Thursday, January 22, 2009

News Clipping Archives

 

Maryland / Regional

O'Malley submits 2010 budget, with painful cuts (Baltimore Sun)

O’Malley's budget includes 700 layoffs, banks on $350M from the feds (Daily Record)

O'Malley Suggests Layoffs, Slashing Vacant Positions (Washington Post)

Amid budget crisis, groups vie for cash (Capital News Services)

State officials to seek bids for 12 new medevac copters (Baltimore Sun)

O'Malley wants sharing of juvenile data (Baltimore Sun)

Applicants rise for JHU nursing, education schools (Baltimore Sun)

Nursing program provides career option for residents interested in health Care (Prince George’s County Gazette)

United Way aims to raise $1 million emergency fund (Baltimore Sun)

National / International

Cleaner air increases life span (Baltimore Sun)

Steroids no help to kids with colds, wheezing (Baltimore Sun)

Health Tip: Smoking and Diabetes (Washington Post)

2 condemned to death in China tainted milk scandal (Baltimore Sun)

Opinion

Worst-case scenario (Baltimore Sun)

 

 

Maryland / Regional

 

O'Malley submits 2010 budget, with painful cuts

Plan includes laying off 700 state workers, eliminating programs

 

By Laura Smitherman

Baltimore Sun

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

Gov. Martin O'Malley wants to balance next year's state budget by laying off 700 workers, slashing programs and relying on balance-sheet maneuvers.

 

Facing a $2 billion shortfall, O'Malley proposed yesterday that the state's operating budget shrink by 1.3 percent, to $14.4 billion, which is the first year-to-year decrease offered by a governor in decades.

 

With Congress debating a fiscal stimulus package, O'Malley also assumes that the state will receive $350million in federal aid to help fill the gap in the budget year that begins in July.

 

While O'Malley got accolades from fellow Democrats for his fiscal stewardship in tough economic times, some uncertainties hang over his plans. The economy could decline further and force deeper budget cuts. Congress could fail to approve an aid package or pass a smaller one than he envisions. And the governor has not solved the structural imbalance between revenue and expenses, leaving an expected shortfall of $713 million to fix a year from now, according to state officials.

 

"I can't sugarcoat the difficulty of these times," O'Malley said. "This is our best effort at coming up with a painful array of cuts, spending reductions and level funding of worthy programs in order to close the gap."

 

He said he crafted the budget with an eye to preserving funding for education and programs that help needy families, especially as more are turning to state health care and unemployment services. He also protected programs that he has championed, including stem cell research that would get a $400,000 increase to $18.4 million and full $32 million funding of the land conservation Program Open Space.

 

Republicans contend that O'Malley has not done enough to rein in spending. When accounting for federal funds and other money, the state's overall budget grows more than 2 percent, to $31.6 billion.

 

"It tells me they're still not willing to make the tough decisions that need to be made," said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell, a Southern Maryland Republican. "It just defers the problem; it doesn't really solve the problem."

 

The General Assembly, despite being dominated by Democrats, is likely to object to some of the budget- balancing moves chosen by the governor. The legislature must approve a budget, but it has the power only to cut the spending plan or shift funds, not to add money. Sen. Ulysses Currie, chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee, raised the possibility yesterday of more budget cuts.

 

"Everyone is going to have to make sacrifices," said Currie, a Prince George's County Democrat. "I don't think we have yet seen the bottom in this recession."

 

Maryland, like dozens of states across the country, is confronting yawning deficits as the recession has cut into tax receipts. O'Malley not only unveiled his next budget yesterday but also revealed how he plans to close a $400 million shortfall that opened in the current fiscal year as the economy deteriorated.

 

To keep the operating budgets balanced for both years, O'Malley proposed $1.2 billion in budget reductions and $900 million in transfers between funds and reserve accounts. The Board of Public Works, a policymaking body made up of the governor, comptroller and treasurer, must approve the current-year cutbacks, which could happen as early as next week.

 

Layoffs from the work force of more than 70,000 state employees are expected to save $30 million. Budget Secretary T. Eloise Foster said her office has not identified which jobs would be targeted.

 

That proposal is likely to draw objections. Some lawmakers have questioned why the governor doesn't abolish more vacant positions; his budget envisions eliminating 1,000 vacancies but leaving others. And the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has warned that layoffs stretch thin a work force that has shrunk almost 20percent in the past decade, though union officials expressed gratitude that the governor decided against making workers pay more of their health care costs.

 

"Any time you're laying off state employees it's controversial," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. "If you have a job in state government and you took a job with lower pay for job security and your job is getting axed, it's a great cause for angst."

 

Powerful local government executives also are expected to raise concerns about some of the governor's proposals. Localities would see a $310 million reduction in aid, including a requirement that county governments pay the cost of assessing property for tax purposes.

 

The plan also would require counties to replenish over 10 years the cost to raid a $366 million local income tax reserve fund. In a trickle-down effect, that could lead to higher local taxes or cuts to services.

 

"The cuts being proposed for local government will be painful," said Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, a Democrat. But, he said: "Had it not been for the fact that the governor understands and appreciates the role of local governments, it would have been worse."

 

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold, a Republican, said that making the state responsible for assessments was "a proper policy decision" made years ago and that state funding should continue.

 

But Leopold and other local leaders praised the governor for rejecting the idea of shifting the cost of teacher pensions to local governments, which would have saved the state about $135 million.

 

Miller, who backed the idea of a shift, said its exclusion was a chief "failing" in the governor's budget. He held out the possibility of introducing legislation to accomplish it. House Speaker Michael E. Busch said the issue is worth long-term study.

 

With the state recently getting the top ranking among public school systems, the governor increased funding under a K-12 education formula by $68.3 million, to $5.4 billion. He also proposed spending $260million for school construction as part of the capital budget, bringing the total investment in this area to about $1 billion in three years.

 

O'Malley extended for a fourth year a tuition freeze at state universities, which would take those institutions from among the most expensive in the nation to near the median, said William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland.

 

The governor saved money by not including planned increases to a public school formula that directs more money to high-cost jurisdictions such as Baltimore, and community colleges would see a $50million reduction in funding. But Nancy S. Grasmick, the state superintendent of schools, who has clashed with O'Malley in the past, said yesterday that the budget proposal was "reasonable, given the seriousness of the situation."

 

Some environmental programs fared well. O'Malley's proposal directs $25 million to the Chesapeake Bay fund, which surprised environmentalists who had expected that the new pollution-fighting program would be cut. However, the governor did not meet the demands of health care advocates, who wanted him to continue an expansion of Medicaid eligibility that was passed by the General Assembly two years ago.

 

Baltimore Sun reporters Larry Carson, Tyeesha Dixon and Gadi Dechter contributed to this article.

 

proposed cuts

Gov. Martin O'Malley proposed about $1 billion in spending reductions to balance the budget for the fiscal year that begins in July, including:

 

•$88 million - Defer increase to an education funding formula

•$81 million -- Freeze rates paid to physicians under Medicaid and other programs

•$50 million - Cut funding for community colleges

•$30 million - Lay off 700 state workers

•$11 million - Reduce aid for local libraries and jails

 

 

Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.

 

O’Malley's budget includes 700 layoffs, banks on $350M from the feds

 

By Andy Rosen

Daily Record

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

 

ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposed 2010 budget unveiled Wednesday includes the specter of 700 state worker layoffs and cuts to a number of economic development programs, but also leaves in place a number of the business community’s budget priorities, including biotechnology initiatives and transportation money.

 

The budget, which will now undergo a lengthy review by the General Assembly, would reduce the state’s General Fund spending — from the major pool of operating money — by 1.3 percent, to $14.4 billion. Total spending, including capital projects and other money, would increase by 2.3 percent.

 

The budget includes about $1 billion in cuts. To solve a $1.9 billion deficit for 2010, O’Malley relied on transfers from two state reserve funds, and assumed that Maryland will get $350 million in help with health care costs from a federal stimulus package. On Wednesday, O’Malley continued to push for federal help in balancing the state budget. The administration estimates that there will still be a budget gap of $713 million when the state begins to plan for fiscal 2011 next year.

 

“[It is] a reasonable and conservative assumption of the level of help and support that we will receive from the federal government,” O’Malley said.

 

Among the highlights in the budget:

# O’Malley proposed to increase spending on the state’s stem cell research fund by $400,000, to $8.4 million.

 

# The budget could force the state to lay off as many as 700 workers, with O’Malley looking to save $30 million on personnel costs. The state would also eliminate 1,000 vacant positions, which would save another $30 million. The administration did not identify where those job cuts would come from, but officials said there would be no pay increases for state workers.

 

# The budget cuts funding for the state’s film production incentive grant, from $4 million to $2 million. Many in the film industry argue that the program is essential to attract productions to the state.

 

# The state will continue to pay teacher pensions on behalf of local governments. Flat spending on some education programs, including aid to community colleges, helped the state save $310 million in local aid payments that it had projected. O’Malley also proposed to cut community college aid by $8.1 million this year, eliminating a planned increase and bringing spending to the 2008 level.

 

# The budget does not dip into the state’s transportation trust fund, which is used to pay for transportation projects. It does require the state to borrow money for projects including the Inter-County Connector, on which it had planned to spend $73 million for 2010.

 

# The budget maintains $15 million for the state’s small business health insurance subsidy. That program had been seen as a potential target for cuts.

 

O’Malley included $366 million from a reserve account in the comptroller’s office that was created to ensure money would be available for local tax refunds. The fund hasn’t been needed, and plans call for paying the money back over 10 years. The budget plan also will use about $255 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund, keeping about $687 million on hand.

 

Debate began to emerge over portions of the budget almost immediately. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., D-Calvert and Prince George’s, said O’Malley should have considered cuts to the state’s teacher pension share, and would consider introducing a bill to do that.

 

“We can’t increase areas, but we can certainly cut areas and we can shift spending from different areas,” he said. “I know the governor is not pleased that the state continues to pick up the pension cost for the counties, so we’ll just see how he plans to deal with that.”

 

House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Anne Arundel, said it is clear that local governments were not “held harmless,” during the budget process, but said he expected some discussion about the pension share. He said he expected the budget process to be lengthy, as the state waits to see if it will get federal help.

 

“I think, given the circumstances, Gov. O’Malley has done a fair job of balancing the budget and [keeping] certain things in place,” he said.

 

Senate Minority Leader Allan H. Kittleman, R-Carroll and Howard, took issue with some of O’Malley’s definitions of how much he cut. He argued that many of the reductions are cuts in planned spending, not in previous spending.

 

He credited O’Malley for making the vacant position cut, but said too much of the budget was deferred until next year. He called for deeper cuts.

 

“I do think we continue to overspend,” Kittleman said. “I didn’t think this budget addressed the long term deficit that this state is facing.”

 

Donald C. Fry, President and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, said the maintenance of stem cell spending was significant.

 

“Recognizing the fiscal challenges confronting the state and the financial dynamics the governor had to work with, I think having level funding in biotech tax credits and an increase in stem cell research funding is a very positive sign,” he said. “It’s important that we at least show that we maintain our progress in these areas and not fall back, and the governor continuing to fund these areas is a positive sign.”

 

Highlights of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s budget proposal:

# Increases spending on state’s stem cell research fund by $400,000, to $8.4 million.

 

# Could force the state to lay off as many as 700 workers and cut 1,000 vacant positions

 

# Cuts funding for the state’s film production incentive grant from $4 million to $2 million.

 

# Does not cut state responsibility for paying teacher pensions on behalf of local governments.

 

# Cuts community college aid by $8.1 million this year, eliminating a planned spending increase and bringing spending to 2008 levels.

 

# Does not dip into the state’s transportation trust fund, which is used to pay for transportation projects.

 

# Maintains $15 million for a small business health care subsidy.

 

# Continues a tuition freeze at the University System of Maryland and Morgan State University.

 

Copyright 2009 Daily Record.

 

EXCERPT:"Another of the governor's proposed cuts would delay the expansion of Medicaid to more than 70,000 adults who don't have children. Some benefits had been scheduled to be extended in July, part of a health-care expansion that began last summer with the addition of 28,000 adults who have children.

 

Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative, said he will urge state leaders to use any unexpected federal stimulus money to restore the item."

*****************************

 

 

 

O'Malley Suggests Layoffs, Slashing Vacant Positions

Proposal Excludes Raises for State Workers

 

By John Wagner and Rosalind S. Helderman

Washington Post

Thursday, January 22, 2009; B01

 

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced a budget proposal yesterday that seeks to overcome a $2 billion shortfall next year by laying off 700 state workers, eliminating 1,000 vacant positions and paring spending across a wide swath of government in response to the national recession.

 

Under O'Malley's $14.4 billion spending plan, state workers would get no salary increases next year. Community colleges would not receive expected funding increases, which would be likely to lead to tuition increases. The phase-in of a subsidized health initiative would be slowed down, delaying planned coverage to adults without children.

 

An education program that benefits Montgomery and Prince George's counties would be scaled back. And state payments to nursing homes and doctors would be frozen at current-year levels.

 

"We're making more cuts in this budget than in any budget in our history," O'Malley (D) said. He also said the economic downturn had forced "a painful array of cuts, spending reductions and level funding of worthy programs."

 

The budget included some good news for public university students: a proposed fourth straight year of no tuition increases. And O'Malley did not advocate a move feared by local leaders: shifting the cost of teacher pensions from state to county budgets.

 

O'Malley said his budget manages to "protect our priorities," reflected in modest increases in public education, higher education, public safety and several other programs. Overall, though, operating spending would decrease compared with the current year for the first time in at least 15 years, officials said.

 

A proposal to spend $260 million in capital funding on school construction is largely in line with previous years.

 

Several flash points emerged yesterday, even before the budget had been publicly unveiled.

 

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) questioned the wisdom of the university tuition freeze, saying that it is "good politics, but it defies logic." Miller said that with university costs increasing, a modest tuition increase is reasonable.

 

"I continue to be concerned about terminating valued state employees," Miller said. "I hope to find some trade-offs in the budget, so that does not come to pass."

 

Miller and other legislators also indicated that they will give serious consideration to shifting the cost of teacher pensions. As proposed by O'Malley, other state aid to local governments would decrease by $310 million, meaning less funding than expected for health programs and libraries, among other services.

 

O'Malley's budget also relies on transfers from state reserve funds, and he is counting on $350 million from a federal stimulus package pending in Congress, an amount he said is an estimate. That number should be known well before July, when the 2010 fiscal year begins. Lawmakers are scheduled to work on O'Malley's budget proposal through April.

 

The plan, officials said, is not a cure-all. Even with budget-cutting, they are forecasting a $713 million shortfall in fiscal 2011.

 

"I haven't seen enough spending reductions," said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert). "It appears to me the administration continues to defer the tough choices."

 

O'Donnell pointed to several funded programs that "we just can't afford right now," including $18.4 million for stem cell research and $25 million for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup fund created in 2007.

 

The amount for stem cell funding, to be awarded to university and private researchers, is about the same as this year. The bay cleanup funding is half the amount envisioned in 2007 but more than some environmental advocates had expected. O'Malley also chose not to divert money, as some lawmakers had urged, from a separate budget for land preservation.

 

Kim Coble, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said O'Malley had "demonstrated considerable leadership."

 

The 700 layoffs are not specified, and O'Malley expressed hope that he would not have to eliminate all the positions if the federal stimulus package is more generous than anticipated.

 

Since O'Malley's arrival in 2007 -- a period marked by several rounds of budget cuts -- about 40 employees have been laid off. The reduction of 1,000 vacant positions would come on top of 1,500 other positions that have been eliminated under his administration.

 

The state has about 80,000 employees.

 

Patrick Moran, director of ASFSCME Maryland, the state's largest employees union, said he was concerned about the loss of state jobs at a time when state residents hurt by the economic downturn will need more from government.

 

"When people are asking and seeking more help from state services, we need to make sure people are there to provide those services," he said.

 

O'Malley's budget would mean an effective freeze on community college budgets for the third straight year, meaning tuition almost certainly would rise, said Clay Whitlow, executive director of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges. Whitlow said a recent survey of community college officials indicated that they would increase tuition by 3 to 9 percent in the fall if their budgets are frozen.

 

O'Malley is also proposing reduced funding of the Geographic Cost of Education Index, an initiative that sends additional money to Montgomery, Prince George's and other counties where the cost of providing public education is more expensive.

 

Almost $38 million, about half the funding counties were expecting from the program this year, would be taken away. That would amount to losses of about $9 million for Montgomery and almost $12 million for Prince George's. And a planned expansion of the program next year would not occur, saving the state $88 million.

 

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said the freeze is "a disappointment." Still, he said, the cuts were expected, "given the magnitude and depth of the problem at the state level."

 

Another of the governor's proposed cuts would delay the expansion of Medicaid to more than 70,000 adults who don't have children. Some benefits had been scheduled to be extended in July, part of a health-care expansion that began last summer with the addition of 28,000 adults who have children.

 

Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative, said he will urge state leaders to use any unexpected federal stimulus money to restore the item.

 

In several instances, O'Malley is proposing freeing operating funds and replacing them with other revenue sources. For example, the purchase of two medevac helicopters, at a cost of $40 million, would take place next year, although with borrowed funding instead of cash.

 

Copyright 2009 Washington Post.

 

Amid budget crisis, groups vie for cash

 

By Erich Wagner and Erika Woodward

Capital News Service

Sunday, January 18, 2009

 

ANNAPOLIS - As Gov. Martin O'Malley prepares a 2010 budget with hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts, groups across Maryland are jockeying to secure whatever funding they can.

With a $400 million shortfall this year, and a projected $1.9 billion deficit in 2010, advocates for education, social services, health care and the environment all know cuts are coming. They just don't want the budgetary axe to fall on them.

 

Health care activists held a press conference Thursday to lobby for continued funding of the Working Families and Small Business Health Care Coverage Act of 2007. The law provides Medicaid to poor children and parents, and is scheduled to expand to all poor adults July 1st.

 

More than 25,000 Marylanders are enrolled in the program, and more than 100,000 will ultimately be eligible, said Vincent DeMarco, president of Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative.

 

Funding the program would actually save money in the long term since uncompensated medical care increases insurance premiums, DeMarco said. The proposed $87 billion in federal stimulus money flagged for state Medicaid also encourages renewing the program's funding at the state level, he said.

 

"It makes no sense to cut when the federal government is helping us to fund it," DeMarco said.

 

Angela Newman, a 40-year-old Baltimore resident and mother of two, said the program saved her family when she lost her job last year.

 

"It's so important for parents to have health care," Newman said. "We have to be healthy to be able to care for our kids."

 

The threat from budget cuts is real for teachers and students who will likely face layoffs and tuition hikes if lawmakers on Capitol Hill don't back the House-proposed $825 billion stimulus, said Sen. James Rosapepe, D-Prince George's.

 

"If the federal stimulus package in the way that the House Democrats proposed it is not passed, there is a serious danger of tuition increases and cuts to local schools," Rosapepe said.

 

Rosapepe expects the state's share of the stimulus to be more than $2 billion. That may be enough to keep teachers from joining the 500-1,000 state employees rumored to be in line for layoffs, and to keep in-state college tuition frozen for the fourth straight year.

 

Daniel Kaufman, spokesman for the Maryland State Teachers Association, said he is also worried that if county governments don't get federal and state help jobs may be in jeopardy.

 

"We certainly hope layoffs are not the answer," he said.

 

Rev. Andrew Foster Connors of Baltimore was one of hundreds who attended a rally in Annapolis Thursday to urge government leaders to dedicate a third of the stimulus package to education.

 

"Let's do it in a way that directly benefits the people who are shouldering the burden of the borrowing we are going to do, and those people are our children and grandchildren," Connors said. "Hey, there's two thirds left for people to do what they want to do."

 

Environmental groups also are worried about losing funding for critical conservation projects, but are waiting for the governor's budget proposal.

 

"We're certainly educating our members and letting people know what's at stake," said Cindy Schwartz, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. "But these are issues that legislators and the governor care about too, so at this point it's incumbent on them to figure out how to deal with them."

 

Cristine Marchand of the Arc of Maryland, a statewide advocacy organization for people living with disabilities, said her group needs part of the federal bailout, too. Close to 19,000 people are on a waiting list for services, including family support and early intervention, she said.

 

"Even what we have now is not close to meeting our needs, so when you talk about budget cuts now, it's just devastating," she said.

 

Copyright © 2008 University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism

 

Copyright © 2008 Capital Gazette Communications, Inc. , Annapolis, Md.

 

State officials to seek bids for 12 new medevac copters

 

By a Baltimore Sun reporter

Baltimore Sun

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

Gov. Martin O'Malley and state officials will seek bids for up to 12 new Maryland State Police helicopters to start replacing the state's aging fleet, state police announced yesterday.

 

O'Malley's budget request, released yesterday, includes $40 million in capital funds for the first two replacement helicopters, state police said. The helicopters will be used for emergency medical services, law enforcement, search and rescue and homeland security.

 

The request comes four months after a medevac crash that killed four people in Prince George's County, a tragedy that brought scrutiny of medevac protocols. It also comes amid tough financial circumstances for the state. But state police say it's important to begin the replacement process because of the long lead time needed to get the helicopters and the multi-year aspect of the replacement plan.

 

The state police's Aviation Command now has 11 Dauphin twin jet engine helicopters. The five oldest helicopters were purchased in 1989.

 

The state's Department of Transportation is coordinating the procurement process. The request for proposals will be released Jan. 30; proposals are due by March 17.

 

Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.

 

O'Malley wants sharing of juvenile data

Bill would improve communication between agencies dealing with youths

 

By Julie Bykowicz

Baltimore Sun

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

Gov. Martin O'Malley will push to allow the Department of Juvenile Services to share information about children in its care with other social agencies - something now prohibited by state law.

 

The governor's bill, which he plans to announce today, would lift the parental consent requirement that hampers even simple communication. For example, when a youth is arrested, Juvenile Services workers cannot make a phone call to social services workers to see whether the child is in foster care.

 

"Kids and families suffer as a consequence of poor communication," said Juvenile Services Secretary Donald W. DeVore. The proposal "is consistent with the governor's desire for agency transparency and information- sharing."

 

The Department of Juvenile Services would still operate under strict confidentiality rules. But DeVore said it is crucial to remove the parental consent barrier when it comes to talking to other child welfare agencies.

 

"Many of these children have no parents," he said. He said more than 60 percent of youths under Juvenile Services supervision started out as Department of Social Services wards, victims of parental abuse or neglect.

 

Human Resources Secretary Brenda Donald, whose agency oversees social services, said O'Malley's proposal would help her workers "have a better window into a child's life."

 

"We all want to work together instead of in our respective silos," she said. Her agency is permitted to share information with Juvenile Services without parental consent, as long as it is "for the purpose of providing services" to the youths.

 

Restrictions on information-sharing can cause financial and practical problems, Donald said. Instead of using a mental health assessment ordered by Juvenile Services workers, social services workers must order a second mental health assessment - costly to the agency and stressful for the child - because of the privacy law.

 

The prohibition has been a particular roadblock in the Washington area, said Tammy Brown, a Juvenile Services spokeswoman. She said 71 youths under supervision in Maryland have Washington addresses, but the agency cannot tell Washington-area juvenile services workers about those Maryland arrests. A new arrest can trigger a probation violation, but only if a probation agent knows about it.

 

The governor said in a statement that he is "committed to ensuring that our most at-risk youth have access to vital wrap-around services that will allow them to be successful." He also said that allowing state agencies to share information will help improve public safety.

 

The initiative, along with all of the governor's other legislative proposals, is expected to be introduced by Monday. O'Malley has said he will sponsor a death penalty repeal bill and a proposal to make it unlawful for state police to conduct surveillance on peaceful groups. A similar but slightly broader proposal to restrict police surveillance is to be unveiled by a group of lawmakers today.

 

Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.

 

Applicants rise for JHU nursing, education schools

 

Baltimore Sun

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

Applications to the Johns Hopkins University's schools of education and nursing are on the rise, according to school officials. For the six months that ended Dec. 31, applications for the School of Education rose 30 percent, while submissions for the School of Nursing climbed 11 percent compared with the period a year ago.

 

Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.

 

Nursing program provides career option for residents interested in health care

Free class creates opportunity for financially struggling students

 

By Natalie McGill

Prince George’s County Gazette

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

While she enjoyed her job as a pre-school teacher, Kieva Proctor's dream of a health care career lingered in the background. But thanks to a Pennysaver advertisement, the 29-year-old Riverdale woman and 15 other county residents will move that same dream to the forefront.

 

Proctor responded to the ad for a free certified nursing assistant and geriatric nursing assistant class offered by Dimensions Healthcare at Cheverly's Gladys Noon Spellman Specialty Hospital and Nursing Center. Carol Nash, education coordinator, said the classes are offered for free through itWorks, a nonprofit workforce training organization.

 

"I think it's a great benefit because first of all we don't have to pay and it's a career," Proctor said.

 

Nash wanted to offer free classes to career-seeking residents struggling to afford an education. Nash said nursing assistant classes usually range from $1,200 to $1,500. Her classes are open only to county residents.

 

"My goal is not just to give them a job but to give them self worth and get them on a career path," Nash said.

 

Mort Lapidus, itWorks center director, said $480,000 of Prince George's County Economic Development Corp. grant money pays for student books, uniforms and tuition. Classes began Jan. 11 and run for 10 weeks, ending with a state board certification exam to become a certified geriatric nursing assistant. The class is capped at 16 students.

 

Nash said a certified nursing assistant or geriatric nursing assistant starting out can make at least $12.40 an hour and a yearly salary between $25,000 and $26,000.

 

Students meet three times a week from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will begin clinical rotations with a nursing assistant mentor in February. During rotations, students will learn to transfer patients, take blood pressure, bathe patients and assist with oral health care.

 

Mary Moffett, a retired registered nurse and itWorks instructor, said upon certification students can choose any track to continue on such as becoming a radiology technician or registered nurse. She said the importance of safety, infection control and patient confidentiality will be drilled into each student "until it's just secondhand."

 

Nash said midway through the course, the Dimensions Healthcare human resources department will talk with the class to help it navigate the system for future employment.

 

Nash said more than 300 residents applied after she advertised in the December Pennysaver. Potential students turned in their applications at Laurel Regional Hospital and Cheverly's Prince George's Hospital. Each took a "Test of Adult Basic Education" reading and math exam and interviewed with itWorks and hospital staff. A high school degree or high school equivalent degree is required.

 

Though 18 were selected, the class is at 16 because of two no-shows. A student is dropped from the program if they miss one class. Lapidus said itWorks is "militant" about time and attendance because it is one of the biggest reasons for firings in nursing. Lapidus said nursing can be hard, back-breaking work and the class is only for residents serious about full-time employment.

 

Copyright 2009 Prince George’s County Gazette.

 

United Way aims to raise $1 million emergency fund

 

By Scott Calvert

Baltimore Sun

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

The United Way is announcing plans today to raise a $1 million emergency fund to help charities meet a steadily rising need for food, housing and utility assistance across the Baltimore area.

 

Even as the skidding economy affects more Marylanders, a drop in donations has strained the ability of service providers, creating dangerous gaps in the depths of winter.

 

"The demand for their services is going up, up, up, and the resources they have to draw on are going down, down, down," said Mark Furst, chief operating officer of the United Way of Central Maryland.

 

Sandy Monck, an executive at the charity umbrella group, said: "If we had $100 million it wouldn't solve the problem, but the $1 million will prevent people from dying on the streets during the cold weather months. It will help people stay in their homes."

 

So far, several foundations have given or pledged $200,000 toward the $1 million goal, meaning that most is yet to be raised. Due to the urgency, Furst said funds will go out soon after they come in. Every penny will be disbursed, with no deductions for administrative overhead.

 

Among the possible beneficiaries are homeless people who often show up at Baltimore City's downtown shelter only to find it filled to its capacity of 350. For four nights recently, dozens of people were housed at a West Baltimore recreation center. But Tuesday night, despite temperatures in the teens, a lack of money kept that overflow shelter closed.

 

"We wish it could have been [open] because it was cold, but we don't have the funds available," said Diane Glauber, president of Baltimore Homeless Services, an arm of city government that contracts with the nonprofit Jobs, Housing & Recovery Inc. to run the shelter.

 

"The United Way money would be perfect to be able to continue to keep that [overflow shelter] open on cold nights during winter," Glauber said.

 

Applications for a slice of the emergency fund are due today. The United Way of Central Maryland's 47 partner agencies and their affiliates were invited to apply. In addition, officials from the city and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties recommended certain nonprofits to the United Way.

 

The emergency grants, which should start flowing early next month, will be kept to the relatively low amount of $25,000. But for the Echo House Multi-Service Center, a West Baltimore drug treatment center that provides an array of community services, that sum would be enough to help up to 250 families avoid eviction, said director Benita Paschall.

 

She hopes to gain the stopgap United Way money to revive a rental assistance pool that's been empty since October. "We have to tell people we cannot help them, but we always encourage people to keep calling if they need help," she said. "People are really in need now."

 

With the United Way's permission, Paschall would like to offer more than the $100 per family maximum that was permitted under the depleted grant from Associated Black Charities. While that would mean aiding fewer families, recipients would not have to patch together their rent from as many agencies.

 

At the United Way, the volume of calls to its 211 "first call for help" line illustrates the growing demand. Calls for assistance with rent and utility bills jumped by double-digit percentages from November to last month. The need for shelter also rose, though more modestly.

 

So far this month, calls for most services are on track to exceed December's figures. Requests are also rising for help meeting prescription drug costs.

 

The demand prompted the United Way earlier this month to create the so-called Emergency Response Fund. The France-Merrick Foundation contributed $50,000. With its endowment off by 30 percent since the first half of 2007, the foundation's board has decided to focus its giving on "basic human needs" such as shelter, clothing and health care, said Executive Director Robert Schaefer.

 

When the United Way called, the emergency fund sounded like a good fit, he said. "It certainly seems like a very good way to help the community and meet those basic human needs."

 

The recession has hurt the ability of nonprofits to raise money. United Way of Central Maryland knows this firsthand: Its annual fundraising campaign is likely to wind up at about $35 million, 10 percent below last year's $39 million.

 

While local recipients of the annual campaign will not feel the impact of that drop until a bit later this year - compounding their financial problems - Furst said the entire charity sector has been struggling to bring in dollars.

 

Catholic Charities of Baltimore, which operates Our Daily Bread soup kitchen, among other endeavors, saw its projected budget shortfall for the current fiscal year rise recently from $1.2 million to $1.5 million. Cuts in government aid and a falloff in donations are two key factors, said its development director, Angelo Boer.

 

Meanwhile, its Samaritan Center has been swamped with requests for help with eviction prevention and utility assistance. Call volume there jumped from 718 in October to 5,200 last month. Now Catholic Charities hopes to tap into the emergency fund to keep the center going.

 

"We're basically out of money there," Boer said. "This comes at a perfect time."

 

A big entity such as Catholic Charities may qualify for separate emergency grants through its various units, according to the United Way.

 

The emergency fund is restricted to rent, utilities, shelter expansion, soup kitchens and programs to get people into housing. It cannot be used for foreclosure assistance, Furst said, in part because that would exhaust the fund "very quickly."

 

Despite the grim economy, the United Way hopes to enlist individuals, businesses and foundations to reach or surpass the $1 million goal - over and above any giving people might have done as part of the United Way's annual campaign.

 

"We obviously have a long way to go," Furst said, adding that "the sooner we get the money in, the sooner we're going to be able to help people."

 

Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.

 

National / International

 

Cleaner air increases life span

 

Los Angeles Times

By Thomas H. Maugh II

Baltimore Sun

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

For those wondering just how much impact cleaning up the air can have, researchers now have a much fuller picture.

 

Reductions in particulate air pollution during the 1980s and 1990s led to an average five-month increase in life expectancy in 51 U.S. metropolitan areas, with some of the more initially polluted cities such as Pittsburgh and Buffalo, N.Y., showing a 10-month increase, researchers will report today. Baltimore was not among cities studied.

 

The reductions in pollution accounted for about 15 percent of the nearly three-year increase in life expectancy during the period, said epidemiologist C. Arden Pope III of Brigham Young University, lead author of the study appearing in The New England Journal of Medicine.

 

It is well known that particulate air pollution reduces life expectancy, said environmental epidemiologist Joel Schwartz of the Harvard School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study. But public-policy makers "are interested in the question of, 'If I spend the money to reduce pollution, what really happens?'" he said.

 

Schwartz reported two years ago that a study in six cities revealed increased life expectancy associated with reductions in particulate pollution. Pope and his colleagues can now expand on that connection, finding that, in a large fraction of the U.S. population, "the more particulate pollution went down, the more life expectancy went up."

 

Their finding "greatly strengthens the foundation of the argument for air-quality management," wrote environmental health scientist Daniel Krewski of the University of Ottawa in an editorial accompanying the report.

 

The particulates in question are called fine particulates because they are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, allowing them to burrow deep into the small air passages of the lung. They have repeatedly been shown to produce cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. Larger particulates, which cause visibility problems, have a much smaller effect on health.

 

The fine particulates are produced by cigarettes, gasoline and diesel engines, coal power plants, foundries and a variety of other urban sources. Larger particulates come from some of the same sources, but also include dust from roads and construction sites.

 

Pope and his colleagues studied two sets of data collected in 214 counties, comprising 51 metropolitan areas, in 1980 and 2000, comparing reductions in particulate levels and increases in life expectancies. They used a variety of advanced statistical methods to try to eliminate effects linked to changes in population, income, education, migration and demographics.

 

They concluded that for every decrease of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of particulate pollution in a metropolitan area, average life span increased a little more than seven months - about the same amount that had been observed in previous, smaller studies.

 

"We are getting a return on our investment to improve air quality," Pope said.

 

Overall, the average life span in the 51 metropolitan areas increased 2.7 years over the two decades, with the major share of the increase being attributed to reductions in smoking and changes in socioeconomic factors. "Communities that are increasingly wealthy are increasingly healthy," Pope said.

 

Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.

 

Steroids no help to kids with colds, wheezing

 

Baltimore Sun

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

LOS ANGELES Steroid drugs, a common treatment for young children prone to wheezing and colds, do not help and may even be harmful, according to new research. Preschoolers in Britain who were hospitalized with a wheezing attack and treated with the steroid prednisolone stayed just as long as children who were given dummy pills. In another study, Canadian children who had previous wheezing trouble and took the steroid fluticasone as a preventive measure showed modest improvement, but the side effect of possible stunted growth outweighed the benefit, researchers said. Both studies were reported in today's New England Journal of Medicine.

 

Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.

 

Health Tip: Smoking and Diabetes

 

Washington Post

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

(HealthDay News) -- Smoking is harmful for everyone, but it can be particularly dangerous for diabetics, who are already at risk of complications such as cardiovascular disease.

 

If you're a diabetic who has smoked, no matter how long, you can improve your health by quitting. The American Diabetes Association offers this list of potential dangers for diabetics who smoke:

 

Smoking decreases oxygen in the tissues, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Smoking increases cholesterol and blood pressure, which raises your risk of heart attack. Smoking constricts and damages blood vessels, which can make foot ulcers worse. Smoking increases your risk of damage to the nerves and kidneys. Smoking increases your risk of colds and other respiratory illnesses. Smoking increases blood sugar levels. Smoking triples your risk of death from cardiovascular disease, compared to diabetics who don't smoke.

 

© 2009 Scout News LLC. All rights reserved.

 

2 condemned to death in China tainted milk scandal

 

Associated Press

By Anita Chang

Baltimore Sun

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

SHIJIAZHUANG, China - A Chinese court condemned two men to death today and gave a dairy boss life in prison in the first sentences handed down in the tainted milk scandal, which ignited public anger and accusations of cover-ups.

 

The sentences and a recent announcement of a compensation plan for the victims appear to be part of a government bid to put an end to the crisis.

 

In a reflection of the trial's sensitivity, dozens of police guarded the courthouse and cordoned off the surrounding area with plastic barriers. Officers told the victims' families to keep about 100 yards away.

 

Investigations showed that middlemen who sold milk to dairy companies were watering down raw milk, then mixing in the banned industrial chemical melamine in dairy products to make them appear to have higher protein content.

 

Infant formula tainted with melamine was blamed in the deaths of at least six babies and the illnesses of nearly 300,000.

 

A court in the northern city of Shijiazhuang gave a life sentence to Tian Wenhua, 66, the former general manager and chairwoman of Sanlu Group Co., the dairy at the center of the crisis. She was the highest-ranking official charged in the food safety scandal, which was exposed in September.

 

During her Dec. 31 trial, Tian admitted she had known of problems with her company's products for months before informing authorities. Tian pleaded guilty to charges of producing and selling fake or substandard dairy products.

 

Some of the relatives of the victims, who gathered outside the court in cold weather in northern China, said Tian got off lightly.

 

"My granddaughter died. She (Tian) should die too, she should be shot," said Zheng Shuzhen, of Henan province, who said her 1-year-old granddaughter died in June after drinking Sanlu milk. "She has brought such harm to the public, to children."

 

The court sentenced Zhang Yujun, 40, to death for running a workshop that produced a melamine-tainted powder branded as protein enriching -- which was added to milk apparently to fool quality tests, said spokesman Wang Wei. Melamine is rich in nitrogen and the protein content is measured by nitrogen.

 

Geng Jinping was also given the death penalty for producing and selling toxic food. A third man, Gao Junjie, was given a suspended death sentence, which is usually commuted to a life sentence.

 

Among the 21 sentences announced, two other life terms were handed down, while the remaining were given jail terms of two to 15 years, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

 

A lawyer advising victims' families said the death sentences and life terms were "cruel and heavy."

 

"It was a problem of the system, but they were brought to court as scapegoats," said Li Fangping. "No government officials were charged for failing to fulfill their inspection responsibility."

 

Tian was also fined $2.92 million while Sanlu, which has been declared bankrupt, was fined $7.3 million.

 

Zhao Lianhai, who has set up a Web site to help organize parents whose children were sickened, said he and other parents plan to travel to Beijing on Friday to petition the Ministry of Health. Zhao and the others say an official compensation plan was put together without their input and does not offer enough long-term help.

 

Sanlu, along with the other 21 dairy companies involved in the scandal, have proposed a $160 million compensation plan. More than 200 families have filed suit demanding higher compensation and long-term treatment for their babies.

 

Normally used to make plastics and fertilizer, melamine can cause kidney stones and kidney failure when ingested in large amounts. The discovery of melamine in dairy exports such as chocolate and yogurt triggered a slew of product recalls overseas.

 

Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.

 

Opinion

 

Worst-case scenario

Our view: The O'Malley budget plan has bad news for most everyone — as well as evidence of why states like Maryland require a little economic stimulus, too

 

Baltimore Sun Editorial

Thursday, January 22, 2009

 

Despite his best attempts at post- Obama-inaugural cheeriness, Gov. Martin O'Malley yesterday revealed a spending plan for next year that offered more cause for tears than celebration. It's not easy to put a happy face on 700 layoffs (not the unlikely-to-happen variety but the sort where actual people end up in the unemployment line) and the various other misfortunes contained in his budget.

 

For the first time in modern history, the state budget may shrink in real terms. The governor's proposed $14.4 billion general fund budget is slightly smaller than this year's. That is clearly warranted given the nation's economic reality, but it makes it no more pleasant for those who work for the state or rely on government services.

 

Will such austerity and diminished state services be felt on Main Street? Mr. O'Malley told reporters he hoped that wouldn't be the case but recognized it probably would. For starters, it means at least $310 million in cuts to local governments, which, in turn, will have to take their own austerity measures.

 

We would quibble with some of the governor's choices in how best to close a potential $2 billion shortfall in fiscal 2010. He leaves untouched a teacher pension funding formula that favors the wealthiest counties and continues the politically popular freeze on in-state tuition at Maryland's four-year colleges when fast-growing community colleges likely need the money more.

 

But on the most critical issues - preserving the recent advances Maryland has made in K-12 schools, adequately financing health care for the poor, and maintaining Program Open Space and other key environmental initiatives - Mr. O'Malley is right on target. His choice not to seek any new taxes is also the correct call in the midst of such a shaky economy.

 

The proposal relies on some creative financing techniques that also give one pause. These include spending money customarily set aside for income tax refunds. That's a decision with potential ramifications for the state's bond rating and ought to be fully vetted.

 

Nevertheless, there is hope. The vast majority of states are grappling with proportionately worse budget shortfalls, and President Barack Obama is pushing Congress to approve a stimulus plan that in addition to building roads, bridges and schools would provide direct aid to states.

 

Mr. O'Malley's budget assumes Maryland would receive $350 million from Washington next year, but it might well be more. Such federal largesse now seems the best chance of avoiding layoffs - job retention being just as helpful as job creation - and providing impetus for an eventual economic rebound as well.

 

Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.

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