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ST. LOUIS NEWS TODAY - Friday, May 11, 2007
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Flood Waters Rise Quickly in St. Louis Metropolitan Area
MAY 11, 2007 - On Friday evening, flood waters nearly cover the 26-foot high 'Return of the Captain' bronze statue near the historic Eads Bridge on the St. Louis Riverfront. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Mississippi River is expected to crest at 29.7' on May 13 (flood level is 30'). The Missouri River is expected to crest at 31' on May 14 in St. Charles (flood level is 25').
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'Buckle Up In Your Truck' Campaign Launched to Increase Safety Belt Use
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), May 6, 2007 - Too many pickup drivers still don't get it. They don't buckle up in their trucks. For that reason, they are more likely to die in a crash. Eighty-five percent of the people who died in pickup truck crashes last year were not wearing their safety belts.
The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety is joining forces with the Missouri Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other state and local law enforcement and highway safety partners from Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska to launch an aggressive public awareness and enforcement initiative called Buckle Up In Your Truck. The campaign includes television and radio promotion in areas where fatalities are most prevalent.
In May, Missouri will focus on increasing safety belt use among pickup truck occupants. Local law enforcement agencies across the state will be looking for people in who are not buckled up. If you are pulled over for a traffic offense and are not wearing your seat belt, you will get a ticket. MoDOT is also teaming up with WARH 106.5 The Arch and Cabela's, World's Foremost Outfitter to stress the importance of the Buckle Up In Your Truck campaign. MoDOT and 106.5 The Arch will be at Cabela's Saturday, May 5 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to stress the importance of always buckling up and discussing this initiative further with the public.
Pickup trucks are twice as likely to rollover as cars, due to a higher center of gravity. With increased rollovers, the ejection rate for occupants of light trucks in a crash is nearly double the rate for occupants of passenger cars. Pickup truck drivers and their passengers are among those least likely to wear a safety belt. In 2006, Missouri safety belt use in pickup trucks was only 66 percent compared to nearly 80 percent in passenger cars and 81 percent in vans and SUVs.
"Pickup truck drivers and their passengers need to understand if they are not buckled up in a crash they are much more likely to die," said Leanna Depue, chair of the coalition's executive committee. "Many lives could be saved if the drivers and passengers would simply buckle up. Our goal is to save more lives and that means focusing our efforts on those who are at greatest risk."
Health Care Forum Focues on Consumers' Health Care Decision Making Process
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), May 6, 2007 - Business leaders, employers, physicians, hospital executives, payors and consumers interested in "Putting the Consumer Back into Health Care" can attend the May 17, 2007, premier health care event for St. Louis leadership hosted by the Civic Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) at America's Center in downtown St. Louis. For the fifth year in a row, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri is lead sponsor of the forum.
Over 600 attendees are expected for the event designed to provide a vision of what's coming in the near future for health care and some practical solutions for doing something about it today. The luncheon program will begin at 11:30 a.m. and conclude no later than 1:30 p.m.
"We hope to provide information on how to engage employees in their health care purchasing and lifestyle decisions," said Dennis Matheis, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri. "Our focus is on how business and providers of care can create a marketplace that will drive better quality health care and more cost-effective practices."
Matheis notes that the forum will be of value to business leaders in the St. Louis region, especially those who purchase health care on behalf of their employees: "We hope that people leave with the realization that they are part of the solution by taking responsibility for their own health and health care decisions."
This year's Health Care Forum speakers include:
- Elizabeth Olmstead Teisberg, associate professor at the Darden Graduate
School of Business at the University of Virginia and co-author with
Michael Porter of the groundbreaking new book, Redefining Health Care:
Creating Value-Based Competition on Results. She will address the lack
of connection between patient value and health care competition.
- Dr. Lee Sacks, president of Advocate Health Partners, will address
Advocate's emphasis on the quality of care and health care at their
eight hospitals and their clinically integrated program to help
physicians coach and encourage patients to take control of their
health.
- Roberta Bixhorn, vice president of Compensation and Benefits at Owens-
Illinois, will share how they have transformed health care strategy
from providing benefits that treat illness to providing education,
decision-support tools and an environment that encourages employees and
their dependents to take greater responsibility in their health and
health care decisions.
Moderator for the event is Susan Dentzer, health correspondent and head of the health policy unit of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, who moderated the event in 2004 and 2006.
Social Security Tax Cut Approved; Negotiations Pending
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), May 6, 2007 - A tax-cut priority of Missouri's governor and House Speaker received initial approval in the Senate this week. Speaker Rod Jetton (R-Marble Hill) is pleased with the bill's passage, especially after it failed to move for nearly two months, but with changes made to the bill, that success is bittersweet.
"Some of the amendments I like," said Speaker Jetton. "Some of them I don't like. The main thing is we got it passed."
Speaker Jetton's original proposal called for an end to the state tax on seniors' Social Security benefits. On the House floor, the bill was expanded to include, among other things, tax cuts for all recipients of Social Security, disabled Missourians receiving Social Security benefits, and retired teachers, firefighters, and police officers.
Speaker Jetton acknowledged the tax cuts were too much then but disagrees with the scope of the Senate's recent changes.
The Senate's version calls for the tax cut to be phased in over a couple of years and sets income thresholds over which Missouri seniors would not qualify for the tax cut. Over 200,000 seniors would still benefit from the latest Senate version, something Speaker Jetton is pleased with. However, some fundamental issues remain.
"I still say if you pay the tax, it's not fair to pay it twice," said Jetton, "but this is the Capitol and you don't always get it your way and it takes 18 [Senate] votes to pass a bill.'
For the Speaker, the good news is his tax cut legislation, House Bill 444, is one step closer to a conference committee where he hopes he can work with House members and Senators to hammer out differences.
The Senate's final vote on HB 444 could come as soon as next week. Only three Senators opposed it during an initial vote.
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