Unprecedented planning by state and local authorities, law enforcement and the insurance industry established what is being called a national model for protecting the public from fly-by-night contractors in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), preparation in advance of the F-5 tornado that devastated the city of Moore and surrounding areas in May 2013 resulted in a well-coordinated effort to ensure that roofers and other contractors who swarmed into the area in the hours and days after the storm were properly licensed, insured and authorized to work in the area.
Local police assisted the Oklahoma Insurance Department Fraud Unit in patrolling the area and keeping suspected fraudulent out-of-state contractors from doing work unless all protocols were followed.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7665251-nicb-limited-fraud-following-2013-moore-tornado/
The Department of Veterans Affairs will recognize 2012 National VA Research Week April 23 – 27. This year’s theme, “Caring for Veterans Through Discovery & Collaboration,” will mark a week that celebrates the contributions of Veterans who make research possible by participating in VA research studies as well as VA investigators and collaborators.
John P. Holdren, PhD, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Assistant to the President, will be a featured speaker at VA’s Research Week Forum April 26. The Forum, to be held at VA Central Office in Washington D.C., is part of the Department’s annual Research Week celebration. Dr. Joel Kupersmith, Chief Research and Development Officer, will provide opening remarks and serve as Forum moderator.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52323-deka-arm-veterans-2012-va-national-research-week
This October, Red Gold is making it easy for people to give back when sharing their family meal. For any Red Gold canned tomato product purchased throughout the month, Red Gold will donate one meal* to help families facing hunger, with a goal of donating 2 million meals to Feeding America and its network of food banks. Whether it’s labeled Red Gold, Redpack, Tuttorosso or Huy Fong, consumers can simply buy a can, and help feed a family.
The philanthropic effort comes at a time when millions of American families struggle to put food on the table. According to recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1 in 8 Americans face hunger, including 13 million children. However, most families don’t recognize the extent of hunger in America; a Red Gold survey found that nearly 7 in 10 households were either unsure of the number of Americans struggling with hunger, or they severely underestimated the problem.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8111351-red-gold-feeding-america-crush-hunger-october-2017/
In an effort to improve outcomes for patients with some of the deadliest childhood cancers, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have created the world’s largest collection of pediatric solid tumor samples, drug-sensitivity data and related information and have made the resource available at no charge to the global scientific community.
St. Jude and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute collaborated to create the resource, known as the Childhood Solid Tumor Network. The work is reported today as an advance online publication in the scientific journal Nature.
“Survival rates for children with recurrent solid tumors have not improved significantly in more than 20 years and remain below 30 percent,” said corresponding author Michael Dyer, Ph.D., chair of the St. Jude Department of Developmental Neurobiology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. “This research will change that by promoting scientific collaboration to leverage the efforts of researchers worldwide to advance understanding and ultimately treatment of pediatric solid tumors.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8121952-st-jude-childrens-childhood-solid-tumor-network/
Every 33 seconds a child under 13 is involved in a car crash in the United States, according to 2014 data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Safety seats, if used correctly, can dramatically reduce the risk of fatality or injury. But 59 percent of car seats are misused in a way that could reduce their effectiveness, and over one-third of children killed in car crashes were completely unrestrained at the time of the crash. Today, NHTSA and the Ad Council unveiled a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) to educate parents and caregivers about the importance of selecting the right seat for their child’s age and size, and to remind them that car seats, booster seats and seat belts offer the best protection for children in crashes and help save lives.
“Life can change in an instant. We want parents and caregivers to prepare for the unexpected, rather than face their worst nightmare,” said Dr. Mark Rosekind, NHTSA administrator. “Buckling up a child correctly and in the right seat is the best protection any parent can do to see their child walk away unharmed from a car crash.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7774451-ad-council-find-the-right-seat/
According to the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than a third of children under age 13 who died in passenger vehicle crashes in 2011 were not in car seats or wearing seat belts. To help eliminate these deaths, and as part of Child Passenger Safety Week, NHTSA is highlighting the important safety benefits associated with the proper use of car seats, booster seats, and seat belts.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63316-child-passenger-safety-week-is-sept-15-21
The period between Christmas and New Year’s typically has one of the highest rates of impaired driving fatalities, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In an effort to reduce drunk and buzzed driving related incidents during the holidays, NHTSA, the Ad Council and the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) launched their 12th annual “Project Roadblock: Local TV Puts the Brakes on Drunk Driving.”
Project Roadblock was created in 2004 in support of NHTSA and the Ad Council’s Buzzed Driving Prevention public service advertising (PSA) campaign. To date, broadcast TV stations across the nation have donated more than $40 million in media to support this effort. The partnership aims to unite local television stations in creating a nationwide advertising roadblock by airing Project Roadblock PSAs (Public Service Announcements) between December 26 and December 31. Local broadcast stations voluntarily participate in the campaign by donating on-air, online and mobile time and space with a special push at 10 p.m. local time on New Year’s Eve. In addition, TV stations will be reaching out to their communities on social media to share social graphics and messaging to further reach audiences.
“Drunk driving remains a serious threat on our roads and claims more than 10,000 lives a year,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. ”Local broadcast television is an effective tool in reaching consumers, and we thank the TVB, all the stations, and the Ad Council for their ongoing support of drunk driving prevention, especially during the holiday season.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7701751-ad-council-nhtsa-buzzed-driving-psa/
Last December, nearly one-third of all car crash fatalities involved a drunk driver, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Today, to help make our roads safer during the holiday season, the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) launched the 13th annual “Project Roadblock” initiative, in which local broadcast TV stations donate airtime to support NHTSA and the Ad Council’s “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” PSA (public service advertising) campaign.
To help the campaign’s message reach those who could benefit most, the Ad Council is conducting a special push to TV stations in the 10 states that accounted for 53% of all alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in 2015: Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Illinois, and South Carolina.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/8003951-nhtsa-ad-council-tvb-anti-drunk-driving-psa/
Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Commissioner Joseph F. Bruno, FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino, Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, Police Department (NYPD) Assistant Chief Harry J. Wedin, The Advertising Council Campaign Manager Jessica Dahl, American Red Cross in Greater New York Chief Administrative Officer Richard Kane, and Counsel to Brooklyn Borough President Jason Otaño today kicked off National Preparedness Month by encouraging New Yorkers to audition for an upcoming TV public service advertisement (PSA).
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/45752/
The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Ad Council were joined today by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to launch a new series of Spanish-language public service advertisements (PSAs) encouraging Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies. The PSAs were launched as part of National Preparedness Month and direct viewers to Listo.gov, the Spanish-language extension of Ready.gov. According to a recent Ad Council survey, nearly six in ten Hispanic Americans have not taken steps to prepare for an emergency.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/46031/
Researchers at global public health organization NSF International, Harvard Medical School, the United States Department of Defense and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands (RIVM) recently identified four unapproved, DMAA-like stimulants in six over-the-counter weight-loss and pre-workout products currently available online. The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Toxicology.
The potentially harmful compounds – including banned stimulants 1,3-DMAA and 1,3-DMBA as well as octodrine and a newly identified DMAA analog – were not listed as ingredients in the products and may have been disguised as “2-aminoisoheptane” or extract of Aconitum kusnezoffii. These stimulants may cause adverse cardiac events, hemorrhagic strokes or sudden death, especially if taken prior to strenuous exercise or combined with caffeine. Extreme heat and dehydration may also increase the health risks.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8216951-nsf-international-banned-stimulants-2-aminoisoheptane/
