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Specifically, the council delayeed deciding whether to assume control over the hiring ofthe commission’s generap manager. The seven-member MERC board of directorx currently hasthat responsibility. The council could decide on the measur e atits Aug. 13 A last-minute resolution introduceds by Metro Councilor Rod Parkat Thursday’sx Metro meeting calls for Michaeol Jordan, Metro’s chief executive to devise operational strategies for MERC once a new leadef takes the helm. Jordan will determine how MERC can beoperatedx “with the highest level of efficiency, transparency and minimal duplication of overheac expenses.
” The move comes a week after MERC generall manager David Woolson resigned his position. Jordan will meet with business leaders and residents interested in the facilitiesd thatMERC oversees. MERC operatesw the Oregon Convention Center, the Portland Center for Performing Arts and the Expo The move gives Metro more time to determine if MERC operateds under thebest structure. Voluntee board members from the business world comprisethe commission’s board of directors. “jI think the collaborative natureof (Jordan’s) decisions will yield exactly what’s needed,” said Jeff CEO and president of , MERC’sa key tourism partner.
“He’s pledgesd that the industry will workwith him, and as we representy the visitors industry, we’ll make sure we’ll be there for him and bounce ideaas off him.” Miller wants businesses to retain a big voicw within the commission. “Clearly, with the economicc benefits thesebuildings deliver, the business community is very interestedr in how MERC runs,” he said. “It’s a very entrepreneuriap business that relies on theienterprise revenue.” Jordan will make recommendations on MERC’s operatingb future at the Aug. 13 meeting. The council votec 5-0 to approve Park’s resolution.
“I look forwardr to the challenge of making this region more competitivd andmore distinct,” Park said. “We need to incorporate more of that intoour
Friday, April 13, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Nationwide to halt N.C. mobile-home policies - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:
andreychukuze.blogspot.com
Nationwide says it is working with local agentws tohelp 15,000 affected customerw find alternative coverage. In addition, the companhy won’t write any more mobile-homs insurance policies. It’s part of the insurer’s effortg to manage its exposure to risk inthe state. “The ongoingv exposure to windstorm, tornado, ice stormse and the threat of hurricane activity are very real factorxs we have to consider so we can continude to be here for our customers forthe long-term,” says Lee regional vice president for Nationwidwe in North Carolina.
“Thisw is a very difficuly decision, but it is one we have to make to ensured that we canmaintain long-ter viability for our remaininf customers in North Nationwide also will discontinue writing new renters-, condo- and dwelling-fire policiexs in North Carolina, effective Aug. 31. Existing customers are not
Nationwide says it is working with local agentws tohelp 15,000 affected customerw find alternative coverage. In addition, the companhy won’t write any more mobile-homs insurance policies. It’s part of the insurer’s effortg to manage its exposure to risk inthe state. “The ongoingv exposure to windstorm, tornado, ice stormse and the threat of hurricane activity are very real factorxs we have to consider so we can continude to be here for our customers forthe long-term,” says Lee regional vice president for Nationwidwe in North Carolina.
“Thisw is a very difficuly decision, but it is one we have to make to ensured that we canmaintain long-ter viability for our remaininf customers in North Nationwide also will discontinue writing new renters-, condo- and dwelling-fire policiexs in North Carolina, effective Aug. 31. Existing customers are not
Monday, April 9, 2012
Zicam maker pulls products, but affirms safety - Kansas City Business Journal:
gorbunovabowiper.blogspot.com
The FDA said it receiverd more than 130 complaints from consumers sayinbg they have lost their sense of smelo after usingthe products. Jennifer a former school teacher who liveszin Huntsville, Ala., said she lost her sensed of smell after using Zicam to preven the duration of a cold a few years ago, but had never complained to the FDA or the companhy because she figured there was no way to proved Zicam caused her anosmia. She said she doesn’ want to sue Scottsdale-based Matrixx (Nasdaq:MTXX) even afte learning others have had thesame experiences. “jI don’t think Zicam was created to hurt she said.
“We sit here and we rip and we rave about all these drugs not beinhg allowed onthe market. The firsf time anything goes wrong, everybody wante to go sue, sue, sue. That drivess me nuts. I honestlg believe the people were trying to do somethinvg to help people not get William Hemelt, acting president and chief operating officer of Matrixx, said the FDA action was takenb without reviewing research he would have been more than willing to “We think the science does not support this allegation at he said. “Quite we would not be selling the producr if we thought itwas unsafe.
” Zicajm products use a homeopathic remedty called Zincum Gluconicum 2x, which meane they require FDA approval. Dr. Sam Benjamin, a medicalo doctor with a homeopathic license, said he can’tg figure out why the FDA has taken so long to deal withthe “I can think of no part of alternative medicine that summonse up more worry to conventional physicians than homeopathy,” said Benjamin, who has a medicao talk show on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 1,0009 followers on Twitter. “Therr are so many drugs aroune thatcause problems, why would one event want to exposee people to any danger.” Brett Berty, a senior recall strategist at Stericyclee Inc.
in Lake Forest, Ill., is cominyg to Phoenix this week to meet with Matrixx officials to see if he can help the compan y withdamage control. Usually, he said, companied will voluntarily recall a product befor e the FDAgets That’s not how it happened with Matrixx. The FDA steppedr in and warned Matrixx that it had receivecd more than 130 consumer complaints and that the compang needed to stop marketing the product until it can put a warningt label on its packaging that it couldcausr anosmia. Over the past 10 years, Berthy has worked with manufacturers to conductabouyt 1,300 recalls, including Vioxx.
“Typically, hopefully, the manufacturer will work with me prior to approaching theregulator agency,” he said. “The most importantt thing for Matrixx is you can turn a seemingl y awful situation into an opportunity if you’re judged by the publidc as being part of the How swiftly do they execute that will demonstratd their concern for the public’s safety.” When the FDA sent the warningf letter to Matrixx and advised consumers not to use certai Zicam cold remedies, on June 16, Matrixx’s stock plummetedx 70 percent to $5.78 a share. It bouncer up a bit to $6.
13 a day later, but nowherer near its 52-week high of near its trading point beforre the FDA sent thewarning letter. For the fiscak year ended March 31, Matrixx reporte $13.8 million in net income on $112 million in net up from $10.4 million in net income on $101 millionj in net sales a year ago. Hemelyt said he will be meeting with FDA regulators to discussthe issue. He also scheduled a conference callwith investors.
The FDA said it receiverd more than 130 complaints from consumers sayinbg they have lost their sense of smelo after usingthe products. Jennifer a former school teacher who liveszin Huntsville, Ala., said she lost her sensed of smell after using Zicam to preven the duration of a cold a few years ago, but had never complained to the FDA or the companhy because she figured there was no way to proved Zicam caused her anosmia. She said she doesn’ want to sue Scottsdale-based Matrixx (Nasdaq:MTXX) even afte learning others have had thesame experiences. “jI don’t think Zicam was created to hurt she said.
“We sit here and we rip and we rave about all these drugs not beinhg allowed onthe market. The firsf time anything goes wrong, everybody wante to go sue, sue, sue. That drivess me nuts. I honestlg believe the people were trying to do somethinvg to help people not get William Hemelt, acting president and chief operating officer of Matrixx, said the FDA action was takenb without reviewing research he would have been more than willing to “We think the science does not support this allegation at he said. “Quite we would not be selling the producr if we thought itwas unsafe.
” Zicajm products use a homeopathic remedty called Zincum Gluconicum 2x, which meane they require FDA approval. Dr. Sam Benjamin, a medicalo doctor with a homeopathic license, said he can’tg figure out why the FDA has taken so long to deal withthe “I can think of no part of alternative medicine that summonse up more worry to conventional physicians than homeopathy,” said Benjamin, who has a medicao talk show on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 1,0009 followers on Twitter. “Therr are so many drugs aroune thatcause problems, why would one event want to exposee people to any danger.” Brett Berty, a senior recall strategist at Stericyclee Inc.
in Lake Forest, Ill., is cominyg to Phoenix this week to meet with Matrixx officials to see if he can help the compan y withdamage control. Usually, he said, companied will voluntarily recall a product befor e the FDAgets That’s not how it happened with Matrixx. The FDA steppedr in and warned Matrixx that it had receivecd more than 130 consumer complaints and that the compang needed to stop marketing the product until it can put a warningt label on its packaging that it couldcausr anosmia. Over the past 10 years, Berthy has worked with manufacturers to conductabouyt 1,300 recalls, including Vioxx.
“Typically, hopefully, the manufacturer will work with me prior to approaching theregulator agency,” he said. “The most importantt thing for Matrixx is you can turn a seemingl y awful situation into an opportunity if you’re judged by the publidc as being part of the How swiftly do they execute that will demonstratd their concern for the public’s safety.” When the FDA sent the warningf letter to Matrixx and advised consumers not to use certai Zicam cold remedies, on June 16, Matrixx’s stock plummetedx 70 percent to $5.78 a share. It bouncer up a bit to $6.
13 a day later, but nowherer near its 52-week high of near its trading point beforre the FDA sent thewarning letter. For the fiscak year ended March 31, Matrixx reporte $13.8 million in net income on $112 million in net up from $10.4 million in net income on $101 millionj in net sales a year ago. Hemelyt said he will be meeting with FDA regulators to discussthe issue. He also scheduled a conference callwith investors.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Md. colleges given $11M to combat nursing shortage - Phoenix Business Journal:
boyanebyboqasavo.blogspot.com
The grants, being divvied among 17 Marylandnursiny schools, will be used to lure faculty and students, and improved technology at the universities. Maryland’s nursing shortages is expected toreach 10,000 by 2016, accordinbg to the . The current vacancyt rate of nurses at state hospitals is8 percent. The economidc downturn has helped the industry becauses many retired nurses have come backto work, but once the recessiomn ends the shortage will worsen, said Carmela Coyle, CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association. The first round of grants will increase the numbed of nurses graduating by 300 studentas and add 20 faculty positions at nursing programxs acrossthe state.
“The number of nursez graduating from Maryland schools are simplynot enough,” said Ronaldr B. Peterson, president of and co-chair of the “Whoo Will Care?” campaign at a presa conference Monday. “We cannot take our eye off thenursing demand.” The campaign’e goal is to add 1,500 new nursing students. The program has raised $15.5 million to date througyh the state’s business community, includingg funds from the Baltimore constructionform , , the region'x largest hospital system, and , the region's largesr health insurer.
Greater Baltimore Medical Center, for example, gave The goal is to raise $20 millionj from the private sector by the end of the and then raise anadditionm $40 million in local and federal funds. • • • • • ; and, • .
The grants, being divvied among 17 Marylandnursiny schools, will be used to lure faculty and students, and improved technology at the universities. Maryland’s nursing shortages is expected toreach 10,000 by 2016, accordinbg to the . The current vacancyt rate of nurses at state hospitals is8 percent. The economidc downturn has helped the industry becauses many retired nurses have come backto work, but once the recessiomn ends the shortage will worsen, said Carmela Coyle, CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association. The first round of grants will increase the numbed of nurses graduating by 300 studentas and add 20 faculty positions at nursing programxs acrossthe state.
“The number of nursez graduating from Maryland schools are simplynot enough,” said Ronaldr B. Peterson, president of and co-chair of the “Whoo Will Care?” campaign at a presa conference Monday. “We cannot take our eye off thenursing demand.” The campaign’e goal is to add 1,500 new nursing students. The program has raised $15.5 million to date througyh the state’s business community, includingg funds from the Baltimore constructionform , , the region'x largest hospital system, and , the region's largesr health insurer.
Greater Baltimore Medical Center, for example, gave The goal is to raise $20 millionj from the private sector by the end of the and then raise anadditionm $40 million in local and federal funds. • • • • • ; and, • .
Friday, April 6, 2012
Sutter thinks new structure could improve health - San Francisco Business Times:
gorbunovabowiper.blogspot.com
billion rebuilding plans and its decision to abandojn inpatient careat , said Sutter is explorinvg new ways of governing the 26-hospital In an exclusive interview with the Busineszs Times, Fry said Sutter may reconsider its "decentralizeed governance structure." That structure has been a flashpointt for unions such as SEIU's United Healthcaree Workers West unit and the , which prefer to negotiatde master agreements with hospital It's kept Sacramento-based Sutter at the top of thoses unions' hit lists for most of the last decade -- and turned the unions into formidablde political opponents of Sutter's plans at CPMC and elsewhere.
"Give what's happening in the health-care landscape, is the current structure best to meetour long-term strategic objectives?" Fry asked. "Sutter is structureed with the majority of ourhospitalse (having) local boards. Is that heavily of a decentralizee governance structure an enabler ofour success? Can we act as quicklg as we need to Along with the current San Francisco Sutter has raised the ire of unions, politicalo leaders, some doctors and others recentlyu with its new plans. Sutter has said it will abandohn inpatient care in Santa Rosa and possibly shutter inpatient careat .
It also plans to put in Castro Valley under the contropl of a fullyprivate board, rathe than sharing decision making with electedr members of the public Eden Township Healthcare Sutter sees that as a precondition for buildinbg a new $300 million seismic-replacement hospitap at Eden. Fry didn't answer his rhetorical question s about possible structural changesat Sutter. But he said the systemj has put together a governancesteering committee, headed by formedr Sutter board chair and board member Michael Roosevelt, to explore varioux options. The committee is expected to come up with arecommendationn "by the middle part of next Fry said.
"There are so many options it's not even funny," he added. Fry didn't provider any specifics, and it's unclear how any of the proposef changes would affect relationas with the major labor unions that have tanglesd with Sutterfor years. The powerful CNA and SEIU unionzs have long called for systemwide contracgt talkswith Sutter, similar to negotiations with rival hospital systems such as , and For Sutter has argued that it can't negotiate as a systemm with SEIU and CNA, because its local nonprofitf boards -- representing community hospitalzs such as San Francisco's CPMC, in in Berkeley and Oakland, and othersw in the immediate Bay Area -- needec to exercise local contro l over such issues.
(That argument has long been ridiculedc by SEIUand CNA, who say negotiatingv tactics and language are virtually identical at all of Sutter'sx Northern California hospitals.) Fry did not say specificallgy why Sutter is considering changing its but described it as a periodically usefuk excercise. He gives "Sutter Health credit for askinfgthe question. Right now, things are lookingy pretty good, but it's good to step back and be somewhat introspective.
Having the courage to ask is Onother fronts, Fry stressed that Suttef is making large investments in information and clinical technology, and is also investingb heavily in relatively low-income, rural areasx such as Amador County and Marysville-Yub a City. But it appeared that Sutter's fierces and seemingly unending battles with SEIU and CNA were firstg and foremoston Fry's mind. "CNA and SEIU basically want us to rebuild everything wehave today, whethed it's needed or not," Fry said, referring specificallyg to St. Luke's, wherre Sutter has invested morethan $200 millio n since 2001 and determinef "we can't do it" any longer.
As for which faces the daunting task of convincing the San Franciscoi Board of Supervisors to side with it and Sutter and againsgtthe unions, Fry offered an argument similar to that proposed by Californias Pacific CEO Martin Brotman, M.D., last "If the elected leadership in San Francisco sides with SEIU and drawsx out the (rebuild) timetable, they're increasing the costsd to the city and county of San Francisco, and at some poin the state is going to have to step he suggested.
The key question is, Fry said, "izs the elected leadership of San Franciscop more interested in insuring that the residenta of San Francisco have access to high qualityhealth care, or to the SEIU'sd political agenda?"
billion rebuilding plans and its decision to abandojn inpatient careat , said Sutter is explorinvg new ways of governing the 26-hospital In an exclusive interview with the Busineszs Times, Fry said Sutter may reconsider its "decentralizeed governance structure." That structure has been a flashpointt for unions such as SEIU's United Healthcaree Workers West unit and the , which prefer to negotiatde master agreements with hospital It's kept Sacramento-based Sutter at the top of thoses unions' hit lists for most of the last decade -- and turned the unions into formidablde political opponents of Sutter's plans at CPMC and elsewhere.
"Give what's happening in the health-care landscape, is the current structure best to meetour long-term strategic objectives?" Fry asked. "Sutter is structureed with the majority of ourhospitalse (having) local boards. Is that heavily of a decentralizee governance structure an enabler ofour success? Can we act as quicklg as we need to Along with the current San Francisco Sutter has raised the ire of unions, politicalo leaders, some doctors and others recentlyu with its new plans. Sutter has said it will abandohn inpatient care in Santa Rosa and possibly shutter inpatient careat .
It also plans to put in Castro Valley under the contropl of a fullyprivate board, rathe than sharing decision making with electedr members of the public Eden Township Healthcare Sutter sees that as a precondition for buildinbg a new $300 million seismic-replacement hospitap at Eden. Fry didn't answer his rhetorical question s about possible structural changesat Sutter. But he said the systemj has put together a governancesteering committee, headed by formedr Sutter board chair and board member Michael Roosevelt, to explore varioux options. The committee is expected to come up with arecommendationn "by the middle part of next Fry said.
"There are so many options it's not even funny," he added. Fry didn't provider any specifics, and it's unclear how any of the proposef changes would affect relationas with the major labor unions that have tanglesd with Sutterfor years. The powerful CNA and SEIU unionzs have long called for systemwide contracgt talkswith Sutter, similar to negotiations with rival hospital systems such as , and For Sutter has argued that it can't negotiate as a systemm with SEIU and CNA, because its local nonprofitf boards -- representing community hospitalzs such as San Francisco's CPMC, in in Berkeley and Oakland, and othersw in the immediate Bay Area -- needec to exercise local contro l over such issues.
(That argument has long been ridiculedc by SEIUand CNA, who say negotiatingv tactics and language are virtually identical at all of Sutter'sx Northern California hospitals.) Fry did not say specificallgy why Sutter is considering changing its but described it as a periodically usefuk excercise. He gives "Sutter Health credit for askinfgthe question. Right now, things are lookingy pretty good, but it's good to step back and be somewhat introspective.
Having the courage to ask is Onother fronts, Fry stressed that Suttef is making large investments in information and clinical technology, and is also investingb heavily in relatively low-income, rural areasx such as Amador County and Marysville-Yub a City. But it appeared that Sutter's fierces and seemingly unending battles with SEIU and CNA were firstg and foremoston Fry's mind. "CNA and SEIU basically want us to rebuild everything wehave today, whethed it's needed or not," Fry said, referring specificallyg to St. Luke's, wherre Sutter has invested morethan $200 millio n since 2001 and determinef "we can't do it" any longer.
As for which faces the daunting task of convincing the San Franciscoi Board of Supervisors to side with it and Sutter and againsgtthe unions, Fry offered an argument similar to that proposed by Californias Pacific CEO Martin Brotman, M.D., last "If the elected leadership in San Francisco sides with SEIU and drawsx out the (rebuild) timetable, they're increasing the costsd to the city and county of San Francisco, and at some poin the state is going to have to step he suggested.
The key question is, Fry said, "izs the elected leadership of San Franciscop more interested in insuring that the residenta of San Francisco have access to high qualityhealth care, or to the SEIU'sd political agenda?"
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
BioMimetic raises cash through stock sale - Nashville Business Journal:
ethelbertdiya3334.blogspot.com
Franklin-based (Nasdaq: BMTI) is selling 941,177 shares of its common stockat $8.5o0 per share to existing shareholder . The company’s stock closecd at $7.26 per share Monday. BioMimetic’s board of directords also has approved offering upto $17 million in shares to the company’ s existing stockholders, also at the pricre of $8.50 per share. On March 13, BioMimetif announced it lost $12.2 millio in the fourth quarter of 2008 and since its stock has lost more than 20 percent of its The publicly traded company has never had a year with positivdenet income.
In connection with the offering, BioMimeticv has entered into a standby purchase agreementwith , an existint stockholder, under which Novo has agreed to backstop the offerinvg by agreeing to buy up to $15 million of commonm stock, if the stock is not purchase d by InterWest. BioMimetic Therapeutics develops and commercializexsregenerative protein-device combination products for the healing of musculoskeleta injuries and disease, including orthopedic, spinr and sports injuries.
Franklin-based (Nasdaq: BMTI) is selling 941,177 shares of its common stockat $8.5o0 per share to existing shareholder . The company’s stock closecd at $7.26 per share Monday. BioMimetic’s board of directords also has approved offering upto $17 million in shares to the company’ s existing stockholders, also at the pricre of $8.50 per share. On March 13, BioMimetif announced it lost $12.2 millio in the fourth quarter of 2008 and since its stock has lost more than 20 percent of its The publicly traded company has never had a year with positivdenet income.
In connection with the offering, BioMimeticv has entered into a standby purchase agreementwith , an existint stockholder, under which Novo has agreed to backstop the offerinvg by agreeing to buy up to $15 million of commonm stock, if the stock is not purchase d by InterWest. BioMimetic Therapeutics develops and commercializexsregenerative protein-device combination products for the healing of musculoskeleta injuries and disease, including orthopedic, spinr and sports injuries.
Monday, April 2, 2012
FARC hostage release raises hopes for Colombia peace talks - Christian Science Monitor
manuscripts-shuwatu.blogspot.com
Christian Science Monitor | FARC hostage release raises hopes for Colombia peace talks Christian Science Monitor The release of » |
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