Mercy Medical Center, The Mary Catherine Bunting Center

“Mercy is committed to doing everything we can to serve our community and create additional capacity to provide critical health services during this crisis,” said Thomas R. Mullen, President & CEO of Mercy Health Services.

BALTIMORE (PRWEB)
March 20, 2020

Today, in response to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s call on Monday to increase hospital bed capacity statewide to address the COVID-19 public health emergency, Mercy Medical Center sought and received an Emergency Certificate of Need approval from the Maryland Health Care Commission to construct a new 32-bed acute care unit on the 17th floor of the hospital’s main inpatient facility, The Mary Catherine Bunting Center in downtown Baltimore.

To that end, Mercy will invest $12.5 million in the project partnering with The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company which will provide short-term financing to allow the project to move forward immediately. Project construction will begin immediately and is expected to be completed in 75 days. The Bunting Center is currently licensed at 183 beds with existing physical capacity to expand to 251 beds to meet future demand and will add an additional 32 acute care beds following completion of the 17th floor Emergency CON project. To offset this unexpected cost to care for the neediest among us, Mercy will pursue funding opportunities from those individuals and organizations in our community that are most capable of helping.

“Mercy is committed to doing everything we can to serve our community and create additional capacity to provide critical health services during this crisis,” said Thomas R. Mullen, President & CEO of Mercy Health Services. “This project is a major investment during a time of great uncertainty but it’s the right thing to do and will be essential to address the potential surge in patients in need of hospitalization in the future as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“We appreciate the Governor’s leadership and quick action by the Maryland Health Care Commission to approve this important project,” Mr. Mullen continued.

“Mercy’s mission is to provide excellent health services within a community of compassionate care and we are fully committed to carrying out that mission for the people of Baltimore during this crisis,” said Dr. David N. Maine, Executive Vice President of Mercy Health Services. “We are especially grateful to our partners in mission at Whiting-Turner for their support and commitment to help Mercy respond and allow us to serve our patients in a time of need.”

“Whiting-Turner is very proud to partner with Mercy to deliver this important project and provide financing during this public health emergency,” said Timothy J. Regan, President & CEO of Whiting-Turner Contracting. “As the original General Contractor for the Mary Catherine Bunting Center, we know how to complete this critical project expeditiously and meet Mercy’s demands for a high-quality facility.”

“Mercy and Whiting-Turner teams are immediately mobilizing together to begin construction,” Mr. Regan continued. “As a Maryland company, we understand the crucial need to expand acute care hospital capacity during this emergency for the people of Maryland.”

The 17-story, state-of-the-art Mary Catherine Bunting Center main hospital at Mercy opened in 2010, representing a +$400 million investment in downtown Baltimore. The Bunting Center has undergone several significant expansions and upgrades including a $26 million operating room project in 2016 to meet increased demand and a $42 million project to create the Family Childbirth & Children’s Center in 2012.

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View your location history with Alertus ThreatWatcher – Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting all of us, and we hope to offer a platform that can help mitigate people’s risk during this time,” said Jason Volk, Alertus Founder and CEO.

BELTSVILLE, Md. (PRWEB)
March 20, 2020

Users who have tested positive for COVID-19 can anonymously submit their tracked movements from the previous 15 days to build a crowd-sourced database of detailed location information, such as a specific building on campus or a local movie theater, for a more accurate view of a potential interaction or exposure to the virus. The app will also help people to more easily recall where they’ve been when a new case is reported.

“With ThreatWatcher™ Pandemic, we can build a more holistic and comprehensive database of where people are coming into contact with someone who has COVID-19,” said Caroline Kilday, Alertus Director of Marketing and Communications. “We hope this tool gives people a way to easily self-report their movement and use that data to help other users determine whether to seek medical testing or to self-quarantine to help minimize the spread and impact of COVID-19.”

The app does not store or share any personal information with other users except by explicit permission, and will only share location history for up to 15 days. Alertus does not store, access, or share any user information or location data—all data is stored locally on the user’s own device. As limited detailed data is available, particularly in the US, Alertus hopes users will leverage the app and share location information if they are positive for COVID-19 to help their communities stay safe.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting all of us, and we hope to offer a platform that can help mitigate people’s risk during this time,” said Jason Volk, Alertus Founder and CEO. “Further, Alertus is committed to ensuring the timely delivery and accessibility of critical information during an emergency for all organizations. Extending that to the public is a way for us to continue to deliver on our mission and serve our communities.”

ThreatWatcher™ Mobile is part of the Alertus Recipient App, an emergency communication app for enterprise organizations, colleges and universities, K-12 schools, healthcare institutions, and more. The Recipient App enables organizations to quickly and efficiently send critical alerts and information to its users through the integrated Alertus Mass Notification System. ThreatWatcher™ Mobile will not require users to be affiliated with an organization utilizing the Alertus System.

The new features will be available as updates for existing Alertus Recipient App users, and available for download on the Apple iTunes Store and Google Play Store for new users.

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About Alertus Technologies

Alertus Technologies is a pioneer and market leader in emergency mass notification systems for large-area, high occupancy facilities. Since 2002, Alertus has engineered innovative solutions for emergency mass notification that unifies and simplifies the notification process for immediate, comprehensive coverage. Alertus provides solutions for in-building notification, outdoor notification, and personal notification. Thousands of institutions and enterprise organizations worldwide trust and rely on Alertus to protect millions of people. To learn more, visit http://www.alertus.com.

For more information about Alertus Technologies and additional educational resources, visit http://www.alertus.com.

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“Studies like this can improve both public health and epidemiology efforts when it comes to pests that cause dangerous allergic reactions.” – Thomas A.E. Platts-Mills, MD, PhD, FAAAAI

MILWAUKEE (PRWEB)
March 20, 2020

Despite the presence of the lone star tick, which is known to induce alpha-gal syndrome, cases of alpha-gal in Texas and the Gulf of Mexico are low, and it might be due to the invasive fire ant species.

Originally scheduled to be presented for the first time at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) before it was cancelled due to the situation with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), this study was developed due to a “shortage” of cases of alpha-gal syndrome in the region. Alpha-gal refers to having an allergy to a carbohydrate molecule that’s found in most mammalian or “red meat” and is known to be caused from the lone star tick. Researchers conducted a survey of allergy clinics to determine if the lack of cases was due to the invasive fire ant species, who are known predators of the lone star tick.

Researchers collected survey data from allergy clinics within and north of the U.S. Department of Agriculture fire ant quarantine zone, looking at the presence of fire ant anaphylaxis cases and alpha-gal syndrome. These cases were plotted on maps that showed county-level fire ant quarantine data from 1931 to 2018. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the distribution of lone star ticks was also plotted.

A total of 87 allergy clinics provided data for the study. Before 1974, large numbers of fire ant anaphylaxis cases were reported within the quarantined area. In areas quarantined between 1974 and 2018, the cases became variable with few cases reported outside the quarantined area. Most importantly, researchers found a strong inverse correlation between cases of fire ant anaphylaxis and cases of alpha-gal syndrome within the range of lone star ticks. Essentially this means that the more fire ant anaphylaxis cases there were, the less cases of alpha-gal, and vice versa.

“What we’re seeing with this data set is how two different allergy-causing species impact each other, and therefore, the type of reported symptoms we are seeing in regional allergy clinics,” said Thomas A.E. Platts-Mills, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, first author of the study. “Studies like this can improve both public health and epidemiology efforts when it comes to pests that cause dangerous allergic reactions. These results may also make it possible to predict future changes in these diseases.”

Visit aaaai.org to learn more about fire ant allergy and alpha-gal. This research was published in an online supplement to The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has over 7,000 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. The AAAAI’s Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.

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“Our mantra has always been People, Planet, Profit. We are here to help the communities we service in any way we can.” -Dan Javan, CEO, Suntuity Group of companies

HOLMDEL, N.J. (PRWEB)
March 20, 2020

Suntuity Solar (https://suntuitysolar.com), the residential solar division of the Suntuity Group of companies with its US headquarters in New Jersey, recently launched a new initiative in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that offers services and support to organizations affected and present in the local communities across New Jersey, Maryland and Florida. “The Suntuity Pledge” (https://suntuitygroup.com/suntuity-cares/) offers fleet, logistics and call center services to support community organizations that need it most, whether it be meal delivery for children to groceries, medical kits or other logistics support during this time of uncertainty.

“Our mantra has always been People, Planet, Profit,” said Dan Javan, CEO of the Suntuity Group of companies. “We are here to help the communities we service in any way we can. Offering our resources during a time of need is who we are both as individuals and as an organization. The COVID-19 event has the ability to bring out the best in people and we need to come together as one big community to come out of this event with the level of seriousness it deserves. This is a call to action to all organizations to be selfless and be part of a movement that is bigger than themselves across the nation.”

While the company has currently allocated its support to certain counties throughout New Jersey, Maryland, and Florida based on its proximity to the most affected areas, Suntuity Solar is also offering subsidized solar electric and storage payments to all qualified customers in every state they service. This also applies to Suntuity’s “Solar Storage Program” which was launched to enable qualified customers to have energy autonomy using battery storage technologies. These programs are meant to provide homeowners with additional financial support and peace of mind from the time their site assessments are completed until the commencement of their system installations. In most cases, new customers can sign up from the comfort of their homes without having to have a Suntuity representative physically visit them.

Homeowners that are interested in lowering their monthly utility bills and receive subsidized energy and storage payments are encouraged to qualify over the phone after filling out a brief questionnaire online at the following link: https://www.suntuitysolar.com/wecare/.

For organizations that are in need of support through The Suntuity Pledge, details can be found online at the following link: https://suntuitygroup.com/suntuity-cares/.

About Suntuity Solar

Suntuity Solar (https://suntuitysolar.com) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Suntuity and brings clean, affordable residential solar power to homeowners across the US. Suntuity, founded in 2008, is part of the Suntuity Group of companies that develops, finances, builds, owns and operates residential, commercial, and utility-scale renewable energy solutions around the world. The company is strategically positioned with industry-leading financing and technology that streamlines renewable energy as a viable energy alternative for several mainstream power options. With innovative financing solutions, in-depth technical expertise and a global presence, Suntuity consistently delivers best-in-class products, services and solutions. The Suntuity Group of companies cover multiple verticals in the renewable energy and technology space including financing, manufacturing, sourcing, EPCM, electrical and UAV drone services. For more information on the Suntuity Group, please visit https://suntuitygroup.com.

This press release was published by Suntuity Solar, a Suntuity company.

Disclaimer:

The information in this release has been included in good faith and is for general purposes only. It should not be relied upon for any specific purpose and no representation or warranty is given as regards to its accuracy or completeness. No information in this press release shall constitute an invitation to invest in neither Suntuity Solar nor any of its affiliates. Neither Suntuity, nor Suntuity Solar nor their affiliates’ officers, employees or agents shall be liable for any loss, damage or expense arising out of any action taken on the basis of this press release, including, without limitation, any loss of profit, indirect, incidental or consequential loss. All Trademarks are the property of their individual owners.

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If we protect the people who protect us, we can beat this thing.

DAVIE, Fla. (PRWEB)
March 20, 2020

Gigi Stetler, CEO of RV Sales of Broward and founder of the non-profit RV Advisor Consumer Association (RVACA), will begin providing RVs to healthcare workers and other public service workers who need a safe space to quarantine or in other cases, a place to avoid risking infection.

Through RVACA’s coronavirus assistance funds, Stetler will be offering free RVs nationwide so healthcare workers and other public servants can continue their work on the frontlines without worrying about the cost of additional housing.

“If we protect the people who protect us, we can beat this thing,” said Stetler.

After receiving numerous calls from health care providers and hearing about the case of a paramedic exposed to coronavirus who returned home and exposed his family, Stetler realized that RVs could be a part of the solution in this global health crisis as they have been for other catastrophes. In the past, Stetler donated RVs for temporary housing in the Bahamas in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane and in California after families lost their homes in the wild fires.

Now Stetler plans to do whatever she can to help in this global pandemic. Health care workers or public servants who would like to apply for a temporary RV can apply here. RVs will be available for 14-day and 30-day options. The RVs will have a ten-day break between rentals to ensure that the RVs can be properly and thoroughly disinfected.

“We have to keep our health care providers safe and healthy,” said Stetler. If we lose our doctors, nurses and paramedics, we are done. This is a very scary time. If we don’t get this contained and get businesses back open again, we are in trouble. We must all work together to get on the other side of this.”

To donate to RVACA’s Coronavirus Assistance fund, please visit here.

Gigi Stetler is available for interviews.

About Gigi Stetler

Gigi Stetler is CEO of RV Sales of Broward, the first and only woman-owned RV dealership in the country. Stetler is one of only a handful of top RV experts in the country and has 30 years of experience in an industry that has been traditionally dominated by men. Stetler also launched RV Advisor, an online resource designed to effectively connect millions of RV owners, dealers, and service centers through an innovative mobile-friendly platform. A proud supporter of the veteran community, RV Advisor offers unlimited free membership for all veterans.

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WCG CenterWatch

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (PRWEB)
March 20, 2020

The CRC’s Guide to Coordinating Clinical Research

A CenterWatch Training Guide

https://www.centerwatch.com/products/category/1060-training-guides/product/381-

The guide that has trained thousands of clinical research coordinators is newly updated!

A vital resource whether one is a novice or experienced clinical research coordinator The CRC’s Guide to Coordinating Clinical Research is a one-volume training masterpiece that covers the roles and responsibilities of all key parties involved in managing clinical trials.

It provides tips and strategies for top-notch job performance, checklists, key takeaways and exercises. The guide covers specific GCP regulations, principles of informed consent, writing and training on SOPs, IRB requirements and more.

This edition of The CRC’s Guide is chock full of NEW information you need, including:

• 
  New responsibilities and requirements in the ICH’s recently revised ICH E6 guideline on Good Clinical Practice, including supervision of investigators
• Recent changes to the federal Common Rule creating new requirements for the protection of human research subjects
• Updates to HIPAA research guidelines
• Influence of evolving technologies on the CRC’s job
• Global initiatives aimed at making the trial site more efficient
• Growing use of news tools and methods, such as electronic data capture and eConsent, wearable devices, patient-reported outcomes and more
• Advice for handling site inspections by regulatory agencies
• More than a dozen new FDA guidances

As the clinical trials industry evolves, the role of a CRC is changing in subtle — and some not so subtle — ways. The fourth edition of this comprehensive, easy-to-read guide is designed to help one stay informed and be prepared to respond to industry changes.

The CRC’s Guide to Coordinating Clinical Research covers all facets of today’s CRC job and keeps one up to date on evolving responsibilities.

The CRA’s Guide to Monitoring Clinical Research, 5th Edition

A CenterWatch Training Guide

https://www.centerwatch.com/products/category/1060-training-guides/product/381-

Price: $97

Easy Ways to Order:

Online: https://www.centerwatch.com/products/category/1060-training-guides/product/381

By phone: 617.948.5100 or 866.219.3440

About CenterWatch:

Founded in 1994, CenterWatch is a trusted source and global destination for clinical trials information for both professionals and patients. CenterWatch provides proprietary data and information analysis on clinical trials through a variety of newsletters, books, databases, and information services used by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, CROs, SMOs, and investigative sites involved in the management and conduct of clinical trials. As a pioneer in publishing clinical trials information, CenterWatch was the first Internet site to publish detailed information about active clinical trials that could be accessed by patients and their advocates.

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