Two top state officials are in Washington, D.C. today working with health care and emergency preparedness leaders from the federal government and other states on continued planning for H1N1 influenza preparedness.
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine and Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Mark Cooper are participating in the 2009 Flu Summit, an all-day H1N1 flu preparedness meeting and workshop with states to further prepare the nation for the possibility of a more severe outbreak of H1N1 flu in the fall. The event is being hosted by Secretaries Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services, Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security, and Arne Duncan of the Department of Education, along with Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan.
Federal, state and local officials, emergency managers, educators and others are discussing lessons learned during the spring and summer H1N1 wave, and best practices and preparedness priorities for the fall and beyond. Public health and infectious disease epidemiology experts from DHH are also participating via web conference.
DHH Secretary Levine said, “We expect a highly active fall flu season, and the first and best line of defense will be our individual citizens, who can take aggressive but simple steps now to protect themselves and their loved ones. DHH’s infectious disease, immunization, emergency preparedness, and public health experts are working very closely with government agencies, health care professionals and hospitals to ensure our state is ready for a possible new outbreak.”
GOHSEP Director Cooper said, “The H1N1 outbreak in the spring was a precursor of what’s possibly to come in the fall. At the state level, we are taking all measures possible to make sure we are prepared to handle the worst case scenario and keep the citizens of Louisiana as informed and healthy as possible. As an all-hazards agency, we work closely with other state agencies such as DHH to make sure we have the necessary resources to handle emergencies at all levels.”
Sessions include an H1N1 Situational Update from the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; discussions on activities and priorities for the U.S. departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Education; panel discussions on school preparedness, preparedness lessons learned from states and localities, and risk communications; and breakout sessions for participants to share their own lessons learned, case studies and best practices.
For the most current national information on H1N1 flu, avian flu and other pandemic flu information, visit www.flu.gov, managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For the most current state information on H1N1 flu, visit www.flula.com, managed by DHH.
Small Business Summitt
United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Ranking Member Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, today convened a roundtable to discuss healthcare reform proposals as they relate to small businesses. Participants at the roundtable, entitled “Healthcare Reform: The Concerns and Priorities from the Perspective of Small Businesses,” included U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Metairie, La. businessman Michael Mitternight and representatives from several small business advocacy organizations.
“This is the 12th meeting of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship that I have chaired this Congress. While the topics have ranged from entrepreneurial development to trade to lending, I continue to hear from small business owners that their number one concern is healthcare,” Chair Landrieu said. “The cost of providing coverage is rising at an unpredictable and unsustainable rate, making it difficult for small business owners to secure stable healthcare for their employees. According to the National Small Business Association, many small businesses have reported yearly premium increases of as much as 20 percent for the past four years. Simply put, we need to reform our health care system to provide small businesses the opportunity to grow and prosper. The cost of doing nothing is just too great.”
“As former Chair and now Ranking Member of the Senate Small Business Committee, if there’s one concern I’ve heard time and again – from small businesses in Maine and across the country – it’s the exorbitant cost to small businesses of providing health insurance to their employees,” said Ranking Member Snowe. “Further compounding the crisis is that small group insurance markets currently have no real competition, as evidenced by the alarming trend of consolidation in the state small group insurance markets. Small business health reform must be a central component to our broader reform efforts, and that is why I am working diligently, as a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, to craft bipartisan, comprehensive health care reform legislation that will make health care more affordable and universal for small businesses and the self-employed.”
“Small businesses are the economic engine that can drive national recovery and I ask only that the government not impede that ability,” said Metairie small business owner Michael Mitternight. “As a small business owner, I can say I’m anxious for healthcare reform, but only if it promotes affordability. I’m opposed to mandates on small businesses and increased taxation. I appreciate Senator Landrieu’s efforts to work with small businesses in helping to achieve those goals.”
Diamond Data Systems, LLC (DDS) announced today that it has recently been awarded two contracts from the Louisiana Supreme Court. The first contract is with the Supreme Court’s Drug Court Office for the modernization and improvement of their Drug Court Case Management System (DCCM) and the second contract is for the design of upgrades and improvements to the Supreme Court’s web-based Louisiana Protective Order Registry (LPOR).
Danny Divito
Actor and comedian Danny DeVito will visit Dorignac's this Saturday from 11am - 2pm to sign bottles of his Danny DeVito Premium Limoncello
This premium Limoncello is the only Limoncello to be awarded the prestigious IGP designation - a mark that confirms that only Sorrento lemons, the best in the world, are used in making Danny's Limoncello.
Helena Moreno
Former Congressional candidate and WDSU anchor Helena Moreno has joined James Hartman & Associates, a multi-service consulting firm based in Metro New Orleans.
Earlier this year, Moreno’s former co-anchor, Roop Raj, joined the firm as a media relations specialist.
"I'm excited to join this team and particularly thrilled to be working again with my former co-anchor Roop Raj,” Moreno said. “I accepted this position because I've always been impressed by the work of this firm, and it will allow me to remain engaged in politics and in our community. In the past several years, I have been on both sides of the camera. I have been the reporter and the candidate. Now I look forward to working with both."
Farmer’s Farm
On Saturday, July 11, Governor Jindal will join Foster Farms CEO Ron Foster for the Foster Farms Farmerville Plant Dedication Celebration Event.
Tidewater
Tidewater Inc. announced that its board of directors declared on July 8, 2009, a quarterly dividend of $.25 per share on Tidewater's approximately 51.7 million shares of common stock outstanding.
The dividend is payable September 15, 2009, to shareholders of record on September 4, 2009.
Tidewater Inc. owns 404 vessels, the world's largest fleet of vessels serving the global offshore energy industry.
