Spectator NZ

CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined hospital leaders and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) to unveil the four-year reportof the Chicago HEAL Initiative. Launched in 2018 by Senator Durbin and 10 of the largest hospitals serving Chicago, the HEAL Initiative is a collaboration to address the root causes of gun violence through economic, health, and community projects in 18 of Chicago’s neighborhoods with the highest rates of violence, poverty, and health disparities. Today’s report highlights significant progress made by the hospitals in local hiring, job training and mentorship, and trauma-informed care and youth mental health activities. As part of today’s report, Durbin also announced $6.25 million in new federal funding to support these hospital-led efforts to break the cycle of violence through community programs.

“Today, we stand united in our relentless pursuit to combat the scourge of gun violence,” said Durbin. “The release of our year four report on the Chicago HEAL Initiative marks another milestone in our ongoing mission to create safer communities. Through the unwavering commitment of hospital leaders and the power of collaboration, we have witnessed tangible progress in addressing the root causes of violence. This report showcases the transformative efforts of our health care institutions, reaching beyond their walls to engage communities and build partnerships. Together, we are forging a path towards lasting change — not just in Chicago, but as a beacon of hope for our entire nation.” 

“IHA is proud to support the work of the HEAL Initiative Chapter Two as the health systems continue to partner with Senator Durbin to strengthen the HEAL communities, improve health, and reduce violence,” said AJ Wilhelmi, President and CEO, IHA.

“The HEAL Initiative makes it possible for our social workers and community health workers to expand mental health services and provide accessible, healing care that recognizes trauma and supports students and their families,” said Sally Lemke, DNP, Director of Community-Based Practices, RUSH. “We are grateful for Senator Durbin for recognizing the crucial role school-based health centers play in promoting wellness, mental health, academic success, and community health.” 

Despite the challenges and strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospitals were able to grow their commitments and investments in community violence prevention, addressing health disparities, trauma and mental health services, and local hiring, procurement, and workforce development.  Among other highlights, last year the ten hospitals: 

• Hired 5,390 new employees from the 18 focus neighborhoods.
• Provided 3,639 students with summer job, pipeline, or apprenticeship programs. 
• Operated 24 school-based health clinics and mobile health units that served 11,277 students. 
• Served 17,623 individuals with violence recovery programs, including 3,028 victims with ongoing trauma-informed case management services.

To meaningfully support the work of the hospitals, Durbin, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked to ensure the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill included significant resources for programs in Chicago that fund community mental health, housing, job training, and violence prevention, including: 

• $1.5 million to the University of Illinois Chicago in partnership with Rush University to expand school-based health services in Chicago.
• $750,000 to Chicago Public Schools to launch a collaboration with HEAL hospitals to expand the number of hospitals partnering with CPS.
• $1 million to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to create a new community health clinic site in Austin to serve children and families.
• $500,000 to Advocate Aurora Health to provide summer internships to local college students and expand career opportunities in the health care field.
• $1.25 million to Sinai Health to expand their Population Health Career Pathway Program, which provides career training in growing health careers for at-risk youth in Chicago.
• $1.25 million to the University of Chicago in partnership with Metropolitan Family Services to deliver street outreach and violence recovery services on the South Side of Chicago.

The 10 hospitals initially involved in Chicago HEAL are among the largest serving Chicago: Advocate Health; Ascension Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center; Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; Cook County Health and Hospital System; Loyola University Medical Center; Northwestern Memorial Hospital; Rush University Medical Center; Sinai Health System; University of Chicago Medical Center; and University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences Systems. 

Read the full Year Four report HERE. 

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Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is awarding local housing authorities a combined total of $985,893 to help address the housing needs of communities in Portland, Albany, The Dalles, and Klamath Falls. 

“Too many Oregonians are struggling under the enormous weight of America’s affordable housing crisis,” said Senator Merkley. “This critical federal housing funding will help more Oregonians get the housing resources and support they need. I will keep working to make sure everyone in our state is able to find a safe, affordable place to call home.” 

“Housing is a human right and it’s painfully clear in communities across Oregon that people throughout our state need help to cover the rent for a roof overhead,” said Wyden, who has re-introduced legislation that aims to end homelessness in America and build up the U.S. housing supply. “These housing vouchers will help Oregonians make their rent payments. And I’ll keep battling for similar resources to help Oregonians afford housing wherever they live in the state.”

The HUD Stability Voucher Program makes Housing Choice assistance available to public housing agencies in partnership with local continuums of care and / or victim service providers to assist people experiencing or at risk of homelessness; those fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking; and veterans and families that include a veteran family member that meets one of the preceding criteria. 

Information for the awards coming to Oregon can be found below: 

• Housing Authority of Portland: $803,620 
• Linn-Benton Housing Authority: $119,383 
• Mid-Columbia Housing Authority: $34,989  
• Klamath Housing Authority: $27,901 

“Mr. Musk’s behavior reveals an apparent indifference towards Twitter’s longstanding legal obligations, which did not disappear when Mr. Musk took over the company.”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Senate colleagues today asked Twitter to provide information regarding concerns that the company may have violated its consent decree with federal regulators and put consumer privacy and data security at risk.

The letter comes days after Twitter’s head of Trust and Safety and head of Brand Safety and Advertising Quality announced their resignations.

“Regardless of his personal wealth, Mr. Musk is not exempt from the law, and neither is the company he purchased,” Wyden and colleagues wrote to Twitter CEO Elon Musk and CEO-Designate Linda Yaccarino. “Twitter must meet the requirements it agreed to under the 2011 and 2022 FTC agreements. If reports about Mr. Musk’s actions are correct, it appears that the company may not be doing so.”

Twitter has a history of disregarding consumer privacy. In 2011, the FTC filed a complaint against Twitter, accusing the company of “misleading consumers about the extent to which it protects the security, privacy, and confidentiality of nonpublic consumer information.” The company then entered into a consent decree with the FTC, barring the company for 20 years from misleading consumers regarding privacy, among other conditions. In May 2022, the FTC filed another complaint alleging that the company had violated the existing agreement. 

After buying and becoming CEO of Twitter in October 2022, Mr. Musk made numerous hasty personnel and product decisions and in April of this year, confirmed that over 80 percent of the workforce had left Twitter since he became CEO. In November 2022, the day before the deadline to submit a report to the FTC, the Chief Privacy Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer all resigned. Just last week, Twitter’s head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, and head of Brand Safety and Advertising Quality, A.J. Brown resigned as well.

“These personnel changes, firsthand accounts from employees, and hasty launch of new products raise questions about whether Twitter is able to comply with its obligations under the FTC consent decree,” Wyden and colleagues continued. “In apparent dismissal of concerns regarding reducing his workforce, Mr. Musk’s team has said he is ‘used to going to court and paying penalties, and was not worried about the risks.’”

The May 2022 complaint from the FTC resulted in a new consent decree including a $150 million fine , and additional requirements for the company, including filing a sworn compliance notice regarding changes in company structure such as sales, mergers, and change of ownership, creating and maintaining a privacy and security program, conducting an assessment of privacy, security, confidentiality, and integrity risks before implementing any new products, and reporting any incident if 250 or more users’ personal information is exposed.

The letter was led by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren D-Mass. Alongside Wyden, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii.

As a leading privacy advocate, Wyden wrote the Mind Your Own Business Act — a comprehensive bill that would create strong protections for Americans’ private data and hold corporate executives accountable for abusing private information.  

The text of the letter is here.

June 05, 2023

(Washington, DC) — U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today with U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded  $499,277  to Lamprey Health Care to support their Southern NH Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program.

This funding will be allocated towards AHEC’s programming around children and caregivers that have been exposed to adverse childhood experiences, as well as expand access to interventions and trauma-informed care.

“As communities across New Hampshire continue to be impacted by the substance use disorder epidemic, it’s important that Granite State families have access to trauma-informed care and support. That’s why I’m glad to see these federal funds heading to Lamprey’s Southern NH Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program,” said Senator Shaheen. “Investing in programs like AHEC geared towards trauma-informed care, especially for impacted children and families, is critical as we combat this epidemic. Through my senior position on the Senate Appropriations Committee, I’ll continue advocating for funding on behalf of programs like AHEC that expand access to care for children and families exposed to trauma.”

“Far too many young people in New Hampshire have been impacted by the opioid crisis, from the devastating loss of a parent who overdosed to seeing a loved one struggle to stay in recovery. Trauma-informed care is a critical resource for these children and families,” said Senator Hassan. “This federal funding will help Lamprey Health Care further support New Hampshire children and caregivers, which is especially important as we continue to see high overdose deaths across our state. I will continue to work to combat the opioid epidemic and help children get the support that they need.”

“Every Granite Stater deserves access to high-quality, comprehensive health care – that includes substance use disorder treatment and trauma-informed care,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “I am thrilled to see these funds heading to New Hampshire to ensure children and families have the tools and support they need to recover and thrive.”

“It’s critical we continue to expand access to health care and ensure providers have the resources to meet the needs of their communities,” said Congressman Pappas. “I’m pleased to see this funding headed to Lamprey Health Care to support their efforts to provide trauma-informed care to children and families in New Hampshire, and I will keep working to secure funding that supports our health care staff and increases resources available for Granite Staters in need.”

Shaheen has led efforts in Congress to combat the substance use disorder epidemic and support affected families.  As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen also fought to secure $750,000 for the enhancement of ACERT infrastructure and training resources for law enforcement and first responders in the fiscal year (FY) 2022 funding legislation that was signed into law. Shaheen previously introduced the National ACERT Grant Program Authorization Act, which would provide federal resources for communities to address adverse childhood experiences associated with exposure to trauma.

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Charleston, WV – This past weekend, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, traveled throughout West Virginia to highlight the enactment of legislation to complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in the bipartisan debt ceiling agreement, the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Senator Manchin began championing the effort to complete the pipeline in February 2022.

On Friday, Senator Manchin stopped at a Mount Hope site that serves as a storage area for pipeline supplies for MVP and held a roundtable in Charleston to discuss the benefits of the pipeline for West Virginians. On Saturday, Senator Manchin visited Bridgeport to see a Mountain Valley Pipeline staging area and speak to workers who will be finishing the construction of the pipeline.

“I am thrilled that Republicans and Democrats came together around this legislation to complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline and shore up American energy security,” said Senator Manchin. “This pipeline will lower utility costs for consumers, grow our economy, and make our country stronger all while creating jobs and increasing tax revenue. This is a historic moment for West Virginia as we continue to provide the energy the rest of the nation relies on and proudly serve as America’s energy MVP.” 

The Mountain Valley Pipeline will create more than 2,500 jobs to finish construction, generate $50 million in tax revenue and more than $175 million in royalties for West Virginia landowners.

To view photos from the event in Mount Hope, click here.

To watch the roundtable in Charleston, click here.

To view photos from the event in Bridgeport, click here.

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $4,047,745 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg. The funding will be used to reimburse costs accrued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our frontline workers have gone above and beyond to care for their fellow West Virginians, and healthcare workers continue to depend on PPE and other medical equipment to keep themselves and our communities safe. I’m pleased FEMA continues to assist the Berkeley Medical Center in covering and reimbursing these costs,” said Senator Manchin. “As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for funding to support our healthcare workers and facilities as they care for West Virginians across the Mountain State.”

The funding announced today will support reimbursing costs accrued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by the Berkeley Medical Center. These expenses included purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and patients, implementing COVID-19 screening procedures and hiring temporary staff to assist with the surge of patients.

June 05, 2023