Henry W. Hochstatter Owes Money to Gardenia C. Hung
For Your Information: Henry William Hochstatter is demanding $3,420 dollars plus court costs for rent and utilities at 140 West St. Charles Road, Apt.B in Villa Park, Illinois 60181, Telephone 630-833-4032 even when I have been paying more than $5,159 dollars in cash, credit, and helping with household chores, when Henry W. Hochstatter does not pay me any money, cash, or compensation for my assistance doing laundry, grocery shopping, miscellaneous home chores, moving his belongings, etc.
Your Reference: Villa Park Police Report No. 100215002701, February 15, 2010, Time: 18:04, Villa Park Police Department Phone: 630-834-7447, Officer's Name: Blake #353
Gardenia C. Hung has paid in excess of $5,159 dollars in person to Henry W. Hochstatter, cash, credit, and other tangible items, goods, new clothing, medication, food, car gasoline for Toyota SUV R5, use of Lombard Post Office Box 1274, telephone deposits for AT&T, U.S. Cellular telephone payments, laundry, etc. Gardenia C. Hung has also incurred Chase VISA Credit Card Debt in the amount of $2,514.69 for lodging at Motel 66, InTown Suites, Colonoscopy Medication, and other expenses on behalf of Henry W. Hochtstatter. In addition, Henry W. Hochstatter has received tangible goods such as a White 1993 Mitsubishi 4-Door Sedan, Sears Pro-Form Treadmill which was broken by Henry W. Hochstatter, Toro Snowblower, Wood Garden Chipper, several Sears Craftman gardening tools, Ace Hardware White Foldable Fencing, Carpenter’s Leather Caddy, New Clothing, Shirts, T-Shirts, Pants, in excess of $5,600 dollars. Consequently, Henry W. Hochstatter owes Gardenia for CHASE VISA Credit Card charges, expenses, and interest accrued since December 8, 2008.
For the record, Henry W. Hochstatter is a disabled adult, age 55, who receives Social Security Disability benefits monthly in the amount of $1,200, plus Henry W. Hochstatter also works for U-Haul as a truck driver, transporter, and for The Next Generation Auto Shop, as well as for Alex King Construction, Inc. at 140 W. St. Charles Road, Apt. 4B, in Villa Park, Illlinois 60181. Henry W. Hochstatterreceives payment in cash for other miscellaneous gardening jobs, tasks, handyman, gardening work, etc. which is not reported.
Please note that Henry W. Hochstatter does not pay Gardenia C. Hung any money, compensation or cash since November 17, 2009 after she has helped this disabled man to move into his new apartment, even when Gardenia Hung has been helping him as a friend, companion, and assistant during his banking matters, social security suspension, divorce court matters, driver’s license return, and other miscellaneous issues as a victim of traumatic brain injury and disability.
In conclusion,Gardenia C. Hung has paid in excess of $4,525 dollars in person to Henry W. Hochstatter, cash, CHASE VISA credit in excess of $2,514.69, and other tangible items, goods, new clothing, medication, food, car gasoline for Toyota SUV R5, telephone deposits, laundry, etc. In addition, Henry W. Hochstatter has received tangible goods such as a White 1993 Mitsubishi 4-Door Sedan, Sears Pro-Form Treadmill which was broken by Henry W. Hochstatter, Toro Snowblower, Wood Garden Chipper, several Sears Craftman gardening tools, Ace Hardware White Foldable Fencing, Carpenter’s Leather Caddy, New Clothing, Shirts, T-Shirts, Pants, in excess of $5,600 dollars. Gardenia C. Hung does not owe Henry W. Hochstatter any further cash, credit, tangible goods, or assistance for disability as a traumatic brain injury person.
Dated on the 19th day of July 2010, in the Village of Lombard, County of DuPage,
Verification
Under penalties as provided by law, pursuant to Section 1-109 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, the undersigned certifies that the statement set forth in this instrument are true and correct, to the best of my ability, so help me God.
Executed in the Village of Villa Park, County of Du Page, in the State of Illinois,
United States of America.
Gardenia C. Hung
Friday, July 23, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
SENIOR HEALTH FAIR AT YORK TOWNSHIP IN LOMBARD, APRIL 16, 2010
SAVE THE DATE----Free Senior Event—APRIL 16TH
Seniors, their families, and friends are all invited to Representative Sandra Pihos’ annual Senior Fair on April 16th! Along with free admission, there will be free refreshments and a chance to win great door prizes! Free medical screenigss include vision testing, blood pressure screenings, massages, spinal analysis and more. Information regarding legal, financial, medical, assisted living and home health care issues will also be available. Additionally, the Secretary of State office will be on hand to renew state IDs and Driver’s Licenses. Dr. Gupta, a retina specialist from DuPage Medical Group will speak on macular degeneration at 12:30 PM
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the York Township Senior Center, 1502 S. Meyers Rd., Lombard. This informal but informative fair gives seniors an opportunity to chat with the Representative, gather health and lifestyle information, receive important medical screenings, and win some great prizes!
Please call Representative Pihos’ office at 630-858-8855 if you would like more information.
Seniors, their families, and friends are all invited to Representative Sandra Pihos’ annual Senior Fair on April 16th! Along with free admission, there will be free refreshments and a chance to win great door prizes! Free medical screenigss include vision testing, blood pressure screenings, massages, spinal analysis and more. Information regarding legal, financial, medical, assisted living and home health care issues will also be available. Additionally, the Secretary of State office will be on hand to renew state IDs and Driver’s Licenses. Dr. Gupta, a retina specialist from DuPage Medical Group will speak on macular degeneration at 12:30 PM
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the York Township Senior Center, 1502 S. Meyers Rd., Lombard. This informal but informative fair gives seniors an opportunity to chat with the Representative, gather health and lifestyle information, receive important medical screenings, and win some great prizes!
Please call Representative Pihos’ office at 630-858-8855 if you would like more information.
Monday, April 5, 2010
U.S. Health Care Reform Update
Since the House of Representatives voted to pass health reform legislation on Sunday night, the legislative process and its political impact have been the focus of all the newspapers and cable TV pundits.
Outside of DC, however, many Americans are trying to cut through the chatter and get to the substance of reform with a simple question: "What does health insurance reform actually mean for me?" To help, we've put together some of the key benefits from health insurance reform.
Let's start with how health insurance reform will expand and strengthen coverage:
This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone.
This year, health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents' insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.
This year, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage. This year, restrictive annual limits on coverage will be banned for certain plans. Under health insurance reform, Americans will be ensured access to the care they need.
This year, adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.
In the next fiscal year, the bill increases funding for community health centers, so they can treat nearly double the number of patients over the next five years.
This year, we'll also establish an independent commission to advise on how best to build the health care workforce and increase the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals to meet our country's needs. Going forward, we will provide $1.5 billion in funding to support the next generation of doctors, nurses and other primary care practitioners -- on top of a $500 million investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Health insurance reform will also curb some of the worst insurance industry practices and strengthen consumer protections:
This year, this bill creates a new, independent appeals process that ensures consumers in new private plans have access to an effective process to appeal decisions made by their insurer.
This year, discrimination based on salary will be outlawed. New group health plans will be prohibited from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that discriminate in favor of higher-wage employees.
Beginning this fiscal year, this bill provides funding to states to help establish offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals in the process of filing complaints or appeals against insurance companies.
Starting January 1, 2011, insurers in the individual and small group market will be required to spend 80 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Insurers in the large group market will be required to spend 85 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Any insurers who don't meet those thresholds will be required to provide rebates to their policyholders.
Starting in 2011, this bill helps states require insurance companies to submit justification for requested premium increases. Any company with excessive or unjustified premium increases may not be able to participate in the new health insurance exchanges.
Reform immediately begins to lower health care costs for American families and small businesses:
This year, small businesses that choose to offer coverage will begin to receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help make employee coverage more affordable.
This year, new private plans will be required to provide free preventive care: no co-payments and no deductibles for preventive services. And beginning January 1, 2011, Medicare will do the same.
This year, this bill will provide help for early retirees by creating a temporary re-insurance program to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees age 55-64.
This year, this bill starts to close the Medicare Part D 'donut hole' by providing a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the gap in prescription drug coverage. And beginning in 2011, the bill institutes a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the 'donut hole.'
Thank you,
Nancy-Ann DeParle
Director, White House Office of Health Reform
Outside of DC, however, many Americans are trying to cut through the chatter and get to the substance of reform with a simple question: "What does health insurance reform actually mean for me?" To help, we've put together some of the key benefits from health insurance reform.
Let's start with how health insurance reform will expand and strengthen coverage:
This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone.
This year, health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents' insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.
This year, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage. This year, restrictive annual limits on coverage will be banned for certain plans. Under health insurance reform, Americans will be ensured access to the care they need.
This year, adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.
In the next fiscal year, the bill increases funding for community health centers, so they can treat nearly double the number of patients over the next five years.
This year, we'll also establish an independent commission to advise on how best to build the health care workforce and increase the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals to meet our country's needs. Going forward, we will provide $1.5 billion in funding to support the next generation of doctors, nurses and other primary care practitioners -- on top of a $500 million investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Health insurance reform will also curb some of the worst insurance industry practices and strengthen consumer protections:
This year, this bill creates a new, independent appeals process that ensures consumers in new private plans have access to an effective process to appeal decisions made by their insurer.
This year, discrimination based on salary will be outlawed. New group health plans will be prohibited from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that discriminate in favor of higher-wage employees.
Beginning this fiscal year, this bill provides funding to states to help establish offices of health insurance consumer assistance in order to help individuals in the process of filing complaints or appeals against insurance companies.
Starting January 1, 2011, insurers in the individual and small group market will be required to spend 80 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Insurers in the large group market will be required to spend 85 percent of their premium dollars on medical services. Any insurers who don't meet those thresholds will be required to provide rebates to their policyholders.
Starting in 2011, this bill helps states require insurance companies to submit justification for requested premium increases. Any company with excessive or unjustified premium increases may not be able to participate in the new health insurance exchanges.
Reform immediately begins to lower health care costs for American families and small businesses:
This year, small businesses that choose to offer coverage will begin to receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help make employee coverage more affordable.
This year, new private plans will be required to provide free preventive care: no co-payments and no deductibles for preventive services. And beginning January 1, 2011, Medicare will do the same.
This year, this bill will provide help for early retirees by creating a temporary re-insurance program to help offset the costs of expensive premiums for employers and retirees age 55-64.
This year, this bill starts to close the Medicare Part D 'donut hole' by providing a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the gap in prescription drug coverage. And beginning in 2011, the bill institutes a 50% discount on prescription drugs in the 'donut hole.'
Thank you,
Nancy-Ann DeParle
Director, White House Office of Health Reform
Monday, March 1, 2010
Free Webinar: Best Practices for Working with Health Translation Providers
Your Voice, an AHRQ collaborator, is offering its 5th free Webinar. In this 75-minute webinar, translation and health care experts will share best practices for producing multilingual materials that accurately convey the information in the source document. In this session, you will learn:
Essential quality assurance steps for the translation process.
Common pitfalls to avoid when selecting an external vendor.
Solutions to challenges regarding internal providers.
How to use translation technology – and when to avoid it.
Participants will have the opportunity to obtain tips and recommendations from expert panelists on working with translation providers to ensure that translations are performed with the necessary levels of quality, at the right price, and within the required timeframes, followed by a 15-minute interactive Q&A session. The presenters are:
Nai Kasick, Director of Health Promotion and Cultural and Linguistic Services, L.A. Care, who is responsible for the translation and interpretation services for nearly 800,000 Medi-Cal, Health Families and Healthy Kids members in Los Angeles County.
Nataly Kelly, Senior Analyst, Common Sense Advisory, who is a respected author, consultant and advisor with a specialized interest in interpreting services.
Carolyn Wang Kong, MPP, MPH, Practice Leader, Language Access, Kaiser Permanente, who is a Practice Leader with Kaiser Permanente Northern California region. She is responsible for providing leadership in developing and implementing a regional strategy for language access, which includes interpreter and translation services.
Visit this URL to register for this free webinar: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/165997395
Best Practices for Working with Health Care Translation Providers
Thursday, March 11, 2010 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM EST
Webinar Registration
Health care organizations are accustomed to providing interpreting services for spoken language encounters between patients and providers, but they often wrestle with ensuring that written documents are translated with the necessary levels of quality. In this 60-minute webinar, industry experts will share best practices for working with health care providers – both internal and external – to produce multilingual materials that accurately convey the information in the source document. In this session, you will learn:
-Essential quality assurance steps for the translation process
-Common pitfalls to avoid when selecting an external vendor
-Solutions to challenges regarding internal providers
-How to use translation technology – and when to avoid it
Followed by a 15-minute interactive Q&A session, participants will have the opportunity to obtain tips and recommendations from expert panelists from Common Sense Advisory, LA Care, and Kaiser Permanente on working with translation providers to ensure that translations are performed with the necessary levels of quality, at the right price, and within the required timeframes.
Thu, Mar 11, 2010 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM EST Show time in my
time zone
* First Name:
* Last Name:
* Email Address:
* City:
* State/Province:
Choose one... Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Guam Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Other Organization:
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(GMT) Casablanca, Monrovia (GMT) Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna (GMT+01:00) Belgrade, Bratislava, Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague (GMT+01:00) Brussels, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris (GMT+01:00) Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofija, Vilnius, Warsaw, Zagreb (GMT+01:00) West Central Africa (GMT+02:00) Athens, Istanbul, Minsk (GMT+02:00) Bucharest (GMT+02:00) Cairo (GMT+02:00) Harare, Pretoria (GMT+02:00) Helsinki, Riga, Tallinn (GMT+02:00) Jerusalem (GMT+03:00) Baghdad (GMT+03:00) Kuwait, Riyadh (GMT+03:00) Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd (GMT+03:00) Nairobi (GMT+03:30) Tehran (GMT+04:00) Abu Dhabi, Muscat (GMT+04:00) Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan (GMT+04:30) Kabul (GMT+05:00) Ekaterinburg (GMT+05:00) Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent (GMT+05:30) Calcutta, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi (GMT+05:45) Kathmandu (GMT+06:00) Almaty, Novosibirsk (GMT+06:00) Astana, Dhaka (GMT+06:00) Sri Jayawardenepura (GMT+06:30) Rangoon (GMT+07:00) Bangkok (GMT+07:00) Hanoi, Jakarta (GMT+07:00) Krasnoyarsk (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi (GMT+08:00) Irkutsk, Ulaan Bataar (GMT+08:00) Kuala Lumpur, Singapore (GMT+08:00) Perth (GMT+08:00) Taipei (GMT+09:00) Osaka, Sapporo, Tokyo (GMT+09:00) Seoul (GMT+09:00) Yakutsk (GMT+09:30) Adelaide (GMT+09:30) Darwin (GMT+10:00) Brisbane (GMT+10:00) Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (GMT+10:00) Guam, Port Moresby (GMT+10:00) Hobart (GMT+10:00) Vladivostok (GMT+11:00) Magadan, Solomon Is., New Caledonia (GMT+12:00) Auckland, Wellington (GMT+12:00) Fiji, Kamchatka, Marshall Is. (GMT+13:00) Nukualofa (GMT-01:00) Azores (GMT-01:00) Cape Verde Is. (GMT-03:00) Brasilia (GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown (GMT-03:30) Newfoundland (GMT-04:00) Atlantic Time (Canada) (GMT-04:00) Caracas, La Paz (GMT-04:00) Santiago (GMT-05:00) Bogota, Lima, Quito (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US and Canada) (GMT-05:00) Indiana (East) (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US and Canada) (GMT-06:00) Mexico City (GMT-07:00) Arizona (GMT-07:00) Mountain Time (US and Canada) (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US and Canada); Tijuana (GMT-09:00) Alaska (GMT-10:00) Hawaii (GMT-11:00) Midway Island, Samoa
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer
Essential quality assurance steps for the translation process.
Common pitfalls to avoid when selecting an external vendor.
Solutions to challenges regarding internal providers.
How to use translation technology – and when to avoid it.
Participants will have the opportunity to obtain tips and recommendations from expert panelists on working with translation providers to ensure that translations are performed with the necessary levels of quality, at the right price, and within the required timeframes, followed by a 15-minute interactive Q&A session. The presenters are:
Nai Kasick, Director of Health Promotion and Cultural and Linguistic Services, L.A. Care, who is responsible for the translation and interpretation services for nearly 800,000 Medi-Cal, Health Families and Healthy Kids members in Los Angeles County.
Nataly Kelly, Senior Analyst, Common Sense Advisory, who is a respected author, consultant and advisor with a specialized interest in interpreting services.
Carolyn Wang Kong, MPP, MPH, Practice Leader, Language Access, Kaiser Permanente, who is a Practice Leader with Kaiser Permanente Northern California region. She is responsible for providing leadership in developing and implementing a regional strategy for language access, which includes interpreter and translation services.
Visit this URL to register for this free webinar: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/165997395
Best Practices for Working with Health Care Translation Providers
Thursday, March 11, 2010 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM EST
Webinar Registration
Health care organizations are accustomed to providing interpreting services for spoken language encounters between patients and providers, but they often wrestle with ensuring that written documents are translated with the necessary levels of quality. In this 60-minute webinar, industry experts will share best practices for working with health care providers – both internal and external – to produce multilingual materials that accurately convey the information in the source document. In this session, you will learn:
-Essential quality assurance steps for the translation process
-Common pitfalls to avoid when selecting an external vendor
-Solutions to challenges regarding internal providers
-How to use translation technology – and when to avoid it
Followed by a 15-minute interactive Q&A session, participants will have the opportunity to obtain tips and recommendations from expert panelists from Common Sense Advisory, LA Care, and Kaiser Permanente on working with translation providers to ensure that translations are performed with the necessary levels of quality, at the right price, and within the required timeframes.
Thu, Mar 11, 2010 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM EST Show time in my
time zone
* First Name:
* Last Name:
* Email Address:
* City:
* State/Province:
Choose one... Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Guam Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Other Organization:
Job Title:
* Indicates a required field
View system requirements
(GMT) Casablanca, Monrovia (GMT) Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna (GMT+01:00) Belgrade, Bratislava, Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague (GMT+01:00) Brussels, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris (GMT+01:00) Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofija, Vilnius, Warsaw, Zagreb (GMT+01:00) West Central Africa (GMT+02:00) Athens, Istanbul, Minsk (GMT+02:00) Bucharest (GMT+02:00) Cairo (GMT+02:00) Harare, Pretoria (GMT+02:00) Helsinki, Riga, Tallinn (GMT+02:00) Jerusalem (GMT+03:00) Baghdad (GMT+03:00) Kuwait, Riyadh (GMT+03:00) Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd (GMT+03:00) Nairobi (GMT+03:30) Tehran (GMT+04:00) Abu Dhabi, Muscat (GMT+04:00) Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan (GMT+04:30) Kabul (GMT+05:00) Ekaterinburg (GMT+05:00) Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent (GMT+05:30) Calcutta, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi (GMT+05:45) Kathmandu (GMT+06:00) Almaty, Novosibirsk (GMT+06:00) Astana, Dhaka (GMT+06:00) Sri Jayawardenepura (GMT+06:30) Rangoon (GMT+07:00) Bangkok (GMT+07:00) Hanoi, Jakarta (GMT+07:00) Krasnoyarsk (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi (GMT+08:00) Irkutsk, Ulaan Bataar (GMT+08:00) Kuala Lumpur, Singapore (GMT+08:00) Perth (GMT+08:00) Taipei (GMT+09:00) Osaka, Sapporo, Tokyo (GMT+09:00) Seoul (GMT+09:00) Yakutsk (GMT+09:30) Adelaide (GMT+09:30) Darwin (GMT+10:00) Brisbane (GMT+10:00) Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (GMT+10:00) Guam, Port Moresby (GMT+10:00) Hobart (GMT+10:00) Vladivostok (GMT+11:00) Magadan, Solomon Is., New Caledonia (GMT+12:00) Auckland, Wellington (GMT+12:00) Fiji, Kamchatka, Marshall Is. (GMT+13:00) Nukualofa (GMT-01:00) Azores (GMT-01:00) Cape Verde Is. (GMT-03:00) Brasilia (GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown (GMT-03:30) Newfoundland (GMT-04:00) Atlantic Time (Canada) (GMT-04:00) Caracas, La Paz (GMT-04:00) Santiago (GMT-05:00) Bogota, Lima, Quito (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US and Canada) (GMT-05:00) Indiana (East) (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US and Canada) (GMT-06:00) Mexico City (GMT-07:00) Arizona (GMT-07:00) Mountain Time (US and Canada) (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US and Canada); Tijuana (GMT-09:00) Alaska (GMT-10:00) Hawaii (GMT-11:00) Midway Island, Samoa
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Toxic Household Cleaners and Your Health
17 February 2010, 3:30 PM
Trip Van Noppen
Getting the Dirt on Household Cleaners
Historic litigation may shine light on toxic ingredients
Help Protect Children From Toxic Pesticides Do household cleaners contain ingredients linked to asthma, nerve damage and other health effects? Manufacturers aren't telling, but Earthjustice attorney Keri Powell may have uncovered the key to their pursed lips.
While investigating a potential legal strategy, Keri found buried in the pages of a book of New York State statutes a long-forgotten law authorizing the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to require household cleaning product manufacturers to disclose their chemical ingredients and information about the health risks they pose. In other words, pay dirt.
State regulations issued in 1976 made these disclosures mandatory. Such laws are practically nonexistent in the United States, and the New York law has been altogether overlooked.
Until now.
Earlier this month, Keri led a group of clients into the New York State Supreme Court for historic arguments over chemical disclosure, a case that could have national ramifications. Consumers and their advocates may finally get a satisfactory answer to that critical opening question, which has vexed them for years.
Some disclosures have already been made as a result of the case. After Keri discovered the law and realized companies had for decades been escaping a legal obligation, several household cleaner manufacturers doing business in New York State were put on notice. Letters we sent to the companies in Sept. 2008 requested that they begin obeying the law within 30 days or risk possible legal action. The letters prompted some companies, including the manufacturer of Simple Green products, to file disclosure reports for the first time.
Even though the law Keri unearthed is state-specific, the household cleaners it regulates are not. Simple Green products sold to consumers in the Empire State are no different from Simple Green products sold anywhere else in the country, so consumers across the United States benefit equally from these disclosures and any further information gained as a result of our litigation.
In Mar. 2009, SC Johnson announced that it too would disclose chemical ingredients rather than face Earthjustice attorneys in court. Concurrently, the company launched a candid website that "offers a detailed look at the ingredients in [SC Johnson's] products so you can make the right decisions for your home."
But four companies—Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Church and Dwight, and Reckitt-Bensicker—stonewalled, and thus found themselves a few weeks ago across from Keri and her colleagues in a Manhattan courtroom as defendants in this first-of-its-kind lawsuit. They made it clear that their lips are sealed until authorities pry them open. As Health Campaigner Kathleen Sutcliffe wryly remarked last week, Mr. Clean went to court and pled the fifth.
While this unprecedented legal work unfolds, efforts are being staged on other fronts to change the way toxic chemicals are treated in the United States. A few months ago, I wrote about the urgent need to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act, the major U.S. law concerned with keeping the public safe from toxic chemicals in commercial products. We are awaiting introduction of new federal legislation to fix the current broken system. The household cleaners case helps push the national reform effort forward by showing that disclosure of ingredients and health effects is good for consumers and good for business.
But our New York case also demonstrates that much can be done while we wait for federal reform. After all, figuring out what's in a household cleaner shouldn't be as hard as finding a decades-old, neglected statute in a book of New York laws. Our hope is that all a consumer will have to do in the future to uncover the ingredients in their spray bottle is look at the label.
Health and Toxics household cleaners
RELATED ACTION ALERTS: Coal Ash is Hazardous to Our Health!
Trip Van Noppen
Getting the Dirt on Household Cleaners
Historic litigation may shine light on toxic ingredients
Help Protect Children From Toxic Pesticides Do household cleaners contain ingredients linked to asthma, nerve damage and other health effects? Manufacturers aren't telling, but Earthjustice attorney Keri Powell may have uncovered the key to their pursed lips.
While investigating a potential legal strategy, Keri found buried in the pages of a book of New York State statutes a long-forgotten law authorizing the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to require household cleaning product manufacturers to disclose their chemical ingredients and information about the health risks they pose. In other words, pay dirt.
State regulations issued in 1976 made these disclosures mandatory. Such laws are practically nonexistent in the United States, and the New York law has been altogether overlooked.
Until now.
Earlier this month, Keri led a group of clients into the New York State Supreme Court for historic arguments over chemical disclosure, a case that could have national ramifications. Consumers and their advocates may finally get a satisfactory answer to that critical opening question, which has vexed them for years.
Some disclosures have already been made as a result of the case. After Keri discovered the law and realized companies had for decades been escaping a legal obligation, several household cleaner manufacturers doing business in New York State were put on notice. Letters we sent to the companies in Sept. 2008 requested that they begin obeying the law within 30 days or risk possible legal action. The letters prompted some companies, including the manufacturer of Simple Green products, to file disclosure reports for the first time.
Even though the law Keri unearthed is state-specific, the household cleaners it regulates are not. Simple Green products sold to consumers in the Empire State are no different from Simple Green products sold anywhere else in the country, so consumers across the United States benefit equally from these disclosures and any further information gained as a result of our litigation.
In Mar. 2009, SC Johnson announced that it too would disclose chemical ingredients rather than face Earthjustice attorneys in court. Concurrently, the company launched a candid website that "offers a detailed look at the ingredients in [SC Johnson's] products so you can make the right decisions for your home."
But four companies—Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Church and Dwight, and Reckitt-Bensicker—stonewalled, and thus found themselves a few weeks ago across from Keri and her colleagues in a Manhattan courtroom as defendants in this first-of-its-kind lawsuit. They made it clear that their lips are sealed until authorities pry them open. As Health Campaigner Kathleen Sutcliffe wryly remarked last week, Mr. Clean went to court and pled the fifth.
While this unprecedented legal work unfolds, efforts are being staged on other fronts to change the way toxic chemicals are treated in the United States. A few months ago, I wrote about the urgent need to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act, the major U.S. law concerned with keeping the public safe from toxic chemicals in commercial products. We are awaiting introduction of new federal legislation to fix the current broken system. The household cleaners case helps push the national reform effort forward by showing that disclosure of ingredients and health effects is good for consumers and good for business.
But our New York case also demonstrates that much can be done while we wait for federal reform. After all, figuring out what's in a household cleaner shouldn't be as hard as finding a decades-old, neglected statute in a book of New York laws. Our hope is that all a consumer will have to do in the future to uncover the ingredients in their spray bottle is look at the label.
Health and Toxics household cleaners
RELATED ACTION ALERTS: Coal Ash is Hazardous to Our Health!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Missing Endangered Seniors: Amber Alert Program for Seniors
New Laws in Illinois
With the beginning of a new year and new legislative session underway, I intend to periodically focus attention in my e-newsletter on new laws that have gone into effect here in Illinois. You may or may not be aware of changes in the law that could have an impact on you, your family or your community, and I hope to offer an explanation as to why these laws were enacted.
Amber Alert Program for Seniors
The first new law of interest establishes an Amber Alert Program for Senior Citizens and is legislation that I worked on last year with Senator Maggie Crotty and the Illinois State Police. Senate Bill 27, now Public Act #96-0149, helps locate elderly individuals who are missing.
The new Endangered Missing Person Advisory Program, commonly referred to as a “Silver Alert”, establishes a regional system which enhances the ability of local police agencies to rapidly transmit information regarding the older adult who is often afflicted with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia and places a high priority in reporting, investigation and public notification. These new efforts are similar to Amber Alert which has been successful in locating children who are believed to have been abducted and in danger. Unfortunately, we have all read about cases of seniors wandering from home, getting disoriented or losing their way while driving. A delayed search can result in the loss of valuable time to locate a missing person.
The Illinois Department on Aging in coordination with the Illinois State Police is developing a community outreach program to promote awareness among the State’s healthcare facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other senior centers. The guidelines and procedures will ensure that specific health information about the missing person is not made public through the alert. State Police will determine whether the missing person is endangered or considered “high risk,” meaning circumstances indicate that the person may be at risk of injury or death. For more information about program services to assist older adults in Illinois and their caregivers, call the IDoA Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966.
In addition, another new law relating to the same topic is House Bill 282, now Public Act #96-0442, which adds to the definition of "missing endangered senior", a person with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias who is reported missing. It provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall conduct training programs for law enforcement personnel to assist in finding missing seniors as the population with this disease increases.
With the beginning of a new year and new legislative session underway, I intend to periodically focus attention in my e-newsletter on new laws that have gone into effect here in Illinois. You may or may not be aware of changes in the law that could have an impact on you, your family or your community, and I hope to offer an explanation as to why these laws were enacted.
Amber Alert Program for Seniors
The first new law of interest establishes an Amber Alert Program for Senior Citizens and is legislation that I worked on last year with Senator Maggie Crotty and the Illinois State Police. Senate Bill 27, now Public Act #96-0149, helps locate elderly individuals who are missing.
The new Endangered Missing Person Advisory Program, commonly referred to as a “Silver Alert”, establishes a regional system which enhances the ability of local police agencies to rapidly transmit information regarding the older adult who is often afflicted with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia and places a high priority in reporting, investigation and public notification. These new efforts are similar to Amber Alert which has been successful in locating children who are believed to have been abducted and in danger. Unfortunately, we have all read about cases of seniors wandering from home, getting disoriented or losing their way while driving. A delayed search can result in the loss of valuable time to locate a missing person.
The Illinois Department on Aging in coordination with the Illinois State Police is developing a community outreach program to promote awareness among the State’s healthcare facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other senior centers. The guidelines and procedures will ensure that specific health information about the missing person is not made public through the alert. State Police will determine whether the missing person is endangered or considered “high risk,” meaning circumstances indicate that the person may be at risk of injury or death. For more information about program services to assist older adults in Illinois and their caregivers, call the IDoA Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966.
In addition, another new law relating to the same topic is House Bill 282, now Public Act #96-0442, which adds to the definition of "missing endangered senior", a person with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias who is reported missing. It provides that the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board shall conduct training programs for law enforcement personnel to assist in finding missing seniors as the population with this disease increases.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Marianjoy Traumatic Brain Injury Support Group: High Hopes in Wheaton
New Year's Resolution for Optimal Living with Brain Injury sponsored by Dr. Nancy Devereux, Licensed Psychologist at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital.
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