All posts by imreal

Health: Mental Health

Xulon Press Author and Minister Hopes Each One of His Readers Discover Their Purpose

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You’d be surprised to know how many people wonder why they even entered this world in the first place….


ALABASTER, Ala. (PRWEB)

Author Sam Richardson, Jr. believes that many people search for their life’s meaning in all the wrong places. In his new book,Live On Purpose ($11.49, paperback, 9781545675892; $5.99, e-book, 9781545675908), he points his readers to a deeper purpose in life than a job, a status or meaningless relationships.

“You’d be surprised to know how many people wonder why they even entered this world in the first place….They feel that if they disappeared tomorrow, they would easily be replaced by another. It is unfortunate, but it is because they have yet to realize just how meaningful their life is!” said Richardson.

Sam Richardson, Jr. was raised in Prichard, Alabama and felt God’s calling into the ministry at the age of 18. It was through this calling that he became determined not only to discover purpose, but to live on purpose.

Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the world’s largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date. Live on Purpose is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.

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Business: Insurance

New Heartland Alliance Data Shows Most Significant Increase in Uninsured Individuals In Almost A Decade

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“The historic gains in health coverage made possible by the Affordable Care Act have slowed and are reversing. These data are deeply concerning and suggest the unrelenting opposition to the ACA and threats to public programs are taking a toll on those who need services most.” Katie Buitrago


CHICAGO (PRWEB)

And Illinois saw a decline in Medicaid coverage for over 106,000 non-seniors from 2017 to 2018, a drop of 0.8 percentage points. Almost all of the people who lost Medicaid were in the Chicago six county area. These new data show us that the years of positive trends in increasing coverage seem to have come to an extreme halt.

“The historic gains in health coverage made possible by the Affordable Care Act have slowed and are now reversing,” said Katie Buitrago, Director of Research at Heartland Alliance. “These data are deeply concerning and suggest that the unrelenting opposition to the ACA and continuous threats to public programs are taking a toll on those who need these services most.”

The repeal of the individual mandate, the gutting of the enrollment assistance programs, and the expansion of low-quality “short-term” health plans have sown confusion throughout communities and contributed to this drop in coverage. But it is not only the executive orders, bureaucratic barriers, and regulatory changes that have resulted in millions more going uninsured—the Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant policies have also contributed to coverage losses. Latino Americans experienced a 1.6 percentage point decline in coverage, with non-citizens experiencing an even higher 2.3 percentage point decline. This dramatic rise in the uninsured rate strongly suggests that immigrant communities are being discouraged from signing up for health coverage and public benefits. The recent “public charge” rule change that penalizes immigrants seeking to naturalize if they are low-income or use public benefits is a prime example of the policy proposals that lead to this sort of chilling effect.

“These attacks on families are pushing people into poverty and into the shadows,” said Dan Rabbitt, Heartland Alliance Health Policy Expert. “Families are being forced, out of fear and necessity, to decide if they should obtain health coverage, and that is not a decision anyone should be forced to make. Our leaders should be working to provide quality, affordable health care to all, reduce out of pocket health costs, and increase coverage options for immigrants, not chipping away at supports that keep our communities healthy.”

In addition to these findings, Heartland Alliance has release a fact sheet looking at income, poverty and health insurance in Illinois and Chicago. View it here

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Business: Executives

Alpine Consolidated Announces Mike Sands to Join Team

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WASHINGTON (PRWEB)

Alpine Consolidated, a Washington-based investment firm, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Sands as the new Chief Investment Officer. Mike will lead Alpine’s work to source and grow compelling investment opportunities where the firm’s expertise, capital, and access to world-class technologists can have the greatest impact.

Mike was most recently co-founder and CEO of Signal, an enterprise SaaS technology company focused on identity resolution in the marketing and advertising space. While at Signal, Mike raised $59M in venture capital and scaled the company from a 5 person start-up to over 150 people with a presence on four continents. During his tenure as Signal’s CEO, Mike was recognized with several honors, including a Midwest 2015 EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. Prior to co-founding Signal, Mike was part of the original Orbitz management team and held the positions of CMO and COO. While at Orbitz, Mike helped take the business from start-up to IPO, then through two acquisitions (Cendant and Blackstone). After Orbitz, Mike joined The Pritzker Group as a partner on their private equity team.

Mike has also helped companies scale and realize exits while a board member and director of Angie’s List (NYSE) acquired by IAC subsidiary HomeAdvisor, YouBet.com (NYSE) acquired by Churchill Downs and location marketing platform SIM Partners, acquired by Reputation.com. Other current and prior board experiences include Mountain Reservations, ParkWhiz, Signal, and Alpine’s portfolio company, [e-spres-oh] Technologies.

“I’ve gotten to know Mike over the last ten years as a fellow board member and entrepreneur. I’m excited to have Mike join the Alpine team as we accelerate our work with entrepreneurs and investors who can benefit from our experience and track record of achieving successful exits for every company we have backed,” said Elan Blutinger, Founder and Chief Executive of Alpine Consolidated.

Alpine was established in 1996 to create industry-leading companies in highly fragmented industries by actively engaging its principals to accelerate growth in companies it backs.

ABOUT ALPINE CONSOLIDATED

Alpine invests human and financial growth capital in early-stage entrepreneurial companies at the intersection of important emerging markets such as cyber-security, communications, and civilian-government applications unique to the Capitol marketplace. Our limited partners, advisors, experienced management, and strategic partners create a unique cross-collection of talents and resources that we engage for our portfolio companies.

For more information visit http://www.alpineconsolidated.com.

Mike can be reached at msands@alpineconsolidated.com.

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Health

Danny Musico joins GYM SOURCE as full-time strategic partner.

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I’ve partnered with major development companies to design their gyms and I hand-pick every piece of equipment that goes in there. Gym Source is a natural fit since they offer a variety of brands and best in class service and installation.


NEW YORK (PRWEB)

Gym Source announced that Danny Musico will join the company as a full-time Strategic Partner. This partnership expands the previous Gym Source relationship with Musico and offers his world-class fitness expertise to commercial and retail clients.

Musico is a former Olympic Boxing team member, a former Golden Gloves Champion and a two-time Professional World Super MiddleWeight Boxing Champion. He regularly trains elite athletes including Saquon Barkley, Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott. He is considered Hollywood’s #1 celebrity trainer and has worked with Leonardo DiCaprio, Sylvester Stallone, Justin Bieber, Toby Maguire, Carrie Underwood, Hillary Swank and the cast of Entourage. He is an on-air commentator for ESPN, HBO & USA Networks. He is also the owner of Danny Musico Enterprises providing gym development services for hospitality, resort, residential and commercial properties.

Musico commented on his role at Gym Source. “I’m coming on board to make Gym Source a household name – to make it the largest associated personal trainer program in the country and to expand the company’s presence in both high end residential and multi-family housing markets. I’ve partnered with major development companies to design their gyms and I hand-pick every piece of equipment that goes in there. Gym Source is a natural fit since they offer a variety of brands and best in class service and installation. I will never associate myself with a product that I wouldn’t want my mother to buy and know that Gym Source shares my values.”

Ed Pryts, Gym Source VP of Sales & Marketing states, “We are very pleased to be working with Danny because we know he associates himself only with premium brands, premium products and premium companies. Danny is trusted, not only by fitness-conscious actors and personalities, but also by top athletes. He’s covered all ends of the spectrum. Danny is going to be important in not only expanding commercial development with our Club Preferred program, but in our plan to offer free workouts at our stores. We’re calling it The No Sale Zone where people can come in and workout on our equipment and not feel pressured to buy anything. He will connect with personal trainers on a regular basis to make them an extension of The Gym Source and expand that connection in every store.”

Gym Source is the leading specialty fitness dealer in the United States and represents the finest equipment brands including True, Precor, Octane, Stairmaster, Nautilus, StarTrac, Hoist and Schwinn.

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Science: Biology

NCCU Researchers Link Prenatal Cannabis Use to Fetal Syndrome

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Gregory J. Cole, Ph.D., of NCCU’s Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, led the investigation, which uses a zebrafish model.

“This study raises concerns regarding the safety to fetal health, with cannabis use by pregnant women potentially as detrimental as alcohol use in terms of the long-term effects,” said Gregory J. Cole, Ph.D.


DURHAM, N.C. (PRWEB)

North Carolina Central University researchers have found evidence that prenatal exposure to cannabinoids, the active compounds in marijuana, heightens the risk of developmental abnormalities normally associated with fetal alcohol syndrome.

Their findings were published in the August 2019 issue of the Birth Defects Research journal. Gregory J. Cole, Ph.D., of the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, led the investigation, which uses a zebrafish model.

“This study raises concerns regarding the safety to fetal health, with cannabis use by pregnant women potentially as detrimental as alcohol use in terms of the long-term effects,” Cole said.

The researchers found that physical and behavioral changes associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder could be triggered by exposure to cannabinoids. The two substances share the SHH genetic pathway, known as sonic hedgehog, which has a role in regulating bone growth and organization of the brain, among other functions.

“The study also suggests that lower levels of combined alcohol and marijuana use can alter biological systems and lead to greater risk-taking behaviors in humans at lower levels than either substance alone,” Cole said.

Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, in which fetal alcohol syndrome is the most severe, may have abnormalities of the face and skull, as well intellectual disabilities, central nervous system impairments and impeded growth.

The human central nervous system has been shown to be sensitive to alcohol throughout the gestational period, especially the third trimester when the fetal brain undergoes a state of rapid growth.

Zebrafish are used as a behavioral model for research because they have similar genetics to humans and exhibit behavioral complexity and dose-dependent responses to alcohol that mimic a human response, Cole said.

In previous studies, zebrafish have displayed increased anxiety and altered social behavior after a brief exposure to alcohol while still embryos.

“Both zebrafish and rodents have been shown to have similar behavioral responses to different doses of cannabinoids,” Cole said. “However, the effects of combined exposure to both alcohol and cannabinoids during pregnancy have not been well studied.”

Co-authors of the research paper are Oswald Boa-Amponsem, a Ph.D. candidate in the Integrated Biosciences program at NCCU; Chengjin Zhang, Ph.D., research associate at Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute at NCCU; Somnath Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., associate professor in chemistry and biochemistry at NCCU; and Iman Ardrey, a Ph.D. candidate in Integrated Biosciences.

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Technology: Computer

ESO Adds Becky Logan, Vice President of People, and Lauren McQuade, Vice President of Marketing, to Senior Leadership Team

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“We are growing quickly, and these are essential leadership roles at ESO to help us maintain our unique culture and attract the best possible talent, as well as focus on delivering on our mission to our customers and the industry.”


AUSTIN, Texas (PRWEB)

ESO, the leading data and software company serving emergency medical services (EMS), fire departments and hospitals, today announced Becky Logan has been named Vice President of People and Lauren McQuade has been hired as Vice President of Marketing. Logan brings more than 15 years of people engagement and HR management experience at high-growth organizations. McQuade brings more than 20 years of marketing leadership experience, building highly effective teams that drive growth.

“We’re excited to have Becky and Lauren join the team,” said Chris Dillie, President and CEO of ESO. “We are growing quickly, and these are essential leadership roles at ESO to help us maintain our unique culture and attract the best possible talent, as well as focus on delivering on our mission to our customers and the industry.”

Prior to ESO, Logan served as the Senior Director of People and Culture at BigCommerce, an award-winning employer of choice, where she established and scaled the HR function to support the company’s growth and global expansion. Before joining ESO, McQuade was the Vice President of Marketing at SecureLink, an Inc. 5000 company, where she built the marketing organization from the ground up. She developed a high-performing team that was integral to driving the company’s significant growth.

“This is a great time to be a part of ESO,” said Logan. “To join such a mission-driven company with a rich culture is incredibly rewarding. I’m looking forward to all we can accomplish as an organization.”

McQuade added, “This is a company that’s growing quickly and making a difference in this important industry. We have a great story to share and technology that delivers real and positive impact in the communities our customers serve.”

About ESO

ESO is dedicated to improving community health and safety through the power of data. Since its founding in 2004, the company continues to pioneer innovative, user-friendly software to meet the changing needs of today’s EMS agencies, fire departments, and hospitals. ESO currently serves thousands of customers throughout North America with a broad software portfolio, including the industry-leading ESO Electronic Health Record (EHR), the next generation ePCR; ESO Health Data Exchange (HDE), the first-of-its-kind healthcare interoperability platform; ESO Fire and ESO FIREHOUSE Software for fire departments; and ambulance revenue recovery/billing software. ESO is headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit http://www.eso.com.

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Technology: Electronics

Finzly Introduces Bank OS and Appstore for Banking at The Speed of Fintech

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Finzly's Bank Operating System for Open and Digital Banking

finzlyBankOS

Terry Howell, CTO states “When a bank adopts Finzly’s BankOS, we map our API adapters to the bank’s existing core providing a digital backbone to unlock the bank’s digital potential.”


CHARLOTTE, N.C. (PRWEB)

Following its recent corporate name change from SwapsTech to Finzly, Finzly is excited to announce its latest solution for banking transformation, Finzly BankOS. BankOS is targeted at banks who are crying out for fast, innovative digital solutions to problems but remain mired in bureaucratic processes and antiquated technology. BankOS is the foundation of how Finzly will solve problems for its customers in the future. It’s micro service architecture and Appstore of established services enables real-time, responsive, integrated experiences for commercial and retail customers of a bank.

Founder and CEO Booshan Rengachari asserts, “BankOS is the culmination of 3 years of research and development by our expert financial engineering team. As our revenue grew, we reinvested heavily in the future of our platform and brought to life BankOS. With Finzly BankOS, banks will be able to deliver new products and services at the speed of fintech, drastically cutting down cost and time to market. At Finzly, we want banks to modernize their internal operations and external channels rapidly, allowing them to compete confidently.”

Terry Howell, Chief Technology Officer declares, “Our Bank OS provides an app store development model backed by microservice enabled Open APIs. When a bank adopts BankOS, we map our API adapters to the bank’s existing core providing a digital backbone to unlock the bank’s digital potential. This allows banks to use all Apps from the Finzly App Store. Just click, verify and go live. We deliver continuous innovation with zero downtime keeping the banks at the edge of technology – all the time.”

Finzly is proud to be at the forefront of open banking and innovation. Come and experience how Finzly BankOS can transform your bank.

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Industry: Healthcare

Nubundle Partners with TASC to Reduce the Cost of Fertility Treatments with Customizable Fertility Benefits Solutions

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We’re proud to help make affording fertility treatments a reality for the many people who would not be able to without the support of their employer and fertility benefits.


CHICAGO (PRWEB)

Nubundle, a fertility services and support platform that provides an affordable way for companies of all sizes to help their employees navigate the journey to parenthood, today announced its partnership with TASC (Total Administrative Services Corporation), a leading benefits administrator. The partnership expands Nubundle’s fertility benefits solutions, giving employers the opportunity to provide full or partial insurance to employees for costs related to fertility procedures, medications, and related services.

Nubundle’s employer-sponsored subsidy plans are highly customizable, giving companies (from startups to multinational corporations) the ability to choose coverage amounts and other plan features based on the needs of each individual employer and its employees. Additionally, Nubundle members have access to a full suite of voluntary offerings including a family planning concierge, preferred access and pricing at top clinics, lower-priced medications, and additional “just in time” payment options.

“Since Nubundle launched a year ago we’ve seen first-hand how impactful financial and emotional support is for people of all genders, races, ages, and sexual orientations trying to grow their families. Less than 20% of fertility procedures are covered by insurance in the U.S.,” said John Ciasulli, CEO and co-founder at Nubundle. “We’re proud to help make affording fertility treatments a reality for the many people who would not be able to without the support of their employer and fertility benefits.”

The cost of fertility treatments, which range from oral medications to more involved procedures, such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF), are prohibitively expensive. These procedures can cost more than $20,000 out of pocket, an amount four times an average American couple under 35 has in their savings account. Additionally, more women are having children later in life than prior generations, instead choosing to focus on growing their careers and turn to fertility preservation treatments, like egg freezing.

“TASC is proud to partner with Nubundle to make fertility treatments more accessible,” said Cliff Mason, President of TASC. “We believe fertility and family planning benefits are an essential part of employee wellness plans, and Nubundle’s product aligns with our mission to improve the health, wealth and well-being of the community.”

In addition to the partnership with TASC, Nubundle continues to hit new milestones. The platform recently doubled its member count after raising $1.5M in funding in late 2018 and continues to add new fertility clinic partners across the country as it expands to additional markets.

For more information and to bring fertility benefits to your company, visit http://employers.nubundle.com.

About Nubundle

Based in Chicago, Nubundle helps employers of all sizes redefine their relationships with families through benefits by providing access to family planning and fertility benefits services. Nubundle offers a platform that provides access to an experienced network of family planning and fertility experts, affordable fertility services, and just-in-time insurance. Nubundle also partners with fertility clinics for its fertility coaching and management software. http://employers.nubundle.com

About TASC

TASC (Total Administrative Services Corporation) is one of the nation’s largest third-party administrators for employee benefits programs. TASC is known across all sizes of employers and many industries helping millions of employees with their benefit services. A philanthropy-driven, family-owned business headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, TASC delivers innovative quality solutions that help protect the rights of more than 72,000 sole proprietors, family farmers and business owners of all sizes all over the country. https://www.tasconline.com

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Health: Mental Health

Heartly House Declares 2019’s “Walk A Mile/Rock the 40th” Event a Success

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FREDERICK, Md. (PRWEB)

On September 21, 2019, Heartly House held a new, expanded version of their annual “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes” event in Downtown Frederick. Called Rock the 40th, this year’s event commemorated the organization’s 40 years of service to victims and survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking and child abuse in our community— helping to raise awareness of issues that have stayed in the dark for far too long.

In addition to the 10th annual “Walk a Mile” event, Rock the 40th included food, craft beer, and a concert at the Carroll Creek Amphitheatre. With more than 200 participants, a band, two solo artists, four food vendors, two breweries and more than 30 sponsors participating, Rock the 40th was declared a resounding success.

The title of Top Fundraiser Group was awarded to the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ, and Doug Tinder earned Individual Top Fundraiser honors. In addition to the funds that were raised, The Ausherman Family Foundation announced that it will be matching all donations up to $40,000 through the end of the year.

Thanks to the amazing support of the community, these contributions ensure that victims and survivors will continue to receive the support they need. Heartly House would like to thank all 2019 participants and looks forward to seeing everyone at next year’s event.

About Heartly House

Heartly House is the only organization in Frederick County, MD offering comprehensive support to victims and survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, and child abuse. Services include a 24-hour hotline, crisis intervention, group and individual counseling services, emergency shelter, medical accompaniment, legal representation, and community education and outreach. Services are confidential and free of charge. http://www.heartlyhouse.org

The Need

Statistics indicate that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys either has been or will be sexually abused by the age of 18. One in 4 women and 1 in 14 men will be the victim of intimate partner abuse in their lifetime. For these reasons and more, the demand for clinical counseling increased by 40% in Frederick last year. For women, men, and children, the journey to healing often begins at Heartly House.

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Business: Insurance

Save Car Insurance Money – How To Negotiate With Claim Adjusters

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“Working with a claim adjuster is a challenge. Without sufficient documents, especially medical and car repair receipts, you will be offered a low sum of money as reimbursement. Gather all necessary documents and show them to the adjuster”, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of IMC


LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)

Carinsuranceplan.org has released a new blog post that explains how drivers should approach car insurance claims adjusters.

For more info and free quotes, visit http://carinsuranceplan.org/how-to-negotiate-with-an-auto-insurance-claims-adjuster/

After being notified about the incident, the insurance company will dispatch a team of experts to assess the damage, determine the reimbursement and settle the claim. When dealing with claim adjusters it is important to remember that following tips. Find out more and get free car insurance quotes from http://carinsuranceplan.org.


  • Have all the relevant documents ready. It is important to have everything organized and all papers ready for inspection. The policyholder must gather all medical records, medical bills and repair bills and provide them when asked by claim adjusters. Furthermore, get a copy of the police report. Adjusters will certainly ask for official documents.

  • Have an initial proposal ready. Consider a minimum settlement before negotiations. Figure out how much were the total medical and car repair expenses. Also take into consideration lost wages resulting from the accident.

  • Start negotiating first and offer your settlement to the adjuster. When negotiations start, back that sum of money with arguments. The policyholder must provide receipts, police reports, pictures, medical reports, etc. Anything that supports the claims helps.

  • Accepting the first offer is a mistake. Claim adjusters work for insurance companies. It’s their job to minimize the financial losses of the company. So they will initially provide a very low offer. Do not accept it and ask for explanations and provide a counter offer.

  • Keep calm and cooperate with the adjuster. Even though the initial offer was really low, stay calm and professionally. Provide arguments and the settlement money will gradually increase. Provide extra documents and photos when required.

Carinsuranceplan.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.

For more information, please visit http://carinsuranceplan.org.

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