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  • MIL-OSI Global: Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage: sales pitches are often from biased sources, the choices can be overwhelming and impartial help is not equally available to all

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Grace McCormack, Postdoctoral researcher of Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California

    It can take a lot of effort to understand the many different Medicare choices. Halfpoint Images/Moment via Getty Images

    The 67 million Americans eligible for Medicare make an important decision every October: Should they make changes in their Medicare health insurance plans for the next calendar year?

    The decision is complicated. Medicare has an enormous variety of coverage options, with large and varying implications for people’s health and finances, both as beneficiaries and taxpayers. And the decision is consequential – some choices lock beneficiaries out of traditional Medicare.

    Beneficiaries choose an insurance plan when they turn 65 or become eligible based on qualifying chronic conditions or disabilities. After the initial sign-up, most beneficiaries can make changes only during the open enrollment period each fall.

    The 2024 open enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 14 to Dec. 7, marks an opportunity to reassess options. Given the complicated nature of Medicare and the scarcity of unbiased advisers, however, finding reliable information and understanding the options available can be challenging.

    We are health care policy experts who study Medicare, and even we find it complicated. One of us recently helped a relative enroll in Medicare for the first time. She’s healthy, has access to health insurance through her employer and doesn’t regularly take prescription drugs. Even in this straightforward scenario, the number of choices were overwhelming.

    The stakes of these choices are even higher for people managing multiple chronic conditions. There is help available for beneficiaries, but we have found that there is considerable room for improvement – especially in making help available for everyone who needs it.

    The choice is complex, especially when you are signing up for the first time and if you are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Insurers often engage in aggressive and sometimes deceptive advertising and outreach through brokers and agents. Choose unbiased resources to guide you through the process, like http://www.shiphelp.org. Make sure to start before your 65th birthday for initial sign-up, look out for yearly plan changes, and start well before the Dec. 7 deadline for any plan changes.

    2 paths with many decisions

    Within Medicare, beneficiaries have a choice between two very different programs. They can enroll in either traditional Medicare, which is administered by the government, or one of the Medicare Advantage plans offered by private insurance companies.

    Within each program are dozens of further choices.

    Traditional Medicare is a nationally uniform cost-sharing plan for medical services that allows people to choose their providers for most types of medical care, usually without prior authorization. Deductibles for 2024 are US$1,632 for hospital costs and $240 for outpatient and medical costs. Patients also have to chip in starting on Day 61 for a hospital stay and Day 21 for a skilled nursing facility stay. This percentage is known as coinsurance. After the yearly deductible, Medicare pays 80% of outpatient and medical costs, leaving the person with a 20% copayment. Traditional Medicare’s basic plan, known as Part A and Part B, also has no out-of-pocket maximum.

    Traditional Medicare starts with Medicare parts A and B.
    Bill Oxford/iStock via Getty Images

    People enrolled in traditional Medicare can also purchase supplemental coverage from a private insurance company, known as Part D, for drugs. And they can purchase supplemental coverage, known as Medigap, to lower or eliminate their deductibles, coinsurance and copayments, cap costs for Parts A and B, and add an emergency foreign travel benefit.

    Part D plans cover prescription drug costs for about $0 to $100 a month. People with lower incomes may get extra financial help by signing up for the Medicare program Part D Extra Help or state-sponsored pharmaceutical assistance programs.

    There are 10 standardized Medigap plans, also known as Medicare supplement plans. Depending on the plan, and the person’s gender, location and smoking status, Medigap typically costs from about $30 to $400 a month when a beneficiary first enrolls in Medicare.

    The Medicare Advantage program allows private insurers to bundle everything together and offers many enrollment options. Compared with traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans typically offer lower out-of-pocket costs. They often bundle supplemental coverage for hearing, vision and dental, which is not part of traditional Medicare.

    But Medicare Advantage plans also limit provider networks, meaning that people who are enrolled in them can see only certain providers without paying extra. In comparison to traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage enrollees on average go to lower-quality hospitals, nursing facilities, and home health agencies but see higher-quality primary care doctors.

    Medicare Advantage plans also often require prior authorization – often for important services such as stays at skilled nursing facilities, home health services and dialysis.

    Choice overload

    Understanding the tradeoffs between premiums, health care access and out-of-pocket health care costs can be overwhelming.

    Turning 65 begins the process of taking one of two major paths, which each have a thicket of health care choices.
    Rika Kanaoka/USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics

    Though options vary by county, the typical Medicare beneficiary can choose between as many as 10 Medigap plans and 21 standalone Part D plans, or an average of 43 Medicare Advantage plans. People who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, or have certain chronic conditions, or are in a long-term care facility have additional types of Medicare Advantage plans known as Special Needs Plans to choose among.

    Medicare Advantage plans can vary in terms of networks, benefits and use of prior authorization.

    Different Medicare Advantage plans have varying and large impacts on enrollee health, including dramatic differences in mortality rates. Researchers found a 16% difference per year between the best and worst Medicare Advantage plans, meaning that for every 100 people in the worst plans who die within a year, they would expect only 84 people to die within that year if all had been enrolled in the best plans instead. They also found plans that cost more had lower mortality rates, but plans that had higher federal quality ratings – known as “star ratings” – did not necessarily have lower mortality rates.

    The quality of different Medicare Advantage plans, however, can be difficult for potential enrollees to assess. The federal plan finder website lists available plans and publishes a quality rating of one to five stars for each plan. But in practice, these star ratings don’t necessarily correspond to better enrollee experiences or meaningful differences in quality.

    Online provider networks can also contain errors or include providers who are no longer seeing new patients, making it hard for people to choose plans that give them access to the providers they prefer.

    While many Medicare Advantage plans boast about their supplemental benefits , such as vision and dental coverage, it’s often difficult to understand how generous this supplemental coverage is. For instance, while most Medicare Advantage plans offer supplemental dental benefits, cost-sharing and coverage can vary. Some plans don’t cover services such as extractions and endodontics, which includes root canals. Most plans that cover these more extensive dental services require some combination of coinsurance, copayments and annual limits.

    Even when information is fully available, mistakes are likely.

    Part D beneficiaries often fail to accurately evaluate premiums and expected out-of-pocket costs when making their enrollment decisions. Past work suggests that many beneficiaries have difficulty processing the proliferation of options. A person’s relationship with health care providers, financial situation and preferences are key considerations. The consequences of enrolling in one plan or another can be difficult to determine.

    The trap: Locked out

    At 65, when most beneficiaries first enroll in Medicare, federal regulations guarantee that anyone can get Medigap coverage. During this initial sign-up, beneficiaries can’t be charged a higher premium based on their health.

    Older Americans who enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan but then want to switch back to traditional Medicare after more than a year has passed lose that guarantee. This can effectively lock them out of enrolling in supplemental Medigap insurance, making the initial decision a one-way street.

    For the initial sign-up, Medigap plans are “guaranteed issue,” meaning the plan must cover preexisting health conditions without a waiting period and must allow anyone to enroll, regardless of health. They also must be “community rated,” meaning that the cost of a plan can’t rise because of age or illness, although it can go up due to other factors such as inflation.

    People who enroll in traditional Medicare and a supplemental Medigap plan at 65 can expect to continue paying community-rated premiums as long as they remain enrolled, regardless of what happens to their health.

    In most states, however, people who switch from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare don’t have as many protections. Most state regulations permit plans to deny coverage, impose waiting periods or charge higher Medigap premiums based on their expected health costs. Only Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New York guarantee that people can get Medigap plans after the initial sign-up period.

    Deceptive advertising

    Information about Medicare coverage and assistance choosing a plan is available but varies in quality and completeness. Older Americans are bombarded with ads for Medicare Advantage plans that they may not be eligible for and that include misleading statements about benefits.

    A November 2022 report from the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance found deceptive and aggressive sales and marketing tactics, including mailed brochures that implied government endorsement, telemarketers who called up to 20 times a day, and salespeople who approached older adults in the grocery store to ask about their insurance coverage.

    The Department of Health and Human Services tightened rules for 2024, requiring third-party marketers to include federal resources about Medicare, including the website and toll-free phone number, and limiting the number of contacts from marketers.

    Although the government has the authority to review marketing materials, enforcement is partially dependent on whether complaints are filed. Complaints can be filed with the federal government’s Senior Medicare Patrol, a federally funded program that prevents and addresses unethical Medicare activities.

    Meanwhile, the number of people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans has grown rapidly, doubling since 2010 and accounting for more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries by 2023.

    Nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries seek information from an insurance broker. Brokers sell health insurance plans from multiple companies. However, because they receive payment from plans in exchange for sales, and because they are unlikely to sell every option, a plan recommended by a broker may not meet a person’s needs.

    Help is out there − but falls short

    An alternative source of information is the federal government. It offers three sources of information to assist people with choosing one of these plans: 1-800-Medicare, medicare.gov and the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, also known as SHIP.

    The SHIP program combats misleading Medicare advertising and deceptive brokers by connecting eligible Americans with counselors by phone or in person to help them choose plans. Many people say they prefer meeting in person with a counselor over phone or internet support. SHIP staff say they often help people understand what’s in Medicare Advantage ads and disenroll from plans they were directed to by brokers.

    Telephone SHIP services are available nationally, but one of us and our colleagues have found that in-person SHIP services are not available in some areas. We tabulated areas by ZIP code in 27 states and found that although more than half of the locations had a SHIP site within the county, areas without a SHIP site included a larger proportion of people with low incomes.

    Virtual services are an option that’s particularly useful in rural areas and for people with limited mobility or little access to transportation, but they require online access. Virtual and in-person services, where both a beneficiary and a counselor can look at the same computer screen, are especially useful for looking through complex coverage options.

    We also interviewed SHIP counselors and coordinators from across the U.S.

    As one SHIP coordinator noted, many people are not aware of all their coverage options. For instance, one beneficiary told a coordinator, “I’ve been on Medicaid and I’m aging out of Medicaid. And I don’t have a lot of money. And now I have to pay for my insurance?” As it turned out, the beneficiary was eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare because of their income, and so had to pay less than they thought.

    The interviews made clear that many people are not aware that Medicare Advantage ads and insurance brokers may be biased. One counselor said, “There’s a lot of backing (beneficiaries) off the ledge, if you will, thanks to those TV commercials.”

    Many SHIP staff counselors said they would benefit from additional training on coverage options, including for people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. The SHIP program relies heavily on volunteers, and there is often greater demand for services than the available volunteers can offer. Additional counselors would help meet needs for complex coverage decisions.

    The key to making a good Medicare coverage decision is to use the help available and weigh your costs, access to health providers, current health and medication needs, and also consider how your health and medication needs might change as time goes on.

    This article is part of an occasional series examining the U.S. Medicare system.

    Grace McCormack receives funding from the Commonwealth Fund and Arnold Ventures.

    Melissa Garrido receives funding from Commonwealth Fund, the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health for Medicare-related research, including research discussed in this piece.

    – ref. Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage: sales pitches are often from biased sources, the choices can be overwhelming and impartial help is not equally available to all – https://theconversation.com/medicare-vs-medicare-advantage-sales-pitches-are-often-from-biased-sources-the-choices-can-be-overwhelming-and-impartial-help-is-not-equally-available-to-all-236635

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cook, Entrepreneurs, Innovation, and Participation

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    Thank you for the kind introduction, Jennet.1 Let me start by saying my thoughts are with all the people in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia who have felt the force of Helene’s and Milton’s impact. I am saddened by the tragic loss of life and widespread disruption in this region. The Federal Reserve Board and other federal and state financial regulatory agencies are working with banks and credit unions in the affected area. As we normally do in these unfortunate situations, we are encouraging institutions operating in the affected areas to meet the needs of their communities.2
    It is an honor to stand before you and speak to this group of audacious, innovative women. I am also very happy to be back in Charleston. I grew up in Milledgeville, Georgia, just about 250 miles down the road. Some of my fondest childhood memories of traveling in the South, especially as a Girl Scout, include South Carolina.
    Today I would like to talk with you about the important role startups, new businesses, and entrepreneurship play in our economy from the perspective of a Federal Reserve policymaker. I also want to share a bit of my story. Just like many of you—including those who have started a business or those who dream of doing that someday—I have faced and overcome hurdles along a winding path.
    My StoryI was born and raised in Milledgeville, where my mother, Professor Mary Murray Cook, was a faculty member in the Nursing Department of Georgia College and State University. She was the first tenured African American faculty member at that university. My father, Rev. Payton B. Cook, was a chaplain and then in senior leadership at the hospital there. My family lived through the events that brought Milledgeville out of a deeply segregated South. My sisters and I were among the first African American students to desegregate the schools we attended. I drew strength from the example set by my family, others in the Civil Rights Movement, and the village that raised me and from their conviction in the hope and promise of a world that could and would continually improve.
    While I had an interest in economics even before I entered high school, that was not the initial field of study I pursued. I entered Spelman College in Atlanta as a physics and philosophy major. After graduation, I had the honor of studying at the University of Oxford as a Marshall Scholar.
    After Oxford, I continued my education at the University of Dakar in Senegal in West Africa. However, at the end of my year in Africa, it was the chance to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in East Africa where I discovered my love of economics. I hiked alongside a British economist, and, by the end of the trek, he convinced me that studying economics would provide me with the tools to address some big and important questions I had pondered for a long time.
    I went on to earn my Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Entering the economics profession came with its usual challenges, and, for women, a few more challenges existed. To this day, women are still underrepresented in economics. Women earned just 34 percent of bachelor’s degrees in economics and 36 percent of Ph.D.’s in economics in 2022, the most recent available data from the U.S. Department of Education. The share of women earning those degrees rose only modestly from 1999, when women earned about 32 percent of economics bachelor’s degrees and 27 percent of Ph.D.’s. The data stand in sharp contrast to all science and engineering degrees, including in social science fields, where women earned roughly half of degrees granted in 2022.3
    Education was paramount in my family and was construed as a means of realizing the promise of the Civil Rights Movement and continual improvement of our society and economy. Of course, economics, like physics, is a field where math skills are vitally important. Between my mother, my aunts, and my extended family, I had essentially understood STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)-related jobs to be women’s work. I was grateful to have these role models in my orbit to give me the confidence to undertake study in a STEM field.
    Access and encouragement for girls to pursue study in math and science are a significant concern. Economist Dania V. Francis’s research shows that Black girls are disproportionately under-recommended for Advanced Placement calculus.4 The course is often a gateway for economics, for STEM classes, and for college preparation, in general.5
    My mentors and role models encouraged careful study, teaching, and scholarship and helped me block out the voices saying I did not belong at each juncture. They encouraged my work and have been champions for me. As a result, I have been committed to serving as a mentor, as well. For several years, I was the director of and taught in the American Economic Association’s Summer Program, an important training ground for disadvantaged students considering economics careers. Each year, the share of students who are women oscillated between 41 percent and 67 percent, much higher than the enrollment in undergraduate economics courses nationally.6 I told those students—and continue to tell them as they make their way through graduate programs in economics and through the economics profession—”You belong here. Your insights are unique, and the profession will benefit from them.”
    In my career as an economist, I studied, researched, and taught in roles at universities and worked in the private sector and in government before I was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to become a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in 2022. I am honored and humbled to serve in this role and proud to be the first African American woman and first woman of color to serve on the Board of Governors. As Fed policymakers, we make decisions affecting the entire economy and the well-being of every American by focusing on the dual mandate given to us by Congress: maximum employment and stable prices.
    Entrepreneurs’ Vital Role in the EconomyIn my years of conducting research and while at the Board, I have met many inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs who made important contributions to the economy. Many of them happened to be women who were very knowledgeable, creative, and inspiring. So I want to discuss the vital role entrepreneurship and new business creation play in our economy.
    You might ask what interest I have in this subject, as a monetary policymaker focused closely on the dual mandate of maximum employment and stable prices. Well, this topic has interested me for a long time, and I conducted a fair amount of research on entrepreneurship and innovation before joining the Board. But the topic is also important precisely because of our dual mandate. To convince you of this, I will explain a few of the ways in which economists think about entrepreneurship, and how they relate to the dual mandate.
    The first is the most basic: For many people—many millions, in fact—entrepreneurship or self-employment is a career choice.7 It is their preferred way of participating in the labor market and obtaining income for themselves and their families. They prefer to be their own bosses, with all the benefits and risks that entails.8 But whether they end up hiring others or not, self-employed individuals support the labor market by providing a job for themselves.
    A second way economists think about entrepreneurship is a little broader: New business creation is a large contributor to overall job growth. In fact, new businesses punch above their weight. For example, during the handful of years before the pandemic, in a typical year only about 8 percent of all employer firms were new entrants, but these new entrants accounted for about 15 percent of annual gross job creation.9 And research has found that this job creation effect is long lasting. Even though many new firms do not survive, those that do survive tend to grow rapidly over 5 to 10 years, largely offsetting the job losses from those firms that shut down.10
    A third way economists think about entrepreneurship, which I have explored in my own research, is that a small but critical subset of new firms are innovators—they introduce new products or business processes that change how we consume or produce.11 As such, they make large contributions to overall productivity growth over time. That is, innovative entrepreneurs help enable us to do more with less—and even more so if access to innovation participation is equitable.12 It is important that everyone, including women, historically underrepresented groups, people from certain geographic regions, and other diverse representative groups, can participate in the entrepreneurship and innovation economy. In my research, I have found that investors underrate the prospects of Black-founded, or simply outsider-founded, startups in early funding stages. Better assessment of the early stages of invention and innovation could broaden the range of new entrants and the ideas they contribute to their local communities and the broader economy.
    Consider the Dual MandateSo let’s return to the dual mandate. You can now understand that self-employment and entrepreneurial job creation are relevant for our employment mandate. Indeed, one could argue that entrepreneurs are critical to Fed policymakers’ efforts to promote maximum employment. And the productivity gains we reap from entrepreneurship are like productivity growth from any other source. When the pace of productivity growth increases, it allows for economic activity and wage growth to be robust while also being consistent with price stability.
    The importance of business startups to our dual mandate objectives is why I have watched closely as various measures of new business formation have surged since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Applications for new businesses jumped to a record pace shortly after the pandemic struck the U.S.13 The pace of applications has remained elevated above pre-pandemic norms all the way from the summer of 2020 to the most recent data, even though the pace appears to be cooling some this year.14 At first, it might have seemed like these business applications were mainly being submitted by people who lost their jobs, or perhaps by an increase in “gig economy” work. There was doubtless some of that going on, but research and data since then have painted a more optimistic picture.
    When researchers look across areas of the country, the pandemic business applications had only a weak connection with layoffs. The surge in applications persisted long after overall layoffs fell to the subdued pace we have seen since early 2021. The applications did have a strong relationship with workers voluntarily leaving their jobs. Some quitting workers may have chosen to join these new businesses as founders or early employees. And surging business applications were soon followed by new businesses hiring workers and expanding. Over the last two years of available data, new firms created 1.9 million jobs per year, a pace not seen since the eve of the Global Financial Crisis.15
    The industry patterns of this surge reflect shifts in consumer and business needs resulting from the pandemic and its aftermath. For example, in large metro areas, new business creation shifted from city centers to the suburbs, perhaps because of the increase in remote work. Suddenly, people wanted to eat lunch or go to the gym closer to their home, rather than close to their downtown office. Likewise, consumer and business tastes for more online purchases, with the shipping requirements that entails, are evident in the surge of business entry in the online retail and transportation sectors. But this is not only about moving restaurants closer to workers or changing patterns of goods consumption. There was also a particularly strong entry into high-tech industries, such as data processing and hosting, as well as research and development services.16 That may have more to do with developments like artificial intelligence than with the pandemic specifically, as I discussed in a speech in Atlanta last week.17
    Economists will spend years debating the various causes of the surge in business creation during and soon after the pandemic. Perhaps strong monetary and fiscal policy backstopping aggregate demand played some role, or pandemic social safety net policies, or simply the accommodative financial conditions of 2020 and 2021.18 Indeed, more research is needed and will be the subject of many dissertations in the near future.
    I do think a large part of the story is ultimately a case of resourceful and determined American entrepreneurs, perhaps including some of you, responding to the tumultuous shocks of the pandemic. They, like some of you, stepped in to meet the rapidly changing needs of households and businesses. This points to a fourth way economists like to think about entrepreneurship, which is that entrepreneurship plays a big role in helping the economy adapt to change. Research suggests that entrepreneurs and the businesses they create are highly responsive to big economic shocks, and the COVID-19 pandemic was certainly a seismic shock.19 To be sure, the future is uncertain. It is unclear what the productivity effects of the pandemic surge of new businesses, particularly in high tech, will be.20 And whether that surge will continue is an open question; after all, the pre-pandemic period was a period of declining rates of new business creation, and the pandemic surge itself does appear to be cooling off recently.21
    ConclusionFor now, let me say that I am grateful that entrepreneurs continue to give us a hand in meeting our employment mandate, and whatever productivity gains we may reap in coming years as a result may help ease tradeoffs with inflation as well.
    Finally, I will share one last story about why South Carolina will always hold a special place in my and my sisters’ hearts. Every summer and at Thanksgiving, we would travel through the Palmetto State to our grandparents’ house in Winston-Salem. Sitting in the back seat of the station wagon, we were entranced by the many colorful signs along Interstate 95 advertising what I, as a child, viewed as South Carolina’s number one attraction: the South of the Border roadside amusement park. We begged our parents to stop every time. It was an epic struggle that went on for more than a decade. Once or twice they did relent, a sweet childhood victory! And here is the funny thing about travels—paths can cross. The timing is such that my sisters and I may have even been helped by a waiter named Ben, a young man from Dillon, South Carolina, who would go on to be Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke! 22 Perhaps it was the world’s way of foreshadowing.
    Thank you for having me here in Charleston. It is inspiring to meet this group of bold, entrepreneurial women in South Carolina, and I look forward to continuing our conversation.

    1. The views expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Open Market Committee. Return to text
    2. See Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve Board, National Credit Union Administration, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and State Financial Regulators (2024), “Federal and State Financial Regulatory Agencies Issue Interagency Statement on Supervisory Practices regarding Financial Institutions Affected by Hurricane Helene,” joint press release, October 2. Return to text
    3. See U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey, available on the NCES website at https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/survey-components/7. Return to text
    4. See Dania V. Francis, Angela C.M. de Oliveira, and Carey Dimmitt (2019), “Do School Counselors Exhibit Bias in Recommending Students for Advanced Coursework?” B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, vol. 19 (July), pp. 1–17. Return to text
    5. See Lisa D. Cook and Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman (2019), “‘It Was a Mistake for Me to Choose This Field,’” New York Times, September 30. Return to text
    6. See Lisa D. Cook and Christine Moser (2024), “Lessons for Expanding the Share of Disadvantaged Students in Economics from the AEA Summer Program at Michigan State University,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 38 (Summer), pp. 191–208. Return to text
    7. There is no single way to measure the number of self-employed individuals and related businesses, but it certainly numbers in the millions. The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey indicates there are roughly 10 million unincorporated and 7 million incorporated self-employed individuals. Separate data on businesses from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that, as of 2021, there were about 25 million nonemployer and 800,000 employer sole proprietorships (Nonemployer Statistics; Statistics of U.S. Businesses).
    For analysis of inconsistencies between self-employment data sources, see Katharine G. Abraham, John C. Haltiwanger, Claire Hou, Kristin Sandusky, and James R. Spletzer (2021), “Reconciling Survey and Administrative Measures of Self-Employment,” Journal of Labor Economics, vol. 39 (October), pp. 825–60. Return to text
    8. See Erik Hurst and Benjamin Wild Pugsley (2011), “What Do Small Businesses Do? (PDF)” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Fall, pp. 73–142; and Erik G. Hurst and Benjamin W. Pugsley (2017), “Wealth, Tastes, and Entrepreneurial Choice,” in John Haltiwanger, Erik Hurst, Javier Miranda, and Antoinette Schoar, eds., Measuring Entrepreneurial Businesses: Current Knowledge and Challenges (Chicago: University of Chicago Press). Return to text
    9. Gross job creation refers to all jobs created by entering and expanding establishments. Data are from the Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics, averaged for 2015–19. New firms’ share of net job creation is much higher, but this is partly an artifact of measurement practices: Firms with an age less than one measured in annual data cannot contribute negatively to net job creation. Return to text
    10. See John Haltiwanger, Ron S. Jarmin, and Javier Miranda (2013), “Who Creates Jobs? Small versus Large versus Young,” Review of Economics and Statistics, vol. 95 (May), pp. 347–61; and Ryan Decker, John Haltiwanger, Ron Jarmin, and Javier Miranda (2014), “The Role of Entrepreneurship in US Job Creation and Economic Dynamism,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 28 (Summer), pp. 3–24. Return to text
    11. For evidence on the importance of innovating young and small firms, see Daron Acemoglu, Ufuk Akcigit, Harun Alp, Nicholas Bloom, and William Kerr (2018), “Innovation, Reallocation, and Growth,” American Economic Review, vol. 108 (November), pp. 3450–91. For recent trends in technology diffusion of relevance to business entry, see Ufuk Akcigit and Sina T. Ates (2023), “What Happened to US Business Dynamism?” Journal of Political Economy, vol. 131 (August), pp. 2059–2124. Return to text
    12. See Lisa D. Cook (2011), “Inventing Social Capital: Evidence from African American Inventors, 1843–1930,” Explorations in Economic History, vol. 48 (December), pp. 507–18; Lisa D. Cook (2014), “Violence and Economic Activity: Evidence from African American Patents, 1870–1940,” Journal of Economic Growth, vol. 19 (June), pp. 221–57; and Lisa D. Cook (2020), “Policies to Broaden Participation in the Innovation Process (PDF),” Hamilton Project Policy Proposal 2020-11 (Washington: Brookings Institution, August). Return to text
    13. “Business applications” refers to applications for new Employer Identification Numbers submitted to the Internal Revenue Service. These are reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in the Business Formation Statistics. An application does not necessarily mean an actual firm with employees, revenue, or both will result. Return to text
    14. Unless otherwise noted, the facts described in this section are documented in Ryan A. Decker and John Haltiwanger (2024), “Surging Business Formation in the Pandemic: A Brief Update,” working paper, September; and Ryan A. Decker and John Haltiwanger (2023), “Surging Business Formation in the Pandemic: Causes and Consequences? (PDF)” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Fall, pp. 249–302. Return to text
    15. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Business Employment Dynamics (BED) report new firm job creation of 1.9 million, on average, in 2022 and 2023, the highest pace since 2007. Alternative data on firm births from the Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics, which lag the BED by one year, report 2.5 million jobs created by new firms in 2022, also the highest pace since 2007. Return to text
    16. See Ryan Decker and John Haltiwanger (2024), “High Tech Business Entry in the Pandemic Era,” FEDS Notes (Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, April 19). Return to text
    17. See Lisa D. Cook (2024), “Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and the Path Ahead for Productivity,” speech delivered at “Technology-Enabled Disruption: Implications of AI, Big Data, and Remote Work,” a conference organized by the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta, Boston, and Richmond, Atlanta, October 1. Return to text
    18. For a potential role of fiscal policy, see Catherine E. Fazio, Jorge Guzman, Yupeng Liu, and Scott Stern (2021), “How Is COVID Changing the Geography of Entrepreneurship? Evidence from the Startup Cartography Project,” NBER Working Paper Series 28787 (Cambridge, Mass.: National Bureau of Economic Research, May). For safety net programs (specifically expanded unemployment insurance), see Joonkyu Choi, Samuel Messer, Michael Navarrete, and Veronika Penciakova (2024), “Unemployment Benefits Expansion and Business Formation,” working paper, April. For the importance of financial conditions for entrepreneurship in past business cycles, see Michael Siemer (2019), “Employment Effects of Financial Constraints during the Great Recession,” Review of Economics and Statistics, vol. 101 (March), pp. 16–29; and Teresa C. Fort, John Haltiwanger, Ron S. Jarmin, and Javier Miranda (2013), “How Firms Respond to Business Cycles: The Role of Firm Age and Firm Size,” IMF Economic Review, vol. 61 (3), pp. 520–59. Return to text
    19. Examples of research finding a large role for business entry in responding to aggregate shocks include Manuel Adelino, Song Ma, and David Robinson (2017), “Firm Age, Investment Opportunities, and Job Creation,” Journal of Finance, vol. 72 (June), pp. 999–1038; Ryan A. Decker, Meagan McCollum, and Gregory B. Upton, Jr. (2024), “Boom Town Business Dynamics,” Journal of Human Resources, vol. 59 (March), pp. 627–51; and Fatih Karahan, Benjamin Pugsley, and Ayşegűl Şahin (2024), “Demographic Origins of the Startup Deficit,” American Economic Review, vol. 114 (July), pp. 1986–2023. Return to text
    20. The last period of robust productivity growth in the U.S., the late 1990s and early 2000s, was preceded by several years by strong business creation in high-tech industries; see Lucia Foster, Cheryl Grim, John C. Haltiwanger, and Zoltan Wolf (2021), “Innovation, Productivity Dispersion, and Productivity Growth,” in Carol Corrado, Jonathan Haskel, Javier Miranda, and Daniel Sichel, eds., Measuring and Accounting for Innovation in the Twenty-First Century (Chicago: University of Chicago Press). Return to text
    21. The number of annual new firms as a share of all firms declined from around 12 percent in the 1980s, on average, to around 9 percent in the period of 2010–19. New firms’ share of gross job creation declined from nearly 20 percent to less than 15 percent over the same period. Data are from Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. The pre-pandemic trend decline in entry rates was documented by Ryan Decker, John Haltiwanger, Ron Jarmin, and Javier Miranda (2014), “The Role of Entrepreneurship in US Job Creation and Economic Dynamism,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 28 (Summer), pp. 3–24. Return to text
    22. See Ben S. Bernanke (2009), “Brief Remarks,” speech delivered at the Interstate Interchange Dedication Ceremony, Dillon, S.C., March 7. Return to text

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Immersive Quantum Computing Workshop Gets Microscopic

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    What do qubits, parallelism, entanglement, photonics and decoherence have in common?

    The answer to this question, and many more, will be top of mind when UConn’s College of Engineering (CoE) hosts a two-day Quantum Computing (QC) Workshop, November 20-21 at UConn Health in Farmington. The workshop will feature hands-on learning about quantum computing fundamentals, algorithms, security impacts, communications and applications.

    This interactive event is being coordinated by UConn’s Center for Advanced Engineering Education and the School of Computing, in collaboration with QuantumCT and the Connecticut Advanced Computing Center. It is open to the public, including industry leaders, engineering organizations, faculty, state government, and anyone interested in the field.

    Sanguthevar Rajasekaran, director of UConn’s School of Computing, says quantum computing offers the potential of speeding up computations by an exponential factor and can make a huge impact on every walk of life.

    “Quantum computing exploits the unique features of quantum mechanics to solve problems quickly and more efficiently than traditional computing,” he explains. “QC applications are far and wide, embracing medicine, manufacturing, drug design, climate modeling and much more. The impact of this rapidly evolving technology appears limitless and can provide significant benefits for industry, science, health care, and society at large.”

    According to Nora Sutton, Director of the Center for Advanced Engineering Education, workshop activities will include interactions with industry and academic experts, comprehensive exploration of quantum computing, and networking opportunities with peers and industry leaders.

    “We’re very excited about this workshop, which is designed to immerse participants in the cutting-edge world of quantum technology,” says Sutton. “These real-world applications will help participants uncover the revolutionary, transformative potential in AI, cybersecurity, health care, and more. UConn and CoE are on the forefront of quantum learning, and working to become an educational leader in this important, dynamic field.”

    Quantum mechanics is the area of physics that studies the behavior of particles at a microscopic level. At subatomic levels, the equations that describe how particles behave is different from those that describe the macroscopic world. Quantum computing is a multidisciplinary field comprising aspects of computer science, physics, and mathematics that utilizes quantum mechanics to solve complex problems faster than on classical computers.

    Quantum computers take advantage of these behaviors to perform computations in a completely new way. The field includes hardware research and application development. Potential benefits include advanced machine learning, portfolio optimization in finance, simulation of chemical systems, significant healthcare applications and solving problems currently impossible even using powerful supercomputers.

    Visit the UConn Engineering site for more information or to register.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom announces judicial appointments 10.9.24

    Source: US State of California 2

    Oct 9, 2024

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced his appointment of 18 Superior Court Judges, which include one in Colusa County; one in Contra Costa County; five in Los Angeles County; two in Orange County; three in Sacramento County; one in San Bernardino County; four in San Diego County; and one in Sutter County.

    Colusa County Superior Court

    Brendan M. Farrell, of Colusa County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Colusa County Superior Court. Farrell has served as District Attorney of Colusa County since 2023. He was a Chief Deputy District Attorney at the Colusa County District Attorney’s Office from 2016 to 2022 and a Deputy District Attorney there from 2010 to 2016. Farrell served as a Volunteer Attorney at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office in 2010. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jeffrey A. Thompson. Farrell is registered without party preference.
     
    Contra Costa County Superior Court

    Robert S. Leach, of Contra Costa County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Contra Costa County Superior Court. Leach has served as Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California since 2023 and has served in several positions there since 2012, including Deputy Chief of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney. He served in several roles at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 2003 to 2012, including Assistant Regional Director, Branch Chief and Staff Attorney. Leach was an Associate at Latham & Watkins LLP from 1998 to 2003 and served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable John G. Davies at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California from 1997 to 1998. Leach earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Susanne Fenstermacher. Leach is registered without party preference.
     
    Los Angeles County Superior Court

    Leslie B. Gutierrez, of San Bernardino County, has been appointed to serve in an interim appointment as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Gutierrez has served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office since 2012. She was a Sole Practitioner from 2011 to 2012. Gutierrez earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Brian C. Yep. The Governor’s appointment allows her to immediately assume the position she was otherwise elected to begin in January 2025. Gutierrez is a Democrat.
     

    Heather M. Hocter, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Hocter has served as a Deputy Alternate Public Defender at the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender’s Office since 2017. She served as a Deputy Public Defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office from 2006 to 2017. Hocter earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Amy Pellman. Hocter is a Democrat.

    Karen C. Joynt, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Joynt has served as a Commissioner at the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2022. She was Owner and Lead Attorney at Joynt Law from 2019 to 2022. Joynt served in several positions at the Office of the Los Angeles County Counsel from 2010 to 2019, including Assistant County Counsel, Senior Deputy County Counsel and Deputy County Counsel. She served as a Deputy Alternate Public Defender in the Office of the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender from 2006 to 2010. Joynt served as a Deputy Public Defender in the Office of the Los Angeles County Public Defender from 2003 to 2006. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Richard J. Burdge. Joynt is a Democrat.
     

    Esther K. Ro, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Ro has served as a Senior Appellate Attorney at the Second District Court of Appeal since 2019. She was a Partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP from 2017 to 2019 and an Associate there from 2011 to 2017. Ro was an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Recovery Fellow at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center from 2009 to 2010 and an Associate at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP from 2007 to 2009. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Paul A. Bacigalupo. Ro is a Democrat.

    Karla Sarabia, of Los Angeles County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Sarabia has been a Deputy Public Defender at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office since 2008. She served as a Deputy Public Defender at the Fresno County Public Defender’s Office from 2006 to 2008. Sarabia served as a Law Clerk in the Contra Costa County Public Defender’s Office from 2005 to 2006. Sarabia earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Steven D. Blades. Sarabia is a Democrat. 
     
    Orange County Superior Court

    Julianne Sartain Bancroft, of Orange County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Orange County Superior Court. Bancroft has been Senior Appellate Research Attorney at the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three since 2002. She was a Partner at Snell & Wilmer from 1997 to 2002 and an Associate there from 1994 to 1997. Bancroft was an Associate at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati from 1991 to 1994 and served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Melvin T. Brunetti at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1990 to 1991. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James E. Rogan. Bancroft is a Democrat.

    Randy K. Ladisky, of Orange County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Orange County Superior Court. Ladisky has served as a Senior Deputy Alternate Public Defender in the Office of the Orange County Alternate Public Defender since 2014 and has been an Alternate Public Defender there since 2001. He was an Associate at the Law Office of Joel M. Garson from 2000 to 2001 and at the Law Office of Ronald Talmo from 1999 to 2000. Ladisky earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Western State College of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Martha K. Gooding to the Court of Appeal. Ladisky is a Democrat.
     
    Sacramento County Superior Court

    Lee S. Bickley, of Sacramento County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court. Bickley has served as a Senior Attorney at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System since 2024. She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California from 2010 to 2024. Bickley was a Branch Chief for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 2005 to 2010 and a Senior Litigation Associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP from 1998 to 2005. Bickley earned a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gerrit W. Wood. Bickley is a Democrat.
     

    Joseph M. Cress, of Sacramento County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court. Cress has been a Chief Assistant Public Defender at the Sacramento County Public Defender’s Office since 2022 and has served in several roles there since 1995, including Supervising Assistant Public Defender and Assistant Public Defender. He was an Adjunct Professor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law from 2012 to 2015. Cress earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James M. Mize. Cress is a Democrat.
     

    Brenda R. Dabney, of Sacramento County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court. Dabney has been Northern California Regional Director at the Children’s Law Center of California since 2017. She has held several roles at the Children’s Law Center of California since 2001, including Firm Director from 2011 to 2017, Supervising Attorney from 2005 to 2011 and Staff Attorney from 2001 to 2005. Dabney earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Paul L. Seave. Dabney is a Democrat.
     
    San Bernardino County Superior Court

    James M. Taylor, of Riverside County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Bernardino County Superior Court. Taylor has been a Sole Practitioner since 2000. He was an Attorney for the San Bernardino County Indigent Defense Program from 2001 to 2020 and for Conflict Defense Lawyers from 2005 to 2014. Taylor earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Western State College of Law. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Ingrid A. Uhler. Taylor is registered without party preference.
     
    San Diego County Superior Court

    Jami L. Ferrara, of San Diego County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Ferrara has been a Sole Practitioner since 2001. She was a Trial Attorney at Federal Defenders of San Diego Inc. from 1997 to 2000. Ferrara earned a Juris Doctor degree from George Mason University Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John S. Meyer. Ferrara is a Democrat.

    Rachel L. Jensen, of San Diego County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Jensen has been a Partner at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP since 2008 and an Associate from 2004 to 2007. She served as a Law Clerk for the Office of the Prosecutor at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in 2003 and the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 2002. Jensen served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Warren J. Ferguson at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 2001 to 2002. She was an Associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP from 2000 to 2001. Jensen earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2000. She fills the vacancy created by the appointment of Judge David Rubin to the Court of Appeal. Jensen is a Democrat.

    Devon L. Lomayesva, of San Diego County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Lomayesva has been Chief Judge at the Intertribal Court of Southern California since 2016. She has been a Sole Practitioner since 2014. Lomayesva was a Pro Tem Judge at the Intertribal Court of Southern California from 2015 to 2016 and Tribal Attorney for the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians from 2013 to 2014. She was Executive Director at California Indian Legal Services from 2007 to 2012 and In-House Counsel for the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel from 2004 to 2007. She was Directing Attorney at California Indian Legal Services from 2003 to 2004 and a Staff Attorney there from 1999 to 2002. Lomayesva was a Staff Attorney at the California Indian Lands Office from 2002 to 2003. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the California Western School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Harry Powazek. Lomayesva is a Democrat.

    Catherine A. Richardson, of San Diego County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the San Diego County Superior Court. Richardson has served as a Commissioner at the San Diego County Superior Court since 2024. She served as a Senior Chief Deputy City Attorney at the San Diego City Attorney’s Office from 2014 to 2024 and was Senior Counsel at Klinedinst PC from 2011 to 2014. Richardson served as a Deputy City Attorney at the San Diego City Attorney’s Office from 2009 to 2011 and from 1990 to1997. She was a Sole Practitioner from 2005 to 2009. She was a Partner at Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire from 1997 to 2005 and an Associate there from 1988 to 1990. Richardson earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Carlos O. Armour. Richardson is a Democrat.
     
    Sutter County Superior Court

    Fritzgerald A. Javellana, of Sutter County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Sutter County Superior Court. Javellana has served as a Deputy County Counsel in the Office of the Sutter County Counsel since 2022. He was a Contract Juvenile Dependency Attorney for the Office of the Butte County Counsel from 2016 to 2022. Javellana was a Partner at Williams & Javellana LLP from 2014 to 2022 and an Associate at Rooney Law Firm from 2010 to 2014. Javellana earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Perry M. Parker. Javellana is registered without party preference. 

    The compensation for each of these positions is $243,940.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News Release – DOH Receives $1.475 Million Federal Grant To Help Reduce Maternal Mortality in Hawaiʻi

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    News Release – DOH Receives $1.475 Million Federal Grant To Help Reduce Maternal Mortality in Hawaiʻi

    Posted on Oct 9, 2024 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

    KA ʻOIHANA OLAKINO

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

    KE KIA‘ĀINA

    KENNETH S. FINK, MD, MGA, MPH
    DIRECTOR

    KA LUNA HO‘OKELE

     

    DOH RECEIVES $1.475 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO HELP REDUCE MATERNAL MORTALITY IN HAWAIʻI

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    October 9, 2024                                                                                          24-133

    HONOLULU — The Maternal and Child Health Branch (MCHB) within the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) Family Health Services Division received a $1.475 million federal grant to help reduce maternal mortality in Hawaiʻi.

    The funds ($295,000 a year for the next five years) will be used to maintain and expand the work of the DOH and the Hawaiʻi Maternal Mortality Review Committee (HMMRC), which identifies, reviews and characterizes pregnancy-related deaths and identifies prevention opportunities.

    Findings across MMRCs nationwide indicate that more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. In Hawaiʻi, approximately 10 to 12 women across the state die each year because of pregnancy or pregnancy-related complications.

    “The HMMRC is essential to safeguarding the health and well-being of pregnant individuals, mothers and babies across our islands,” said Sunny Chen, executive director of Hawaiʻi Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies and HMMRC member. “Hawaiʻi faces unique challenges — not only geographic isolation but also the cultural and historical impacts of colonialism and persistent health equity issues. By thoroughly examining every maternal death, the team uncovers critical insights that can prevent future tragedies and improve care for all families in Hawaiʻi.”

    The HMMRC was established by the state Legislature in 2016, with the purpose of identifying the root causes of pregnancy-associated deaths and the key points where intervention may have prevented these deaths. A major focus is on the social determinants of health, including disparities in access to care; specific needs of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NPHI) populations; and complications and morbidity in pregnancy that stem from substance use disorder, mental health and adverse childhood events (ACEs).

    Focusing efforts within the NHPI communities can significantly improve perinatal care in Hawaiʻi and reduce maternal mortality. These efforts include supporting perinatal behavioral health to prevent maternal deaths related to perinatal mood, anxiety disorders and substance use disorders; supporting an agency to provide a mobile clinic for perinatal assistance to people who are underinsured and uninsured as they have limited access to prenatal education, care-enabling services, healthcare, and behavioral healthcare; and implementing social media campaigns to support maternal health by increasing awareness of pregnancy-related complications and to empower people who are pregnant and postpartum to speak up and raise concerns.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds MMRCs in 46 states and six U.S. territories and freely associated states.

    To learn more about MCHB, visit https://health.hawaii.gov/mchb/. For more information and referral links to health care providers and community partners, visit the Maternal Warning Signs & Symptoms webpage.

    # # #

    Media Contact:

    Brandin Shim

    Information Specialist

    Family Health Services Division

    808-586-4120

    [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Statement by the Prime Minister on World Mental Health Day

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on World Mental Health Day:

    “Mental health matters. It always has. But for too long, seeking support for mental health struggles was stigmatized. Like something to be ashamed about. And that made people struggle even more. On World Mental Health Day, we raise awareness and our voices about the importance of caring for our mental health. We have open and honest conversations about caring for ourselves and for others. We get rid of the barriers that society has put up about seeking out help.

    “Mental health is a critical part of our mandate. Earlier this year, we announced the new Youth Mental Health Fund, which will help community health organizations across the country make sure younger Canadians can access the mental health care they need and deserve. We are making generational investments in health care, and making sure those investments improve mental health care services. This includes improving Indigenous Peoples’ access to distinctions-based and culturally appropriate mental health services. Last year, we improved access to suicide prevention supports by launching the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline – available to Canadians wherever and whenever it’s needed.

    “There’s a lot more work to be done to break the stigma. Let’s create environments that support open conversations about mental health. Today, take some time to check in on loved ones, neighbours, and colleagues. Take care of yourselves. It’s okay not to feel okay. And it’s okay to speak to someone and get care. By coming together, we can break down the stigma, help others feel supported, and build a healthier, more compassionate society for everyone.”

    If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For mental health and wellness information and key links to services and supports, please go to Canada.ca/mental-health.

    The Hope for Wellness Helpline provides immediate, toll-free telephone and online-chat-based support and crisis intervention to all Indigenous people in Canada. This service is available 24/7 in English and French, and upon request in Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut. Experienced and culturally competent counsellors are available by phone at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat at hopeforwellness.ca.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Social Work Professor Focused on HIV, Intimate Partner Violence Research Brings New Perspective

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Even though Chenglin Hong didn’t grow up locally and came to UConn via Beijing, Seattle, and Los Angeles, students in his classes might have more in common with him than they realize.

    “I grew up in a very rural area in northeast China,” he says. “Neither of my parents went to middle school, so I had to navigate the education system and academia by myself. UConn has a very diverse student body. Many are from underserved communities or low-income families, and quite a few also are first-generation students.”

    Chenglin Hong, assistant professor in the UConn School of Social Work (Contributed photo)

    It’s a shared experience that Hong believes will help him relate to those he’s mentoring as one of the newest faculty members in the UConn School of Social Work. He also thinks that even though his position as assistant professor is steeped in research – and some students might find that intimidating – together, they can work in tandem.

    “The majority of students will work as clinicians and practitioners, either as psychotherapists or case managers,” he says. “It’s important for them to know, though, that research and clinical practice are connected. Their experiences will inform my research, and my research will inform the way they deliver services.”

    Hong describes himself as a global health scholar, one who started his career as a medical social worker in China and went on to get his Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health from the University of Washington and Ph.D. from UCLA.

    And what he studies falls under a self-described “big umbrella.”

    Right now, he’s considering the relationship between intimate partner violence among gay and bisexual men and an increased risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, an understudied area, he says, even though research has shown the prevalence of intimate partner violence among this group is similar or higher than among heterosexual counterparts.

    Hong says his previous research found that as the prevalence of violence rises among gay and bisexual men, so too does the risk of mental health disorders, substance use, and HIV and STIs. He hopes to take this research a step further and look at how technology-based interventions, like eHealth and mHealth, might fit in.

    “My work considers the intersection of social work, public health, psychology, and implementation science to see how I can utilize those interdisciplinary approaches to address the health issues this population faces,” Hong says.

    “I came from a culture where sexual and gender identity are highly stigmatized and people don’t seek care after receiving an HIV diagnosis or an STI diagnosis,” he continues. “That really shaped my research. I want the knowledge I generate to inform practice and policy. I want to be a part of optimizing the standard of services we have and designing new ways to help individuals access health care.”

    The health system in China is vastly different than the United States, Hong notes, explaining that social workers’ primary task in working with those who’ve been diagnosed with HIV is to connect people with medical services, things like getting and taking medications and showing up for follow-up appointments.

    In the U.S., Hong says, supporting one’s medical care isn’t necessarily the focus. There’s already a standard of care and treatment thanks to antiretroviral therapy that offers a life expectancy much the same as the general population.

    “We’re not only talking about physical health in the U.S., we’re also talking about mental health and social well-being,” he says, adding that his work in California with Black sexual minority men living with HIV included a team of professionals, from medical clinicians to lawyers. “That is really different, and I appreciate that approach because physical health is just one component of the overall well-being of individuals.”

    As he begins to establish his research lab at UConn, Hong admits he misses China, his family, and the community he left behind. They’re always in his heart, he says, and have profoundly impacted the way he looks at the world and how he approaches his work.

    “I’m half Korean, half Chinese,” Hong says. “The U.S. is a multicultural society with people from different backgrounds and different cultures. My own experience helps me see the health disparities and think about the best approach for us as researchers to design interventions and services to address societal problems.”

    Read more about Hong’s work here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Non-executive chair reappointment at GAD

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    The Government Actuary’s Department announces the reappointment of Les Philpott as non-executive GAD Board chair.

    Credit: Shutterstock

    Les is an experienced Chair and non-executive director, having held a diverse range of non-executive roles across the public, private and charity sectors.

    He has a background in public management at senior executive levels. He formerly held the role of Chief Executive at the Office for Nuclear Regulation and previously held senior leadership positions in the Health and Safety Executive.

    Commenting on the reappointment Fiona Dunsire, the Government Actuary, said: “With his business understanding and non-executive director experience at chair level, Les has been an insightful and inspirational presence as the Chair of the GAD Board.

    “I look forward to working further with him during his second term as we continue to develop the range of work GAD supports across government.”

    Les also commented and said: “I am delighted to have been reappointed to this role and proud to continue to support the work of such talented, committed people throughout GAD as its Board Chair, particularly in taking forward our new business strategy.”

    Notes:

    Les will continue to lead GAD’s Board as the Non-Executive Chair, for a further 3 years, ending in September 2027.

    This reappointment has been made in accordance with the principles outlined in the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

    All appointments to GAD are made on merit.

    He confirmed that he has not undertaken any political activity within the previous 5 years.

    Updates to this page

    Published 10 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to study looking at the association of maternal serum folate supplementation with congenital heart disease (CHD) risk in offspring

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A study published in JAMA Network Open looks at maternal folate levels and congenital heart disease risk in babies.

    Dr Erica D. Watson, Associate Professor in Reproductive Biology at University of Cambridge, said:

    “It is important to be responsible when writing about this subject because folic acid supplementation has real benefits to fetal health, and we do not want to scare people off from taking their pregnancy vitamins!

    The study indicates that maternal folic acid supplementation largely benefits the development of the baby’s heart. However, the study also shows that in some cases high folate levels in the mother’s blood was associated with an increased risk of heart defects in the baby. More research is needed to understand why this is. It is difficult to predict exactly how much folic acid is too much because genetics, metabolism, diet, and other aspects of the environment of both parents might interact to impact heart development. Importantly, moderate folic acid supplementation likely benefits fetal heart development.”

     

    ‘Maternal Serum Folate During Pregnancy and Congenital Heart Disease in Offspring’ by Qu et al., 2024 was published in JAMA Network Open at 16:00 UK time on Thursday 10th October.

    DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.38747

    Declared interests

    Dr Erica D. Watson “I have no conflicts of interest to declare”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King Calls for Study on Hidden Costs of Ageism on Health Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), along with a number of Senate colleagues, is requesting the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) examine the impact of ageism on quality and equity of care, patient safety and health outcomes. Ageism in health care is associated with a decreased likelihood that older adults will receive care that meets medical guidelines, as well as an increased likelihood that they are not properly reimbursed for care, and exclusion from clinical trials and other research that is available to the public generally. On a percentage basis, Maine leads the nation with the largest 65 and older population.
    “While ageism is often subtle, it is woven into our workforce, our health care system, and our everyday interactions. Ageism undermines older adults and their contributions to our communities. Research shows that 81 percent of adults aged 50-80 report experiencing internal ageism, 65 percent are exposed to ageist messages, and 45 percent face ageism in interpersonal interactions. These staggering statistics demonstrate how ingrained ageism is in our society,” wrote the senators.
    “Ageism within health care leads to poorer health outcomes, avoidable morbidity, and costly preventable adverse events. Ageism costs the health care system $63 billion annually. In health care, ageism is expressed in our policies, the practices of health care providers, and negative assumptions held by older adults themselves. At the macro level, ageism is complex and reflected in health care access issues which result in older adults being less likely to receive care consistent with medical guidelines, payment policies that do not adequately reimburse for complex care needed for older adults, and exclusion or underrepresentation of older adults in clinical trials and other research,” continued the senators.
    “With AHRQ’s mission to improve the quality, safety, and equity of health care, we believe your organization is well suited to support Congress’ effort to address ageism in health care. Results of the requested review will help inform practice, quality improvement efforts, education of health professionals, and policy,” concluded the senators.
    In addition to King, the letter was signed by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
    Representing one of the oldest states in the country, Senator King is consistently working to address the issues facing Maine seniors. In the American Rescue Plan, which passed 50 to 49 in 2021, King secured $10 billion in broadband funding to help more Maine seniors access life-saving services like tele-health. The legislation also contained funding to quickly vaccinate older Americans, and to lower the costs of healthcare. Senator King has also worked to increase prescription drug price transparency, expand tele-health services, and spoke on the Senate floor in support of expanded homecare services in the Build Back Better proposal. He also has introduced bipartisan legislation to help improve critical quality-of-life service and programs for American seniors, and bipartisan legislation to cut costs for volunteers in Maine who deliver meals to seniors. This past fall, alongside Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), he introduced the Stand Strong Falls Prevention Act to help prevent painful and costly falls. He also introduced a ‘Stand Strong’ legislative package that would encourage proactive home modifications and increase access to preventative screenings for older Americans.
    The full text of the letter can be found here or below.
    +++
    Dear Dr. Valdez:
    We write to express our concern about the complexity and pervasive nature of ageism in health care and request that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) examine the impact of ageism on quality and equity of care, patient safety, and health outcomes.
    While ageism is often subtle, it is woven into our workforce, our health care system, and our everyday interactions. Ageism undermines older adults and their contributions to our communities. Research shows that 81 percent of adults aged 50-80 report experiencing internal ageism, 65 percent are exposed to ageist messages, and 45 percent face ageism in interpersonal interactions. These staggering statistics demonstrate how ingrained ageism is in our society. 
    Ageism refers to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination directed towards people on the basis of their age. While ageism is often subtle, it is woven into our workforce, our health care system, and our everyday interactions. Ageism undermines older adults and their contributions to our communities. Research shows that 81 percent of adults aged 50-80 report experiencing internal ageism, 65 percent are exposed to ageist messages, and 45 percent face ageism in interpersonal interactions. These staggering statistics demonstrate how ingrained ageism is in our society. 
    Ageism within health care leads to poorer health outcomes, avoidable morbidity, and costly preventable adverse events. Ageism costs the health care system $63 billion annually. In health care, ageism is expressed in our policies, the practices of health care providers, and negative assumptions held by older adults themselves. At the macro level, ageism is complex and reflected in health care access issues which result in older adults being less likely to receive care consistent with medical guidelines, payment policies that do not adequately reimburse for complex care needed for older adults, and exclusion or underrepresentation of older adults in clinical trials and other research. 
    At the micro level, practices such as the use of ageist language and elder speak, exclusion of older patients from plan of care conversations, and variations in treatment practices due to a patient’s age all affect patients’ quality of care. Self-directed ageism can also lead to adverse outcomes for a patient if their beliefs on aging lead them to believe that the symptoms they are experiencing should be considered a “normal” part of aging. For example, while some cognitive decline is expected as we age, memory loss, confusion, changes in behavior, and inability to complete activities of daily living are all signs of changes in cognitive ability that need to be evaluated by a medical professional. Moreover, people who internalize ageist societal messages tend to have poorer physical, cognitive, and mental health. The reverse is also true—individuals who internalize positive aging messages are likely to exhibit benefits in physical, cognitive, and mental health—highlighting the need to promote age inclusivity.
    We respectfully request that AHRQ examine this issue and provide a synthesis of existing evidence on ageism in health care to inform efforts to reduce ageism within the health care system. Specifically, we request your assistance to answer the following questions:
    What is the full scope of ageism within health care?
    What is the impact of ageism and intersectionality on both the micro and macro levels of health care related to health equity and outcomes?
    What is the evidence for interventions to address ageism and promote age inclusivity in health care?
    With AHRQ’s mission to improve the quality, safety, and equity of health care, we believe your organization is well suited to support Congress’ effort to address ageism in health care. Results of the requested review will help inform practice, quality improvement efforts, education of health professionals, and policy.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Civilians and medical staff in Lebanon must be protected amid Israeli bombardment News Oct 10, 2024

    Source: Doctors Without Borders –

    NEW YORK/BEIRUT, October 10, 2024 — Israeli attacks in Lebanon have forced health care facilities to close, limiting people’s access to health care at a time when medical and humanitarian needs are rising due to the ongoing conflict, said Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Medical facilities and medical personnel in Lebanon must be protected to ensure people have access to essential health care services. 

    Heavy Israeli bombardments have severely disrupted access to medical care across Lebanon. As of October 1, six hospitals and 40 general health care centers have closed their doors as the intensity of the fighting has made it impossible to work without safety guarantees, according to OCHA. In the last two weeks, Israeli strikes have claimed the lives of at least 50 paramedics. This brings the total number of health care workers killed since October last year to over 100, as reported by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.  

    “We must ensure the continuation of care for those in need,” said François Zamparini, emergency coordinator for MSF in Lebanon. “We urge all parties to respect international humanitarian law. Civilians, civilian infrastructure, and medical facilities and medical personnel must not be targeted. Their safety must be guaranteed.” 

    Intense Israeli airstrikes impede MSF response

    To reduce devastating consequences for civilians, MSF is working to ensure the continuation of health care in its existing facilities, while also scaling up and adapting activities. However, due to intense Israeli airstrikes, MSF has been forced to suspend some activities in highly affected areas.

    “Given the intensity of the violence, road damage, and the lack of guaranteed safety, we are currently unable to reach all affected areas in Lebanon despite the increasing medical and humanitarian needs,” Zamparini said.

    Last week, MSF was forced to completely close its clinic in the Palestinian camp of Burj el Barajneh in the southern suburbs of Beirut and temporarily stop activities in Baalbek-Hermel, northeast Lebanon. These are both areas heavily affected by the strikes. The closure of medical facilities has left vulnerable people in these areas, specifically those living with chronic diseases, without the essential services they need.

    Given the intensity of the violence, road damage, and the lack of guaranteed safety, we are currently unable to reach all affected areas in Lebanon despite the increasing medical and humanitarian needs.

    François Zamparini, emergency coordinator for MSF in Lebanon

    “We partially reopened our clinic in Hermel this week to ensure that patients receive their medications, providing them with a two-to-three-month stock of essential drugs, depending on the severity of their conditions and medical risks,” Zamparini said. “One of the hospitals we planned to support and had donated medications and trauma kits to, in Nabatiyeh—only a few kilometers away from the active frontlines—was hit on October 5.”

    What’s happening in Lebanon?

    Read more

    In the south of Lebanon, where the conflict and needs are greatest, MSF medical teams remain unable to operate at full capacity due to a lack of safety guarantees for medical personnel. For example, an MSF mobile medical team, which had been actively supporting general health care centers in Nabatiyeh and other areas closer to the Lebanese border since last November, has been forced to stop its activities. The team, which was once able to reach areas near the border, can no longer do so and is currently limited to operating only as far as Saida, which is about 50 kilometers [31 miles] north of the southern border.

    MSF mobile medical teams provide primary health care and medications for internally displaced people, but the intense Israeli bombardments have forced the suspension of some activities.
    Lebanon 2024 © Salam Daoud/MSF

    A worsening humanitarian crisis in Lebanon

    The armed conflict is worsening an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Lebanon’s health care system was already overburdened by the country’s economic crisis, which has caused the immigration of many medical staff and strained the capacity and resources of medical facilities. Local health centers—already at capacity—are now facing increasing pressure as they try to meet the growing medical needs of displaced people.

    The scale of displacement in Lebanon significantly surpasses the country’s ability to provide adequate shelter, with over a million people displaced, according to UNHCR. The majority of shelters in which people are seeking safety are in dire condition. In response, MSF has deployed 12 mobile medical teams across various regions of the country, including Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Saida, Tripoli, Bekaa, and Akkar. These teams are providing psychological first aid, general medical consultations, and mental health support, in addition to donating mattresses, hygiene kits, hot meals, and clean water.

    MSF first began working in Lebanon in 1976 and has worked in the country without interruption since 2000.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Lebanon: Israel’s evacuation warnings have been ‘misleading and inadequate’ – new analysis

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Analysis of more than a dozen Israeli evacuation warnings show how Lebanese civilians were given contradictory information and exposed to heightened danger 

    Some warnings issued in middle of night on social media and with only 30 minutes notice 

    Backdrop of comments from Netanyahu and others indicates that Israel considers Lebanese civilians and property to be legitimate targets

    ‘This is not a warning, it’s torture. It’s a sadistic game’ – resident of Burj al-Barajneh

    ‘We’re extremely concerned that Israel may be seeking to replicate the approach it followed in Gaza, resulting in unprecedented civilian harm’ – Agnès Callamard

    The evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli military to residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut and south Lebanon have been inadequate – and in some cases misleading – said Amnesty International.

    Amnesty analysed more than a dozen Israeli military evacuation warnings and conducted interviews with 12 residents who fled various districts in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahieh following the Israeli evacuation warnings on 27-28 September, including al-Laylaki, Hay El Sellom, Hadi Nasrallah highway and Burj al-Barajneh. Amnesty also interviewed three residents of villages in south Lebanon.

    Amnesty examined two warnings issued to residents of the crowded urban areas of Dahieh overnight on 27-28 September, after the attack that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The airstrikes demolished entire residential buildings in the densely-populated area. Each warning identified three military targets and said that residents should evacuate a 500-metre radius around that location. The warnings were issued through the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson on X at night, without a clear timeline or details on safe routes. 

    In the two Dahieh warnings, maps published by the Israeli military alongside the evacuation warnings covering six different areas were misleading. In each case the area highlighted on the maps indicating the danger zone for civilians covered a much smaller area than the 500-metre radius that the Israeli military had advised civilians was the minimum distance civilians should evacuate. To be effective, warnings must give clear and timely instructions for civilians on moving away from military objectives that are going to be targeted, with information on safe routes and destinations.

    The Israeli military also issued evacuation warnings to residents of approximately 118 towns and villages in south Lebanon between 1-7 October, following the start of its ground invasion. These warnings, which included towns that were more than 35 km from the border with Israel and outside the UN-declared buffer zone, do not – said Amnesty – make south Lebanon a free-fire zone.  

    Under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict have a clear obligation to take all feasible precautions to avoid – or at least minimise – harm to civilians when carrying out attacks. This includes giving effective advance warning of attacks to civilians in affected areas unless circumstances do not permit. In any case, emphasised Amnesty, issuing warnings does not absolve Israel of its obligations under international humanitarian law to never target civilians and to take all possible measures to minimise harm to them.

    According to the UN, a quarter of Lebanese territory has been affected by evacuation warnings. 

    Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said:

    “The warnings issued by the Israeli military to residents of Dahieh – the densely-populated southern suburbs of Beirut – were inadequate. 

    “Our analysis shows that not only did the warnings issued by the Israeli military include misleading maps, but they were also issued at short notice – in one instance less than 30 minutes before strikes began – in the middle of the night, via social media, when many people would be asleep, offline or not following media reports.

    “Instructing the residents of entire towns and villages in south Lebanon to evacuate is an overly-general warning that is inadequate and raises questions around whether this is intended to create the conditions for mass displacement. 

    “Regardless of the efficacy of the warnings, they do not mean that Israel can treat any remaining civilians as targets. 

    “Having spent the last 12 months investigating Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, we’re extremely concerned that Israel may be seeking to replicate the approach it followed in Gaza, resulting in unprecedented civilian harm.

    “Amnesty International is calling on Israel’s allies, including the United States, to suspend all arms transfers and other forms of military assistance to Israel due to the significant risk that these weapons could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international law. 

    “The organisation is also calling for a suspension of all arms transfers to Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon.”

    Case studies – southern suburbs of Beirut

    Starting at 11:06 pm on 27 September, the Israeli military began to issue evacuation warnings to residents of Dahieh, a suburb in the south of Beirut. In the first warning, the Israeli military instructed residents via X to move 500 metres away from three buildings in the districts of al-Laylaki and al-Hadath, both densely-populated areas, alleging that residents are “located near Hezbollah interests”. The order did not give a timeframe for the evacuation. The map published alongside this warning highlighted an area around the buildings to indicate what was supposedly the 500-metre radius that residents should leave. However, the highlighted area in fact only covered approximately a 135-metre radius. While the map showed 30 buildings within the red circle, there are in fact 500 buildings within the 500-metre radius. The same is true for the evacuation warnings in the al-Hadath district: the areas highlighted on the maps warning residents to stay 500 metres away from the Sheet building and the al-Salam Complex, showed only at approximately 125m and 100m radiuses respectively.

    At around 12:36am, just an hour and a half later, local media reported an Israeli airstrike on al-Laylaki. Over the next hour and 10 minutes, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported 11 further attacks on Dahieh, including on buildings and areas that had not received an evacuation warning. Fatima, a journalist who lives in al-Laylaki, told Amnesty that her brother called her at around 11:15pm while she was covering news of the strike on Nasrallah, warning her to leave the area. She said:

    “I jumped in the car and drove erratically … I arrived in al-Laylaki and found that everyone was acting as crazily as I was. If people could throw themselves off the balcony to leave faster [they would]. Screaming, running, cars honking, motorcycles, plastic bags … I quickly helped my parents down the stairs to my car, and I only took my cat with me … I currently have no belongings at all.”

    Fatima explained that al-Laylaki is a crowded residential area that remained fully populated until that night because it is on the outskirts of Dahieh and residents did not expect it to be targeted.  

    Abir, who lives with her mother close to al-Laylaki, told Amnesty that she could not immediately evacuate her house because her mother is older and sick, and needs to be carried down the stairs: 

    “It was a night from hell. I laid my mother on the floor in the safest room, which is the old bathroom, we hid our heads with our arms [throughout the bombardment].” 

    They were only able to leave a few hours later after a friend helped carry her mother down from the sixth floor.

    At 3am on 28 September, the Israeli military issued another evacuation warning via X to residents in the districts of Burj al-Barajneh and al-Hadath, again in Beirut’s southern suburbs, instructing them to move 500 metres away from three other identified buildings. The warning did not give a timeframe for evacuation and maps of the affected areas were similarly misleading, highlighting areas much smaller than the indicated 500 metre radius.  

    At 5:47 am, the National News Agency reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted al-Hadath and al-Laylaki as well as the Chouiefat and al-Kafaat districts in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which were not listed in the evacuation warning. Local media reported continued airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs throughout the day. 

    Taghreed, a resident of Hay el-Sellom, said that she had not heard about the Israeli warning and took the decision to flee after the major attack that killed Hassan Nasrallah. She told Amnesty: “We were hiding and couldn’t reach the television. I don’t have social media so I don’t know what the Israelis said.” 

    Ahmad, a resident of Burj al-Barajneh, also said that he made the decision to leave Dahieh immediately after the airstrike that killed Nasrallah, as he lives with his elderly parents. He said:

    “While we were still stuck on the road out of Dahieh, with all the ambulances trying to prioritise the wounded people, we heard about the warning on the radio in the van. I felt bitter. This is not a warning, it’s torture. It’s a sadistic game: ‘we will kill you and your family soon. Show us how you can escape’.”

    On 30 September, the Israeli military issued a warning to evacuate from the surroundings of residential buildings in al-Laylaki, Haret Hreik and Burj al-Barajneh. The Israeli military launched a series of airstrikes just 30 minutes later. Similarly, on 3 October, at 10:51 pm, the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for the residents of Burj al-Barajneh, telling them to leave immediately. Local media reported a “heavy strike” minutes after the evacuation order was issued, and at least four attacks by 11:30 pm. 

    Under international law, Hezbollah and other armed groups must, to the extent feasible, avoid locating military objectives, including fighters, ammunition, weapons, and military infrastructure, in or near densely-populated areas. However, the presence of military objectives in populated areas does not absolve Israeli forces of their obligations under international humanitarian law to avoid indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks as well as to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians, including civilians who fail to leave the area after an evacuation warning. Failure to provide effective advance warnings of attacks which may affect civilians, unless circumstances do not permit, and not taking all other feasible precautions to protect civilians, constitute violations of international humanitarian law. 

    Case studies – southern Lebanon

    On 1 October, the Israeli military issued two evacuation warnings to residents of southern Lebanon. The first, at 9:21 am, instructed residents not to move vehicles south of the Litani River “until further notice,” alleging that Hezbollah is using “the civilian environment and the population as human shields”. At 12:18 pm, the Israeli military instructed residents of more than 25 towns across southern Lebanon to evacuate and move north of the Awwali River, some 58 km from the border with Israel and about 30km farther than the Litani River, which marks the UN buffer zone created after the 2006 war. 

    On 2 October, at 9:11 am and then at 11:15 am, the Israeli military issued warnings for a further 24 towns and villages across southern Lebanon, telling residents to “save their lives and leave their homes immediately”, ordering them to move north of the Awwali River and saying that any movement south could expose them to danger. The Israeli military issued a similar warning at 12:49 pm on 3 October for a further 25 towns and villages, at 9:11 am on 4 October for a further 35 villages, and at 12:58 pm on 7 October for 25 additional villages. 

    None of the “orders” offered safe and effective evacuation information, just instructing residents to leave “immediately”. 

    Amnesty’s concerns about the warnings to civilians in south Lebanon are heightened by some statements from Israeli political and military leaders indicating that they considered Lebanese civilians and property to be legitimate targets. Benjamin Netanyahu said on 27 September there is “a missile in every kitchen, a rocket in every garage”. The Israeli Education Minister said on television on 21 September that there was no difference between Hezbollah and Lebanon and that Lebanon “would be annihilated”. In June, the Israeli Defence Minister said that Israel is capable of returning Lebanon “to the stone age”. 

    The south Lebanon warnings and instructions that vehicles do not travel south of the Litani River also raise serious concerns over civilians’ access to essential supplies and services, including food, medication, healthcare and fuel. The mukhtar of Rmeich, a village south of the Litani river close to the border with Israel, which did not receive an evacuation warning but is within the area in which Israel has said vehicles are prohibited from travelling, told Amnesty that supplies in the town were rapidly dwindling. “The area is going to become destitute. How can we continue? It’s like they want to displace us,” he said.

    The conditions being created by Israel’s actions in south Lebanon risk forcibly displacing the majority of the civilian population there. One of the towns in southern Lebanon that the Israeli military warned must be evacuated is Ain Ebel, where the majority of residents are Christian and have no known affiliation with Hezbollah. 

    Rakan Diab, an Ain Ebel resident, told Amnesty that residents of the village were surprised when, on 1 October, Ain Ebel was included in the Israeli military’s evacuation warning on X. Shortly afterwards, the village mayor received a call from a person purporting to be a member of the Israeli military warning residents to flee within around 45 minutes because there were weapons in the village. “People panicked … we needed to pack and leave immediately,” Rakan Diab said, explaining how the majority fled to the nearby village of Rmeich and the Lebanese army and the Lebanese Red Cross facilitated safe passage for a convoy of around 100 cars from Rmeich to north of the Awwali River. 

    Year of Israel-Lebanon conflict

    Israel’s intensified military attacks in Lebanon began on 23 September. During the first day, Israeli forces carried out at least 1,600 attacks in areas across Lebanon, killing more than 500 people and injuring more than 1,800 in the first 24 hours. Hezbollah also launched more than 200 rockets towards Israel that day, with around 10 people sustaining shrapnel or debris wounds. 

    Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in ongoing cross-border hostilities since the group launched attacks into northern Israel following the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Gaza last October. Israeli attacks on Lebanon since 7 October 2023 have killed at least 2,083 people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon, and at least 400,000 have crossed the border to Syria. 

    Since 8 October 2023, Hezbollah and other armed groups have launched thousands of missiles at northern Israel, killing 16 civilians. A further 12 civilians, all children, were killed on 27 July in an attack on Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights. Around 63,000 residents of northern Israel have been evacuated since 8 October. In one Hezbollah attack, on 12 November 2023, an anti-tank missile hit a group of electricity company workers who were doing infrastructure work near Dovev. One worker was killed and another lightly injured. In another attack, on 9 July, two civilians were killed when a missile hit their car while driving on highway 91 in the Golan Heights. In a statement released that day, Hezbollah took responsibility and said that it targeted the nearby Nafah military base in response to the assassination of one of its members. Many of Hezbollah’s rockets are unguided and cannot be aimed at a specific target. Firing inherently inaccurate rockets into areas where civilians are present are indiscriminate attacks, and thus violate international humanitarian law. Direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks which kill or injure civilians constitute war crimes.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: MSF urges for protection of civilians and medical staff amid Israeli bombardment in Lebanon

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    • Healthcare facilities are being forced to close in areas affected by airstrikes.
    • Our teams are working to ensure the continuation of care in our facilities, while also suspending some activities in heavily affected areas.
    • All warring parties must spare civilians, medical facilities, and medical personnel.

    Beirut – As Israeli attacks intensify in Lebanon, healthcare facilities in areas most affected by airstrikes are being forced to close. This is leading to devastating consequences for civilians and their access to healthcare.

    Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are working tirelessly to ensure the continuation of care in our existing facilities, while also scaling up our activities to address the needs emerging from the ongoing conflict. However, due to the intense Israeli airstrikes, we were forced to suspend some activities in highly affected areas. We continue to adapt our activities to provide people with much needed healthcare.

    MSF urges all warring parties to spare civilians, medical facilities, and medical personnel in Lebanon to ensure that vital healthcare services can adequately address people’s urgent medical needs.

    “Given the intensity of the violence, road damage, and the lack of guaranteed safety, we are currently unable to reach all affected areas in Lebanon despite the increasing medical and humanitarian needs,” says François Zamparini, emergency coordinator for MSF in Lebanon.

    Distribution of essential item kits in downtown Beirut, Aazarieh building shelter. October 2, 2024.
    Maryam Srour/MSF

    Last week, MSF was forced to completely close its clinic in the Palestinian camp of Burj el Barajneh in the southern suburbs of Beirut. We also had to temporarily stop our activities in Baalbek-Hermel, northeast Lebanon. These are both areas heavily affected by the strikes.

    “We partially reopened our clinic in Hermel this week to ensure that patients receive their medications, providing them with a two-to-three-month stock of essential drugs, depending on the severity of their condition and medical risks,” adds Zamparini.

    Patients in these areas are already vulnerable, struggling to access the healthcare they desperately need. The closure of medical facilities has left them, specifically people living with chronic diseases, without the essential services they need.

    MSF medical teams also remain unable to operate properly in southern Lebanon due to a lack of safety guarantees for our medical personnel.

    “One of the hospitals we planned to support and had donated medications and trauma kits to, in Nabatiyeh, only a few kilometres away from the active frontlines, was hit on 5 October,” explains Zamparini.

    An MSF mobile medical team, which had been actively supporting general healthcare centres in Nabatiyeh and other areas closer to the Lebanese border since November 2023, has been forced to stop its activities. The team, which was once able to reach areas near the border, can no longer do so and is currently limited to operating only as far as Saida, which is about 50 kilometres north of the southern border, where needs are highest.

    In the last two weeks, Israeli strikes have claimed the lives of at least fifty paramedics. This brings the total number of healthcare workers killed since October last year to over a hundred, as reported by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Healthhttps://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-medics-hezbollah-hospitals-6c7f75c921c9deec0fa5c160ce639664#:~:text=The%20health%20ministry%20on%20Thursday,wounded%20in%20the%20intense%20fighting.. The heavy Israeli bombardments have also severely disrupted access to medical care across Lebanon. As of 1 October 2024, six hospitals and 40 general healthcare centres have closed their doors as the intensity of the fighting made it impossible to work without safety guarantees, according to OCHA.https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-lebanon-occupied-palestinian-territory-and-israel-syria-haiti-ukraine-eastern

    The armed conflict is worsening an ongoing humanitarian crisis, aggravating existing needs. Lebanon’s healthcare system was already overburdened by the country’s economic crisis, which has caused the emigration of many medical staff and strained the capacity and resources of medical facilities. Local health centres, already at capacity, are now facing increasing pressure as they try to meet the growing medical needs of displaced people.

    The scale of displacement in Lebanon significantly surpasses the country’s ability to provide adequate shelter, with over a million people displaced according to UNHCRhttps://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/unhcr-s-grandi-appeals-urgent-humanitarian-support-and-end-bloodshed-lebanon. The majority of shelters people are seeking safety in are in dire conditions. To respond, MSF deployed 12 mobile medical teams across various regions of the country, including Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Saida, Tripoli, Bekaa, and Akkar. These teams are providing psychological first aid, general medical consultations, and mental health support, in addition to donating mattresses, hygiene kits, hot meals, and clean water. Nevertheless, people’s needs are far greater than what we are able to cover.

    “We must ensure the continuation of care for those in need,” emphasises Zamparini. “We urge all parties to respect international humanitarian law. Civilians and civilian infrastructure, medical facilities and medical personnel must not be targeted. Their safety must be guaranteed.”

    MSF’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon:

    In response to the ongoing escalation of conflict and intense Israeli bombing in Lebanon, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has deployed 12 mobile medical teams across various regions of the country, including Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Saida, Tripoli, Bekaa, and Akkar. These teams are providing psychological first aid, general medical consultations, medication, and mental health support. MSF is also distributing essential items such as blankets, mattresses, and hygiene kits, as well as supplying water by trucks to schools and shelters where displaced people have gathered. Additionally, we are offering hot meals and drinking water to hundreds of displaced families. MSF has also donated fuel and trauma kits to several hospitals, prepositioned 10 tons of medical supplies and trained over 100 healthcare workers in trauma care and mass casualty management across the country.

    About MSF in Lebanon:

    MSF is an independent international medical humanitarian organisation that provides aid and free healthcare to people in need, without discrimination. MSF first began to work in Lebanon in 1976, and its teams have worked in the country without interruption since 2008.

    In 2023, MSF teams worked in six locations across Lebanon, providing 13,609 free medical consultations for vulnerable communities, including Lebanese citizens, refugees, and migrant workers. MSF’s services include mental healthcare, sexual and reproductive healthcare, paediatric care, vaccinations, and treatment for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Lebanon: Israel’s evacuation ‘warnings’ for civilians misleading and inadequate

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli military to residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut and south Lebanon were inadequate, and in some cases also misleading, said Amnesty International today, highlighting that these warnings do not absolve Israel of its obligations under international humanitarian law to never target civilians and to take all possible measures to minimize harm to them.

    Under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict have a clear obligation to take all feasible precautions to avoid, or at least minimize, harm to civilians when carrying out attacks; this includes giving effective advance warning of attacks to civilians in affected areas unless circumstances do not permit.

    “The warnings issued by the Israeli military to residents of Dahieh, the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut, were inadequate. Our analysis shows that not only did the warnings issued by the Israeli military include misleading maps, but they were also issued at short notice – in one instance less than 30 minutes before strikes began – in the middle of the night, via social media, when many people would be asleep, offline or not following media reports,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

    “Furthermore, instructing the residents of entire towns and villages in south Lebanon to evacuate is an overly general warning that is inadequate and raises questions around whether this is intended to create the conditions for mass displacement. Regardless of the efficacy of the warnings, they do not mean that Israel can treat any remaining civilians as targets. People who choose to stay in their homes or are unable to leave because members of their household have limited mobility, due to disability, age or other reasons, continue to be protected by international humanitarian law.  Israel must at all times abide by its obligations under international law, including by taking all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians, wherever they are.”

    According to the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHA) one quarter of Lebanese territory has been impacted by evacuation warnings.

    Our analysis shows that not only did the warnings issued by the Israeli military include misleading maps, but they were also issued at short notice – in one instance less than 30 minutes before strikes began – in the middle of the night, via social media, when many people would be asleep, offline or not following media reports

    Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

    To be effective a warning must be timely and provide information on safe routes and destinations. Amnesty International examined two warnings issued to residents of the crowded urban area of Dahieh overnight on 27/28 September, after the surprise strike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The airstrikes demolished entire residential buildings in the densely populated area. Each warning identified three military targets and requested that residents evacuate a 500-metre radius around that location. The warnings were issued through the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson on X (formerly Twitter), at night, without a clear timeline or details on safe routes.

    In the two warnings issued to residents of Dahieh, the maps published by the Israeli military alongside the evacuation warnings, covering six different areas, were misleading. In each of these cases the area highlighted on the maps to indicate the danger zone for civilians covered a much smaller area than the 500-metre radius that the Israeli military had advised civilians was the minimum distance civilians should evacuate.

    The Israeli military also issued evacuation warnings to residents of around 118 towns and villages in south Lebanon between 1 -7 October, following the start of its ground invasion. These warnings, which included towns that were more than 35 km from the border with Israel and outside the UN-declared buffer zone, do not make south Lebanon a free-fire zone. 

    To be effective, warnings must give clear instructions for civilians on moving away from military objectives that are going to be targeted. While warnings can, in some circumstances, be general in character, the definition of what constitutes general does not include overly broad warnings that ask civilians to evacuate entire areas (see for instance the 1987 Commentary on Protocol I).  

    Israel’s warnings in southern Lebanon covered large geographical areas, raising concerns as to whether they were designed instead to trigger mass relocation. Principle 5 of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement states that, in all circumstances, authorities and international actors must abide by their obligations under international law so as “to prevent and avoid conditions that might lead to displacement of persons”.

    Methodology

    Israel’s Operation Northern Arrows began on 23 September with intense aerial bombardment of several areas across Lebanon, including the south, the Bekaa valley and Dahieh, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. According to the Lebanese government, the number of displaced people fleeing Israeli airstrikes has risen to 1.2 million – the vast majority in the last three weeks alone.

    Amnesty International reviewed over a dozen evacuation warnings by the Israeli military and conducted interviews with 12 residents who fled Dahieh following the Israeli evacuation warnings on 27/28 September 2024, including al- Laylaki, Hay El Sellom, Hadi Nasrallah highway, and Burj al-Barajneh. The organization also interviewed three residents of villages in south Lebanon.

    Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab mapped the areas covered by Israel’s evacuation warnings to analyse the areas impacted by the strikes.

    In its analysis of these warnings, Amnesty International is not seeking at this time to determine whether Israel struck military objectives in their attacks, but rather to investigate whether or not the warnings that Israel issued were effective at protecting civilians and adhered to international law.

    Southern suburbs of Beirut: ‘This is not a warning, it’s torture’

    Starting at 11:06 pm on 27 September, the Israeli military began to issue evacuation warnings to residents of Dahieh.  In the first warning, the Israeli military instructed residents via X (formerly Twitter) to move 500 metres away from three buildings in the neighbourhoods of al-Laylaki and al-Hadath, both of which are densely populated areas, alleging residents there are “located near Hezbollah interests”. The order did not give a timeframe for evacuation. 

    The map published alongside this warning highlights an area around the buildings to indicate what was supposedly the 500-metre radius that residents should leave. However, the highlighted area in fact only covered approximately a 135-metre radius. While the map showed 30 buildings within the red circle, there are in fact 500 buildings within the 500-metre radius.

    Caption: A map published by the Israeli military on X misrepresents the area affected by an evacuation warning. The text over the red dotted line reads “500 metres” in Arabic, but the line covers approximately 135 metres.  

    Caption: Satellite imagery shows the al-Laylaki neighborhood, in southern Beirut. The red circle shows the area highlighted by the Israeli military on the map published on social media. The wider area shows the full 500 metre radius impacted by the evacuation warning.

    The same is true for the evacuation warnings in the al-Hadath neighbourhood: the areas highlighted on the maps warning residents to stay 500 metres away from the Sheet building and the Al-Salam Complex, showed only approximately 125m and 100m radiuses respectively.

    Caption: Satellite imagery shows the al-Hadath neighbourhood, in southern Beirut. The red circles show the area highlighted in the map published by the Israeli military on social media. The wider circles show the area impacted by the evacuation warning.

    At around 12:36am, just an hour and a half later, local media reported an Israeli strike on al-Laylaki. Over the next hour and 10 minutes, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported 11 further strikes on Dahieh, including on buildings and areas that had not received an evacuation warning.

    Fatima, a journalist who lives in al-Laylaki, told Amnesty International that her brother called her at around 11:15pm while she was covering news of the strike on Nasrallah, warning her to leave the area:

     “I jumped in the car and drove erratically… I arrived to al-Laylaki and found that everyone was acting as crazily as I was. If people could throw themselves off the balcony to leave faster [they would]. Screaming, running, cars honking, motorcycles, plastic bags…I quickly helped my parents down the stairs to my car, and I only took my cat with me… I currently have no belongings at all.”

    Fatima explained that Al-Laylaki is a crowded residential area that remained fully populated until that night because it is on the outskirts of Dahieh and residents did not expect it to be targeted.  

    Abir, who resides with her mother close to al-Laylaki, told Amnesty International that she could not immediately evacuate her house because her mother is older and sick, and needs to be carried down the stairs: “It was a night from hell. I laid my mother on the floor in the safest room, which is the old bathroom, we hid our heads with our arms [throughout the bombardment].”  They were only able to leave a few hours later after a friend helped carry her mother down from the sixth floor.

    It was a night from hell. I laid my mother on the floor in the safest room, which is the old bathroom, we hid our heads with our arms 

    Abir, whose mother is older and sick and needed to be carried down from the sixth floor to be evacuated

    At 3am on 28 September, the Israeli military issued another evacuation warning via X to residents in the neighbourhoods of Burj al-Barajneh and al-Hadath, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, instructing them to move 500 metres away from three other identified buildings. The warning did not state a timeframe for evacuation and maps of the affected areas were similarly misleading, highlighting areas much smaller than the indicated 500 metre radius.  

    Caption: Satellite imagery shows the Burj al-Barajneh and al-Hadath, in Beirut’s southern suburbs. The red circles show the area highlighted in the map published by the Israeli military on social media. The wider circles show the actual area impacted by the evacuation warning.

    At 5:47 am, the National News Agency reported that Israeli strikes targeted al-Hadath and al-Laylaki as well as the Chouiefat and al-Kafaat neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which were not listed in the evacuation warning. Local media reported continued strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs throughout the day.

    Taghreed, a resident of Hay el-Sellom, said that she had not heard about the Israeli warning and took the decision to flee after the major attack that killed Hassan Nasrallah. “We were hiding and couldn’t reach the television. I don’t have social media so I don’t know what the Israelis said,” she told Amnesty International.

    Ahmad, a resident of Burj al-Barajneh, also said that he made the decision to leave Dahieh immediately after the strike that killed Nasrallah, as he lives with his elderly parents. “While we were still stuck on the road out of Dahieh, with all the ambulances trying to prioritize the wounded people, we heard about the warning on the radio in the van. I felt bitter. This is not a warning; it’s torture. It’s a sadistic game: ‘we will kill you and your family soon. Show us how you can escape’.”

    On 30 September 2024, the Israeli military issued a warning to evacuate from the surroundings of residential buildings in al-Laylaki, Haret Hreik, and Burj al-Barajneh. The Israeli military launched a series of strikes just 30 minutes later. Similarly, on 3 October 2024, at 10:51 pm, the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for the residents of Burj al-Barajneh, urging them to leave immediately. Local media reported a “heavy strike” minutes after the evacuation order was issued, and at least four strikes by 11:30 pm.

    Under international law, Hezbollah and other armed groups must, to the extent feasible, avoid locating military objectives, including fighters, ammunition, weapons, and military infrastructure, in or near densely populated areas. However, the presence of military objectives in populated areas does not absolve Israeli forces of their obligations under international humanitarian law to avoid indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks as well as to take all feasible precautions to spare all civilians, including civilians who fail to leave the area after an evacuation warning. Failure to provide effective advance warnings of attacks which may affect civilians, unless circumstances do not permit, and not taking all other feasible precautions to protect civilians, constitute violations of international humanitarian law.

    En masse evacuation warnings to residents of south Lebanon

    On 1 October, the Israeli military issued two evacuation warnings to residents of south Lebanon. The first, at 9:21am, instructed residents not to move vehicles south of the Litani River “until further notice,” alleging that Hezbollah is using “the civilian environment and the population as human shields.” 

    At 12:18 pm, the Israeli military instructed residents of over 25 towns across southern Lebanon to evacuate and move north of the Awwali River, some 58 km from the border with Israel and about 30km farther than the Litani River, which marks the UN buffer zone created after the 2006 war.

    On 2 October 2024, at 9:11 am and then at 11:15 am, the Israeli military  issued warnings for a further 24 towns and villages across southern Lebanon, telling residents to “save their lives and leave their homes immediately,” ordering them to move north of the Awwali River, and saying that any movement south could expose them to danger. The Israeli military issued a similar warning at 12:49 pm on 3 October for a further 25 towns and villages, at 9:11 am on 4 October for a further 35 villages, and at 12:58 pm on 7 October for 25 additional villages.

    None of the “orders” offered safe and effective evacuation, just instructing residents to leave “immediately”.

    Caption: A map showing the towns and villages impacted by evacuation warnings across southern Lebanon

    Amnesty International’s concerns about the warnings to civilians in south Lebanon are heightened by some statements from Israeli political and military leaders indicating that they considered Lebanese civilians and property to be legitimate targets.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said on 27 September 2024 there is “a missile in every kitchen, a rocket in every garage”. The Israeli Education Minister said on television on 21 September 2024 that there was no difference between Hezbollah and Lebanon and that Lebanon “would be annihilated”. The Israeli Defense Minister has also previously warned in June 2024 that  Israel is capable of returning Lebanon “to the stone age”.

    “The massive loss of life in Lebanon in recent days raises fears that Israeli forces may be flouting their obligation to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians wherever they are, including through issuing effective warnings.  Having spent the last 12 months investigating Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, Amnesty International is extremely concerned that Israel may be seeking to replicate the approach it followed in Gaza, resulting in unprecedented civilian harm,” said Agnes Callamard.

    The south Lebanon warnings and the instructions that vehicles do not travel south of the Litani River also raise serious concerns over civilians’ access to essential supplies and services, including food, medication, healthcare and fuel.  

    The mukhtar of Rmeich, a village south of the Litani river close to the border with Israel, which did not receive an evacuation warning but is within the area in which Israel has said vehicles are prohibited from travelling, told Amnesty International that supplies in the town were rapidly dwindling. “The area is going to become destitute. How can we continue? It’s like they want to displace us,” he said.

    The conditions being created by Israel’s actions in south Lebanon risk forcibly displacing the majority of the civilian population there.

    One of the towns in southern Lebanon that the Israeli military warned must be evacuated is Ain Ebel, where the majority of residents are Christian and have no known affiliation with Hezbollah.

    Rakan Diab, an Ain Ebel resident, told Amnesty International that residents of the village were surprised when Ain Ebel was included in the Israeli military’s evacuation warning on X (formerly Twitter) on 1 October.  Shortly afterwards, the mayor of the village received a call from an individual purporting to be a member of the Israeli military warning residents to flee within around 45 minutes because there were weapons in the village.

    “People panicked… we needed to pack and leave immediately,” he said explaining how the majority fled to the nearby village of Rmeich and the Lebanese army and the Lebanese Red Cross facilitated safe passage for a convoy of around 100 cars from Rmeich to north of the Awwali River.

    “Amnesty International is calling on Israel’s allies, including the United States, to suspend all arms transfers and other forms of military assistance to Israel due to the significant risk that these weapons could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international law.  The organization is also calling for a suspension of all arms transfers to Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon,” said Agnès Callamard.

    Background

    Israel’s Operation Northern Arrows began on 23 September. During the first day, Israeli forces carried out at least 1,600 strikes in areas across Lebanon, killing more than 500 people and injuring over 1800 in the first 24 hours. Hezbollah also launched more than 200 rockets towards Israel that day, with around 10 people sustaining shrapnel or debris wounds.

    Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in ongoing cross-border hostilities since the group launched attacks into northern Israel following the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and the occupied Gaza Strip in October 2023. 

    Israeli attacks on Lebanon since 7 October 2023 have killed at least 2083 people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon, and at least 400,000 have crossed the border to Syria.

    Many of Hezbollah’s rockets are unguided and cannot be aimed at a specific target. Firing inherently inaccurate rockets into areas where civilians are present are indiscriminate attacks, and thus violate international humanitarian law. Direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks which kill or injure civilians constitute war crimes.

    Since 8 October 2023, Hezbollah and other armed groups have launched thousands of missiles at northern Israel, killing 16 civilians. A further 12 civilians, all children, were killed on 27 July in an attack on Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights. Around 63,000 residents of northern Israel have been evacuated since 8 October.

    In one Hezbollah attack, on 12 November 2023, an anti-tank missile hit a group of electricity company workers who were doing infrastructure work near Dovev. One worker was killed in the attack, and another lightly injured.  

    In another attack, on 9 July 2024, two civilians were killed when a missile hit their car while driving on highway 91 in the Occupied Golan Heights. In a statement released that day, Hezbollah took responsibility and said that it targeted the nearby Nafah military base in response to the assassination of one of its members. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Mental health crisis among refugees and migrants in Greece

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    “It’s difficult for many of them, because they have to prove their vulnerability in legal terms. It’s emotionally dehumanizing that I need to prove what has happened to me for a basic human right, which is safety.”

    With these words, Panos Mylonas, a psychologist and Mental Health activity manager working with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Athens, Greece, describes the emotional toll that the asylum-seeking process takes on individuals who are forced to continually justify their suffering.

    On International Mental Health Day, in a conversation with Panos, the depth of the mental health crisis among migrants and refugees becomes painfully clear. Having worked with MSF for over four years, Panos shared his experiences working in the grave migration reality in Athens, where he supports unaccompanied minors, victims of sexual violence, and people with psychiatric needs.

    The journey, the future, and the trauma

    Migrants and refugees arrive in Greece carrying stories of survival from their countries of origin. Many of them have faced life-threatening circumstances including violence, torture, imprisonment, and sexual violence. Panos describes how most individuals are unaware of the dangers they will face on their journey, which often includes additional trauma. He explains that the combination of their traumatic experiences at home and the violence they encounter while fleeing leads to complex mental health issues that emerge when they arrive in Greece.

    “They come here, having faced traumatic events in their country of origin and during their journey, which leads to very complex mental health presentations,” says Panos.

    Panos highlights several recurrent mental health issues among the migrants he works with, including suicidal ideation, hopelessness, and severe anxiety.

    “Almost all of them talk about suicidal thoughts, lack of support, and sleeping problems,” he says. The overwhelming feeling of hopelessness stems from their uncertain future in Greece, where many remain in a state of limbo, waiting for their asylum claims to be processed. This uncertainty exacerbates their trauma, preventing them from finding any sense of stability.

    Panos Mylonas, a psychologist and Mental Health activity manager “Almost all of them talk about suicidal thoughts, lack of support, and sleeping problems,”

    One of the most severe challenges faced by migrants and refugees is the deprivation of access to healthcare, which has a direct and devastating impact on their mental health. Panos explains that “when they get, let’s say, a negative reply to their asylum claim, this means that their access to healthcare is stopped.”

    For many, this loss of healthcare is a significant blow, exacerbating their feelings of helplessness and deepening their mental health struggles. The denial of essential medical services strips them of the opportunity to receive both physical and psychological care, worsening their already fragile state. Panos places great stress on the need for uninterrupted access to healthcare, regardless of asylum outcomes, asserting, “access to healthcare should always be present, regardless of the result.” Without such support, the psychological burden on these individuals intensifies, leaving them trapped in a cycle of uncertainty and despair, further complicating their ability to rebuild their lives.

    A particularly vulnerable group

    Among the most vulnerable are unaccompanied minors, who face specific challenges. These young individuals, already in a fragile stage of their development, are thrust into an environment where they are disconnected from their families and have limited social support. While Greece provides some legal protections and shelter, Panos explains that these minors often face a sudden withdrawal of support once they turn 18.

    “Once they are no longer minors, they are sent to camps, where there is little to no follow-up,” he adds, explaining the difficult transition many minors face as they enter adulthood without sufficient support.

    MSF provides crucial support

    MSF plays a crucial role in providing specialized mental health support to refugees and migrants. MSF offers a space where individuals are welcomed with respect and dignity.

    “We provide them a space, regardless of race or gender or sexuality, to be heard and supported,” he emphasizes. We not only offer psychological support but also works in collaboration with social workers to provide holistic care, addressing both the practical and emotional needs of the migrants.

    However, the demand far exceeds the capacity of MSF. Many patients have complex mental health needs, requiring long-term support that is difficult to sustain. “The scope of MSF is limited, and the needs are much greater than we can meet,” says Panos. This underscores the need for more comprehensive support systems for migrants, including better integration strategies and expanded mental health services.

    When asked what he would change in the current system, Panos calls for faster processing of asylum claims and better living conditions in the camps, which often feel like prisons to those forced to reside there. He also points to the need for greater community support and raising awareness in the host society.

    “There needs to be more awareness in Greek society about what is happening and more efforts to integrate these individuals into the community,” he suggests. Improving the availability of interpreters in healthcare settings and ensuring continuous access to healthcare, even for those who receive negative asylum claims, are also critical changes MSF calls for.

    Médecins Sans Frontières has been providing essential medical and humanitarian aid to asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants in Greece since 1996. In response to the 2015 humanitarian crisis, MSF expanded its efforts to address the growing needs of people arriving in Greece. Emergency interventions were set up across Lesvos, Samos, Chios, Athens, and the border town of Idomeni, offering medical and mental health care, shelter, water and sanitation services, and distributing vital relief items. From December 2015 to March 2016, MSF also carried out life-saving search and rescue operations in the Aegean Sea.

    Since the beginning of 2024, our mental health services in Athens, Greece have provided vital support to more than 1,900 individuals. Our primary clinical diagnoses include anxiety disorders, PTSD, and depression, often triggered by difficult living conditions, forced displacement, and experiences of sexual violence. Over half of those we support (56.3%) have been impacted by violence, leading to symptoms such as anxiety (40.9%), depression (31,6%) and trauma-related distress (14,7%). Our team works to address these complex needs, helping people cope with the challenges of displacement and adversity.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Verizon donates $50,000 to Los Angeles Mission

    Source: Verizon

    Headline: Verizon donates $50,000 to Los Angeles Mission

    IRVINE, C.A. – In honor of World Mental Health Day, Verizon is proud to announce a $50,000 donation to Los Angeles Mission. This funding will enable the organization to expand its services and provide critical relief supplies to the unhoused community during severe weather events, such as the intense heat waves of summer and the frigid cold snaps of winter.

    This marks the second consecutive year that Verizon has supported Los Angeles Mission’s vital work providing seasonal weather disaster relief. Last year’s donation was instrumental in providing resources like clothing, food, emergency shelter, and inclement weather supplies to the vulnerable unhoused population across Los Angeles County. With this year’s donation, Verizon aims to continue that support, especially as extreme weather conditions increasingly pose a threat to the physical and mental well-being of unhoused individuals.

    “We are profoundly grateful to Verizon for their ongoing partnership in providing life-saving disaster relief to the most vulnerable among us,” said Pastor Troy Vaughn, President and CEO of Los Angeles Mission. “As we face both historic heat waves and the upcoming cold weather season in Los Angeles County and throughout California, many of our unhoused neighbors, veterans, and individuals fleeing domestic violence are left without safe refuge amid worsening weather extremes. This generous grant from Verizon will enable us to expand our capacity and secure vital supplies to protect more people during these severe weather events, ensuring they have access to shelter, safety, and hope in these trying times. We commend corporate partners like Verizon for standing by our side in moments of community crisis.”

    Verizon’s donation aligns with the significance of World Mental Health Day, emphasizing the connection between stable housing, mental health, and overall well-being. The organization recognizes that the unhoused population faces disproportionate risks, not only from the physical toll of harsh weather but also from the stress and trauma that accompanies housing instability. This funding will help alleviate some of those pressures by ensuring individuals have access to important resources when they need them most.

    “At Verizon, we believe that connecting with our community goes beyond technology—it’s about extending a hand to those in need. The Los Angeles Mission has been a beacon of hope for the unhoused population, providing essential services and support” said Steven Keller, Pacific Market President at Verizon. “On World Mental Health Day, we are humbled to contribute to their vital work, helping to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors.”

    Verizon’s continued support of local organizations like Los Angeles Mission underscores the company’s broader commitment to social responsibility and its mission to help bridge the gap for underserved communities through both corporate giving and volunteer efforts.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Microsoft expands AI capabilities to shape a healthier future

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Microsoft expands AI capabilities to shape a healthier future

    REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 10, 2024 — On Thursday, Microsoft Corp. is unveiling several Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare innovations that connect care experiences, enhance team collaboration, empower healthcare workers, and unlock clinical and operational insights.

    Through new healthcare AI models in Azure AI Studio, capabilities for healthcare data solutions in Microsoft Fabric, the healthcare agent service in Copilot Studio, and an AI-driven nursing workflow solution, Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare is supporting healthcare organizations on every step of their journey toward shaping a healthier future.

    “We are at an inflection point where AI breakthroughs are fundamentally changing the way we work and live,” said Joe Petro, corporate vice president, Healthcare and Life Sciences Solutions and Platforms at Microsoft. “Across the broader healthcare and life sciences industry, these advancements are dramatically enhancing patient care and also rekindling the joy of practicing medicine for clinicians. Microsoft’s AI-powered solutions are helping lead these efforts by streamlining workflows, improving data integration, and utilizing AI to deliver better outcomes for healthcare professionals, researchers and scientists, payors, providers, medtech developers, and ultimately the patients they all serve.”

    Expanding the reach of AI beyond text: healthcare AI models in Azure AI Studio

    Microsoft is announcing the launch of healthcare AI models, a collection of cutting-edge multimodal medical imaging foundation models available in the Azure AI model catalog. Developed in collaboration with partners like Providence and Paige.ai, these models enable healthcare organizations to integrate and analyze diverse data types — ranging from medical imaging to genomics and clinical records. By using these advanced models as a foundation, healthcare organizations can rapidly build, fine-tune and deploy AI solutions tailored to their specific needs, all while minimizing the extensive compute and data requirements typically associated with building multimodal models from scratch.

    “The development of foundational AI models in pathology and medical imaging is expected to drive significant advancements in cancer research and diagnostics,” said Carlo Bifulco, MD, chief medical officer of Providence Genomics and a co-author of the Prov-GigaPath study. “These models can complement human expertise by providing insights beyond traditional visual interpretation and, as we move toward a more integrated, multimodal approach, will reshape the future of medicine.”

    Harnessing the power of healthcare data with Microsoft Fabric

    Historically, healthcare data has been difficult to access due to its unstructured nature and the limitations of existing data management systems. These challenges have limited organizations’ ability to gain a comprehensive view of patient experiences and access valuable insights.

    With the general availability of healthcare data solutions in Microsoft Fabric, healthcare organizations can overcome these barriers by reshaping how users access, manage and act on data with a single, unified AI-powered platform. Additionally, healthcare security application templates for Microsoft Purview, an innovative suite of features designed to help govern healthcare data, are available in public preview. We’re also launching new capabilities in public preview within healthcare data solutions in Microsoft Fabric including:

    • Conversational data integration: Send conversational data, such as patient conversations, from DAX Copilot to the Fabric platform. By sending DAX Copilot audio files, transcripts and draft clinical notes to Fabric, customers and partners can leverage various native tools in Azure and Fabric to analyze this data and/or combine it with other data to generate comprehensive insights.
    • Social determinants of health (SDOH) public dataset transformation: Ingest, persist, harmonize and consume SDOH national and international public datasets to enable healthcare organizations to identify risks and health-related social needs to help create equitable healthcare for all patients and communities.
    • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) claim and claim line feed (CCLF) data ingestion: Streamline the ingestion of claims data and harmonize with clinical, imaging and SDOH data to unlock actionable insights on patients and populations.
    • Care management analytics: Leverage unified healthcare data and care management analytical templates to enhance patient care by identifying high-risk individuals, optimizing treatment plans and improving care coordination.
    • Data discovery and cohorting: Utilize an integrated workflow that allows healthcare organizations to create, manage, analyze and share patient cohorts.

    Building a safe and responsible healthcare agent

    Healthcare organizations face numerous challenges, including workforce shortages, rising costs and increasing patient care demands. Generative AI offers a potential solution to these challenges by automating administrative tasks, analyzing vast amounts of data for actionable insights and assisting healthcare professionals in decision-making.

    To address this, Microsoft is announcing the public preview of healthcare agent service in Copilot Studio to build Copilot agents for appointment scheduling, clinical trial matching, patient triaging and more. Organizations can leverage the healthcare agent service to help create connected patient experiences, improve clinical workflows, and empower healthcare professionals while helping organizations meet industry expectations with Microsoft Copilot Studio. Early adopters, like Cleveland Clinic, which provided feedback to help optimize the solution for a healthcare setting, are already using these innovations to enhance patient experiences and improve operational efficiency.

    Enhancing nursing workflows with AI: nursing early outcomes

    With the World Health Organization (WHO)1 predicting a shortage of 4.5 million nurses by 2030, the urgency to deliver technology to support the nursing profession is felt more than ever.

    Last month at Epic’s UGM, we announced the next focus area for our collaboration in Epic Workshop. Today, we’re sharing more about how we’re actively collaborating with several leading healthcare organizations — including Advocate Health, Baptist Health of Northeast Florida, Duke Health, Intermountain Health Saint Joseph Hospital, Mercy, Northwestern Medicine, Stanford Health Care, and Tampa General Hospital — to build an AI solution using ambient technology that addresses nursing documentation by drafting flowsheets for review, allowing nurses to focus less on paperwork and more on their patients. This innovation expands on the company’s long-standing strategic collaboration and joint development initiatives with Epic.

    “AI is transforming nursing workflows by streamlining administrative tasks, allowing nurses to focus more on patient care,” said Corey Miller, vice president of R&D at Epic. “Together with Microsoft, we’re using AI-powered ambient voice technology to populate patient assessments. Nurses using the tool are already sharing positive feedback on how it enhances personalized patient interactions.”

    “For nurses, the integration of AI-driven solutions into our workflows is a game changer,” said Terry McDonnell, DNP, ANCP-BC, senior vice president and chief nurse executive, Duke University Health System, vice dean for Clinical Affairs, Duke University School of Nursing, Duke Health. “It allows us to focus more on patient care rather than the administrative burden of documentation. By automating tedious tasks, Microsoft’s ambient AI solution helps alleviate burnout and gives us more time to connect with our patients at the bedside, where we truly make a difference.”

    Empowering responsible AI practices across healthcare

    In line with Microsoft’s dedication to responsible AI, these new solutions adhere to the company’s AI principles established in 2018 to help guide AI development and use. Microsoft remains committed to developing responsible AI by design, ensuring that these technologies positively impact both the healthcare ecosystem and broader society. In practice this means properly building, testing and monitoring systems to avoid undesirable behaviors, such as harmful content, bias, misuse and other unintended risks. Over the years, we have made significant investments in building out the necessary governance structure, policies, tools and processes to uphold these principles and build and deploy AI safely. At Microsoft, we are committed to sharing our learnings on this journey of upholding our Responsible AI principles with our customers. We use our own best practices and learnings to provide people and organizations with capabilities and tools to build AI applications that share the same high standards we strive for.

    For more information on Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare and the new data and AI solutions and their impact, visit https://news.microsoft.com/hlth-2024, or visit Microsoft at booth #4004 at HLTH 2024.

    Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

    1Nursing and midwifery, World Health Organization, 2024

    For more information, press only:

    Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications, (425) 638-7777, [email protected]

    Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit Microsoft Source at https://news.microsoft.com/source. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-public-relations-contacts.

    This press release includes key announcements on AI-driven healthcare innovations by Microsoft and includes a quote emphasizing AI’s transformative role in healthcare.

    Epic is a registered trademark of Epic Systems Corp.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: World Mental Health Day 2024 focuses on mental health at work

    Source: European Union 2

    Too often, people living with mental health challenges are met with misunderstanding, rejection and isolation. Tackling this is the key to building healthier, more inclusive societies. That is why every year on 10 October we celebrate World Mental Health Day, with this year’s theme being prioritising mental health at work. 

    To mark this important occasion, the Commission has presented an EU Support Package on stigma. The Commission will work with national authorities to implement it, and connect them with mental health advocacy groups, for inclusive and informed policy-making. 

    Tackling stigma is about more than just policy-making, which is why the Commission also launched the new ‘In this together’ campaign. This will see it reach out to people across the EU, to challenge misconceptions and promote greater understanding and acceptance on mental health. It will also support national action in education by distributing teaching materials to schools around Europe as a way of increasing awareness and normalising mental health.

    In addition, an updated tracker was published today to monitor progress on the 20 flagship initiatives that are part of the EU’s comprehensive approach to mental health. This approach, which was rolled out in 2023, has financing opportunities worth EUR 1.23 billion that will directly and indirectly support Member States. Its aim is to ensure (i) adequate and effective prevention, (ii) access to high quality and affordable mental healthcare and treatment and (iii) reintegration into society after recovery. 

    According to a 2023 EU survey, almost 1 in 2 people (46% of the EU population) had experienced emotional or psychosocial problems, such as feeling depressed or anxious, in the previous 12 months. The stakes are high and that is why the EU is committed to creating a future where everyone’s mental health is nurtured, valued and protected.

    For more information

    Statement by Commissioner Kyriakides ahead of World Mental Health Day

    The EU’s comprehensive approach to mental health

    Mental health in the EU

    Video: Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination Campaign – Main Film

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: The Board of Directors of the Tourism.RF Corporation has adopted the master plan for the Novaya Anapa resort

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting of the board of directors of JSC Corporation “Tourism.RF”

    October 10, 2024

    Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting of the board of directors of JSC Corporation “Tourism.RF”

    October 10, 2024

    Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting of the board of directors of JSC Corporation “Tourism.RF”

    October 10, 2024

    Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting of the board of directors of JSC Corporation “Tourism.RF”

    October 10, 2024

    Previous news Next news

    Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting of the board of directors of JSC Corporation “Tourism.RF”

    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko held a meeting of the board of directors of JSC Corporation Tourism.RF. At the meeting, the participants reviewed and adopted a master plan for the development of the tourist territory Novaya Anapa in Krasnodar Krai. The launch of the first stage of infrastructure facilities is scheduled for 2030.

    The meeting was attended by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov, the Minister of Construction and Housing and Public Utilities Irek Faizullin, the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dmitry Vakhrukov, the Deputy Minister of Finance Pavel Kadochnikov, the General Director of Tourism.RF Sergey Sukhanov, the General Director of the ANO Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects Svetlana Chupsheva, the Deputy Governor of Krasnodar Krai Alexander Ruppel and others.

    Dmitry Chernyshenko recalled that in March of this year the project of the resort “New Anapa” was presented to the President by the Governor of Krasnodar Krai Veniamin Kondratyev and the head of state supported it.

    “The project will be implemented on the instructions of President Vladimir Putin and will become part of the federal project “Five Seas and Lake Baikal” of the new national project “Tourism and Hospitality”. In November last year, an open all-Russian architectural competition with international participation for the development of the tourist territory “New Anapa” was held. The competition became a platform for joint work of experts, government representatives and potential investors. More than 60 applications from 11 countries were submitted. The original architectural solutions of the winner and finalists of the competition became the basis for the formation of the external appearance of the resort and were taken into account when developing the master plan,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the master plan for “New Anapa” was developed by the corporation over the course of a year and was approved by the coordinating council, which included leading Russian experts in urban development, architecture, ecology, representatives of interested federal and regional authorities, including the administration of Krasnodar Krai and the resort city of Anapa.

    “The project of the family resort “New Anapa” provides for the construction of more than 15 thousand rooms of categories from three to five stars. 100 investment lots have been formed for investors: 69 lots of collective accommodation facilities, 31 lots of tourist and service infrastructure. The facilities will be introduced in stages until 2034,” said Sergey Sukhanov, General Director of “Tourism.RF”.

    The investment volume is estimated at 457.9 billion rubles, of which 148.9 billion rubles is provisional infrastructure, 309 billion rubles is tourist infrastructure created by private investors.

    The master plan provides for the creation of a thematic aqua complex and amusement park, health and balneological centers, schools of water and wind sports, a congress and exhibition center, a phygital center and other modern infrastructure facilities on the resort territory. It also provides for the construction of a multi-level embankment, the arrangement of a large number of recreational areas, squares and parks.

    The master plan includes solutions to issues of supporting and transport infrastructure, such as the reconstruction and expansion of the flat structures of the Vityazevo airport, the construction of access and internal roads to the resort, electricity, gas, water supply and sanitation networks, the creation of sports, recreational, health, educational and event centers.

    In implementing the project, it is planned to use government support measures from the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Construction with the assistance of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

    The next stage of work on the project should be the joint development with the region of documentation on the planning of the territory of the future resort.

    The all-Russian beach family resort “New Anapa” will be located near the village of Blagoveshchenskaya, 36 km from Anapa and 24 km from the international airport Anapa (Vityazevo) named after V.K. The resort will be built on an area of 940 hectares, along the sand spit between the Black Sea and picturesque estuaries.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://government.ru/nevs/52963/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: H.R. 7233, Jenna Quinn Law of 2024

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    H.R. 7233 would amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to advance the awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse. 

    Using information from HHS about the costs of similar programs, CBO estimates that the department would need $4 million annually for the new grants. Based on historical spending patterns for similar programs, CBO estimates that implementing those grants would cost $10 million over the 2025-2029 period. However, those costs would not be attributable to the bill because the underlying authorization is expired. (Although authorizations for the programs in CAPTA expired at the end of 2015, lawmakers have continued to appropriate funds for them. In 2024, about $214 million was allocated for CAPTA programs.)

    H.R. 7233 also would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to the Congress on the effectiveness of grants for reducing child sexual abuse and on whether the projects are duplicative. On the basis of the cost of similar activities, CBO estimates that the costs to GAO to complete the report would be insignificant; any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: First wave of COVID-19 increased risk of heart attack, stroke up to three years later

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    News Release

    Thursday, October 10, 2024

    NIH-funded study focused on original virus strain, unvaccinated participants during pandemic.

    Infection from COVID-19 appeared to significantly increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death for up to three years among unvaccinated people early in the pandemic when the original SARS-CoV-2 virus strain emerged, according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported study. The findings, among people with or without heart disease, confirm previous research showing an associated higher risk of cardiovascular events after a COVID-19 infection but are the first to suggest the heightened risk might last up to three years following initial infection, at least among people infected in the first wave of the pandemic.

    Compared to people with no COVID-19 history, the study found those who developed COVID-19 early in the pandemic had double the risk for cardiovascular events, while those with severe cases had nearly four times the risk. The findings were published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

    “This study sheds new light on the potential long-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19, a still-looming public health threat,” said David Goff, M.D., Ph.D., director for the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which largely funded the study. “These results, especially if confirmed by longer term follow-up, support efforts to identify effective heart disease prevention strategies for patients who’ve had severe COVID-19. But more studies are needed to demonstrate effectiveness.”

    The study is also the first to show that increased risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with severe COVID-19 may have a genetic component involving blood type. Researchers found that hospitalization for COVID-19 more than doubled the risk of heart attack or stroke among patients with A, B, or AB blood types, but not in patients with O types, which seemed to be associated with a lower risk of severe COVID-19.

    Scientists studied data from 10,000 people enrolled in the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database of European patients. Patients were ages 40 to 69 at the time of enrollment and included 8,000 who had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and 2,000 who were hospitalized with severe COVID-19 between Feb. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020. None of the patients had been vaccinated, as vaccines were not available during that period.

    The researchers compared the two COVID-19 subgroups to a group of nearly 218,000 people who did not have the condition. They then tracked the patients from the time of their COVID-19 diagnosis until the development of either heart attack, stroke, or death, up to nearly three years.

    Accounting for patients who had pre-existing heart disease – about 11% in both groups – the researchers found that the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death was twice as high among all the COVID-19 patients and four times as high among those who had severe cases that required hospitalization, compared to those who had never been infected. The data further show that, within each of the three follow-up years, the risk of having a major cardiovascular event was still significantly elevated compared to the controls – in some cases, the researchers said, almost as high or even higher than having a known cardiovascular risk factor, such as Type 2 diabetes.

    “Given that more than 1 billion people worldwide have already experienced COVID-19 infection, the implications for global heart health are significant,” said study leader Hooman Allayee, Ph.D., a professor of population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. “The question now is whether or not severe COVID-19 should be considered another risk factor for cardiovascular disease, much like type 2 diabetes or peripheral artery disease, where treatment focused on cardiovascular disease prevention may be valuable.”

    Allayee notes that the findings apply mainly to people who were infected early in the pandemic. It is unclear whether the risk of cardiovascular disease is persistent or may be persistent for people who have had severe COVID-19 more recently (from 2021 to the present).

    Scientists state that the study was limited due to inclusion of patients from only the UK Biobank, a group that is mostly white. Whether the results will differ in a population with more racial and ethnic diversity is unclear and awaits further study. As the study participants were unvaccinated, future studies will be needed to determine whether vaccines influence cardiovascular risk. Studies on the connection between blood type and COVID-19 infection are also needed as the mechanism for the gene-virus interaction remains unclear.

    This study was supported by NIH grants R01HL148110, R01HL168493, U54HL170326, R01DK132735, P01HL147823, R01HL147883, and P30ES007048.

    About the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): NHLBI is the global leader in conducting and supporting research in heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders that advances scientific knowledge, improves public health, and saves lives. For more information, visit http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Federal workplace safety investigation finds Janesville recycling company continues to expose workers to dangerous levels of lead, cadmium

    Source: US Department of Labor

    JANESVILLE, WI ‒ A follow-up inspection by federal workplace safety investigators in April 2024 found a Janesville recycling company continuing to expose employees to unsafe levels of lead and cadmium while they dismantled cathode ray tubes from older TVs, despite being cited for the same violations in April 2023.

    The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined Universal Recycling Technologies LLC failed to implement adequate engineering controls and did not keep surfaces as free as practicable from lead and cadmium accumulations. 

    “Chronic overexposures to these toxic metals may cause severe damage to blood-forming, nervous, urinary and reproductive systems,” said OSHA Area Director Chad Greenwood in Madison, Wisconsin. “Universal Recycling Technologies cannot solely rely on personal protective equipment as the primary source of protection. The company must focus on continuous improvement of engineering controls to reduce employee exposures to hazardous air contaminants.”

    OSHA cited the company for two repeat and six serious violations and one other-than-serious violation and proposed $202,820 in penalties.

    Specifically, the agency found Universal Recycling Technologies failed to do the following:

    • Provide biological monitoring of employees for overexposure every six months. 
    • Collect samples for representative full shift exposures to both lead and cadmium.
    • Ensure workers removed protective clothing contaminated with lead and cadmium at the completion of the shift and left the clothing at the workplace.
    • Require workers exposed to lead and cadmium to shower at the end of their shift.
    • Establish a regulation area to reduce the spread of contamination when employees were exposed to lead or cadmium over the permissible exposure limit. 
    • Train employees on the additive effects of lead and cadmium.

    Based in Janesville, Universal Recycling Technologies LLC also operates facilities in Dover, New Hampshire; Clackamas, Oregon; and Fort Worth, Texas. 

    The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. 

    Learn more about OSHA’s National Emphasis Program on Lead and read the CDC’s report on Metal Exposures in an Electronic Scrap Recycling Facility. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Lawmakers Renew Legislative Push to Stop Private Equity Looting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    October 10, 2024
    Warren, Lawmakers Renew Legislative Push to Stop Private Equity Looting
    The bill would close loopholes and end incentives for private equity pillaging.
    Updated text responds to private equity’s ruinous takeover of now-bankrupt Steward Health Care, preventing a similar collapse from ever happening again.
    Text of Bill (PDF) | Text of One-Pager (PDF) | Text of Section-by-Section (PDF) | Text of Economic Analysis (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – Today, United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), reintroduced the Stop Wall Street Looting Act, comprehensive legislation to fundamentally reform the private equity industry and level the playing field by forcing private investment firms to take responsibility for the outcomes of companies they take over, empowering workers and protecting investors. This reintroduction comes after private equity firm Cerberus looted Steward Health Care, leaving hospitals, patients, and workers hanging out to dry.
    “Private equity takeovers are legal looting that make a handful of Wall Street executives very rich while costing thousands of people their jobs, putting valuable companies out of ­business, and in the case of health care, is literally a matter of life and death,” said Senator Warren. “Our bill is designed to close loopholes and end incentives for private equity pillaging – and it will make sure what happened at Steward never happens again.”
    “When out-of-state investors buy Wisconsin companies only to turn a quick profit and shutter their doors, it’s Wisconsin workers and communities that suffer. I’m committed to ensuring that when Wisconsin businesses are purchased, Wisconsin families are protected and not left high and dry like we’ve seen in places like Janesville, Green Bay, and Waukesha,” said Senator Baldwin. “Our legislation will help put workers and our community first – protecting them from predatory practices that too often result in devastating job losses for Wisconsin’s working families.”
    “More and more Americans are feeling the presence of private equity in our economy, including in critical sectors like housing and health care,” said Senator Smith. “They arrive promising to revitalize communities and turn around struggling hospitals and companies, but far too often, they extract value for themselves at the expense of workers and ordinary people. This bill will help put an end to their most egregious practices and provide accountability.”
    “The greed of private equity robs too many Americans of stability, security, and prosperity. In Massachusetts, the Steward Health Care crisis is just one example of private equity sacrificing the long-term prosperity of workers, customers, and communities for their short-term profits. The Stop Wall Street Looting Act would finally prevent private equity firms from monetizing productive sectors of the economy and hollowing them out by laying off workers and closing businesses. We need to put in guardrails for private equity to ensure they cannot sacrifice people for profits,” said Senator Markey.
    “It’s long past time for billionaires and big corporations to stop gambling with hardworking Americans’ and their communities’ assets in service of corporate greed,” Representative Pocan said. “In Wisconsin, we’ve seen what happens when private equity firms like Sun Capital raid companies for their wealth and leave workers and communities to pick up the pieces. When Sun Capital took over Shopko – a Wisconsin-based retail chain that had stood strong for more than 50 years – they drained it dry, buried it in debt, pushed it into bankruptcy, and abandoned roughly 14,000 workers. This bill will finally hold these predatory firms accountable and protect workers from being plundered by corporate greed.”
    Since 2020, private equity fund assets have grown exponentially, reaching nearly $8 trillion in 2023 compared to $4.5 trillion in 2020. Private equity funds have purchased companies in nearly every sector of the economy — from nursing homes, to newspapers, to grocery stores — laying off hundreds of thousands of workers and ruining thousands of companies in the process.
    The private equity industry claims to invest in companies while also earning high returns for investors by using their management expertise to make the companies’ operations more efficient, and then selling the companies at a profit. In reality, private equity funds often load mountains of debt on the companies they buy, strip them of their assets, and extract exorbitant fees and dividends, guaranteeing payouts for themselves regardless of how the investment performs. When their debt-ridden investments go belly-up, private equity funds walk away with no responsibility for the mess they create, leaving workers in the lurch and forcing communities to clean up their mess.
    It’s time to level the playing field, protect workers, consumers, and investors, and force private equity firms to take responsibility for the companies they control. This bill does so by closing the loopholes that allow private equity to capture all the rewards of their investments while insulating themselves from risk and liability. The Stop Wall Street Looting Act will:
    Require Private Investment Funds to Have Skin in the Game: Private equity firms, the firm’s general partners, and their insiders will all be on the hook for the liabilities of companies under their control—including debt, legal judgments, and pension-related obligations—to better align the incentives of private equity firms and the companies they own. Liability would not extend to the fund’s limited partners, ensuring that only those that control portfolio firms are on the hook. In order to encourage more responsible use of debt, the bill ends the tax subsidy for excessive leverage and closes the carried interest loophole.
    End Looting of Portfolio Companies. To give portfolio companies a shot at success, the bill limits how much money private equity firms can extract from companies and closes the loophole that private equity firms have used to hide certain assets from bankruptcy courts. Every transaction since Steward Health Care was bought by private equity would be subject to review as part of Steward’s bankruptcy to determine whether it can be clawed back as a fraudulent transfer.
    Protect Workers, Customers and Communities. This proposal prevents private equity firms from walking away when a company fails and protects workers and communities by:
    Prioritizing workers’ pay in the bankruptcy process and amending the laws to increase the priority claims for unpaid earnings and other benefits from $10,000 to $20,000 per worker.
    Creating incentives for job retention so that workers can benefit from a company’s second chance.
    Ending the immunity of private equity firms from legal liability when their portfolio companies break the law, including the WARN Act. When workers at a plant are shortchanged or residents at a nursing home are hurt because private equity firms force portfolio companies to cut corners, the firm should be liable.
    Expanding protections for striking workers by clarifying unfair labor practices and the employer duty to bargain.
    Empower Investors by Increasing Transparency. Private equity managers will be required to disclose fees, returns, and other information about their funds and the corporate loans they make so that investors can monitor their investments. This would have required Cerberus to disclose the terms of its investments in Steward Health Care, which Cerberus continues to withhold from Congress.
    Put Guardrails Around Accessing Public Funds. Firms receiving any funds from a federal or state agency must publicly disclose how the funds are used and will be prohibited from acquiring any company or making a distribution to investors for two years after receipt.
    Drive REITS out of Health Care. Prohibits payments from federal health programs to entities that sell assets or use assets for a loan collateral made to a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) d; repeals a rule in the Tax Code that allows taxable REIT subsidiaries to exert influence on the operations of health care entities; and removes the 20 percent pass-through deduction, passed in the 2017 Trump tax cuts, for all REIT investors. Ralph de la Torre executed a sale-leaseback transaction of the Steward properties in exchange for a $1.25B payout from a REIT; this would have banned the hospitals from continuing to receive federal dollars upon executing the property sale—thus likely preventing the sale.
    The bill is supported by Action Center on Race and the Economy, AFL-CIO, American Economic Liberties Project, American Federation of Teachers, Americans for Financial Reform, Center for Popular Democracy, Coalition for Patient-Centered Care, Communications Workers of America, Community Catalyst, Economic Policy Institute, Indivisible, Massachusetts Nurses Association, National Employment Law Project, National Nurses United, National Women’s Law Center, Private Equity Stakeholder Project, People’s Action, Public Citizen, SEIU, Strong for All, Student Borrower Protection Center, Take Medicine Back, Take on Wall Street, UNITE HERE, United for Respect, Working Families Party, and Worth Rises.
    “Private equity has an immense impact on the U.S. economy, touching virtually every aspect of life from healthcare to housing to technology to retail and more. Private equity’s extractive playbook harms workers and communities, diminishes access to quality affordable health care, worsens the housing crisis and the climate crisis, and perpetuates systemic racism. Without major changes, a handful of ultra wealthy Wall Street executives will continue getting richer at everyone else’s expense. The Stop Wall Street Looting Act takes important, much needed steps to reign in Wall Street predatory practices and promote a just and sustainable economy,” said Lisa Donner, Executive Director, Americans for Financial Reform.
    “Union busting, pollution, and bankruptcy aren’t side effects of the private equity model: they are the model,” said Porter McConnell, Take on Wall Street. “It’s a smash-and-grab, plain and simple. That’s why we are so pleased to see comprehensive legislation like the Stop Wall Street Looting Act introduced in Congress today. We created the loopholes in the law that allowed the private equity industry to thrive, and we can end them. Our communities, our economy, and our democracy are depending on it.” 
    “As we fight for more public investment in the child care sector, we must also rein in private equity’s ability to enrich themselves at the expense of the public. Building guardrails – such as those in the Stop Wall Street Looting Act – will help put the wellbeing of children and families ahead of private equity’s profits,” said Melissa Boteach, Vice President, Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning, National Women’s Law Center.
    “Private equity firms, which control nearly $15 trillion in assets, routinely prioritize quick, outsized profits, at the expense of workers, patients, renters, and local economies as part of their business model,” said Chris Noble, Policy Director for the Private Equity Stakeholder Project. “The Stop Wall Street Looting Act provides an essential check on this opaque industry. By addressing the systemic risks tied to debt-laden private equity buyouts, this legislation prioritizes the long-term health of businesses and communities over short-term profits for wealthy private equity executives.” 
    “Private equity should have no influence over medical treatment decisions made jointly by independent physicians and their patients. The Stop Wall Street Looting Act goes a long way towards ensuring physicians, in consultation with their patients, are able to deliver quality, patient-centered, cost-efficient care without corporate interference,” said Dr. Stephen M. McCollam, Chair, Coalition for Patient-Centered Care.
    “Wall Street private equity firms have proven themselves to be a parasite on workers, our economy, and American retailers by gutting companies for profit and driving mass layoffs. Holding billionaire profiteers accountable for the damage they do to our working families and communities is imperative to addressing growing economic inequality,” said United for Respect Co-Executive Directors Bianca Agustin and Terrysa Guerra in a joint statement. “The Stop Wall Street Looting Act will help close loopholes in our laws that for too long have allowed private equity to pillage companies and amass huge profits while workers lose their jobs and are left with nothing. United For Respect is proud to support this bill — and we need all legislators to join us in protecting workers and putting Wall Street on the hook for the havoc they reap.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Are you over 75? Here’s what you need to know about vitamin D

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elina Hypponen, Professor of Nutritional and Genetic Epidemiology, University of South Australia

    OPPO Find X5 Pro/Unsplash

    Vitamin D is essential for bone health, immune function and overall wellbeing. And it becomes even more crucial as we age.

    New guidelines from the international Endocrine Society recommend people aged 75 and over should consider taking vitamin D supplements.

    But why is vitamin D so important for older adults? And how much should they take?

    Young people get most vitamin D from the sun

    In Australia, it is possible for most people under 75 to get enough vitamin D from the sun throughout the year. For those who live in the top half of Australia – and for all of us during summer – we only need to have skin exposed to the sun for a few minutes on most days.

    The body can only produce a certain amount of vitamin D at a time. So staying in the sun any longer than needed is not going to help increase your vitamin D levels, while it will increase your risk of skin cancer.

    But it’s difficult for people aged over 75 to get enough vitamin D from a few minutes of sunshine, so the Endocrine Society recommends people get 800 IU (international units) of vitamin D a day from food or supplements.

    Why you need more as you age

    This is higher than the recommendation for younger adults, reflecting the increased needs and reduced ability of older bodies to produce and absorb vitamin D.

    Overall, older adults also tend to have less exposure to sunlight, which is the primary source of natural vitamin D production. Older adults may spend more time indoors and wear more clothing when outdoors.

    As we age, our skin also becomes less efficient at synthesising vitamin D from sunlight.

    The kidneys and the liver, which help convert vitamin D into its active form, also lose some of their efficiency with age. This makes it harder for the body to maintain adequate levels of the vitamin.

    All of this combined means older adults need more vitamin D.

    Deficiency is common in older adults

    Despite their higher needs for vitamin D, people over 75 may not get enough of it.

    Studies have shown one in five older adults in Australia have vitamin D deficiency.

    In higher-latitude parts of the world, such as the United Kingdom, almost half don’t reach sufficient levels.

    This increased risk of deficiency is partly due to lifestyle factors, such as spending less time outdoors and insufficient dietary intakes of vitamin D.

    It’s difficult to get enough vitamin D from food alone. Oily fish, eggs and some mushrooms are good sources of vitamin D, but few other foods contain much of the vitamin. While foods can be fortified with the vitamin D (margarine, some milk and cereals), these may not be readily available or be consumed in sufficient amounts to make a difference.

    In some countries such as the United States, most of the dietary vitamin D comes from fortified products. However, in Australia, dietary intakes of vitamin D are typically very low because only a few foods are fortified with it.

    Why vitamin D is so important as we age

    Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is essential for maintaining bone density and strength. As we age, our bones become more fragile, increasing the risk of fractures and conditions like osteoporosis.

    Keeping bones healthy is crucial. Studies have shown older people hospitalised with hip fractures are 3.5 times more likely to die in the next 12 months compared to people who aren’t injured.

    People over 75 often have less exposure to sunlight.
    Aila Images/Shutterstock

    Vitamin D may also help lower the risk of respiratory infections, which can be more serious in this age group.

    There is also emerging evidence for other potential benefits, including better brain health. However, this requires more research.

    According to the society’s systematic review, which summarises evidence from randomised controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation in humans, there is moderate evidence to suggest vitamin D supplementation can lower the risk of premature death.

    The society estimates supplements can prevent six deaths per 1,000 people. When considering the uncertainty in the available evidence, the actual number could range from as many as 11 fewer deaths to no benefit at all.

    Should we get our vitamin D levels tested?

    The Endocrine Society’s guidelines suggest routine blood tests to measure vitamin D levels are not necessary for most healthy people over 75.

    There is no clear evidence that regular testing provides significant benefits, unless the person has a specific medical condition that affects vitamin D metabolism, such as kidney disease or certain bone disorders.

    Routine testing can also be expensive and inconvenient.

    In most cases, the recommended approach to over-75s is to consider a daily supplement, without the need for testing.

    You can also try to boost your vitamin D by adding fortified foods to your diet, which might lower the dose you need from supplementation.

    Even if you’re getting a few minutes of sunlight a day, a daily vitamin D is still recommended.

    Elina Hypponen receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Foundation, Medical Research Future Fund, Australian Research Council, and Arthritis Australia.

    Joshua Sutherland’s studentship is funded by the Australian Research Training Program Scholarship, and he volunteers on the board for the Australasian Association and Register of Practicing Nutritionists.

    – ref. Are you over 75? Here’s what you need to know about vitamin D – https://theconversation.com/are-you-over-75-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-vitamin-d-231820

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: It’s time to talk about how the media talks about sexual harassment

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rawan Nimri, Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality, Griffith University

    Sexual harassment is all too common in hospitality and tourism. One Australian survey found almost half of the respondents had been sexually harassed, compared to about one in three in workplaces more generally.

    Hospitality and tourism are marked by intense and close interpersonal interactions and dismissive treatment by some customers, including verbal and physical aggression, bullying and sexual suggestions.

    Workers who are young, female, low-paid and casual are especially vulnerable.

    The scandals at the Merivale Hospitality Group and Sydney’s Swillhouse restaurant are only the most recent.

    The widely held view that “the customer is always right” gives customers power. The power imbalance is magnified where tipping makes up a substantial part of workers’ earnings.

    What newspapers report

    To examine how sexual harassment is reported, we identified about 2,000 newspaper articles across a number of countries published between 2017 and 2022 dealing with the treatment of hotel room attendants, airline cabin crew and massage therapists. We zeroed in on 273 for closer analysis.

    This was a period in which the public awareness of sexual harassment climbed with the rise of the #MeToo movement and media coverage probably peaked.

    Media coverage matters because of its effect on public opinion.

    Computer-assisted thematic analysis showed four different types of coverage, some overlapping, relating to legal matters, celebrities, power dynamics, and calls to action.

    The language used varied according to the countries in which the newspapers were located.

    In the United States and the United Kingdom, the accused were often described by their social or economic status, with cases involving famous people getting a lot of attention. In Asia and Africa, the reports focused on basic details such as the offender’s age and where they lived.

    Women infantilised

    But universally we found the terms used to describe victims were highly gendered and dated in ways that suggested subservience and undermined their professional skills. Cabin crew were called “air hostesses”. Room attendants were called “maids”.

    Framing these professionals as modern-day servants has the potential to foster and perpetuate an expectation that sexual harassment is to be expected.

    Reports involving celebrity harassers highlighted victims’ narratives with emotionally charged quotes using words such as “awful” and “terrible”. These words were perhaps intended to evoke empathy for the victims but also serve to further victimise them.

    Female aggression under-reported

    In all cases, women were heavily featured as victims but never as aggressors. It is a gender bias that does not match the established statistics, which show that almost one-quarter of aggressors are women.

    This misrepresentation creates a skewed understanding of who commits and suffers from sexual harassment. It has the potential to discourage victims of harassment by women from coming forward.

    It’s important for the tourism industry to foster secure and dignified working conditions. But it is also important that the media reflect the actual behaviour of aggressors and victims.

    Done better, reporting could help

    The media could play a crucial role in bringing about better policies and practices in these industries by emphasising the severe consequences of ignoring the problem and the benefits of taking proactive steps.

    More respectful and accurate reporting might be able to help drive lasting change, making a positive difference in the lives of the skilled workers on whom so many of us depend.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. It’s time to talk about how the media talks about sexual harassment – https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-talk-about-how-the-media-talks-about-sexual-harassment-238771

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sorensen Announces $200,000 for Local Police in Winnebago County to Improve Mental Health

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17)

    ROCKFORD, IL – Today, Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) announced $200,000 for law enforcement in Winnebago County to improve access to mental health and wellness services. 

    “When our police are out keeping our neighborhoods safe, they see and encounter problems that we can’t even imagine dealing with,” said Sorensen. “Making sure they have access to proper mental health care is giving our law enforcement the tools they need to thrive. I am grateful that this funding will have a huge impact on improving the daily lives of our brave men and women in law enforcement. I will continue fighting to bring home more resources from the federal government to support our police in Northern Illinois.”   

    “Law enforcement professionals, police officers, correctional officers, telecommunicators and support staff face unique challenges that can impact their mental well-being, making it essential to provide them with the necessary resources and support,” said Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana. “This grant will enable us to implement comprehensive mental health programs, wellness training, and peer support initiatives. We are committed to fostering a supportive environment where our members can prioritize their mental health, ensuring they can serve the community effectively and safely. We greatly appreciate the support from our congressional partners and the community as we work toward this important goal.”  

    The $200,000 in funding for Winnebago County is coming from the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, which provides funding to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement through training and technical assistance, demonstration projects, and implementation of promising practices related to peer mentoring programs that are national in scope.  

    This past May, Sorensen led a group of 24 of his colleagues in calling on Congress to fully fund the COPS program in direct response to roundtable discussions and meetings he has hosted with law enforcement from across Central and Northwestern Illinois.   

    Congressman Eric Sorensen serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Prior to serving in Congress, Sorensen was a local meteorologist in Rockford and the Quad Cities for nearly 20 years. His district includes Illinois’ Quad Cities, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠ Harris Administration Celebrates International Day of the Girl and Continues Commitment to Supporting Youth in the U.S. and  Abroad

    Source: The White House

    International Day of the Girl provides an opportunity to celebrate the leadership of girls around the world and recommit to addressing the barriers that continue to limit their full participation. Today, to commemorate International Day of the Girl, First Lady Jill Biden will host the second “Girls Leading Change” event at the White House to recognize outstanding young women from across the United States who are making a difference in their communities. This year’s event will honor 10 young women leaders, selected by the White House Gender Policy Council, who are leading change and shaping a brighter future for generations to come.  

    The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that girls can pursue their dreams free from fear, discrimination, violence, or abuse; and to advancing the safety, education, health, and wellbeing of girls everywhere. Investing in young people means investing in our future; and they should have the opportunity and resources they need to succeed.

    That’s why, since day one in office, this Administration has taken action to advance the safety, education, health, and well-being of girls, including:

    • Accelerating Learning and Improving Student Achievement. The American Rescue Plan, the largest one-time education investment in our history, included $130 billion to help schools address the impact of the pandemic on student well-being and academic achievement. To sustain these efforts, the Biden-Harris Administration increased funding and targeting of federal grants to better support academic recovery—from the Education Innovation and Research program to extended-day and afterschool programming through 21st Century Community Learning Centers. And the Administration’s Improving Student Achievement Agenda for 2024 is helping accelerate academic performance for every child in school.
    • Canceling Student Debt. President Biden and Vice President Harris vowed to fix the federal student loan program and make sure higher education is a ticket to the middle class—not a barrier to opportunity. The Biden-Harris Administration has approved nearly $170 billion in loan forgiveness for almost 5 million borrowers through more than two dozen executive actions with the goal of helping these borrowers get more breathing room in their daily lives, access economic mobility, buy homes, start businesses, and pursue their dreams.
    • Cutting Child Poverty Nearly in Half in 2021. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that no child should grow up in poverty. Their expansion of the Child Tax Credit helped cut child poverty nearly in half in 2021 to a record low of 5.2%. President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting to restore this expansion, which would lift over a million girls out of poverty and narrow racial disparities. The Biden-Harris Administration has also lifted hundreds of thousands of girls out of poverty by updating the Thrifty Food Plan and creating SunBucks, a new program that helps low-income families afford groceries over the summer when they don’t have access to school meals.
    • Supporting Youth Mental Health. President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and that mental health care is health care—period. That’s why they invested almost $1.5 billion to strengthen the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and launched the National Mental Health Strategy, with ongoing investments to strengthen the mental health workforce, ensure parity for mental health and substance use care, connect Americans to care, and better protect youth from the harms of social media. The Biden-Harris Administration is also delivering the largest investments in school-based mental health services ever, bringing 14,000 new mental health professionals into schools across the country and making it easier for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver care.
       
    • Preventing Gun Violence, Including Domestic Violence with Firearms. Gun violence is the leading killer of children and teenagers in the United States. President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken historic executive action to reduce gun violence and violent crime. In 2022, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the most significant new gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. The intersection between guns and domestic violence can be especially deadly, and BSCA expanded background checks to keep guns out of the hands of more domestic abusers, narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” so an individual convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence against a dating partner is prohibited from purchasing a firearm, and expanded funding for red flag laws that allow for temporary removal of firearms from an individual who is a danger to themselves or others. President Biden established the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris. The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic investments in law enforcement and community-led crime prevention and intervention strategies and has announced more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any other administration. Most recently, building on life-saving actions that the Administration has already taken, President Biden signed a new Executive Order in September 2024 to improve school-based active shooter drills and combat emerging firearms threats. The President and Vice President also announced new actions to support survivors of gun violence, promote safe gun storage, fund community violence intervention, and improve the gun background check system, among other actions.
       
    • Launching the American Climate Corps. President Biden launched the American Climate Corps to give a diverse new generation of young people the tools to fight the impacts of climate change today and the skills to join the clean energy and climate-resilience workforce of tomorrow. The American Climate Corps is tackling the climate crisis, including by restoring coastal ecosystems, strengthening urban and rural agriculture, investing in clean energy and energy efficiency, improving disaster and wildfire preparedness, and more. More than 15,000 young Americans have already been put to work in high-quality, good-paying clean energy and climate resilience workforce training and service opportunities through the American Climate Corps—putting the program on track to reach President Biden’s goal of 20,000 members in the program’s first year ahead of schedule.
       
    • Providing Children with Healthier, More Sustainable Environments. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program has awarded nearly $3 billion and funded approximately 8,700 electric and low-emission school buses nationwide, protecting children from air pollution by transforming school bus fleets across America. The Biden-Harris Administration also invested $15 billion toward replacing every toxic lead pipe in the country within a decade, protecting children and schools from lead exposure that can cause irreversible harm to cognitive development and hamper children’s learning. And earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency provided $58 million to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities.
    • Fighting Online Harassment and Abuse. Online harassment and abuse is increasingly widespread in today’s digitally connected world and disproportionately affects women, girls, and LGBTQI+ individuals. President Biden established the White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and Abuse to coordinate comprehensive actions from more than a dozen federal agencies, and his Executive Order on artificial intelligence directs federal agencies to address deepfake image-based abuse. The Department of Justice also funded the first-ever national helpline to provide 24/7 support and specialized services for victims of online harassment and abuse, including the non-consensual distribution of intimate images; raised awareness of new legal protections against the non-consensual distribution of intimate images that were included in the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022; and funded a new National Resource Center on Cybercrimes Against Individuals.
    • Keeping Students Safe and Addressing Campus Sexual Assault. The Department of Education restored and strengthened vital Title IX protections against discrimination on the basis of sex for students and employees. The Department of Justice awarded more than $20 million in FY 2024 to support colleges and universities in preventing and responding to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. And the Department of Education—in collaboration with the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services—launched a Task Force on Sexual Violence in Education that has released data on sexual violence at educational institutions and is working to improve sexual violence prevention and response on campus.
    • Supporting Vulnerable Youth. The Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to support the needs of vulnerable and underserved youth—from helping prevent youth homelessness and human trafficking to supporting employment initiatives for youth with disabilities. This includes $800 million in dedicated funding to support students experiencing homelessness through the President’s American Rescue Plan. The Department of Health and Human Services also issued landmark rules to improve the child welfare system, particularly for the most vulnerable children, and to advance the safety and wellbeing of families across the country, including for LGBTQI+ children in foster care. And the Department of Justice has funded programs to help communities develop, enhance, or expand early intervention programs and treatment services for girls who are involved in the juvenile justice system.

    The Biden-Harris Administration has also taken action to support girls around the globe by fighting to advance the human rights of women and girls and promote access to education, health, and safety, including:

    • Promoting Girls’ Education Globally. The United States is investing in girls’ education around the world, which in turn advances health and economic development. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) invested more than $2.5 billion from FY 2021-2023 to increase access to quality basic and higher education, and reached 18.7 million girls and women in 69 countries in FY23 alone to advance gender equality in and through education. The Departments of State and Labor have also supported efforts to promote girls’ education through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs in Kenya and Namibia, as well as technical and vocational education training centers for adolescent girls in Ethiopia. The United States has strongly condemned the restriction of girls’ education in Afghanistan, including by restricting visas for individuals believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, repressing women and girls by limiting or prohibiting access to education.
    • Closing the Gender Digital Divide. Last year, Vice President Harris launched the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (Wi-DEF) to accelerate progress towards closing the gender digital divide. To date, Wi-DEF has raised over $80 million, including an initial $50 million commitment from USAID. Building on the success of the Fund, the Women in the Digital Economy Initiative includes commitments from governments, private sector companies, foundations, civil society, and multilateral organizations that have pledged more than $1 billion to accelerate gender digital equality. This Initiative supports girls’ access to digital learning opportunities, provides employment and educational skills, and helps fulfill the historic commitment of G20 Leaders to halve the digital gender gap by 2030. Since the launch of Wi-DEF, the United States has invested $102 million in direct and aligned commitments to closing the gender digital divide and accelerating gender digital equality.
    • Preventing and Responding to Online Harassment and Abuse Globally. To address the scourge of online harassment and abuse against girls and women, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the 15-country Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, which has advanced international policies to address online safety and supported programs to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Since the Global Partnership was launched in 2022, the Department of State has supported projects in every region to prevent, document, and address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, cultivate safe online use, and respond to survivors’ needs. 
    • Championing Girls’ Leadership in Addressing the Climate Crisis. In 2023, Vice President Harris announced the Women in the Sustainable Economy Initiative—an over $2 billion public-private partnership to promote women’s access to jobs in the green and blue industries of the future—including by advancing girls’ access to STEM education. Through WISE, the Department of State is investing more than $12 million in programs to benefit girls, including programs that promote girls’ economic skills and opportunities in STEM and that foster girls’ roles in leading, shaping, and informing equitable and inclusive climate policies and actions.
    • Strengthening HIV Prevention Services for Girls. To address key factors that make adolescent girls and young women particularly vulnerable to HIV, the United States launched the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe) public-private partnership as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2014. Announced in 2023, PEPFAR’s DREAMS NextGen program is the next phase of DREAMS that will take a more nuanced approach that is responsive to the current context within each of the 15 DREAMS countries. PEPFAR has invested more than $2 billion in comprehensive HIV prevention programming for girls through DREAMS—including $1.3 billion since the start of the Administration—and the program reaches approximately 2.5 to 3 million girls annually.
    • Increasing Efforts to End Child Marriage Globally. To address the global scourge of child, early, and forced marriage, USAID and the Department of State invested $86 million in 27 countries to support programs that prevent and respond to this harmful practice, including by equipping girls and young women with education and workforce readiness skills; providing education, health, legal, and economic support; and raising awareness. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, the United States also made its first-ever contribution to the UNICEF-UNFPA Global Programme to End Child Marriage, which works in 12 countries in Africa and South Asia to promote the rights of adolescent girls, and is contributing more than $2 million in FY 2024 to UNFPA to help reach refugee adolescent girls and prevent child marriages in humanitarian settings.
    • Leading Programs to End Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting. To address the harmful practice of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C), USAID invested in programs to address this issue in Djibouti, Egypt, Mauritania, and Nigeria. The United States is a long-standing donor to the UNICEF-UNFPA Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, and invested $20 million from FY 2020-FY 2023 in this partnership, which has succeeded in advocating for legal and policy frameworks banning FGM/C in 14 of 17 countries and supported more than 6.3 million women and girls with FGM/C-related protection and care services.
    • Promoting Young Women’s Civic and Political Participation. The Biden-Harris Administration has advanced the political and civic participation of women and girls as a pillar of democracy promotion efforts worldwide. The Administration launched Women LEAD, a $900 million public-private partnership focused on building the pipeline of women leaders around the world, including by supporting programs to reach girls and young women. Under this umbrella, the USAID-led Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Civic and Political Leadership Initiative provides more than $25 million to identify and dismantle the individual, structural, and socio-cultural barriers to the political empowerment of women and girls in ten focus countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Kyrgyz Republic, Yemen, and Fiji. Furthermore, the State Department is launching a new $1.25 million program in Africa that will empower and equip young women leaders to take on decision-making roles in democratic transition processes.
    • Protecting Girls in Humanitarian Emergencies. The United States government has increased its support for girls in humanitarian and fragile contexts. Since 2021, USAID has more than doubled the percentage of its humanitarian budget allocated to the protection sector, which includes child protection and gender-based violence activities serving girls. In FY 2023, USAID provided $163 million specifically towards addressing gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies. In 2022, USAID and the Department of State launched Safe from the Start: ReVisioned, which seeks to better address the needs of girls and women from the onset of a conflict or crisis.
    • Combatting Child Trafficking. To combat child trafficking, including trafficking of girls, the Department of State has committed $37.5 million through Child Protection Compacts, building capacity in Jamaica, Peru, and Mongolia, and establishing new partnerships with Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, and Romania. These partnerships strengthen country responses to child trafficking to more effectively prosecute and convict traffickers, provide comprehensive trauma-informed care for child victims—including girls—and prevent child trafficking in all its forms.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: FACT SHEET: Delivering on Our Commitments, 12th U.S.-ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Lao  PDR

    Source: The White House

    The Biden-Harris Administration has worked to strengthen our ties with ASEAN and deliver on our commitments to the region. Over the past three and a half years, we have pursued an unprecedented expansion in the breadth and depth of U.S.-ASEAN relations, including upgrading our relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and institutionalizing cooperation in five new areas—health, transportation, women’s empowerment, environment and climate, and energy—as well as deepening our cooperation in foreign affairs, economics, technology, and defense. To date, we have made significant progress in fulfilling 98.37 percent of our commitments in the ASEAN-U.S. Plan of Action (2022-2025) and its Annex. The United States will continue working with ASEAN, including through ASEAN-led mechanisms, to build an open, inclusive, transparent, resilient, and rules-based regional architecture in which ASEAN is its center.
     
    DELIVERING ON OUR COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

    This year, the United States and ASEAN are celebrating 47 years of U.S.-ASEAN relations. President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to ASEAN centrality and supporting the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, which shares fundamental principles with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy. ASEAN is at the heart of the U.S. approach to the Indo-Pacific, as reflected in numerous U.S. initiatives to promote economic prosperity and regional stability. Through the U.S.-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the United States has demonstrated that we are a reliable and enduring partner for our combined one billion people. Key U.S.-ASEAN accomplishments under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership include:

    • The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) extended the U.S.-ASEAN Regional Development Cooperation Agreement to 2029 enabling the launch of the new five-year ASEAN USAID Partnership Program in March 2024. 
    • The United States plans to conduct a second U.S.-ASEAN maritime exercise in 2025, co-hosted by Indonesia. U.S. and ASEAN Member States’ navies will exercise communication, information sharing, and the implementation of maritime security protocols in accordance with international law.
    • In August 2024, the United States and ASEAN agreed to formalize U.S.-ASEAN health cooperation, elevating our engagement to a biennial U.S.-ASEAN Health Ministers Dialogue. USAID also officially launched the U.S.-ASEAN-Airborne Infection Defense Platform to bolster the region’s tuberculosis response capacity.
    • The United States is launching a cybersecurity training program for the ASEAN Secretariat that will enhance the cybersecurity awareness, knowledge, and skills of our partners who are the backbone of ASEAN institutions.  
    • At the third U.S.-ASEAN High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate this year, the United States unveiled the U.S.-ASEAN Climate Solutions Hub to help ASEAN members states develop and implement their contributions under the Paris Agreement.
    • In 2023, the United States and ASEAN held the inaugural Dialogue on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to advance human rights for persons with disabilities across Southeast Asia, including working with private sector to find ways to support accessibility across Southeast Asia.

    As a reflection of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership reaching its full potential, the United States and ASEAN celebrated the launch of the U.S.-ASEAN Center in Washington, DC in December 2023. The Center has already hosted several high-profile ASEAN-related events and is on track to become the key hub for ASEAN’s engagement with the United States.

    • In June 2024, the Center hosted the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, for his first working visit to the United States, where he launched a speaker series.
    • In August 2024, the Center hosted an ASEAN Day celebration, showcasing a wide array of cultural activities from ASEAN Member States.
    • The Center is also partnering with the Antiquities Coalition to host a Cultural Property Agreement workshop.

    The U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership (USASCP) is a key mechanism for our engagement on innovating sustainable cities of the future. Since it was launched in 2018, USASCP has invested more than $19 million in over 20 projects across urban sectors throughout the region. USASCP tackles the varied challenges of rapid urbanization, including accelerating climate action and promoting sustainable urban services.

    • In 2024, the USASCP Smart Cities Business Innovation Fund 2.0 will grant $3 million for net-zero urban innovation projects to strengthen private sector investment in sustainability and climate action across the ASEAN region.
    • In 2022, the Smart Cities Business Innovation Fund 1.0 granted a total of $1 million to six awardees across the region, including a solar panel recycling facility in Da Nang Vietnam and a seaweed/bioplastics manufacturer in Tangerang Indonesia.
    • The United States paired municipal water and wastewater facility operators from five cities across the United States and the ASEAN Smart Cities Network to share their expertise.

    This year marks the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative’s (YSEALI) second decade of building youth leadership capabilities across Southeast Asia to promote cross-border cooperation on regional and global challenges. YSEALI’s 160,000 strong digital network and 6,000 plus alumni community is creating new opportunities for its members to shape YSEALI’s next 10 years of impact. The State Department is well on its way to doubling the number of Southeast Asian youth participating in the YSEALI Academic and Professional Fellowships by 2025, in line with the commitments laid out by President Biden and Vice President Harris during the May 2022 U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit.

    • The United States has invested over $1.8 million to empower nearly 500 young women as part of the YSEALI Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA). In celebration of the WLA’s 10th anniversary, the U.S. Mission to ASEAN granted $44,000 to alumni groups to foster collaboration and find innovative ways to close the gender leadership gap.
    • The YSEALI Seeds for the Future Program—a grant program intended to support innovative initiatives in Southeast Asia—has provided nearly $3 million for more than 500 young leaders to carry out projects that improve their communities.
    • The Department of State’s YSEALI Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund supported 16 YSEALI alumni-led public service projects in 2024. 

    ENHANCING CONNECTIVITY AND RESILIENCE

    The Biden-Harris Administration continues to build greater connectivity with ASEAN and enhancing regional resilience to bolster economic development and integration. The United States is ASEAN’s number one source of foreign direct investment, and U.S. goods and services trade totaled an estimated $500 billion in 2023. Since 2002, the United States has provided more than $14.7 billion in economic, health, and security assistance to Southeast Asian allies and partners. During that same period, the United States provided nearly $1.9 billion in humanitarian assistance, including life-saving disaster assistance, emergency food aid, and support to refugees throughout the region. As a durable and reliable partner of ASEAN, the United States supports the governments and people of Southeast Asia in enhancing the region’s connectivity and resilience. In addition to U.S. companies’ substantial investments, the United States is cooperating with the private sector to equip the region’s workforce with the skills needed to succeed in Southeast Asia’s burgeoning digital economy. Other key U.S. initiatives supporting this effort include:

    • USAID announces $2 million of new funding to support the sustainable development of critical minerals, supporting ASEAN’s goal of raising environmental, social, and governance standards for mineral sector development. 
    • Through the Japan-U.S.-Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP), the U.S. Department of State has implemented over 60 technical assistance activities to strengthen national power sectors and regional electricity market, enhancing the clean energy export potential of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam to the ASEAN market. 
    • The U.S. Trade and Development Agency is supporting a feasibility study to develop two cross-border interconnections, further expanding our longstanding support to connect the ASEAN Power Grid.
    • USAID is expanding cooperation with the ASEAN Center for Energy to support private sector and multilateral development bank investment to operationalize regional connectivity through the ASEAN Power Grid.
    • Through the ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting and Digital Senior Officials’ Meeting, we are intensifying our cooperation on trusted information and communications technology infrastructure – including undersea cables, cloud computing, and wireless networks, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and combatting online scams.
    • The United States supported development of the ASEAN Responsible AI Roadmap and provided AI technical assistance for the Digital Economy Framework Agreement. Our collective effort ensures ASEAN can foster an inclusive environment where affirmative, safe, secure, and trustworthy AI innovation can flourish.
    • Under the U.S.-ASEAN Connect framework, the U.S. Mission to ASEAN is leveraging the U.S. government and private sector expertise to advance economic engagement, including through workshops covering topics such as best practices to strengthen cybersecurity and how to harness digital technologies.

    Over the past three and a half years, the Biden-Harris Administration has also spurred investment and economic growth through the advancement of over $1.4 billion in private sector investments in the ASEAN region. This past year alone, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has invested over $341 million in ASEAN markets. To further our cooperation and support, DFC has announced that it will open new offices in Vietnam and the Philippines to source more opportunities and further advance private sector investment. DFC’s key initiatives and investments have included:

    • Loaning up to $126 million loan to power company PT Medco Cahaya Geothermal to strengthen Indonesia’s energy security.
    • Initiating DFC’s first investment in Lao PDR with a $4 million loan portfolio guarantee to Phongsavanh Bank, which will work with Village Funds to give farmers financing to scale their businesses, increase their incomes, and improve their livelihoods.
    • Initiating DFC’s first investment in East Timor with a $3 million loan to microfinance institution Kaebauk Investimentu No Finansas, which will provide financing to small businesses, especially rural and unbanked ones.

    We look forward to continue advancing our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN in 2025 by formulating a new plan of action to guide the next five years of our enduring partnership as we work to further the prosperity of our combined one billion people.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Evacuating in disasters like Hurricane Milton isn’t simple – there are reasons people stay in harm’s way, and it’s not just stubbornness

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Carson MacPherson-Krutsky, Research Associate, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder

    Evacuation is more difficult for people with health and mobility issues. Ted Richardson/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

    As Hurricane Milton roared ashore near Sarasota, Florida, tens of thousands of people were in evacuation shelters. Hundreds of thousands more had fled coastal regions ahead of the storm, crowding highways headed north and south as their counties issued evacuation orders.

    But not everyone left, despite dire warnings about a hurricane that had been one of the strongest on record two days earlier.

    As Milton’s rain and storm surge flooded neighborhoods late on Oct. 9, 2024, 911 calls poured in. In Tampa’s Hillsborough County, more than 500 people had to be rescued, including a dozen people trapped in a flooding home after a tree crashed though the roof at the height of the storm.

    In Plant City, 20 miles inland from Tampa, at least 35 people had been rescued by dawn, City Manager Bill McDaniel said. While the storm wasn’t as extreme as feared, McDaniel said his city had flooded in places and to levels he had never seen. Traffic signals were out. Power lines and trees were down. The sewage plant had been inundated, affecting the public water supply.

    Evacuating might seem like the obvious move when a major hurricane is bearing down on your region, but that choice is not always as easy as it may seem.

    Evacuating from a hurricane requires money, planning, the ability to leave and, importantly, a belief that evacuating is better than staying put.

    I recently examined years of research on what motivates people to leave or seek shelter during hurricanes as part of a project with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Natural Hazards Center. I found three main reasons that people didn’t leave.

    Evacuating can be expensive

    Evacuating requires transportation, money, a place to stay, the ability to take off work days ahead of a storm and other resources that many people do not have.

    With 1 in 9 Americans facing poverty today, many have limited evacuation options. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, for example, many residents did not own vehicles and couldn’t reach evacuation buses. That left them stranded in the face of a deadly hurricane. Nearly 1,400 people died in the storm, many of them in flooded homes.

    When millions of people are under evacuation orders, logistical issues also arise.

    Two days ahead of landfall, Milton was a Category 5 hurricane. About 5 million people were under evacuation orders, and highways were crowded.

    Gas shortages and traffic jams can leave people stranded on highways and unable to find shelter before the storm hits. This happened during Hurricane Floyd in 1999 as 2 million Floridians tried to evacuate.

    People who experienced past evacuations or saw news video of congested highways ahead of Hurricane Milton might not leave for fear of getting stuck.

    Health, pets and being physically able to leave

    The logistics of evacuating are even more challenging for people who are disabled or in nursing homes. Additionally, people who are incarcerated may have no choice in the matter – and the justice system may have few options for moving them.

    Evacuating nursing homes, people with disabilities or prison populations is complex. Many shelters are not set up to accommodate their needs. In one example during Hurricane Floyd, a disabled person arrived at a shelter, but the hallways were too narrow for their wheelchair, so they were restricted to a cot for the duration of their stay. Moving people whose health is fragile, and doing so under stressful conditions, can also worsen health problems, leaving nursing home staff to make difficult decisions.

    At least 700 people stayed in chairs or on air mattresses at River Ridge Middle/High School in New Port Richey, Fla., during Hurricane Milton.
    AP Photo/Mike Carlson

    But failing to evacuate can also be deadly. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, seven nursing home residents died in the rising heat after their facility lost power near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In some cases, public water systems are shut down or become contaminated. And flooding can create several health hazards, including the risk of infectious diseases.

    In a study of 291 long-term care facilities in Florida, 81% sheltered residents in place during the 2004 hurricane season because they had limited transportation options and faced issues finding places for residents to go.

    Some shelters allow small pets, but many don’t. This high school-turned-shelter in New Port Richey, Fla., had 283 registered pets.
    AP Photo/Mike Carlson

    People with pets face another difficult choice – some choose to stay at home for fear of leaving their pet behind. Studies have found that pet owners are significantly less likely to evacuate than others because of difficulties transporting pets and finding shelters that will take them. In destructive storms, it can be days to weeks before people can return home.

    Risk perception can also get in the way

    People’s perceptions of risk can also prevent them from leaving.

    A series of studies show that women and minorities take hurricane risks more seriously than other groups and are more likely to evacuate or go to shelters. One study found that women are almost twice as likely than men to evacuate when given a mandatory evacuation order.

    If people have experienced a hurricane before that didn’t do significant damage, they may perceive the risks of a coming storm to be lower and not leave.

    Video from across Florida after Hurricane Milton shows flooding around homes, trees down and other damage. At least five people died in the storm, and more than 3 million homes lost power.

    In my review of research, I found that many people who didn’t evacuate had reservations about going to shelters and preferred to stay home or with family or friends. Shelter conditions were sometimes poor, overcrowded or lacked privacy.

    People had fears about safety and whether shelter environments could meet their needs. For example, religious minorities were not sure whether shelters would be clean, safe, have private places for religious practice, and food options consistent with faith practices. Diabetics and people with young children also had concerns about finding appropriate food in shelters.

    How to improve evacuations for the future

    There are ways leaders can reduce the barriers to evacuation and shelter use. For example:

    • Building more shelters able to withstand hurricane force winds can create safe havens for people without transportation or who are unable to leave their jobs in time to evacuate.

    • Arranging more shelters and transportation able to accommodate people with disabilities and those with special needs, such as nursing home residents, can help protect vulnerable populations.

    • Opening shelters to accommodate pets with their owners can also increase the likelihood that pet owners will evacuate.

    • Public education can be improved so people know their options. Clearer risk communication on how these storms are different than past ones and what people are likely to experience can also help people make informed decisions.

    • Being prepared saves lives. Many areas would benefit from better advance planning that takes into account the needs of large, diverse populations and can ensure populations have ways to evacuate to safety.

    Carson MacPherson-Krutsky works for the Natural Hazards Center (NHC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. She receives grant and contract funding for her work at NHC through the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other funders.

    – ref. Evacuating in disasters like Hurricane Milton isn’t simple – there are reasons people stay in harm’s way, and it’s not just stubbornness – https://theconversation.com/evacuating-in-disasters-like-hurricane-milton-isnt-simple-there-are-reasons-people-stay-in-harms-way-and-its-not-just-stubbornness-240869

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Evacuating in disasters like Hurricane Milton isn’t simple – there are reasons people stay in harm’s way, and not just stubbornness

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Carson MacPherson-Krutsky, Research Associate, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder

    Evacuation is more difficult for people with health and mobility issues. Ted Richardson/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

    As Hurricane Milton roared ashore near Sarasota, Florida, tens of thousands of people were in evacuation shelters. Hundreds of thousands more had fled coastal regions ahead of the storm, crowding highways headed north and south as their counties issued evacuation orders.

    But not everyone left, despite dire warnings about a hurricane that had been one of the strongest on record two days earlier.

    As Milton’s rain and storm surge flooded neighborhoods late on Oct. 9, 2024, 911 calls poured in. More than 500 people were rescued in Tampa’s Hillsborough County. Tampa police helped more than a dozen adults and children from a flooding home after a tree crashed though the roof at the height of the storm.

    In Plant City, 20 miles inland from Tampa, at least 35 people had been rescued by dawn, City Manager Bill McDaniel said. While the storm wasn’t as extreme as feared, he said his city had flooded in places and to levels he had never seen. Traffic signals were out. Power lines and trees were down. The sewage plant had been inundated, affecting the public water supply.

    Evacuating might seem like the obvious move when a major hurricane is bearing down on your region, but that choice is not always as easy as it may seem.

    Evacuating from a hurricane requires money, planning, the ability to leave and, importantly, a belief that evacuating is better than staying put.

    I recently examined years of research on what motivates people to leave or seek shelter during hurricanes as part of a project with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Natural Hazards Center. I found three main reasons that people didn’t leave.

    Evacuating can be expensive

    Evacuating requires a car, gas money, a place to stay, the ability to take off work days ahead of a storm and other resources that many people do not have.

    With 1 in 9 Americans facing poverty today, many have limited evacuation options. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, for example, many residents did not own vehicles and couldn’t reach evacuation buses. That left them stranded in the face of a deadly hurricane. Nearly 1,400 people died in the storm, many of them in flooded homes.

    When millions of people are under evacuation orders, logistical issues also arise.

    Two days ahead of landfall, Milton was a Category 5 hurricane. About 5 million people were under evacuation orders, and highways were crowded.

    Gas shortages and traffic jams can leave people stranded on highways and unable to find shelter before the storm hits. This happened during Hurricane Floyd in 1999 as 2 million Floridians tried to evacuate.

    People who experienced past evacuations or saw news video of congested highways ahead of Hurricane Milton might not leave for fear of getting stuck.

    Health, pets and being physically able to leave

    The logistics of evacuating are even more challenging for people who are disabled or in nursing homes. Additionally, people who are incarcerated may have no choice in the matter – and the justice system may have few options for moving them.

    Evacuating nursing homes, people with disabilities or prison populations is complex. Many shelters are not set up to accommodate their needs. In one example during Hurricane Floyd, a disabled person arrived at a shelter, but the hallways were too narrow for their wheelchair, so they were restricted to a cot for the duration of their stay. Moving people whose health is fragile, and doing so under stressful conditions, can also worsen health problems, leaving nursing home staff to make difficult decisions.

    At least 700 people stayed in chairs or on air mattresses at River Ridge Middle/High School in New Port Richey, Fla., during Hurricane Milton.
    AP Photo/Mike Carlson

    But failing to evacuate can also be deadly. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, seven nursing home residents died in the rising heat after their facility lost power near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In some cases, public water systems are shut down or become contaminated. And flooding can create several health hazards, including the risk of infectious diseases.

    In a study of 291 long-term care facilities in Florida, 81% sheltered residents in place during the 2004 hurricane season because they had limited transportation options and faced issues finding places for residents to go.

    Some shelters allow small pets, but many don’t. This high school-turned-shelter in New Port Richey, Fla., had 283 registered pets.
    AP Photo/Mike Carlson

    People with pets face another difficult choice – some choose to stay at home for fear of leaving their pet behind. Studies have found that pet owners are significantly less likely to evacuate than others because of difficulties transporting pets and finding shelters that will take them. In destructive storms, it can be days to weeks before people can return home.

    Risk perception can also get in the way

    People’s perceptions of risk can also prevent them from leaving.

    A series of studies show that women and minorities take hurricane risks more seriously than other groups and are more likely to evacuate or go to shelters. One study found that women are almost twice as likely than men to evacuate when given a mandatory evacuation order.

    If people have experienced a hurricane before that didn’t do significant damage, they may perceive the risks of a coming storm to be lower and not leave.

    Video from across Florida after Hurricane Milton shows flooding around homes, trees down and other damage. At least five people died in the storm, and more than 3 million homes lost power.

    In my review of research, I found that many people who didn’t evacuate had reservations about going to shelters and preferred to stay home or with family or friends. Shelter conditions were sometimes poor, overcrowded or lacked privacy.

    People had fears about safety and whether shelter environments could meet their needs. For example, religious minorities were not sure whether shelters would be clean, safe, have private places for religious practice, and food options consistent with faith practices. Diabetics and people with young children also had concerns about finding appropriate food in shelters.

    How to improve evacuations for the future

    There are ways leaders can reduce the barriers to evacuation and shelter use. For example:

    • Building more shelters able to withstand hurricane force winds can create safe havens for people without transportation or who are unable to leave their jobs in time to evacuate.

    • Arranging more shelters and transportation able to accommodate people with disabilities and those with special needs, such as nursing home residents, can help protect vulnerable populations.

    • Opening shelters to accommodate pets with their owners can also increase the likelihood that pet owners will evacuate.

    • Public education can be improved so people know their options. Clearer risk communication on how these storms are different than past ones and what people are likely to experience can also help people make informed decisions.

    • Being prepared saves lives. Many areas would benefit from better advance planning that takes into account the needs of large, diverse populations and can ensure populations have ways to evacuate to safety.

    Carson MacPherson-Krutsky works for the Natural Hazards Center (NHC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. She receives grant and contract funding for her work at NHC through the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other funders.

    – ref. Evacuating in disasters like Hurricane Milton isn’t simple – there are reasons people stay in harm’s way, and not just stubbornness – https://theconversation.com/evacuating-in-disasters-like-hurricane-milton-isnt-simple-there-are-reasons-people-stay-in-harms-way-and-not-just-stubbornness-240869

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –