Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Become A Bricklayer; Attend COSEBOC's Gathering of Leaders in Austin, Texas; More Meaningless High School Diplomas for Black Students; Excellent Scholarship Opportunity for Athletes with Asthma


The Black Star Project
Can Help You
Become A Bricklayer
Bricklayer Tasks:
- Lay bricks, pre-cut stone and other types of building blocks in mortar to construct and repair walls, partitions, arches and other structures.
- Measure and cut block or brick to specific lengths.
- Mix concrete and grout by hand or with a mixing machine.
- Unload and load tools and equipment at the jobsite.
- Salaries between $47,039 and $63,313 per year.
Thursday, 6:30 to 7:30 pm
January 26, 2017
The Black Star Project
3509 South King Drive
Chicago, Illinois
(Parking in the Rear)
RSVP at 773.285.9600
We are especially looking for young men and women (and their parents) from 16 to 24 years old. Candidates of all races, genders and ages are invited to this session. High school diploma is required. High school juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend this session.

This opportunity to become a bricklayer
is generously supported by
The Black Star Project
Can Help You
Become An Elevator Installer/Technician through the Elevator Constructor Apprenticeship Program
Ray McCann will facilitate an information session on the Elevator Constructor Apprenticeship Program on Thursday, February 16, 2017 at The Black Star Project at 6:30pm-7:30pm.
Participants will receive information on the length of the program, wage information, preparatory classes, abilities, work experience, benefits, entry process and other requirements.
Thursday, 6:30 to 7:30 pm
February 16, 2017
The Black Star Project
3509 South King Drive
Chicago, Illinois
(Parking in the Rear)
RSVP at 773.285.9600

We are especially looking for young men and women (and their parents) from 16 to 24 years old. Candidates of all races, genders and ages are invited to this session. High school diploma is required. High school juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend this session.

This opportunity to become an elevator technician is generously supported by
The Black Star Project
Can Help You
Become A Painter
Meet with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, or IUPAT. They represent men and women in the United States and Canada who work in what are called the Finishing Trades - Industrial & Commercial Painting, Drywall Finishing, Glazing & Glass Work, Sign & Display and Floor Covering Installation, and many more successful careers in the construction industry and public sector.
Thursday, 6:30 to 7:30 pm
February 23, 2017
The Black Star Project
3509 South King Drive
Chicago, Illinois
(Parking in the Rear)
RSVP at 773.285.9600

We are especially looking for young men and women (and their parents) from 16 to 24 years old. Candidates of all races, genders and ages are invited to this session. High school diploma is required. High school juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend this session.

This opportunity to become a painter
is generously supported by
COSEBOC's 11th Annual
Gathering of Leaders
Boys and Young Men of Color:
Innovators, Creators and Game Changers
Austin, Texas | April 26-28, 2017
Join us this year in the beautiful city of Austin, Texas as we prepare to engage in the Conspiracy of Care to advance the affirmative development and education of boys and young men. The theme for the Gathering of Leaders is, "Boys and Young Men of Color: Innovators, Creators and Game Changers." Who can deny this fact? This theme provides us with the important opportunity to shine a spotlight on the innate genius and talent that our boys and young men possess and display every day. Through this positive lens we anticipate that Gathering attendees will see, acknowledge and understand the role that they must play to protect, nurture and affirm our boys and young men of color so the intensity of that spotlight does not fade.

Click Here for More Information or to register for the Gathering of Leaders.
American High School Districts
"Give Away" High School Diplomas to Black Students with Few Skills. Little to No Correlation between High School Diplomas and Ability to Read Proficiently
-------------------------------------------------
MORE MEANINGLESS DIPLOMAS

By Michael Holzman
January 18, 2017

During the first part of Dropout Nation's study of the value of high school diplomas, we looked at graduation rates and eighth grade reading proficiency for Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. We will now look at five more districts: Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee, in the north, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and Duval County (Jacksonville), Florida, in the south.

Black student graduation rates are reported by these districts to the U.S. Department of Education as 64 percent in Cleveland, 77 percent in Detroit and 55 percent in Milwaukee; 87 percent in Charlotte and 71 percent in Duval County...while White students are reported as graduating at a rate of 82 percent in Cleveland, 62 percent in Detroit and 68 percent in Milwaukee; 94 percent in Charlotte and 81 percent in Duval County.

The difference between White graduation rates, on the one hand, and Black rates, on the other, is rather small, as these things go nationally, varying from about 20 points for Cleveland to about 10 points for the others, except for Detroit, where the difference is inverted-higher Black than White graduation rates. Charlotte's graduation rate for Black students is higher than that for White students in the other districts. Detroit's graduation rate for White students is lower than that for Black students in all the other districts except Milwaukee. All of these districts graduate most of their Black and White students. Charlotte's success in this matter is quite notable.

We can now assess the degree to which those districts are successful in actually educating those students, providing them with the skills and knowledge necessary for college and career preparation. Here, again, the National Assessment of Educational Progress' assessment of eighth-grade reading proficiency will be the yardstick.

At eighth grade, 19 percent of Cleveland's White students read at or above grade level ("Proficient" and "Advanced"), as compared just 8 percent of the district's Black students. Too few of Detroit's White students to measure tested at or above grade level, but a quite astonishing 5 percent of the district's Black students did so. Charlotte's results were 18 percent for Black, and 59 percent for White students scoring "Proficient" or above on eighth grade reading. In Duval County, the district's schools also taught just 18 percent of Black students to read proficiently by eighth grade, as compared to 41 percent of their White students. Milwaukee did not report data for the most recent year. In 2013 the district reported 7 percent of Black students and 29 percent of White students reading proficiently at eighth grade.

High schoolers in Cleveland's district such as those at John Adams High are more-likely to graduate than to read at grade level. Only Charlotte taught most of any group to read proficiently by eighth grade, 59 percent of its White students. This was three times the level of the district's Black students. Yet Charlotte's results (and those of Duval County) compare well with those of Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee, which had results so bad for their Black students that chance effects may have accounted for any success in the districts' reading efforts for them.

Comparing NAEP Eighth grade Reading Proficiency for the Charlotte groups, we found the following: NAEP Eighth grade Reading percent at or above grade level: 18 percent for Black students; 59 percent for White students. And these for high school graduation rates: 87 percent for Black students; 94 percent for White students. Dividing the high school graduation rates by the NAEP reading percentages, we find these ratios: 4.8 for Black students; 1.6 for White students.

For Detroit, we found the following for which we have NAEP Eighth grade Reading percentages at or above grade level: Five percent for Black students. The high school graduation rates: Seventy-seven percent for Black students. Dividing the high school graduation rates by the NAEP reading percentages, we get these ratios: For Black students, it's 15.4.

In Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Duval County and Milwaukee, as in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, the vast majority of Black students are either not graduating or are being handed diplomas that mean little. Those diplomas falsely represent preparation for adult life, for further education and training. They are false promises.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Black Star Project extracted references to Latino students in this article for the sake of space. Please read full article here in Dropout Nation to see references to and data on Latino students, and the complete analysis of this issue.
Excellent Scholarship Opportunity
for Student Athletes with Asthma

Deadline: April 15, 2017

or call 847.530.0678.
The Black Star Project's
8th Annual
Daddy Daughter Dance
Saturday, February 4, 2017
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
National Association of
Letter Carrier's Hall
3850 South Wabash Avenue
Chicago, Illinois
Final Day to Register - Monday, January 27, 2017

Join us for one of The Black Star Project's most highly anticipated events of the year! Don't miss the opportunity to engage in the ultimate bonding experience with your daughter. This will be an afternoon she will never forget!

All fathers, grandfathers, godfathers, uncles, cousins, and other male role caregivers are encouraged to chaperone their favorite young ladies ages 4-14 to our Daddy Daughter Dance.
This event will include:
  • Lunch buffet
  • Music and a DJ
  • Complimentary pictures
  • Entertainment
  • Rose ceremony
  • Lots of dancing!
Admission:
$40.00 per couple
$10.00 per additional girl
$15.00 per additional adult

Click Here to Register for the Dance or call 773.285.9600 for more information.
Click Here to Bring a Daddy Daughter Dance to Your Community or City.
Click Here to Listen to Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross
Click Here to Listen to Unforgettable by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole
The Black Star Project, 3509 South King Drive, Suite 2B, Chicago, IL 60653

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

URGENT: Oppose legalizing silencers in Illinois

The Illinois Senate is considering a bill that would threaten the safety of our communities by making handguns even more dangerous. Senate Bill 50 will legalize silencers - the perfect accessory for a criminal who wants to conceal a crime. How can the General Assembly even consider passing this dangerous legislation following a year Chicago saw over 700 people fallen to gun violence?

SB50, the Silencer Bill, has been posted for a committee hearing on Wednesday, January 25 at 9 am. Here is what we need you to do:

1.) Click on the link below and follow the instructions to complete a witness slip to go on record as an opponent of this bill.

2.) Call your State Senator and urge them to vote "NO" on SB 50. If you cannot speak to your State Senator, leave a voicemail or a message with their staff. To find your state Senator and his/her contact information, enter your zip code + 4 by clicking here.

3.) Share this email with all of your friends and family in Illinois. Ask everyone to fill out witness slips and call their state senator!

If you would like to do more to help, please click here and call and/or email state senators on this list. The senators whose emails are highlighted in yellow must be contacted via the links to their websites.

Silencers have no place on our streets and in our communities. Legalizing silencers is the top priority for the gun lobby this session in Illinois. The Illinois General Assembly should be focusing on bills to reduce gun violence, not pandering to the gun lobby!

Please take action. Right now 770 people have filled out witness slips to support legalizing silencers, while only 11 have filled them out in opposition. We need to change that! The future of this bill is in our hands; let's make our voices heard!

Thank you for working to make a safer society!

WITNESS SLIP INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Click on this link to go to the witness slip form for SB 50.
  2. Under Section I, fill in your identification information.
  3. Under Section II, write "self" to file as an individual.
  4. In Section III, select "Opponent."
  5. In Section IV, select "Record of Appearance Only."
  6. Agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement
  7. Select the "Create Slip" button.
You are done!

AHRQ News Now: ICU ventilator patients, uninsured hospital patients



AHRQ News Now: ICU ventilator patients, uninsured hospital patients
AHRQ News Now
January 24, 2017, Issue #551
Opioid-Related Emergency Department Care
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Ohio and Connecticut were the states with the highest rates of opioid-related emergency department visits in 2014. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #219: Opioid-Related Impatient Stays and Emergency Department Visits by State, 2009-2014.)

Today's Headlines:

AHRQ Toolkit Available for Protecting Safety of Intensive Care Patients on Ventilators
AHRQ’s new Toolkit To Improve Safety for Mechanically Ventilated Patients is available to help hospitals improve safety for mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units (ICUs). The Web-based resource provides tools to help ICU staff follow recommended bedside care, support patient mobility as soon as possible to speed recovery, and apply protective ventilation practices to reduce potential complications. The toolkit allows staff to apply proven methods of AHRQ’s Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program to reduce complications, including ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Study Quantifies Uninsured Patients’ Use of Low-Quality Hospitals
Hospital patients without insurance in 2009–2010 were less likely to receive care at a high-quality hospital compared with patients covered by Medicaid or private insurance, according to a new AHRQ study. The study concluded that since patients without insurance had lower use of high-quality hospitals, future research should examine how the Affordable Care Act has influenced their access to improved care. Findings showed the probability of being admitted to a high-quality hospital was similar for patients with Medicaid and private insurance (about 23 percent), but was significantly lower for patients without insurance (19.8 percent). The study stated that accounting for demographic, socioeconomic and clinical characteristics did not influence the results. Study authors used AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project to examine data on nearly 875,000 patients treated at more than 1,800 hospitals in 18 states. Patients had a primary diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia, stroke or gastrointestinal hemorrhage. A hospital’s level of quality was determined by its in-hospital mortality rate. “Differences in Use of High-Quality and Low-Quality Hospitals Among Working-Age Individuals by Insurance Type” and abstract were published in the February issue of Medical Care.

AHRQ Offers Updated Tutorials on Use of Hospital Database
AHRQ has revised online tutorials that help researchers and others use the agency’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). HCUP, the nation’s most comprehensive source of hospital data, includes national and state data on inpatient care, ambulatory care and emergency department visits. The updated HCUP Overview Course provides information about the sources of HCUP data, features of the database, software tools and products. Additional tutorials instruct users on how to calculate standard errors and how to load and check HCUP data. Contact HCUP User Support for questions about the HCUP Online Tutorial Series.

New Research and Evidence From AHRQ

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes motivate select culture change practices but not comprehensive culture change. Lepore MJ, Shield RR, Looze J, et al.J Aging Soc Policy. 2015;27(3):215-31. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Reporting and using near-miss events to improve patient safety in diverse primary care practices: a collaborative approach to learning from our mistakes. Crane S, Sloane PD, Elder N, et al. J Am Board Fam Med. 2015 Jul-Aug;28(4):452-60. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Longitudinal outcomes of using a fluoride performance measure for adults at high risk of experiencing caries. Gibson G, Jurasic MM, Wehler CJ, et al. J Am Dent Assoc. 2014 May;145(5):443-51. Erratum in: J Am Dent Assoc. 2014 Jun;145(6):528. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Age and sex differences in long-term outcomes following implantable cardioverter-defibrillator placement in contemporary clinical practice: findings from the Cardiovascular Research Network. Masoudi FA, Go AS, Magid DJ, et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2015 Jun 2;4(6):e002005. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Developing and evaluating a website to guide older adults in their health information searches: a mixed-methods approach. Fink A, Beck JC. J Appl Gerontol. 2015 Aug;34(5):633-51. Epub 2013 Jul 19. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
A failure to communicate: a qualitative exploration of care coordination between hospitalists and primary care providers around patient hospitalizations. Jones CD, Vu MB, O'Donnell CM, et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2015 Apr;30(4):417-24. Epub 2014 Oct 15. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Navigating venous access: a guide for hospitalists. Simonov M, Pittiruti M, Rickard CM, et al. J Hosp Med. 2015 Jul;10(7):471-8. Epub 2015 Mar 6. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Empowering sustained patient safety: the benefits of combining top-down and bottom-up approaches. Stewart GL, Manges KA, Ward MM. J Nurs Care Qual. 2015 Jul-Sep;30(3):240-6.
Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Contact Information
Please address comments or questions about AHRQ News Now to Bruce Seeman, (301) 427-1998, or Bruce.Seeman@ahrq

Monday, January 23, 2017

CDC PHIL Images From This Week



CDC PHIL Images From This Week
View the Latest PHIL Images From This Week.
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CDCCenters for Disease Control
and Prevention
Saving Lives. Protecting People. TM
www.cdc.gov
PHIL Images From This Week
01/20/2017 08:00 AM EDT
This Gram-stained photomicrograph revealed the presence of what was termed as “deceptive” extracellular diplococcal bacteria. Of importance, a bacterial culture returned a negative result.
01/19/2017 08:00 AM EDT
Magnified 26X, this scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image depicted a dorsal view of an engorged female tick, which had been extracted from a pet cat. Note the presence of some of the cat's fur, along with some of its skin tissue in which the tick's gnathosoma was embedded, while it had been obtaining a blood meal.
01/18/2017 08:00 AM EDT
This image was created in 2010 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Lifestyle Coordinator Becky Rentz of the Health Promotion Programs, and depicts a CDC staffer using the stairwell of a campus parking deck.
01/17/2017 08:00 AM EDT
This illustration depicts a three-dimensional (3D) computer-generated image of a number of Salmonella serotype Typhi bacteria, based upon scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imagery. Note the presence of numerous thin, short fimbriae emanating from the organisms' cell wall, imparting a furry appearance to these bacteria, and the multiple peritrichous flagella, i.e., flagella protruding in all directions from the cell wall, which provide the bacteria with a mode of motility.
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Northern Trust Perspective - New Year, New Look

Northern Trust
January 18, 2017
Perspective
Outlook: January 18, 2017
To start off the new year, we've updated Perspective. In addition to a new look, Perspective also has an updated structure designed to better align our analysis to your interests. Starting this month we will be offering insights and analysis through four lenses: interest rates, credit markets, equities and real assets.

We see a change in what's driving the markets with the start of 2017 as well, as investors now are turning away from central bank policy and toward political engagement when assessing the market outlook.
What does the focus on political engagement mean for investment portfolios? Read the January outlook now.

Please note that the link to the January issue of Perspective will expire in six months. To access the most recent issue of Perspective at any time, please visit the Perspective home page.
Read Now
Jim McDonald
Jim McDonald
Chief Investment Strategist
Jim McDonald is an Executive Vice President and the Chief Investment Strategist for Northern Trust. In addition, he chairs the Northern Trust Tactical Asset Allocation Committee, is a member of the Investment Policy and Private Equity Investment Committees, and is trustee of the Northern Trust Alpha Strategies and Equity Long/Short Strategies Hedge Funds. View profile.
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