On May 12, 2008 the Center for Accessible Living presented the first in a series of trainings on disability-related topics for hiring recruiters and HR mangers. The training, which was hosted at Citi, featured information on the ADA, recruiting techniques, technology, deaf culture, when and how to schedule ASL interpreters, workplace accommodations and autism. The event was attended by over 30 people. Companies represented were Caesars Indiana, UPS, Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government, Vocational Rehabilitation, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, TARC, Human Relations Commission, Citi, Goodwill, and others.
Most of the speakers were Center staff. Keith Hosey presented the ADA topic, Kelly Peace spoke about interpreters, David Allgood provided information on workplace accommodations, and I spoke about autism. Peter Eichhorn was Master of Ceremonies.
Lillian Fawbush of Citi shared her experience as an HR recruiter. Rebecca Rhiem of Sorenson VP enlightened us all about deaf culture, and Kay Mathis, of Citi, provided the keynote speech about technology. Her message was that it starts with the ability to overlook the person’s disability and to form a belief in the ability of the person. Once you do that, she said, technology is the easy part.
The next HR training is tentatively scheduled for the fall or winter. If you have a topic you would like to see presented, please email Barb Davis at bdavis@calky.org.
From New Mobility May 2008
ARE HOSPITALS CRAWLING
WITH SUPERBUGS? By Roxanne Furlong
Are we entering the era of “superbugs” - new strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria that threaten our health and lives in the very places we go to get well?
Statistics say yes, but there are precautions we can take. Here are the top three badboys:
Methcillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA—pronounced “Mer-sa”), Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and clostridium difficile (C-Diff) are multi-drug resistant organisms (MRDOs) that, because of overuse of antibiotics, are becoming resistant to nearly all antibiotics and causing life-long recurring infections with a rising number of deaths. There are also new strains of MRSA and C-Diff-associated diseases that are more severe, with a higher mortality rate and resistance to all antibiotics. Several states have reported hospital outbreaks of the new strains over the past two years.
The numbers of deaths and infection cases of MDROs have dramatically increased since the 1970s. The Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that in 2005 approximately 94,360 people have developed a serious MRSA infection and 18,650 died from serious MRSA infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimate that healthcare-associated infections occur annually in an estimated 1.7 million people in American hospitals—one in every 20 treated—causing 99,000 deaths.
Also growing in numbers are community-associated MDROs, which occur in individuals who have not been in a hospital within a year and/or have had certain medical procedures. One thing is certain: Once you are
