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Summer of Hope events aimed to reduce crime in summer months

Summer of Hope events aimed to reduce crime in summer months

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Baton Rouge leaders are coming together for what they are calling the Summer of Hope.

It’s an 8-week initiative to reduce violence in the Capital City during the summer months.

  • On Friday, June 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. you can join the Southern University Law Center Office of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives for their Expungement Initiative Session. It’s happening at the Southern University Law Center Atrium. Officials said they welcome questions about expungement. Attendees are required to bring the following: a background check from the Louisiana State Police; a certified copy of minutes; and a certified copy of the Bill of Information. For more information regarding this event, contact Marla Dickerson at mdickerson@sulc.edu.
  • Friday, June 10, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. you can join Mayor Pro Tempore Lamont Cole and Shoppers Value Foods for the 5th Annual Pedal for Peace. Bikers will ride to Howell Park, rest, and return to Shoppers Value at 5355 Government Street.
5th Annual Pedaling for Peace.
5th Annual Pedaling for Peace.(WAFB)
  • Saturday, June 11, 9 am. -2 p.m. join Community Against Drugs and Violence (CADAV) for their inaugural Kids Fest at Scotlandville Parkway at Bradley Road and Veterans Drive. This event will celebrate, educate, and inspire youth in the community. From inflatables and health screenings to local talent and kickball this event offers something for the entire family. Looking to get an early start? Join the 1K walk and 2K run at 8:30 a.m. In light of this year’s theme, “Kids & Entrepreneurship” youth vendors ages 18 and under are encouraged to showcase their business by signing up by clicking here.
Kids Fest 2022
Kids Fest 2022(WAFB)
  • Saturday, June 11, 12 p.m. – 3 p.m., join the Baton Rouge Community Street Team (BRCST) for their first Healing the Block event at the Leo S. Butler Community Center 950 E Washington St. Each Saturday, the BRCST is bringing hope, dinners, celebration, and community resources directly to streets, neighborhoods, and families that have experienced violence. Residents are encouraged to stay on the lookout because Healing the Block might come to their neighborhood
Heal the Block.
Heal the Block.(WAFB)

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GPJ India ties up with ENSYDE to reduce environmental impact of events

GPJ India Ties up with ENSYDE



ANI |
Updated:
May 23, 2022 11:54 IST

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 23 (ANI/NewsVoir): George P Johnson Experience Marketing (GPJ), India, the country’s leading global experience marketing agency, today announced their strategic partnership with Environmental Synergies in Development (ENSYDE), aimed towards driving greener events and experiences.
Sustainability is no more a wishful thinking or a good-to-have, but a necessity if we want to leave this world a better place for generations to come. As one of the pioneers in the experience marketing industry, GPJ India is poised to lead and create lasting change in the sustainability of live, digital and hybrid events and experiences.
In a kickstarter event held this year on International Women’s Day, the women of GPJ India, supported by the rest of their colleagues, took a pledge to actively implement sustainable environment practices in-house and in all external experiences they execute on behalf of clients. This commitment is in line with the United Nations Theme for 2022Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow“.
On the occasion of this partnership, GPJ India’s Managing Director, Rasheed Sait said, “The environmental footprint that stems out of post-event wastage has been a cause for concern. While we have been adopting greener and sustainable practices, we felt it’s time to do something that’s meaningful and leaves a bigger impact. I look forward to our partnership with ENSYDE and I believe that together, we can make a difference not just at GPJ’s offices and events but make the entire event industry aware of the need for a greener and sustainable tomorrow.”
“Creating change from within is key to making organisations sustainable. ENSYDE is excited to be a part of this journey with GPJ India, who have been pioneers in the event industry. We believe that with the committed team at GPJ, there is going to be a huge and visible change in practices that impact the environment. ENSYDE‘s experience for the last 30 years in helping organisations reduce their environmental footprint, will help define the “green” way forward for the event industry,” said Manvel Alur, CEO & Founder of ENSYDE.
The GPJ India management firmly believes that every individual and collective action can have a positive impact on our environment, and decided to set an agenda for change. With the help of Environmental Synergies in Development (ENSYDE), who have been working on reducing the environmental footprint through awareness and action for 3 decades now, GPJ India has already set this agenda in motion.
Within the next year, GPJ India will

-Reduce environmental footprint within the company by optimizing simple day-to-day practices of resource use within the office;
-Take eight (8) key employee-initiated environment improvement ideas to fruition;
-Evaluate and reduce the environmental footprint of experiences planned/conducted by GPJ;
-Implement simple environment sustainable practices in the home of every employee;
-Create a playbook for easy reckoning that other players in the experience and events ecosystem can leverage; to drive sustainability at large.
George P Johnson Experience Marketing Pvt Ltd, India is a strategy-led, creative-driven and technology-powered experience marketing agency. With a legacy of 108 years, GPJ began its India chapter in 2002, under the able leadership of Rasheed Sait, a veteran in the marketing ecosystem. Over the last 20 years, GPJ India has evolved into a full-service agency, often pioneering and leading the change in the industry. GPJ India has produced over 10,000 virtual, hybrid and live experiences for hundreds of blue-chip organizations.
Environmental Synergies in Development (ENSYDE) is an organisation with an aim to reduce the environmental footprint of organizations, establishments and institutions in India. Established in 2003 as a consultancy organization and registered as a Trust in 2016 to continue its service towards conservation and betterment of the environment, ENSYDE strongly believes in breaking barriers to environmental sustainability in the interface areas of energy, water and waste.
To stay updated on this initiative follow GPJ India on LinkedIn. If you’d like to drive sustainable experiences for your customers and employees, please write to Rasheed.sait@gpj.com.
This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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Utah events, awareness day spark conversations to reduce stigma of mental health challenges

Labeled Fest, held between Thursday and Saturday in Salt Lake City, gave an opportunity for people to talk about mental illnesses during Mental Health Month in May.

Labeled Fest, held between Thursday and Saturday in Salt Lake City, gave an opportunity for people to talk about mental illnesses during Mental Health Month in May. (Emily Ashcraft, KSL.com)

Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — Many people are trying to normalize conversations about mental health and work towards ending a stigma around metal health that can sometimes keep people from getting needed support.

May is Mental Health Month, and is a good time for people to take some time to consider how they can help. Labeled Fest, which was held Thursday, Friday and Saturday, hosted many presentations geared toward normalizing mental health conversations and focusing on positive labels.

“Really mental health is a superpower, you know, and if we can all see that as a positive label instead of a negative label then we can all enhance the community around us,” Brian Higgins said.

Higgins is the creative director of Mental Healthy F.i.T., which stands for films, ideas and tips, the organization that hosted the event. It is a nonprofit advocacy organization that helps people tell their stories, whether they are about mental health issues or other challenges.

Labeled Fest is held once a year as a place for people who have been involved in the organization’s other events showcase things they have created or learned at workshops throughout the year, according to Higgins.

Higgins said that this event is designed to help people look at positive labels associated with mental health like “creative,” “empathetic” and “connection.” They chose to host the event at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts because of the connection between many artists and mental health.

He said statistics show that one-fifth of people have a diagnosed mental health issue, but that really everyone deals with mental health issues.

“Mental health affects us all,” Higgins said.

The organization also focuses on how to help those who are homeless, Higgins suggested that the easiest way to help homeless people is to smile and give the people some of your time. He said ignoring homelessness also means ignoring people. Higgins was homeless himself for more than 18 months, and said that homeless people are not very different from other people.

“Homelessness can happen to anybody,” he said.

At Labeled Fest, and throughout its other events, Mental Healthy F.i.T is creating kits for homeless people with small things like socks and toiletries and also cards with information about resources.

Higgins said that it is incredible to hold the event in person again.

“There’s just a real energy and a magic to getting people together for a common goal,” Higgins said.

Damon Talbot was involved in Labeled Fest and did a “performative slideshow” which was designed to show that accepting a situation or mental health condition can help improve a person’s outlook, which he said many people told him was inspiring. He is a member of Alliance House, which is a program in Salt Lake City to assist adults with mental illness lead productive lives.

He said a person with mental illness can be successful, even though they will have hard days.

Talbot said for many years after he was diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder, he stayed home and would isolate and not talk to people, but after he accepted it, he was able to become part of the community again and meet others who were going through the same things. He said community events like Labeled Fest help people to realize that mental illnesses don’t need to ruin their lives.

“So many people that are going through mental illness … they don’t talk about it, so an event like this where you can be vulnerable, you can come out and talk about it is really impactful,” Talbot said.

He said it is important to remember that those with mental illness are like everybody else, they want connections and for people to reach out and acknowledge them. He said people don’t have to necessarily walk on eggshells around people with mental health concerns, but that it can be helpful to take time to learn about their challenges.

Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day

May is a month for mental health awareness, but more specifically, Saturday is a day to focus on awareness for children’s mental health. Gov. Spencer Cox declared the day Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day in Utah, and the day is also acknowledged nationally.

Rebecca Dutson, president and CEO of The Children’s Center Utah, said a big part of the day is reducing the stigma around mental health challenges that people, especially young people, face.

“I think we need to spend more time helping people understand that our very tiniest people, our little children have mental health. And they have mental health concerns,” Dutson said.

She said many people don’t stop to realize that infants, toddlers and preschoolers have mental health concerns, but that addressing these early can change the trajectory of that child’s life. She also said acknowledging the issue can lead to more solutions.

She said that parents should not hesitate, if they have a concern about their child’s mental health, to reach out to a physician, The Children’s Center Utah or other resources to get help for their child. She said that parents and caregivers know their children best, and can recognize when something is different, whether the child is more withdrawn or acting up.

“When you feel that something isn’t quite right, we encourage families to reach out to their pediatricians and begin a conversation,” Dutson said.

The Children’s Center Utah helps children between birth and 6 years old with mental health challenges. Dutson said their clinical team uses trauma-informed and evidence-based treatments that are individualized based on the specific child’s experience and needs.

Dutson said the last two years during the coronavirus pandemic have had an impact on everyone’s mental health; as children were pulled out of school, families were isolated and there were a lot of unknowns, it caused stress for adults, which can increase the mental health concerns for their children.

“I think one of the most important things is that, as families and as a society … we should be talking about it more. It’s foundational to our well-being,” Dutson said.

She said that there are times that everyone needs more help, and that families should normalize talking about mental health.

Suicide prevention concert

Utah performer Alex Boye is headlining what is billed as the state’s first-ever suicide prevention concert at 7 p.m. at the Maverik Center, continuing the focus on mental health. Tickets were free but distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Utah has the six highest suicide rate in the U.S.,” Boye said. “Music saved my life and I know it can do the same for others, which is why I do these concerts. Our concept is simple: Use these concerts to help build connections, healing and support in our community. This will be an unforgettable night that will feed your soul, and save lives; this is not just a concert … It is an experience.”

Emily Ashcraft joined KSL.com as a reporter in 2021. She covers courts and legal affairs, as well as health, faith and religion news.

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Use of a deprescribing support system failed to reduce adverse drug events in older adults

Use of a deprescribing support system failed to reduce adverse drug events in older adults

A deprescribing support system failed to lower the incidence of adverse drug events in older adults but did reduce inappropriate prescribing

A deprescribing clinical support system has been found to have no impact on the level of adverse drug events in older adults, despite reducing the proportion of inappropriate medicines prescribed. This was the key finding from a cluster randomised clinical trial by a team from the Clinical Practice Assessment Unit, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Quebec, Canada.

Deprescribing is defined as the process of tapering or stopping drugs, aimed at minimising polypharmacy and improving patient outcomes. Medication-related harm is relatively common occurrence after hospital discharge in older adults and one systematic review found that within 30 days after discharge, the incidence of harm ranged from 167 to 500 events per 1,000 individuals discharged. Moreover, another study found that 11% of patients discharged from hospital developed an adverse drug event, of which 27% were preventable and 33% were ameliorable. In an attempt to reduce the level of inappropriate medications, one study explored the value of an electronic decision support tool for deprescribing, termed MedSafer. The study demonstrated the the use of MedSafer, increased the proportion of patients with one or more potentially inappropriate medicines (PIMs) deprescribed at hospital discharge as compared with usual care.

Based on the findings of the MedSafer pilot study, the current researcher team, who developed the system, sought to provide more robust evidence for the impact of their clinical decision-support tool on the level of adverse drug events (ADEs). The secondary aim was to assess the value of MedSafer on describing. The system was evaluated in 11 acute care hospitals in Canada. Eligible patients included those aged 65 years and older and who were regularly taking 5 or more medicines, prior to hospital admission. During the study, participants received usual care and any deprescribing was undertaken by physicians and pharmacists. The main intervention was the provision of individualised deprescribing reports which were compared with usual care. The primary outcome of interest was the reduction of ADEs within the first 30 days after discharge which was captured through a structured telephone survey that enquired about any adverse events. These outcomes were documented and an ADE was defined as an event with a rating of 5 or 6, indicating that the event was either probably (5) or definitely (6) caused by medication. The main secondary outcome was the proportion of patients with one or more potentially inappropriate medicines deprescribed at discharge.

Describing and adverse drug events

A total of 5698 participants with a median age of 78 years (50.2% female) were enrolled in the trial and randomised to intervention (2494) or control. Overall, an opportunity for deprescribing was identified in 86.4% of patients.

Among those in the usual care group, 5% of patients had an ADE compared to 4.9% of those assigned to the intervention arm (adjusted risk difference = -0.80%, 95% CI – 2.9 to 1.3%) and this difference was not significant.

For the secondary outcome, the proportion of participants with one or more PIMs deprescribed was 29.8% for those assigned to usual care and 55.4% of those in the intervention group.

The authors concluded that while their study did not significantly affect 30-day ADEs, the intervention did reduce the number of PIMs prescribed without evidence of increased harm.

Citation
McDonald EG et al. The MedSafer Study—Electronic Decision Support for Deprescribing in Hospitalized Older Adults: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial JAMA Intern Med 2022