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7:50 – 8:20am
Creating a Thriving Workplace Culture
Rosie Ward, PhD, MPH, MCHES, BCC, CIC, CVS-FR
Dr. Rosie Ward is a consultant, professional coach and author known as a thought leader who challenges the status quo, pushes boundaries and engages people and organizations to find success through shifting old, ineffective thinking habits. She has a diverse background with over 20 years of experience promoting wellbeing, employee engagement, and transforming organizations in various settings.
Dr. Ward serves as the Director of Health Coaching Education for Fairview Physician Associates in Minneapolis where she oversees bringing a people-centric approach to supporting individual well-being and develops physicians to think differently and provide better care. She is also an owner of Salveo Partners where she consults with organizations, blending the worlds of Organizational Development and employee wellbeing to provide a unique approach to create thriving workplace cultures that free, fuel and inspire people to bring their best selves to work.
Dr. Ward has degrees in kinesiology, public health and a Ph.D. in Organization and Management where her research focused on organizational culture, intrinsic motivation and coaching. Dr. Ward is regularly interviewed for business publications, is a contributing author to the book Organization Development in Healthcare: High Impact Practices for a Complex and Changing Environment and co-author of the book How to Build a Thriving Culture at Work: Featuring the 7 Points of Transformation with business partner Dr. Jon Robison, published November 2014.
8:20 – 8:50am
Walgreens beyond the Private Exchange: Wellness, Value Based Benefit Design and Retail Clinics
Tom Sondergeld, Director of Health & Well-Being, Human Resources, Walgreens
Tom Sondergeld is currently the Sr. Director of Health & Well-Being, Human Resources at Walgreens. Tom has directed employee benefits for over 20 years. He led a successful implementation of both Hewitt Associates/Aon Corporation and Northwestern Memorial Hospitals wellness programs and on site Health Centers/Services. His role at Aon Corporation also included the first successful roll out of a Corporate Private Exchange to company employees and the opening of four (4) on-site health clinics. In his current role at Walgreens, he is responsible for the overall healthcare model and administration for the over 250,000 team members. He is currently implementing the AonHewitt Private Healthcare Exchange to the over 170,000 eligible team members at Walgreens for 2014. He is also charged with developing an integrated disability model for the organization. Tom has spoken at many local and national events on topics ranging from HR Software solutions, Human Resources process improvement, benefit outsourcing, benefit plan design, wellness integration, and on-site health centers in the workplace. Tom holds a Bachelor in Psychology and a Masters in Healthcare Administration. He is an active member of many HR groups with SHRM, HRMAC and SHRP among them and serves on the Board of Directors for About Face Theater in Chicago.
An Employee Perspective from Walgreens
9:00 – 9:20am
Panel Discussion with Rosie Ward, PhD, MPH, MCHES, BCC, CIC, CVS-FR & Tom Sondergeld
9:25 a.m. – Surprise
9:30 a.m. – Networking Break and Exhibit Viewing
10:00 a.m. – Breakout Sessions
One Year Later: Our Progress in Moving Beyond Wellness to a Medical Home
One Year Later: Our Progress in Moving Beyond Wellness to a Medical Home
Last year, Karen and Karen presented ?Beyond Wellness into a Medical Home.? At that time our Paladina Clinics had only been opened for about 2 months. The session focused on employee engagement and interest since it was too early to create analytics that could measure whether the clinics were actually saving the City of Arvada money. Now that the clinics have been opened for over?a year, the team has been able to start gathering statistics that speak to the cost-savings and efficiencies of the clinics.
In this session, attendees will see the savings that the City of Arvada has experienced by redirecting claims through the Paladina Clinics. There will also be a focus on the health results for employees and how the City is using this program to attract and retain quality employees in an increasingly competitive job market.
Karen Smiddy
Benefits Specialist, City of Arvada
Karen Smiddy has worked in the Human Resources field for more than 20 years. She feels fortunate to have worked at the City of Arvada for 16 years, and in her current position for 10 years. A proud Colorado native, Karen attended the University of Colorado at Denver and Metro State College. She enjoys gardening, hiking, and hanging out with her three grandkids.
Karen Hjerleid
Vice President of National Business Development, Paladina Health
Karen Hjerleid brings more than 20 years of experience as a business development and account management professional in both corporate and entrepreneurial settings. In Karen?s previous role at Rocky Mountain Health Plans, she launched a new sales division and grew it into the company?s most profitable line of business. She has held senior leadership roles at QualMed Plans for Health of Colorado and New Mexico, a managed care organization, McKinley Marketing Partners, a marketing consulting firm, InteliStaf Healthcare, a national staffing company, and Kelly Assisted Living Services, a home healthcare company. Karen also was involved in several successful start-up and turn-around initiatives.
Karen holds an MBA from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and a BS in Business Administration with honors from Colorado State University at Pueblo. Karen is co-founder of the Colorado Managed Care Workgroup and a member and past board member of the Colorado Gerontological Society and the Colorado Women?s Forum in Healthcare Administration.
Karen enjoys the Colorado lifestyle, playing with her dog (a very active Weimaraner), travel, dance and theatre.
Six-State Quitline Outcomes for Smokers with Behavioral Health Conditions and Limitations
Six-State Quitline Outcomes for Smokers with Behavioral Health Conditions and Limitations
Several demographic groups that are disproportionately impacted by smoking and also have a difficult time in successfully quitting tobacco use include those with known behavioral health issues.?? Over the past decade there has been a dramatic increase in the number of quitline callers with behavioral health issues, currently representing about half of all callers to our quitline.
National Jewish Health launched a year-long survey of callers to several of our state public quitlines based on recommendations by the North American Quitline Consortium?s (NAQC) Behavioral Health Advisory Forum?s Background Report (2010).
Data from 4,960 completed follow-up interviews were used to examine quit rates at 3- and 6-months. Among callers with behavioral health issues, those who reported a belief that these issues may interfere with their ability to quit using tobacco were significantly less likely to report no tobacco use in the past 30 days than callers who did not believe that their behavioral health issues could interfere.
Telephone quitlines serve segments of the population that are typically harder to reach, the uninsured, lower SES and lower education level. This study demonstrates in a real work example how adults with behavioral health issues are using tobacco quitlines. These data show that the quitline community is seeing even a higher prevalence of adults with behavioral health issues than reported by the CDC earlier this year (MMRW, 2013).
This real world sample of individuals with behavioral health issues and outcomes have important implications for further investigation and possible modification of treatment of adults with behavioral health issue through quitlines.
Amy V. Lukowski, Psy.D.
Clinical Director, Health Initiatives Programs, National Jewish Health?
Amy Lukowski serves as Clinical Director for Health Initiatives and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at National Jewish Health and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine. She is a licensed psychologist, Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) and a MINT (Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers) trainer. She has expertise in working clinically with both individual patients and populations in overcoming dependence and creating health behavior change in the areas of tobacco cessation and weight management. Currently, she is responsible for the clinical leadership, staff training, aiding and monitoring the development and assessment of the program?s clinical quality assurance and quality improvement programs. She also serves as key member of senior management team and is involved with all aspects of the planning, budgeting processes, operational oversight and client relations.
Dr. Lukowski received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 1995 and her Master of Science degree in Counseling in 1997 from the University of Wyoming. She received her Doctor of Psychology degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 2004, and completed her pre-doctoral internship at Creighton University. She is an active member of the Colorado Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, and serves on the Board of Directors of the North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC).
Taking Care of Business: Supporting Families to Prevent Child Maltreatment-The Business Sectors Role
Taking Care of Business: Supporting Families to Prevent Child Maltreatment-The Business Sectors Role
Child maltreatment is a significant public health problem in Colorado with long term effects on physical and mental health. Children who experience adverse events, such as child maltreatment, are at increased risk for health problems later in life, such as depression, substance abuse, obesity and chronic diseases.
Research shows that children at risk for child maltreatment are part of families experiencing economic stress, limited social supports, and lack coping skills. Losing benefits like child care or other work supports often far exceeds wage increases which further stresses families. Creating family supportive policies in businesses and communities leads to safer, more stable relationships and environments where kids thrive and parents are successful.
In 2013 Colorado was one of only five states to be awarded federal funding for an initiative to promote safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments for children in order to protect them from child maltreatment. Partners across multiple sectors came together utilizing a collective impact approach to guide this initiative?s vision and strategy for improving the lives of children and families in our state. After a thorough process to determine the landscape in Colorado with regard to the environments where children live, learn and play, stakeholders convened to determine the strategic plan for moving forward. Three key strategies were identified in this plan: Meet the needs for all families to access childcare, preschool and kindergarten; Increase family friendly business practices in Colorado; Advance policy and community approaches to improve mental health.
Colorado business leaders are committed to creating a socially responsible business model and understand that work is a second home-and that personal and professional life is interconnected. Research bears this out. We know that employees who work in environments that support family friendly practices are more productive, miss work less, and are overall more committed to their employer which supports sustainable businesses. When businesses invest in families, they invest in children- which is vital to helping children start down the path toward school success and productive adulthood. These investments also promote the building of vibrant communities.
Shannon Breitzman
Branch Chief for the Violence and Injury Prevention-Mental Health Promotion Branch, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)
As the Branch Chief for the Violence and Injury Prevention?Mental Health Promotion Branch at the CDPHE, Shannon supports several priority injury and violence prevention initiatives, as well as mental health promotion and substance abuse prevention initiatives, including: Suicide Prevention, Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention, Motor Vehicle Safety, Older Adult Falls Prevention, Child Maltreatment Prevention, Interpersonal and Sexual Violence Prevention, Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System, and Retail Marijuana Education and Prevention. Programs within the branch aim to reduce injury and violence, and promote mental health through injury surveillance, policy development and implementation, public awareness and education, community grant making, technical assistance and training, needs assessments and evaluation. Shannon serves as the principal investigator for the CDC funded Essentials for Childhood Grant, which is a collective impact effort for the primary prevention of child maltreatment.
Shannon has a Masters degree in Child and Family Therapy and has worked with children and families for twenty-one years, including fifteen years in public health.
The Value of Happiness: Creating a Culture of Happiness and Wellbeing at Work
The Value of Happiness: Creating a Culture of Happiness and Wellbeing at Work
A conversation about ?Whole Health? would be remiss and incomplete without a discussion on the importance of happiness! Yes. That?s right. Happiness! The topic of ?happiness? and exploring ways to create work cultures that embrace and value happiness needs to be a vital part of companies? wellness initiatives if they truly desire to create a work environment that celebrates ?Whole Health?.
Research is showing us that happiness is a core component of health and wellness. We are beginning to understand the importance of embracing the idea that a happier person is a healthier person?and, in turn, a healthier person is a happier person. As one article stated, ?health has come to be viewed in a more holistic way, with both mind and body taken into account, happiness has been getting folded into the idea of ?health and wellness.?
Many scientific studies, including those by Dr. Laura Kubzansky and other researchers at Harvard School of Public Health have found a significant link between psychological and physical well-being. In a review of more than 200 studies, the Harvard researchers found a connection between positive psychological attributes, such as happiness, optimism and life satisfaction, and a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease.
Equally compelling is what Carol Graham, researcher and author of The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of Well-Being, shares; the observation that health correlates more strongly with happiness than any other variable included?even income?in countries throughout the world. Happiness surveys, Graham shows us, are powerful tools that members of the health policy community can use to gain fresh perspectives on the public?s health behavior and to develop policy worldwide.
Shawn Achor, founder and CEO of Good Think, Inc., published his 2010 ground-breaking book, The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work. In his words, ?It?s important to organizations for employees to be happy, and not just for the employees themselves. The greatest competitive advantage in the modern economy is a positive and engaged workforce,?
We believe that exploring the topic of how to create a culture of happiness and well being is timely and relevant. It?s spot on when the conference audience is made of individuals who are invested and dedicated to creating work environments that engage their employees and support whole health initiatives.
Laura Saye, LMFT, CACIII, CDWF-Candidate
Owner, ?Whole Hearted Living?
Laura Saye is a Licensed Marriage, Family Therapist and Organization Development Specialist. She received her BA in Liberal Arts from Antioch University and her MA in Marriage Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute. She has over 25 years of experience working with organizations such as Kaiser Permanente and the State of Colorado providing leadership and team development consultation and training, and with individuals, couples, families and leaders to increase happiness, hopefulness and resilience in their lives.
Ms. Saye has earned multiple certifications:
- Addictions Counselor
- EMDR for the treatment of trauma
- Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI)
- Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i)
- Multiple Franklin Covey trainings
- The Daring Way? a methodology based on the cutting edge research of Dr. Bren? Brown on vulnerability, courage, shame and worthiness
Equally as important, Laura is a wife, mother, sister, daughter, caregiver, friend, dog and guinea pig lover. She is passionate about yoga, gardening, camping, sailing, soap making and all things crafty
Laura is currently in private practice located in the Lowry area in Denver, Colorado.
Marcia Kent
President, BizPsych
Marcia Kent, MS, currently serves as the President of BizPysch, a division of Mines and Associates (MINES). She has received outstanding reviews as a senior trainer and organizational psychology specialist at MINES. She has been described as results-oriented, motivated and passionate about her work as an organizational psychology specialist and is in high demand for her services. Her diverse business experience includes work as an executive coach, business consultant, corporate trainer, and organizational development specialist for over eighty client companies.
Extreme Makeover: Worksite Wellness Edition
Extreme Makeover: Worksite Wellness Edition
Worksite wellness is under great scrutiny. The RAND Report, healthcare blogs, industry leaders and more have called into question the approach and efficacy of most worksite wellness programs. Up until now, the standard protocol has been to 1) assess each participating employee and uncover biomedical risk factors, 2) give feedback to each participant based on that limited scope and 3) link each participant to the appropriate lifestyle/disease management program ? with lots of incentives along the way. The problem is that this approach is yielding mediocre results at best. It?s time for an extreme makeover to move away from health risk reduction to creating a thriving culture ? one that frees, fuels and inspires people to bring their best to work.
Rosie Ward, PhD, MPH, MCHES, BCC, CIC?, CVS-FR
Dr. Rosie Ward is a consultant, professional coach and author known as a thought leader who challenges the status quo, pushes boundaries and engages people and organizations to find success through shifting old, ineffective thinking habits. She has a diverse background with over 20 years of experience promoting wellbeing, employee engagement, and transforming organizations in various settings.
Dr. Ward serves as the Director of Health Coaching Education for Fairview Physician Associates in Minneapolis where she oversees bringing a people-centric approach to supporting individual well-being and develops physicians to think differently and provide better care. She is also an owner of Salveo Partners where she consults with organizations, blending the worlds of Organizational Development and employee wellbeing to provide a unique approach to create thriving workplace cultures that free, fuel and inspire people to bring their best selves to work.
Dr. Ward has degrees in kinesiology, public health and a Ph.D. in Organization and Management where her research focused on organizational culture, intrinsic motivation and coaching. Dr. Ward is regularly interviewed for business publications, is a contributing author to?the book?Organization Development in Healthcare: High Impact Practices for a Complex and Changing Environment and co-author of the book How to Build a Thriving Culture at Work: Featuring the 7 Points of Transformation with business partner Dr. Jon Robison, published November 2014.
11:00 a.m. – Breakout Sessions
Addressing the #1 Cause of Employee Stress: Financial Wellness
Addressing the #1 Cause of Employee Stress: Financial Wellness
Financial stress is regarded as the number one cause of stress in the workplace. The impacts arrive from health care costs, day care for families, saving for an emergency fund, maintaining vehicles, and desire to save for retirement or college for children. Learn about a curriculum of workshops to address the diverse needs of your employees and their families.
Understanding the needs of your employees and addressing through education in the worksite will improve productivity, engagement with others, and greater overall results for your business!
Dan Morris
Financial Services Professional, New York Life
Dan Morris has been an entrepreneur for more than 25 years and has held various positions of business leadership in companies, including ownership. I work together with my team of professionals to offer comprehensive solutions for the dynamic planning needs of businesses.
Mike Stahl
Financial Services Professional, High Point Financial Group
Mike Stahl provides individuals and families with the knowledge to help them achieve their goals and dreams. He works with each client to help them identify, prioritize and most importantly implement their goals. Mike takes great pride in knowing that he plays a key role in working together with our clients to build and protect their financial future.
A brief synopsis of the work that we do:
- We are committed to serving our community through financial education, to assure individuals, business owners, and organizations have choices to protect them.
- Work directly with Human Resource Managers of organizations with employee retention solutions through services, products, and financial wellness workshops.
- Work closely with business owners to address the benefit needs of their company, buy/sell funding sources, and deferred compensation strategies.
- Instruct seminars on planned giving for non-profits to help assure financial sustainability for the organization while prioritizing the financial needs and desires of the donors.
- Passionate about the difference we are making in the community.
Sleep Deprivation: Plaguing the Nation?s Workforce
Sleep Deprivation: Plaguing the Nation?s Workforce
Sleep problems have become one of America?s most common and troublesome medical issues. Nationwide polls conducted by the National Sleep Foundation consistently find that between 65 and 80% of Americans report experiencing at least one sleep disorder symptom at least one time per week. Similar studies on the sleep habits of working Americans purport that nearly a third of the population say they are getting a good night?s sleep only a few nights per month, and that daytime sleepiness negatively impacts more than one-fourth of American workers over the course of their workday. According to the National Sleep Foundation?s Darrel Drobnic, ?The effect of sleep loss on work performance is costing U.S. employers tens of billions of dollars a year in lost productivity. It?s time for American workers and employers to make sleep a priority? (2008).
With sleep disorders becoming the norm rather than the exception, it is imperative for workplaces and wellness programs to address this impending epidemic. The common effects of poor sleep can accrue slowly over time, resulting in long-lasting changes to one?s ability to think and function. These effects include exhaustion and increased ?sleep drive?, decreased executive function and cognitive ability, metabolic disruption, increased cardiovascular stress response, and increased emotional lability. Such problems can then increase the risk of accidents and other serious illness as well as decrease productivity in the workplace, representing a real threat to the safety and success of companies nationwide.
The presenter will begin by addressing the current sleep deprivation epidemic, the science behind it, and its direct relation to the workplace. The presentation will provide a primer on some of the most common causes of decreased sleep and/or rest, including occupational sleep deprivation, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea, and today?s most effective treatments accordingly. In addition, the presentation will focus on the role of employee wellness programs in reversing this negative trend of a sleep deprived workplace. It will emphasize the importance of workplace sleep initiatives and processes developed by Peer Assistance Services? Workplace Prevention Program (funded by a contract from the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health).
Christopher E. Knoepke, MSW, LCSW, ABD, CEAP
Employee Assistance/Workplace Programs Coordinator
Peer Assistance Services, Inc.
Chris Knoepke has been a Workplace Programs Coordinator at Peer Assistance Services since May of 2010, providing comprehensive Employee Assistance Programming to small and midsize businesses in Colorado under a contract with the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health. He is also the President of the Colorado Chapter of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) and a member of the Adjunct Faculty at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver, where he teaches courses in healthcare and substance abuse policy as well as clinical practice in the MSW program. Chris? prior research and clinical experience include behavioral sleep medicine, tobacco cessation, and child safety programming.
Chris has a BA in Psychology from Monmouth College, his Masters in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, and is a Predoctoral Fellow at the University of Denver?s Graduate School of Social Work and the University of Colorado?s Health Outcomes Program, where his dissertation is investigating means by which to improve quality of life among people being treated with cardiac devices.
Brussels + Muscles by Be Colorado Healthy Kids = Healthy Adults
Brussels + Muscles by Be Colorado Healthy Kids = Healthy Adults
This session will guide employers through the reasons why an employer would develop and incur the cost of a childrens wellness program. It will also outline unique marketing techniques which empower kids and parents alike to build positive lifelong habits-powered by fun!
Tony DeCrosta
Tony DeCrosta is the Chief Plan Administrator for the University of Colorado Health and Welfare Trust as well as its outreach organization, Be Colorado (becolorado.org). He is a versatile and effective leader with a deep understanding of organizations and their operations. He is responsible for the overall plan administration of a $320 million dollar integrated health and wellness plan that encompasses over 60,000 members spanning multiple employers, including: the University of Colorado, UCHealth and University Physicians, Inc. His optimistic and broad business perspective helped lead his team to create and develop new innovative products, including the nation's only employer-sponsored dependent childrens program, Brussels+Muscles, (brusselsandmuscles.org).
Previously, he was the Chief Human Resource Officer at Colorado State University, overseeing all aspects of Human Resources including all of the self-funded health and welfare plans.
Prior to joining higher education, he spent 15 years in Fortune 500 companies where he held various senior-level positions overseeing health and welfare plans, pension trusts and labor relations. DeCrosta holds a Bachelor?s degree in Business Administration from the University System of New Hampshire, and a Masters of Business Administration from Colorado State University.
Creating a Culture of Health within a Dispersed, Well Compensated and Skilled Labor Workforce
Creating a Culture of Health within a Dispersed, Well Compensated and Skilled Labor Workforce
This presentation will highlight a case study of an oil & gas company that has worked diligently over the past four years to promote a culture of health and wellbeing. This demographic is traditionally a more challenging group to engage into wellness program based on their remote locations and job demands. Through a developed strategy and consistent messaging, this company has been able to overcome these potential barriers and successfully create a foundation of strong engagement which will lead to long-term success.
Originating from a clear desire to focus on the health in addition to the safety of their employees from the executive team, the company has continued to expand their offerings of resources to help empower employees to improve their health. Initially the program began with screenings through the health insurance carrier, which has now expanded to a comprehensive program that has a targeted communication campaign around their wellbeing related efforts. Quarterly meetings exist among all vendor partners, including the wellness vendor, the high cost claimant management vendor, the third party administrator, the charity partner, their insurance broker and key internal personnel. As a result of the vendor party integration a more integrated and streamlined approach has been developed to deliver a cohesive voice to the employees around wellbeing.
In the most recent enrollment period, nearly two-thirds of their employees participated in a health screening and health assessment. Even more impressive is that 62% of their population completed all components of the program over the course of the wellness program year, indicating a high sustained engagement among their employees. Through a clearly articulated benefits strategy where the client has progressed to an unbundled self-funded approach supplemented by a wellness focus, the annual PEPM cost has reduced from $1,037 in 2009 to $861 in 2014 (based on numbers to date in 2014). This session will explore the above stated efforts of the company and others they have taken to create a culture where participation in the health program is becoming the norm, all the way from the employees in the corporate offices to those in the field.
Lise Kafka, MS, MPH
Account Executive, Health Risk Management, IMA, Inc
Lise Kafka serves as an Account Executive within IMA?s health risk management department, Life IQ. In this role she partners with the IMA employee benefits department and the client to develop strategic interventions that promote the health and wellbeing of employees.
Lise has nearly ten years of experience in the health and wellness industry. She has worked with employer groups across all industries, many of which have award-winning wellness programs. Prior to IMA, Lise has worked at a health management vendor, an educational institution and an onsite corporate fitness management vendor. In her various positions, Lise developed and implemented interventions including medical self-care, health-based policy change, managerial education, behavior change programs and value-based benefits designs.
Lise received her bachelor?s degree from Colorado College, an MS in sport psychology from Florida State University and an MPH in health promotion from Oregon State University. In her free time she enjoys bowling, hiking with her husband, and traveling.
Kathryn Hobbs
DCP Midstream
Legal Pitfalls Associated with Wellness Programs
Legal Pitfalls Associated with Wellness Programs
This presentation will review the current status of regulations surrounding employer health and wellness benefits. Particular emphasis will be given to describing privacy security rules, ADA violations, and failure to provide a reasonable alternative standard. Ryan will provide three legal cases to go over which will help employers understand the importance of legal compliance in plan design.
Ryan Sarni, Esq.
Staff Attorney, MSEC
Ryan earned his law degree from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. As a labor and employment attorney, Ryan advises and represents over fifty member client companies in all areas of labor and employee relations, including first chair representation at labor negotiations and grievance arbitrations, unemployment hearings, EEOC complaints, Wage and Hour, ADA, FMLA, OSHA, WARN, and NLRB issues. Ryan regularly presents to employers on issues ranging from maintaining positive labor management relations, to employer requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
12:00 p.m. – Plated Lunch and Exhibit Viewing
12:15 p.m. – Afternoon Keynote Sessions
12:45 – 1:25pm
Dr. Roger Merrill
Dr. Merrill Joined Perdue Farms Incorporated in 1990 as Corporate medical Director and assumed the position of Chief Medical Officer in 2003. He retired in 2014 to form Merrill Health Strategies, Consultants in Population Health, whose clients include business coalitions, healthcare systems, and individual employers. He has been in the active practice of internal medicine in Salisbury, MD for 30 years; additionally he has served as Chief of Staff of Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC), a 425-bed tertiary care institution, Member of the Board of Trustees of PRMC for eight years, and on numerous boards of medical and QA organizations, including the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care (the CMS chartered QIO for Maryland and DC) and the Maryland Governor?s Health Quality and Cost Council.
Perdue Farms Incorporated is the Nation's 3rd largest integrated poultry processing company and has 20 major processing facilities in 12 states employing 20,000 associates. In addition, there is a substantial recycling and agribusiness division with numerous facilities, primarily in the Southeast.
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Dr. Merrill's Achievements include:
- Development of an integrated health care delivery system in rural areas serving 35,000 lives. The system has a strong emphasis on primary care with on-site Patient-Centered Medical Home clinics.
- Creation and implementation of a proprietary Health Improvement Program (HIP), which includes a health risk appraisal with associated biometrics driving a Personal Plan for Health. That Plan is characterized by identification of the most dangerous modifiable risks personalized to each individual. There are regular face-to-face interactions with health coaches, and ultimately a remeasurement phase. This national award-winning program has resulted in a 2-3 fold improvement (vs. national statistics) in control of diabetes, hypertension, and other measurable health endpoints in the population.
- Creation and implementation of a ground-breaking evidence-based plan design that uses drivers to move members to care with proven value (1. Wellness and 2. PCP interventions for high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, coronary heart disease and 3 other conditions amenable to primary care control/ risk reduction), and away from interventions with proven population negative value (low back surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention, hysterectomy, radical prostatectomy, and 3 others [in every case there is a safety valve to get access in those unusual circumstances where the patient is in a class that will predictably receive improved health outcomes from the intervention]). Proven results are that members have responded appropriately to those drivers and are following evidence-based interventions at a much higher rate than non-participants. The measured health status is higher and has improved more in this plan than in the other plans.
As a result of these interventions, Perdue has experienced a medical inflation rate and a per capita cost well below national averages, and measurably improved health status for Perdue associates.
Dr. Merrill is a widely sought-after speaker and has presented at such venues as the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative, the World Health Care Congress, Keynote speaker at the American Academy of Family Physicians annual Scientific Meeting, the Louisiana Health Care Quality Foundation, the Ohio Employer Coalition, the National Governors Association, the National Business Group on Health, the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses annual meeting, the Conference Board, The National Business Coalition on Health, The World Health Congress, and the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
1:30 p.m. – Networking Break and Exhibit Viewing
2:00 p.m. – Breakout Sessions
Your Mindful Year: Engage and Empower Your Employees with Mindfulness!
Your Mindful Year: Engage and Empower Your Employees with Mindfulness!
You already know your employees? health is one of the most important predictors of your company?s health.
Mindfulness, being aware of your experience in the present moment is integral in any wellness programbecause it changes your brain, perspective, and behavior. Your Mindful Year is an interactive online program that gives you the guidance, structure, and support to live mindfully for an entire year, five minutes at a time. Learn how this simple and accessible program will train your brain to be more focused, clear, and creative, and how it helped 3 diverse organizations decrease their employee stress an average of 30% in 30 days!
Diane Sieg RN, CYT, CSP
Diane Sieg RN, CYT, CSP is an emergency room nurse turned professional speaker, author, life coach and yoga teacher. She is the author of Stop Living Life like an Emergency! Rescue Strategies for the Overworked and Overwhelmed, and 30 Days to Grace: The Daily Practice Guide to Achieve Your Ultimate Goals. She has presented to thousands of individuals and organizations across the country and offers a variety of programs to bring mindfulness to organizations in her including keynotes, workshops, and retreats. Diane has attained her Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a designation held by less than 6% professional speakers in the world.
The Not Me Diabetes Prevention Program
The Not Me Diabetes Prevention Program: Lessons Learned, Outcomes Experienced and Program Evolution
United Healthcare implemented the Not Me Diabetes Prevention Program in Colorado in early 2013. This session will provide detailed outcomes for several customers and outline the opportunities to either provide a more successful program or how to build on program success moving forward. In addition, there have been several changes and updates to the Diabetes Prevention Program that will be shared in this session. Finally, we?ll spend time diving into successful marketing and communication tactics and experience the online, virtual program now available. The audience will leave the session understanding how to launch a successful program in their employee populations and build upon the success in subsequent years.
Robyn Harmon, MSPH
Health Strategies Consultant, UnitedHealthcare
Robyn Harmon, MSPH, is the Health Strategies Consultant for the Customer Analytics and Solutions Department at UnitedHealthcare. Robyn analyzes and interprets customer utilization and healthcare data to identify potential areas for cost improvements via products, services and clinical programs. She helps customers develop long-term solutions to manage and improve the health of their populations. Robyn has her Masters of Science in Public Health. She has 10 years of experience in public health, health and wellness consulting, and health risk management working with employers, health insurance companies, brokers and at-risk communities. Before joining UnitedHealthcare, Robyn served as a Director of Health Risk Management, Supervisor of a wellness team and was the Health Planner for a local health department.
Tackling Cultural Changes in the Workplace
Tackling Cultural Changes in the Workplace:?How Boulder County is addressing Healthy Eating and Active Living strategies through policy changes, leadership engagement and communications campaigns.
Boulder County has an award winning, comprehensive wellness program that has shown impactful changes in healthcare costs between wellness program participants and non-participants. The program, managed by Healthbreak, Inc., boasts all the essential elements of a successful program including onsite health screenings, lifestyle management programs, engagement challenges, seminars and workshops and a strong wellness advisory committee.
Over the last eight years, participation in the program has grown from 35% to 66%. The introduction of a health insurance premium reduction for enrollment in the program four years ago resulted in almost a doubling of participation. Then two years ago, participation continued to grow by establishing a health outcomes based strategy that further emphasized the importance of a culture of health.
Though the program is seasoned and impactful, Boulder County recognized the importance and need to address cultural changes in order to elevate the program to the next level and to keep participation and engagement in the program high. Through a partnership between the Wellness program and Boulder County?s internal Public Health department, two important policy strategies were identified for implementation
- Healthy vending
- Healthy meeting policy
Boulder County Public Health recognized the need to match up Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) strategies that were being implemented in the communities Boulder County serves, to the strategies being implemented internally through the employee wellness program.
A special committee was formed, and county wide focus groups were conducted. Recommendations were made to improve vending offerings and to institute a policy for serving healthier foods at county sponsored meetings. Other strategies such as promoting activity breaks, walking meetings and decreasing the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages were also determined to be a top priority for Wellness Program cultural activities.
Top leaders were informed of proposed cultural strategies and were asked to support HEAL activities. The Wellness Program is currently implementing policy changes and creating a communications campaign that focuses on a healthy workplace culture. Since beginning efforts to specifically address culture and policy, the program saw a 4% increase in annual enrollment in the program.
Emily Cooper
Emily Cooper joined Boulder County in March of 2013 as the Employee Development Coordinator and Co-Wellness Program Manager. ?Prior to that, she spent seven years managing a very busy multi-disciplinary medical clinic in Loveland, CO. ?She has a passion for alternative medicine including acupuncture and chiropractic.? In her wellness role at the county, she is actively involved in engaging employees to participate in open enrollment and challenges throughout the year.? She is committed to fostering of a culture of health, and hopes that it will become second nature like the county?s sustainability initiative. She loves adventure, hiking, walking, biking, Power Barre classes, and camping.
Rachel Arndt, AICP, LEED AP
Built Environment and HEAL Coordinator, Boulder County Public Health
Rachel Arndt is the Built Environment and HEAL Coordinator for Boulder County Public Health. Joining the county in 2010, she oversees policy, systems, and built environment changes that seek to increase healthy eating and active living.?During her tenure, Ms. Arndt has worked to integrate health equity and healthy food access into the built environment. In addition to developing municipal code changes that encourage walking and biking and local food production, Ms. Arndt conducted a food access assessment of Boulder County?s food environment, and worked to initiate a double voucher program at the Boulder County Farmers? Markets that provide lower cost fruits and vegetables to residents receiving federal nutrition benefits. She also oversees Boulder County Public Health?s healthy workplace initiatives.
Lee Stiffler-Meyer
Healthbreak, Inc.
Lee Stiffler-Meyer is a seasoned health and wellness professional with over 16 years of experience. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and a Master's Degree in Public Health. Lee loves inspiring and empowering people in the workplace to live healthier.
Throughout her career, Lee has led numerous wellness and public health initiatives at the American Cancer Society, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and Klein Buendel, Inc. As a Senior Account Manager at Healthbreak, Inc., she assists employers with all aspects of their wellness programs.
Lee has had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of populations including adults and children, promoting health and wellness through creative programming, strategic partnerships and creativity. She is passionate about health and believes everyone deserves opportunities to live healthfully. She is a former board member of the Colorado Society for Public Health Education and Slow Food Denver.
Change is Hard: The Promise of Behavioral Economics
Change is Hard: The Promise of Behavioral Economics
The recent surge of financial incentives being applied to increase participation and engagement in wellness programs has fueled interest in understanding the impact on short and long term change of financial incentives versus intrinsic incentives such as social influences, context of decision making, the framing of decisions, and aversion to loss.?? People often make decisions that are not in their best interest like putting off a doctor visit, skipping medications, or engaging in harmful health behaviors. Traditional economics (with a focus on financial rewards) assumes that people are rational, patient, forward thinking and proficient at decision making. However, we know that people have difficulty making wise choices, especially when faced with decisions that involve uncertainty and tradeoffs between current and future costs and benefits.
Behavioral economics is attracting attention because of its conceptual appeal and the potential to address complex and difficult health decisions. Behavioral economics integrates insights from psychology that acknowledge that people often do not act rationally in an economic sense. It offers a richer set of behavior change tools than have been provided by traditional change theory.
This session will cover three topics including: 1. What is behavioral economics and who contributed to its development?, 2. What does the research to date show about effectiveness of behavioral economics?, and 3. How has a regional wellness provider begun integrating behavioral economics change principles into their messaging and programming.
Key principles of behavioral economics will be discussed including: loss aversion, social influencers, decision making rules of thumb (heuristics), decision fatigue, hyperbolic discounting, the power of present bias, and crowding out (the influence of monetary incentives in reducing the power of intrinsic incentives).?? Influential thought leaders in the field and their unique contributions will be discussed including Dan Ariely, B.J. Fogg, Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky, Daniel Pink, Edward Deci, Richard Ryan, Richard Thaler, and Cass Sunstein.
A review of the empirical evidence of the effectiveness of behavioral economics in health care settings will be described. Research supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics will be highlighted.
Health Promotion Management, Inc. a regional provider of health promotion services located in Denver will describe an approach they are using to integrate behavioral economics principles into their messaging and programming.
John Reidel
President, Riedel and Associates Consultants, Inc.
John is the President of Riedel and Associates Consultants, Inc. (RACI) which provides health and productivity management services to self-insured employers and employer coalitions, health plans, hospitals, disease prevention and disease management providers, and pharmaceutical companies.?? RACI services include market research, survey design and implementation, strategy development, incentives design and deployment, product development and positioning, and evaluation design. John received his MBA from Aurora University (Aurora, IL) and his MPH from the University of Illinois at the Medical Center (Chicago, IL) He holds a Certificate of Applied Management from George Williams College (Downer?s Grove, IL). He lives in the front range mountains of Colorado with his wife Mary and his dog Huck, a Hurricane Katrina survivor.
Lisa Bailey
President, Health Promotion Management, Inc.
Lisa Bailey is the CEO, President and owner of Health Promotion Management. HPMI is an employee engagement company and is a well-respected source for results-oriented health management programs that produce results. Over the last 30 years, their clients have seen increased engagement levels among employees, positive wellness attitudes and behaviors and have also realized significant hard-dollar savings ? in the areas of health care costs, absenteeism and workers? comp.
Lisa has been involved with state-wide efforts to promote healthy workplaces in Colorado for the past 20+ years. That work resulted in the development of this annual conference, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment?s toolkit for Colorado worksites and she provided state-wide training for employers. She is also a contributor to ACSM?s Worksite Health Promotion Manual.
Colorado's Healthiest Places to Work
Colorado's Healthiest Places to Work: Taking a Look at Businesses who are Succeeding at Targeting Whole Health for their Employees
Health Links Colorado is a non-profit initiative to help businesses across the state adopt effective organizational strategies for health and safety. Health Links certifies businesses through an evidence-based assessment tool that measures organizational factors. To date, Health Links has certified 78 Colorado organizations in 11 counties. This session will expand on what we?ve learned from the Healthy Business Certification Assessment and from advising businesses in the field. During advising sessions we train and educate businesses on how to create and implement a program for sustainable employee health and safety strategies and policies. By presenting industry and regionally specific case-studies and data, we will identify what businesses are doing across the state to address the whole health of their employees. Data collected helps address the question What Really Works in Worksite Wellness? Results indicate that employers in Colorado are adopting and implementing programs that are focused on nutrition (74%), physical activity (72%) and stress management (50%). 19% of certified businesses are coordinating wellness with safety programs and 48% are assessing employees' needs annually. After the session, participants will gain an understanding of the best-practices for addressing employee health and safety at the workplace, learn how businesses are overcoming barriers to addressing employee whole health, and learn how to work with local community health and wellness coalition groups to create a program that fits their unique needs.
Michelle Haan, MPH, received her Masters of Public Health Degree from the Colorado School of Public Health with a focus on Community and Behavioral Health. As the Program Manager for Health LinksTM, Michelle works with local business communities in Colorado to help them adopt and implement evidence-based worksite wellness programs that improve the health, safety and productivity of their employees, families and community.. The passion and enthusiasm she gets to see in the employees that she meets is what keeps the program running each day. As part of her management role, Michelle helped to develop and launch the Health LinksTM Advising Program that trains community and business members to conduct one-on-one advising sessions for creating sustainable worksite wellness programs in small businesses. Michelle loves finding new ways to help small business bring wellness to work.
Co-Presenter: Liliana Tenney, Co-Founder/Director Health Links Colorado
Lili Tenney is the Deputy Director at the Center for Worker Health and Environment and an instructor at the Colorado School of Public Health. Lili is the Co-Founder and Director of Health Links, an initiative to promote Total Worker Health in small businesses by providing them expert advising, certification, and connection to local health, safety and wellness services. She conducts research on workplace health and safety programs and the impact of these programs on personal health outcomes, workplace culture, and business performance.
3:00 p.m. – Breakout Sessions
Helping Colorado Citizens Drive, Deliver, and Buy Value in Health Care using APCD data
Helping Colorado Citizens Drive, Deliver, and Buy Value in Health Care using APCD data
The Colorado All Payer Claims Database (APCD) is the state's most comprehensive source of health claims data from across Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Advantage and the largest 20 commercial payers in the state. The data in the APCD is used to unlock information and insights that guide how health care gets delivered, used and paid for in the state of Colorado. Statewide cost and utilization data has been available publicly since November 2012, and in July 2014 consumer-focused price and quality information were published on the public website, www.comedprice.org, for the first time. The website shows median prices insurance companies and patients combined actually pay for specific services at named facilities; a cost calculator to help patients estimate their own potential out-of-pocket share; and includes information on the quality of the services and facilities depicted. Plans are in place to add additional facility types and services over the next year to expand search options for consumers.
Custom datasets and reports from the APCD are also available to inform projects intending to advance health, improve care and lower costs in Colorado. Employers can use the data in a variety of innovative ways including to inform effective benefit design, to incentivize employees to seek care from high value providers, and evaluate alternative payment models that promote high quality, low cost services.
Tracey D. Campbell
Director, CO All Payer Claims Database
Center for Improving Value in Healthcare (CIVHC)
Ms. Campbell is a seasoned health care executive with over 25 years of health care IT experience. She has held positions at McKesson, Inteck, HealthTrio, and most recently with Numera, a telehealth care management solutions company. Her experience includes working with consumers, payers, providers, hospital systems and other health related businesses. In her role as APCD Director, Tracey is responsible for all aspects of the strategy, implementation, operation and sustainability of Colorado's APCD. She plays a key role in working with CIVHC's stakeholders including consumers, payers, businesses, providers and policy makers who together will help move Colorado to better health, better care and lower costs by using this unique Colorado resource. Tracey holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Kansas.
Powerful Impact: Managers Impact on Employees Health and Well-Being
Powerful Impact: Managers Impact on Employees Health and Well-Being
This interactive session examines the specific managerial behaviors and leadership styles that impact employees health on a physiological and emotional level. Managers and supervisory behavior has been shown to effect employees weight, blood pressure, BMI, overall cardiovascular health and diagnoses of depression and anxiety which often constitute the same lifestyle health problems most wellness programs are designed to address. As wellness programs become more sophisticated and ask for more accountability on the part of employees, the role of managerial behavior, leadership practices and overall organizational culture must be accounted for as a driver of healthy employees and workplaces. Participants will have the opportunity to explore their own managerial and leadership behavior as part of this discussion. Managerial behavior does have a distinct role in building and reinforcing a resilient, healthy workforce and workplace and leadership development programs should become an integral component of effective workplace well-being programs.
Ken Pinnock MS, SPHR, GPHR
Associate Director Human Resources, University of Denver
Ken is the Associate Director of Human Resources and oversees Talent Management programs and initiatives and Employee Relations for the University of Denver, in Denver Colorado. Prior to joining the University he was the Director of Human Resource Services, then Director of Mountain States Employers Council's Regional Office in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Ken's previous work has included consulting and working with a variety of organizations in the private and public sector on many facets of HR including strategy, employee relations, compensation and benefits, staffing and measurement. He has been a frequent presenter and facilitator with organizations in the United States, Canada and Europe, as well as local, regional and national conferences. Ken is a faculty member for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and an Adjunct Faculty member in the Strategic Human Resource Management graduate program at the University of Denver.
Ken holds a Masters Degree in Management from Regis University in Denver and is a graduate of the University of Denver?s business school with a degree in Business Management. He has also earned the (SPHR) and (GPHR) designation through the HR Certification Institute in Alexandria, Virginia.
Seasoning the Seasoned Program
Seasoning the Seasoned Program: How the City of Littleton Drives Health Outcomes and Cost Containment?????
The City of Littleton has had an employee wellness program in place for nearly two decades. In the fall of 2009 they put the wheels in motion to methodically transition from a participatory program to a health-contingent, outcomes-based program with one key focus…to help City employees reach their highest wellness potential. This five year outcomes-based strategy has been a collaborative effort between the City and its wellness program and onsite health clinic providers. The City introduced a health plan with no deductibles for employees that enrolled in the wellness program and were willing to take action on their health status. Biometric values and tobacco status were leveraged to benchmark health improvement and incentive criteria.
This session will be presented by the City of Littleton?s Acting Human Resources Business Partner and the President of their wellness program provider, Healthbreak. Together, they will provide the organizational background, outcome-based strategy components, communication campaign, environmental improvements and overall program impact. Program impact data will be shared that demonstrates improvements in participant risk data as well as the cost containment experienced by the City.
Kathy Knudsen, MA
Founder & President
Healthbreak, Inc
Kathy has been a recognized leader in the worksite wellness industry for more nearly three decades.? An outstanding athlete and three-time Hall of Fame inductee, Kathy infuses her company and her daily life with her passion for wellness and energized living. Her professional accomplishments are reflected through the numerous wellness awards that have been earned by the employers that Healthbreak serves. Kathy is a dedicated and dynamic speaker on a wide range of health and fitness topics. She was instrumental in moving worksite wellness efforts forward in Colorado by serving on numerous committees and delivering wellness trainings for employers across the state. Kathy earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a Master of Arts in Corporate Fitness Management from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Julie Lanier, PHR
Human Resources, City of Littleton
Julie received her B.A. in Communication from University of Colorado, Boulder in 2003 and has been in the Human Resources field for the past nine years, both in the private and public sector. As a mother of two young children Julie, understands the importance of workplace wellness and the benefits it carries both in and outside of the workplace. Currently serving as the Acting Human Resources Business Partner for the City of Littleton, she joined the Human Resources team in June of 2013 and has been involved in leading employee wellness activities — focusing on walking and cycling. Julie believes in removing barriers, meeting employees where they are in regards to wellness and making wellness fun as a means of increasing employee participation. Between partnering with wellness activities, already in place, and leading new initiatives Julie shows employees that walking and cycling are easy to incorporate into everyday life.
You can lead a horse to water...7 reasons employees aren't participating
You can lead a horse to water…7 reasons employees aren't participating
This presentation will focus on the main complaints people have that stop them participating. We will cover the special needs of:
- The overweight population
- The suit-wearing-don't-get-me-sweaty population
- The ambivalent population
- The career-focused population
The presentation will address each of the above as a different group that requires special and personalized attention and action in order to get full participation. There will also be a focus on synergy, having certain members of staff participating (and promoting their participation) in order to get people to step up and pay attention to the program and the good it can do.
Lastly, there will be a presentation on how to create a program that can suit all of the above populations and how to make that work across different sizes of corporations. A major problem is that populations have large home offices and small remote office locations with significantly less resources. How to measure and create according to the lowest common denominator and ways to incentivize and promote participation will also be explained.
Jamie Atlas
Owner, Bonza Bodies Fitness
Jamie Atlas, owner of local award winning fitness studio Bonza Bodies Fitness has studied both neuroscience and sports science. His passion for helping others is seen in his work for local non-profit Livewell Colorado as the Livewell RallyMan, speaking to communities and corporations about realistic, applicable changes that can be implemented with minimal effort to create maximal change. A regular contributor to local news and television stations, his passion for creating change and changing the way we think about change is contagious and entertaining.
Is the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) Obsolete?
Is the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) Obsolete?
If you have attended any of the top wellness conferences last year, you may think the Health Risk Assessment is obsolete. With many programs under attack for not showing a stellar ROI, the Health Risk Assessment has been blamed for the wellness program?s shortcomings. However, before we ?throw the baby out with the bath water?, let?s understand the value and the challenges with the traditional health risk assessment.
Recent surveys suggest that 50% of employers are increasingly skeptical about health risk assessments (HRAs).?? Although we would like to think that wellness programs have evolved quite a bit over the years, many industry experts who have been in the field for a long time (30+ years) state that they largely remain the same. Generally, an organization starts with all its employees (let?s say 1000). They assess those employees in some manner.?? Maybe half of them complete the health risk assessment so we are down to 500 now. Then we target the highest risk employees with interventions thinking that they are driving the cost (maybe 20% of the 500, or 100 employees). Of those 100 employees maybe half of them will take part in the interventions we are offering and before we know it we have engaged 50 employees out of 1000. Sure the assessments and interventions have changed over time, but this model really has not. And it?s about time it does.
Join us for a stimulating discussion about this topic to help you make an informed decision on whether your organization needs to keep an HRA as an integral part of your wellness program and what are key must have strategies that can be leveraged to engage employees in making healthier choices that are sustainable.
Colleen Reilly, MBA, MSM
Founder, Total Well-Being
Colleen M. Reilly, MBA, MSM is the president and founder of Total Well-Being, the nation?s leading provider of Performance-based Corporate Wellness. She was the former Director of Wellness & Benefits at Nelnet, where she was responsible for increasing employee engagement and managing healthcare costs. Before Nelnet, Ms. Reilly worked for the Mayo Clinic as a strategic health management consultant helping their Fortune 500 clients design and formulate effective integration, incentive and promotion strategies. Prior Mayo Clinic, she spent over 7 years with Coors Brewing Company running their Health & Productivity department. She has a double Masters in Business Administration and Sports and Wellness Management from the University of Denver.


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2/32 Lavarack Road, Nobby Beach Ph: 07 5575 3330
"Where should we dine on the Gold Coast?"
Restaurant names given in answer to that question often fall into two camps: chefs and restaurateurs (and sometimes the two in combination)!
Young, dynamic and visionary, there's a clutch of restaurateurs who are defining what could be termed 'Gold Coast style': often single-concept eateries which are ideally suited to the lifestyle preferences of coastal diners.
Andrew Whiting is one of the small but influential group of forerunners in eatery culture. Using the core values they'd already established in their previous cafes (Vintage Espresso and Elk), Andrew and his wife Jodie knew that they would be concentrating on seasonal fresh local produce and a selective well-chosen list of boutique small producer Australian wines and beers.
But they wanted more. Looking closely at their demographic and prevailing food trends, they decided on one central theme: sharing. Sparrow's core concept is clearly outlined on the top of the menu: "Our menu has been created so that it may be shared. Enjoy your food journey!"
While we'd found the previous seasonal menus both creative and interesting, the new spring menu from Chef Jeremy McBain has been tweeked to take it up a notch. Drawing from a world palette of colour and flavour, it's brimming with innovative combinations of on trend ingredients, while maintaining a balance of flavours.
Beautifully plated, each dish is a balance of known ingredients and the surprise of a new combination: the best Tempura zucchini flowers we've tasted, stuffed with truffled ricotta and the sweet tang of ginger-spiced honeyed pumpkin; seared Beef tataki served with whipped horseradish and truffle-infused butter, and our dish of the night – the unassuming Sticky ginger quail served with peppered ricotta and the crunch of a broad bean watermelon salad.
While many of the smaller plates are lighter for summer, they are augmented by four larger plates: Lamb rump, Duck breast with grapes and celeriac, Crispy skinned salmon with a sweet fennel and cranberry remoulade, and Slow cooked pork shoulder topped with its crisp crackling – a delicious hearty meal to share.
"Every plate that comes out represents us," Andrew tells us.
It's a menu to savour; clever with unexpected combinations. In fact, we find it difficult to choose what to miss! Too many taste sensations, each one unique in its own way; the problem can only be solved by successive dining ventures. Some options are to dine with a group 'Banquet' ($39) or the 'Chef's Banquet' (a selection of the restaurant's favourite dishes for $55 per head), which you can choose to pair with cocktails and/or wines to match.
A truly affordable option is to dine on Wednesday nights when four dishes can be ordered for $50 per couple. An assortment of dishes can be ordered gluten-free.
It's well worth leaving room for shared dessert at Sparrow: Cheesecake croquette with the bite of mandarin curd and caramelised white chocolate, or the amazing puff pastry Banoffee jaffle served with salted caramel sauce and cream.
Our favourite is the Misty chocolate terrarium, the dessert that Jarryd Hayne made famous! In a dramatic unveiling, the chocolate cake appears from under a cloche, then Callabaut Belgian chocolate ganache is poured into its flower-ringer centre. Such a showy, decadent treat!
Sipping a glass of Riposte Pinot Noir, we realise that Sparrow's success does not rest solely on its food or its boutique wine list, though both are absolute standouts. We look around and take in the little things that count at Sparrow: the warmly genuine greeting as we entered the restaurant, water glasses constantly refilled, fresh orchids on each table, microherbs and edible flowers used in presentation, beautiful plates on luxe copper tabletops in a spotless venue… There's also dining flexibility, the inclusion of single diners sitting at the bar being entertained by the barman's repartee, function catering on and off site for weddings and celebrations, even their notorious 'Wow' cake, which is an absolute hit.
"It's the extra 10% that counts: staff training, consistency, product and service, all need to offer more to the customer," Andrew tells us. "It's about establishing trust. Then people will come back and bring their friends."
There's nothing accidental about the Whitings' success. Dining at Sparrow is a celebration of innovative cuisine, well-chosen fine wine, exceptional service and our unique Gold Coast dining culture.
Read more of Marj's reviews on Good Food Gold Coast http://www.foodgoldcoast.com.au

subset: commoncrawl


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"The Up-and-Coming Young Trainer" (European Trainer Magazine)
Raised in a family steeped in equestrian sports, De Balanda trains about 40 horses with proven results in both flat and jumps.
Already more than 300 winners over both flat and jumps
Multiple Listed winners
5 Group wins, 2 Group 1 wins (Auteuil Champion Hurdle twice)
Based in Maisons-Laffitte (15 km away from Paris)
Follow me on
Facebook, Twitter & Youtube
Nicolas B. de Balanda has grown up in Maisons-Laffitte surrounded by horses in the footsteps of his father Jehan B. de Balanda, one of the top ten racehorse trainer in France, his uncle Gilles B. de Balanda, double World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist in show-jumping, his grandfather Marc B. de Balanda, renowned international show-jumper and Cadre Noir de Saumur instructor, and looking further back his great-grandfather Pierre B. de Balanda who was a show-jumping Olympic Silver Medalist.
Nicolas first performed in show-jumping to reach the International Juniors at 16 years old. Despite his first successes, he decided to join the gentlemen riders to fulfill his passion for races.
Growing in maturity, he worked as a Pupil Assistant for Christophe Clement in New York City in 1999, to later move to Luca Cumani's stables in Newmarket during 2000 and complete his training by the side of Pascal Bary in Chantilly from 2001 until 2003. This helped Nicolas B. de Balanda travel around the world to gain a wider experience and give him the opportunity to accompany Bary's horses across the continents (Hong Kong, Singapore, England, Italy, USA, ...).
In 2004, Nicolas finally set out as a trainer in Lyon in order to benefit from the versatility the region has to offer to a variety of horses and levels. It proved him right as B. de Balanda quickly won a remarkable number of races both in flat and jumps, which allowed him to build a trustworthy relationship with a valuable clientele.
After eight fruitful years, Nicolas naturally moved back to Maisons-Laffitte to be closer to Paris' racetracks and pursue his brilliant achievements. B. de Balanda chose to work as a "boutique" trainer with a tailor-made approach to better adapt to the horses' capacities and reveal their potential. He favors quality and results in valuable races over quantity. Hence, Maisons-Laffitte's unique facilities appeared to him as the number one site to expand and provide the best environment to deliver top-class training.


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Learn the Tools. Grow your Business.
Why do we do it?
Meeting with a homeowner is typically one of the final steps to earning a new client, if it's done correctly. Creating a format, setting expectations, delivering information clearly, among other things, are crucial to ensuring the in-person appointment goes well.
What will we accomplish?
What to bring, what to say, what to do, and how to conduct the meeting will all be discussed at length.
What will I get out of this lesson?
An in-home checklist and in-home presentation packet specific to your company will be created.


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Team Finish Strong is open to individuals 18 years of age and up and membership is open at this time! For returning and new members, please follow the steps below to sign up. Thank you for supporting Team Finish Strong!
Step 1: Complete and Return Waiver
Please fill in, sign, and return the Finish Strong Waiver. This is required for participation. Please return the completed form to: email@example.com.
Note: In order to fill in and electronically sign the waiver, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader DC installed on your PC or a current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on mobile devices.
Finish Strong Waiver and Liability Form Form Help
Step 2: Sign and Return Competitor's Creed
As followers of Christ and members of Team Finish Strong, we adhere to the Fellowship of Christian Athlete's Competitor's Creed. Please read, sign and return the FCA Competitor's Creed form and return to: email@example.com.
FCA Competitor's Creed Form Help
Step 3: Remit Annual Membership Fee
Click on the button below to remit the annual membership fee for the club membership desired. If you do not wish to sign up via PayPal, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com for additional payment options.
Note: Peloton and Racing members, please add $8.00 if you would like your member packet mailed to you.
Membership Payment Processing
Step 4: Submit Membership Application


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Exercise is good for the body as well as the psyche, but if you listen to music while exercising, your brain will even work better.
People like listening to music while exercising and also having the ability to not miss that important phone call. Using Tech Talons sport stereo earphones, it's easy to do both and without the hassle of headsets that slow you down. You can simply stream and control your music and calls via your Stereo Earphones.
• Water Resistant
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• Vibration alert on call
• Easy magnetic earphone storage
• Noise reduction and Echo cancellation
• Up to 6 hours play time
• Up to 8 hours talk time
• Less than 2.5 hours charging time
• Up to 130 hours standby time
• 3 sizes of patented secure fit ear cushions are included. The correct size for your ear will be the ones that fit snugly.


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Sell, Buy or Rent Epidemiology Textbooks Online for Cash
Isolating and understanding the causes of various mass diseases, conducting research on possible treatments of epidemics, preventing dangerous epidemics from occurring and spreading over the population – epidemiology deals with all these issues, and not only them. Public health area is closely connected with epidemiological studies, and this discipline helps the government officials to decide what measures should be taken in order to improve the hygiene and work performance in the society. Epidemiology heavily relies on usage of such sciences as biology and statistics, and the specialists that are implementing the techniques into life need to possess knowledge of medicine, technology, politics, and many other fields. Identifying risks contributing to diseases or mortality rate and controlling the outbreaks is a main goal of public health management. What's more, introducing epidemiology into different liberal arts programs makes its concepts and methods of preventing mass diseases understandable for a wider audience, not only for a niche.
Do you want to sell your used epidemiology textbooks, earn plenty of cash, and help other students find cheaper options? You can do all this on BooksRun.com, just search for the book you need using ISBN, ship it for free, and get the money quickly!


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When you wake up in the midst of a financial avalanche in your life you will automatically beat yourself up for all the things that you should have done. You think about how you should have avoided all of the credit cards. There may be slight moments of clarity where you have disregarded anything that may have been financial guidance. At these times you may ask yourself how you were blinded to the point that you did not listen to any type of guiding force. All of these things can hinder the steps that you need to make now. It is good to reflect and look back, but only for a moment. It is also good to consider the benefits of moving on. You need to learn from your mistakes and move on and get connected to the right websites and financial counselors to help you make good decisions. When you are able to improve your finances you have the opportunity to save and help others.
What You Still Have Time to Do
There is still time to get rid of those things that are not going to add to your wealth. You should look at ways to sell your coin collection Chicago Il if that is holding back money that could be used to pay off something else. It is common knowledge to just assume that everyone is going to finance a house or get a mortgage for a home. You don't have to be one of those people though. It is better for you to consider paying for things in cash. Instead of paying the bank interest you should make the bank pay you interest. Get a certificate of deposit. Earn interest on large amounts of money that may be saved and wait until the interest builds up. This is going to be the best way to implement a better plan for avoiding things that you cannot really afford.
There are a ton of people that assume that they can afford a home because they can afford the monthly payments. That is the wrong mentality to have. It works better when you have a home or car that you own. Any type of interest that is paid on anything is just trouble. There are a ton of people that have gotten it wrong. They assume foolishly that a salary that allows them to pay these type of monthly bills is an indicator that they have the money to pay for these items. That is not the case at all.
You Can't Rewind, But Mentally Fast Forwarding Is Possible
There is no way to rewind the mistakes that you have made in the past. You can, however, take a mental snapshot of the future and what it possibly holds. You need to have a good idea of what it costs to live. You should have a better idea of how you can save for the future when you calculate the time frame that you want to work before you retire.


text: Home > Sports UAAP: NU named Cheerdance champion anew ABS-CBN News Posted at Nov 17 2019 06:42 PM | Updated as of Nov 17 2019 08:14 PM Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Watch more in iWant or TFC.tv MANILA - (UPDATED) The National University (NU) Pep Squad affirmed its status as a cheerdance powerhouse by coming up with one of the most dominant performances in UAAP Season 82 Cheerdance Competition at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday. This year saw vast improvements from all the squads, but the cheerdancers from NU proved once more that they are a cut above the rest, by performing one difficult stunt after another in their awe-inspiring routine. NU's Pinoy Pride theme earned back-to-back titles for the school -- its sixth in the past seven editions of the cheerdance competition. WATCH: NU Pep Squad determined to keep crown with Pinoy Pride routine The NU Pep Squad also won the best toss and the best pyramid awards. With the victory, NU took home the P50,000 top prize, aside from the cash prizes that came with the special awards. NU's cheerdance coach Ghika Bernabe said the routine is about paying tribute to their fellow Filipinos. "It's about giving back to the Filipino supporters," she said. She also praised her wards for being coachable, down-to earth and passionate about their craft. These attributes, she said, were the reasons NU has won its sixth cheerdance title. "Very skillful. Hindi nilalagay sa ulo nila, nandito sa puso nila," said Bernabe. Finishing in second place was Far Eastern University with their Michael Jackson-themed routine, while Adamson University came in third -- in a repeat of last season's final ranking. NU amassed a total of 722 points, while FEU got 706 points. Adamson had a total score of 658.5 points. FEU received 30,000 for its efforts, while Adamson settled for P15,000. University of Santo Tomas again finished at fourth place, followed by University of the East, University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University. Paula de la Llana-Nunag, Cheerdance head judge, said that a lot has changed in the competition through the years, citing that the judging process has become increasingly difficult due to the vast improvements made by each of respective schools. "This year was really, really special... This was the year where the competition was really tough. Everybody really leveled up," she said. For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website. Share Facebook Share on Twitter LinkedIn UAAP 82, UAAP Cheerdance, UAAP Season 82 Cheerdance Competition Read More: UAAP 82 UAAP Cheerdance UAAP Season 82 Cheerdance Competition


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X-LiteX-lite Quality with Top Price
X-lite was born in 1998: a new brand for a new company backed up by 30 years of experience.
Namely the history and experience of the Nolan Group, whose achievements in building up a philosophy around its motorcycling helmets with polycarbonate shell and then spreading and consolidating it within its main markets worldwide, has led the company to push the boundaries of its own experience and know-how, and move into the composite materials arena.
This new challenge is aimed at the most demanding and experienced riders, and not only provides the same product culture, but also embraces the application of different materials and manufacturing techniques.
Decades of technological research with a determined approach to manufacture the very best helmets lay the foundations of X-lite philosophy. We have created a special plant for the exclusive production of fibre helmets.


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The Indoor Restroom for Pets.
Estimated delivery Sep 26 - Sep 30
This mat and tray system gives dogs a place to relieve themselves when they can't go outside! The ingenious mat is made of an antimicrobial and odor resistant artificial turf that gives off an organic scent, attracting dogs so they can be taught quickly that it is an acceptable spot for relief. The mat sits on top of a plastic insert which allows liquid to drain into the included tray for easy clean up!
Features include:
Three layer system
Non-Toxic Odor Resistant Synthetic Grass Mat
Plastic insert which allows the liquid to drain
Durable collection tray
Perfect for patios and indoor use
So easy to clean, just rinse with soapy water
Great when your pet can't go outside
Dimensions: 16 × 20 × 1.25 inches
Our awesome customer service department is ready for your questions! Although we are a small company (11 of us total), we will do everything we can to answer your questions and take care of any problems.Contact Us
Subscribe and we'll give you first dibs on all daily deals and sales. We'll also send coupons for even further discounts.
© 2020 Tanga.com • United States • All rights reserved.


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Haryana MC Advertisement Byelaws
State Policy on Property Tax
Birth/Death Certificates
Application for Birth/Death Certificate
In India, it is mandatory under the law (as per the Registration of Births & Deaths Act, 1969) to register every Live Birth/ Still Birth within 21 days of its occurrence.
you can download the Birth/Death Certificate Request Form below and can submit the same at the Citizen Facilitation Centre (CFC) in the office of Municipal council, rewari on any working day.
Birth Certificate Request form Death Certificate Request form
Fee To be Deposited While Applying For Birth/Death Certificate:
Note: Therefore, the applicant must submit Rs. 12/- for the generation of first copy and for every additional copy(s), Rs.10/- extra will be charged as Certificate copy generation fee.Apply online for Birth Certificate Apply online for Death Certificate
Frequently Asked Questions


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Updated: Oct 6, 2017
Wine Cooler/Refrigerator Reviews:The wine industry is experiencing solid growth as Baby Boomers near retirement and have plenty of discretionary income to spend on items like wine. Also, the younger generation now has access to wine bars in all major cities and their taste for fine wine is increasing too. The need for home wine refrigerators used to be a niche market but it's gaining steam as younger and younger wine drinkers are buying wine coolers to put in their homes. If you are just starting out, like I am, consider a smaller wine refrigerator (40-50 bottles), but nothing too small. A general rule of thumb amongst wine guides is to buy a wine cooler that has double the capacity of what you think you will use. The thinking behind this is that your collection will probably grow over time and the need for available space will increase. You want a wine fridge that has quality insulation and will keep your bottles at a constant 55 degree temperature and at about 50-70% humidity levels. When storing wine, temperature and humidity are key factors in maintaining the quality of the wine. If the humidity is too, the cork will dry out and if it's too high you can get mold. There are other factors consider when purchasing a wine cooler and we will cover those below.
For the interior of any wine refrigerator, you want ones that have aluminum (preferred over plastic). Aluminum interiors in wine storage systems will conduct cold and heat more effectively than the cheaper plastic wine fridges. For humidity control and maintenance, try to find wine refrigerators with a pebbled lining. Unlike regular kitchen refrigerators that have solid doors, many wine coolers come with glass doors so the owner can view the wine or show it off to his/her guests. The glass doors are actually more expensive than those with solid doors and they don't insulate nearly as well. Keep any glass doored wine refrigerator away from sunlight or get it protected with a UV finish since wines that are exposed to sunlight can be damaged. Vibration control is another feature to consider when buying a wine refrigerator. Wine should not be shaken and the compressors on fridges vibrate a little when they are turned on or off. To alleviate this problem, many wine fridges come with specially coated racks that grip your wine or champagne bottles and limit vibrations. Others have compressors that are mounted on rubber blocks to eliminate the shaking. The vibration control devices are most commonly found in high end wine coolers from Viking or Sub-Zero. The interior shelving is definitely a feature you want to look at closely. The better units come with wood racks while basic models have only chrome/wire shelves. If the shelfing rolls out your job of stocking the wine cooler will be much easier. Test this aspect in the store when you go to look at some. Dual zone wine refrigerators are great for storing both red and white wine at different temps. Lastly, some models have locks (great if you have smaller children or teenagers) and alarms to let you know if you accidentally left the door ajar. Undercounter wine fridges range in price from about $500-$3000 (depending on bottle capacity and other factors listed above). The top manufacturers and brands are Avanti, Haier, Danby, Marvel, Sub-Zero, Viking, Vinotemp, Cuisinart, Electrolux, and EuroCave. We did extensive research online reading reviews on Amazon.com and visiting forums with discussion boards about wine refrigerators at Gardenweb.com, Winespectator.com and Letstalkwine.com. We also looked at an article in Food and Wine Magazine with their top picks for wine fridges. Our overall findings are below with the "best choices" in each category. If you are looking to buy online, consider browsing through the best-selling wine refrigerators here - they carry Vinotemp, Haier, Avanti, and others.


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Do positive affirmations really work?
|Posted on Apr 15 2013
|Blog >>
I've been working with positive affirmations for years but have noticed a big difference in some of the things happening now in my life since I've been adding into my affirmations not only what I would like to happen for myself but how they can really benefit others.
I know this stuff but as I mentioned in my last blog post. Creating a temple of light/Part Two: Will you step into your role as a creator of your reality?'
'We can know this stuff but putting it into practice is a whole different ball game'
So in an endeavour to continue to practice what I preach I have REALLY been focusing on this from a HEART-CENTRED place. Writing my affirmations down and voicing them out load in my morning routine.
Things are manifesting in my life at record speed! The amazing synchronicities, connections, information to be shared between the people I'm being drawn towards and those who are drawn towards me. There are no accidents in this universe!
We are all part of a giant cosmic computer, that is continuously picking up on our energetic vibrations; our thoughts, words, deeds and actions and transmitting them out into the ether. This puts a whole different meaning on the classic song 'He's got the whole world in his hands'.
I'm sharing a few of the affirmations and mantras I've been working with recently:
- Thank you for the opportunities that I have to do my work in service of spirit. I love my work. It fills me with passion, joy and enthusiasm. Divine love and wisdom flows easily through me. I let go and I let spirit guide me along the path where I am sharing my unique talents and gifts for the highest good and greatest joy of all.
- Thank you for all the beautiful people around me who make me laugh and for my ability to laugh lots and bring joy and humor into the lives of everyone I connect with.
- Thank you for my good health. My body from top to toe is in perfect radiant health. I am warm, relaxed, my creative energy flows through easily through me. Everyone around me benefits from my radiant health and well-being.
- Thank you for all the information given to me by spirit so that I can use my creative abilities to benefit others for the highest good and greatest joy of all.
- Thank you for my beautiful, comfortable home that is a portal of light, a place for me to re-charge my batteries. To love and nurture myself now and always. Everyone who enters this sacred space really benefits from the healing energy that is working for the highest good and the greatest joy of all.
- Thank you for the wonderful group of like-minded, fun loving, supportive and inspirational friends I have in my life. All my relationships are based on mutual respect, love and trust
So be it. So it is.
N.B You may also wish to add into your affirmations:
' I ask for all this under the law of grace and in accordance with the higher will '.
This is in essence a 'spiritual get out clause' meaning that we can't always see the bigger picture in the grand plan of our lives and this allows for the highest outcome to unfold. It's another way of asking for things to work out for the highest good and greatest joy of all.
Take action step:
Write down a list of your affirmations.Think about some of the ways that you can turn these affirmations into a reality. What actions can you take right now?
Finally thank you to Patricia Iris Kerins for her timely reminders about 'this stuff'. I would thorougly recommend listening to her on the transformation talk radio show and in particular tuning into the show (april 2013) about 'the divine femine entrepreur finding your voice and using it to manifest'. I loved it so much I listened to it twice!
Leaving you with a message to 'Never under estimate the power of positive thinking'
♥ Namaste to all you way showers and warriors of the light! ♥
Keep posted for my next blog for my tops tips about 'The Power of Surrender'. Learn about tuning into your intuitive inner guidance and knowing the difference between when to take action and when to let go and LET GOD.
For more information on harnessing the power of the new moon to assist you with your manifestation skills please visit the post in the notes section on my face book page Jill Webster Intuitive Healer & Coach.
Please 'like' this page and share it with your friends. Receive regular messages of hope & inspiration!
Last changed: Apr 19 2013 at 1:02 PMBack
For further information Tel M: 07792 322362


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… Now 6.5 percent
Bank of Botswana has cut the bank rate by 100 basis points, taking it down to 6.5 percent.
The bank's Monetary Policy Committee made the decision on Wednesday, maintaining that "the economy and both the domestic and external economic outlook, as well as the inflation forecast, provide scope for easing monetary policy to support economic activity without undermining price stability".
Below is the full statement:
The meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee held on February 18, 2015 concluded that the medium-term outlook for price stability remains positive, with inflation forecast to remain within the medium-term objective range of 3 – 6 percent.
Economic Outlook and Assessment of Risks
Global output is projected to increase by 3.5 percent in 2015 (revised from 3.8 percent), compared to the estimated growth of 3.3 percent in 2014, and 3.7 percent in 2016 due to improving performance in advanced economies and lower oil prices. However, the growth profile differs across the globe while geopolitical risks and structural impediments constrain medium-term prospects.
For Botswana, total GDP growth is estimated at 4.8 percent in the twelve months to September 2014, reflecting the 5.5 percent and 4.7 percent expansion in mining and non-mining output, respectively. While the alcohol levy was increased by 5 percent in December 2014, inflation fell from 3.8 percent in December 2014 to 3.6 percent in January 2015. Modest domestic demand pressures and benign foreign price developments contribute to the positive inflation outlook in the medium term. The inflation outlook is subject to downside risks associated with weak global activity and a possible further decline in commodity prices. This could be adversely affected by any unanticipated larger increase than the current forecast for administered prices, government levies and international food and oil prices.
Monetary Policy Stance
The current state of the economy and both the domestic and external economic outlook, as well as the inflation forecast, provide scope for easing monetary policy to support economic activity without undermining price stability. Accordingly, the Monetary Policy Committee decided to reduce the Bank Rate by 1 percentage point to 6.5 percent.
Monetary policy is also aligned with the need to safeguard financial stability. In this regard, credit growth is assessed to be at a sustainable level, thus posing no threat to financial stability. Meanwhile, commercial bank liquidity condition continues to be monitored to allow for sound banking operations in support of economic activity. Commercial banks are expected to make the necessary interest rate adjustments to reflect this policy decision.


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A Cyber Unit to specialise in cyber crime
Aug 29, 2014
In an effort to fight against cyber crime, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay held a high-level meeting with the relevant stakeholders in the capital, today.
The meeting decided to set up a separate Cyber Unit in the Office of the Attorney General, which will specialise in cyber crime.
Ministry of Information and Communications will update the Bhutan Information, Communications and Media Act to strengthen legislation and regulations on cyber crime.
The government will work with the media to educate the public on cyber crime including online harassment and cyber bullying.
Meanwhile, police officers will also be trained to deal with all forms of cyber crime.
Prime Minister instructed all the relevant organizations to step up their activities to control the illegal production and distribution of obscene content.


text: I have found what is perhaps the most awesome mouse I have seen. While browsing Amazon I came across this UtechSmart Venus 16400 DPI High Precision Laser MMO Gaming Mouse that has a programmable 12 button numpad built onto the side of it. It is on sale for Cyber Monday, down to $38.99 from $99.99, (a $61 savings) and if my computer was able to run games I would so buy this. Tempting to buy it for when I can get a better computer, but who knows when that could be and finances are too tight to waste on getting things I may not need for some time; no matter how good the deal. And oh how nice this deal is, I have to wonder just how nice using that with Blender would be, to be able to program a lot of the things I do in modeling into those side buttons for fast and easy access. That alone makes me wish I could afford to justify getting the mouse on the chance it would work with my ancient computer to streamline my work in Blender.


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Westboro Photonics is an innovative manufacturer of light measurement equipment serving the flat-panel display, avionics, automotive and illumination industries. Our measurement solutions include instrumentation to measure light emission, reflection and transmission as well as the software needed to control, analyze and report those measurements.
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