. With the deadline just days away, we must stop this unconscionable federal overreach before it devastates our entire health care system.”

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‘I Can Go Anywhere’: How Service Dogs Help Veterans With PTSD

It was supper time in the Whittier, California, home of Air Force veteran Danyelle Clark-Gutierrez, and eagerly awaiting a bowl of kibble and canned dog food was Lisa, a 3-year-old yellow Labrador retriever.

Her nails clicking on the kitchen floor as she danced about, Lisa looked more like an exuberant puppy than the highly trained service animal that helps Clark-Gutierrez manage the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Having her now, it’s like I can go anywhere,” Clark-Gutierrez said. “And, yes, if somebody did come at me, I’d have warning — I could run.”

A growing body of research into PTSD and service animals paved the way for President Joe Biden to sign into law the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act. The legislation, enacted in August, requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to open its service dog referral program to veterans with PTSD and to launch a five-year pilot program in which veterans with PTSD train service dogs for other veterans.

Clark-Gutierrez, 33, is among the 25 percent of female veterans who have reported experiencing military sexual trauma while serving in the U.S. armed services.

Military sexual trauma, combat violence and brain injuries are some of the experiences that increase the risk that service members will develop PTSD. Symptoms include flashbacks to the traumatic event, severe anxiety, nightmares and hypervigilance — all normal reactions to experiencing or witnessing violence, according to psychologists. Someone receives a PTSD diagnosis when symptoms worsen or remain for months or years.

That’s what Clark-Gutierrez said happened to her after ongoing sexual harassment by a fellow airman escalated to a physical attack about a decade ago. A lawyer with three children, she said that to feel safe leaving her home she needed her husband by her side. After diagnosing Clark-Gutierrez with PTSD, doctors at VA hospitals prescribed a cascade of medications for her. At one point, Clark-Gutierrez said, her prescriptions added up to more than a dozen pills a day.

“I had medication, and then I had medication for the two or three side effects for each medication,” she said. “And every time they gave me a new med, they had to give me three more. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was just getting so tired. So we started looking at other therapies.”

And that’s how she got her service dog, Lisa. Clark-Gutierrez’s husband, also an Air Force veteran, discovered the nonprofit group K9s for Warriors, which rescues dogs — many from kill shelters — and trains them to be service animals for veterans with PTSD. Lisa is one of about 700 dogs the group has paired with veterans dealing with symptoms caused by traumatic experiences.

“Now with Lisa we take bike rides, we go down to the park, we go to Home Depot,” said Clark-Gutierrez. “I go grocery shopping — normal-people things that I get to do that I didn’t get to do before Lisa.”

That comes as no surprise to Maggie O’Haire, an associate professor of human-animal interaction at Purdue University. Her research suggests that while service dogs aren’t necessarily a cure for PTSD, they do ease its symptoms. Among her published studies is one showing that veterans partnered with these dogs experience less anger and anxiety and get better sleep than those without a service dog. Another of her studies suggests that service dogs lower cortisol levels in veterans who have been traumatized.

“We actually saw patterns of that stress hormone that were more similar to healthy adults who don’t have post-traumatic stress disorder,” O’Haire said.

A congressionally mandated VA study that focuses on service dogs’ impact on veterans with PTSD and was published this year suggests that those partnered with the animals experience less suicidal ideation and more improvement to their symptoms than those without them.

Until now, the federal dog referral program — which relies on nonprofit service dog organizations to pay for the dogs and to provide them to veterans for free — required that participating veterans have a physical mobility issue, such as a lost limb, paralysis or blindness. Veterans like Clark-Gutierrez who have PTSD but no physical disability were on their own in arranging for a service dog.

The pilot program created by the new federal law will give veterans with PTSD the chance to train mental health service dogs for other veterans. It’s modeled on a program at the VA hospital in Palo Alto, California, and will be offered at five VA medical centers nationwide in partnership with accredited service dog training organizations.

“This bill is really about therapeutic, on-the-job training, or ‘training the trainer,’” said Adam Webb, a spokesperson for Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who introduced the legislation in the Senate. “We don’t anticipate VA will start prescribing PTSD service dogs, but the data we generate from this pilot program will likely be useful in making that case in the future.”

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the pilot program will cost the VA about $19 million. The law stops short of requiring the VA to pay for the dogs. Instead, the agency will partner with accredited service dog organizations that use private money to cover the cost of adopting, training and pairing the dogs with veterans.

Still, the law represents a welcome about-face in VA policy, said Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s for Warriors.

“For the last 10 years, the VA has essentially told us that they don’t recognize service dogs as helping a veteran with post-traumatic stress,” Diamond said.

PTSD service dogs are often confused with emotional support dogs, Diamond said. The latter provide companionship and are not trained to support someone with a disability. PTSD service dogs cost about $25,000 to adopt and train, he said.

Diamond explained that the command “cover” means “the dog will sit next to the warrior, look behind them and alert them if someone comes up from behind.” The command “block” means the dog will “stand perpendicular and give them some space from whatever’s in front of them.”

Retired Army Master Sgt. David Crenshaw of Kearny, New Jersey, said his service dog, Doc, has changed his life.

“We teach in the military to have a battle buddy,” Crenshaw said. “And these service animals act as a battle buddy.”

A few months ago, Crenshaw experienced this firsthand. He had generally avoided large gatherings because persistent hypervigilance is one symptom of his combat-caused PTSD. But this summer, Doc, a pointer and Labrador mix, helped Crenshaw navigate the crowds at Disney World — a significant first for Crenshaw and his family of five.

“I was not agitated. I was not anxious. I was not upset,” said Crenshaw, 39. “It was truly, truly amazing and so much so that I didn’t even have to even stop to think about it in the moment. It just happened naturally.”

Thanks to Doc, Crenshaw said, he no longer takes PTSD drugs or self-medicates with alcohol. Clark-Gutierrez said Lisa, too, has helped her quit using alcohol and stop taking VA-prescribed medications for panic attacks, nightmares and periods of disassociation.

The dogs actually save the VA money over time, Diamond said. “Our warriors are far less likely to be on expensive prescription drugs, are far less likely to use other VA services and far more likely to go to school or go to work. So it’s a win-win-win across the board.”

Stephanie O’Neill:
ReporterSteph13@gmail.com,
@ReporterSteph

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The post ‘I Can Go Anywhere’: How Service Dogs Help Veterans With PTSD first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/i-can-go-anywhere-how-service-dogs-help-veterans-with-ptsd/

Duke Energy Florida builds innovative, more resilient and environmentally friendly substation | Duke of Energy

• The closed design of the new system increases reliability and lowers maintenance costs.

• It also has a smaller footprint than traditional outdoor substations.

NS. PETERSBURG, Florida – Duke Energy Florida opened its new, state-of-the-art Bayboro substation on Monday to meet the electricity needs of downtown St. Petersburg.

The electrical substation is known as a gas-insulated switchgear (GIS). It is the first in Florida to be built by Duke Energy and commissioned on November 29th.

Substations play a key role in the complex process of bringing electricity generated in distant power plants to customers’ homes, businesses, schools and other buildings. Substations change the electrical voltage, make it usable for customers and also fulfill a number of other important functions.

The vast majority of substations are built outdoors – not covered – and occasionally expose the electrical equipment of the systems to extreme weather conditions such as lightning, hurricanes and water surges during large storms.

But the closed, raised interior structure of the Bayboro substation protects electrical equipment from such weather conditions. The new facility will withstand winds of 250 miles per hour and will serve St. Petersburg’s innovation district more reliably.

Overall, maintenance costs decrease while reliability increases.

“We work hard on behalf of our customers to ensure safe, reliable, and clean energy,” said Melissa Seixas, president of Duke Energy Florida. “We use innovative technologies in our entire service area in Florida to modernize the energy network and increase the resilience and energy efficiency for our customers.”

The GIS substation was also built to protect the environment, with a feature to detect potential leakages and prevent environmental impacts.

In addition, the total floor area is approx. 35% smaller than that of the previous neighboring substation.

The substation supports critical infrastructures, including the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus, All Children’s Johns Hopkins and Bayfront hospitals, Tropicana Field, and numerous buildings and skyscrapers.

With increased redundancies to reduce outages, the newly built substation will meet the increasing demand for electricity in this rapidly growing community and improve reliability for downtown St. Petersburg and the surrounding area.

Click here for video edited by GIS Substation, additional B-roll and soundbites

Click here for photos

Renewable energy

Duke Energy Florida is also fulfilling its commitment to renewable energy in downtown St. Petersburg.

With a $ 1 million grant from Duke Energy, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg built a 100-kilowatt solar array – plus a 250-kilowatt battery system – on a campus parking deck. The battery system stores and manages the electricity generated by the 7,100 square meter solar system.

There is also a Duke Energy solar roof over the parking lot at St. Pete Pier with adjacent EV chargers.

In addition, construction of a 3.5 megawatt solar and storage microgrid site is underway and will be added to the John Hopkins Middle School in Pinellas County. The microgrid will support grid operations and provide the school with power if it has to act as an emergency shelter for hurricane evacuations. The microgrid consists of a 1-megawatt solar park roof and a 2.5-megawatt battery as well as controls that store and provide clean, renewable energy for the school and the grid. The project improves electrical service and network operations for customers.

Duke Energy Florida has also installed nearly 300 EV chargers across Pinellas County as part of the company’s park-and-plug program. The chargers are conveniently located across the county, including the Duke Energy Center for the Arts-Mahaffey Theater and the USFSP campus.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, has a diverse generation mix of natural gas, coal and renewable energies and supplies approximately 1.9 million customers in a 13,000 square mile supply area with approximately 10,200 megawatts of own electrical power.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is one of the largest energy holding companies in the United States. Its electricity suppliers serve 7.9 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky and together have 51,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,500 people.

Duke Energy is implementing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities, aiming to reduce carbon emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is a leading US renewable energy company on track to own or buy 16,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2025. The company is also investing in major grid upgrades and expanded battery storage, and researching zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear power.

Duke Energy was named one of Fortune’s 2021 World’s Most Admired Companies and Forbes’ America’s Best Employers list. Further information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains press releases, datasheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy lighting features stories about people, innovations, community and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Ana Gibbs
Cell phone: 813.928.7263
Media line: 800.559.3853

The post Duke Energy Florida builds innovative, more resilient and environmentally friendly substation | Duke of Energy first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/duke-energy-florida-builds-innovative-more-resilient-and-environmentally-friendly-substation-duke-of-energy/