BEMA Affiliate: Never The Less Ministries. Foreign Mission Projects

Foreign Mission Projects

Kipsitet Baptist Church Clinic

The mission component of Nevertheless is operating locally and on the international level. Over the past fifteen years services have been provided locally that address the needs of mankind in many different capacities such as:  counseling, couching, mentoring, health services, government assistance, housing, community initiatives, funerals, counseling for weddings and ceremonies, senior services referrals, problem solving, services within the Social Security Administration, preaching, teaching, workshop and conference facilitator, and motivational speaking, and in helping the terminally ill and bereaved to come to an understanding that God has not forsaken them.  View 2011 Foreign Mission Trip Photo's

In 2005 Reverend Brown-Hall joined in with Dr. Larry Wayne Jordan, Pastor and Deacon James Thompson, Ph.d, of Maples Springs Baptist Church, 4131 Belt Road, Capitol Heights, MD 20743, by becoming apart of their foreign missions ministry in Africa. This ministry was later named “The Kericho, Kenya Foreign Missions Project.”  In 2006 she accompanied Dr. Jordan and Dr. Thompson to Africa for her first mission immersion.  Upon her arrival in Nairobi, Kenya she realized that God had called her to the foreign mission field to make a difference, and has retuned for the past 7 years to eagerly address the needs of the people.  Her love for mankind in Africa has bestowed upon her the name of “Che Bai Bai” which means the “Happy One”.

 In 2007, the Kericho Kenya Foreign Missions Project opened the doors of “The Kipsitet Baptist Church Medical Clinic in Kipsitet, Kenya (East Africa), to address the medical needs fo thousands that had gone unattended.  The clinic was funded by the following partners:  Maple Springs Baptist Church, Central Baptist Church of Camp Springs, Open Door Baptist Church, Zion Hill Baptist Church, Tabernacle Full Gospel Church, Sharon Witherspoon, Esquire, Catherine Kilonzo-Yara, RN, and Minister Deborah Boston.  As of today the clinic has seen over 200,000 people who have been treated for various illnesses such as infections, malaria, cuts, diabetes, high blood pressure, pregnancy, and many, many others.  The clinic is solely funded by donations and an annual fund raiser breakfast held by Nevertheless Outreach Ministry. The proceeds are used to purchase medication for the clinic and its upkeep.  The foreign missions component of Nevertheless Outreach Ministries, Inc., will be further enhanced, in the very near future, by the use of grant funds to increase the humanitarian services that the Kericho, Kenya Foreign Missions Project provide to the people of Africa. In addition, Rev Brown-Hall has traveled to Guyana, South America with the Lott Carey Foreign Missions Convention where she ministered, encouraged, and learned greatly from the people there.

Further reading

This ministry maintains the services we provide in Kenya from the committed financial support of the following Mission Partners:

Maple Springs Baptist Church, Capitol Heights, MD

Dr. Larry W. Jordan, Pastor and Mission Coordinator/Dr. James Thompson, Mission Ambassador

Central Baptist Church of Camp Springs, Camp Springs, MD. Reverend John H. Parker, Senior Pastor/Reverend Lynda Brown-Hall, Mission Ambassador

Zion Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., Elder Debra James, Pastor/Elder Aurora Delelspin-Jones, Missions Ambassador

Minister Deborah Boston, Shady Side, MD

Catherine Kilonza-Yara, Bowie MD

Tabernacle Full Gospel Church, Temple Hills, MD, Elder Doretha Best Pastor

Open Door Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., Reverend Bernard Taylor, Pastor

New Home Freewill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., Dr. Ernestine Battle, Pastor

Morse Hall, III, Founder/CEO, On With Life Therapies, Inc., Washington, D.C.

Denelle Parker, Founder/CEO, Parker Events and Consulting, Newport News, VA

Salvation Music Ministry, Washington, D.C.

Annually we seek new mission partners to join us in our effort to serve the people of God who are less fortunate than we are.  Please consider joining us if you will.

Further reading

In addition to the Clinic, Nevertheless Outreach Ministry has spearheaded other projects as indicated:

Bone Marrow Drive

Senior Living Placement

Kericho Foreign Mission Kenya, East Africa

Michael& Niccole Jones Scholarship

Who Cares for the Caregivers

Annual Citywide Women's Conferenc

Senior Citizens Move to Freedom

What Are Your Wishes? (Wills, Estate Planning for seniors)

Kipsitet Widows Group Kenya, East Africa  Further reading

Abstinence Seminar for Teenage Girl

Strength for the Journey

Lott Carey Foreign Missions Convention

Nevertheless Outreach Ministry. Citywide Women's Conference. May 11-12, 2012

www.neverthelessoutreachministry.org

Proceeds benefit the Kericho, Kenya Widows Group, Kenya, East Africa

Background Checks, Security Clearances.

http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/13/11166181-shoddy-background-check-could-cost-you-a-job?lite\

Shoddy background check could cost you a job

By Herb Weisbaum, The ConsumerMan

Apply for a job and there's a good chance that potential employer will do a background check on you. Most U.S. employers (about 70 percent) conduct criminal background checks for all potential employees.
According to a new report from the National Consumer Law Center, the information provided by background screening companies is often wrong in some way.

"These reports really should be accurate. Unfortunately, too often, what we found is, they're not,” says Persis Yu, an NCLC staff attorney who worked on the “Broken Records”report.
Take the case of Samuel M. Jackson of Illinois, profiled in the report. Jackson was allegedly denied a job because of an inaccurate background check that said he was convicted of rape in 1987 – when he was just 4 years old. The conviction belonged to 58-year-old Samuel L. Jackson of Virginia, who was in prison at the time the background check was requested.

Virtually anyone with a computer and Internet service can go into the business of background screening. There is very little, if any, oversight.

“It’s really the Wild West out there,” Persis says. “They're not required to be licensed. They're not required to be registered. And yet they're generating billions of dollars in revenue with very little accountability."
The head of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) says the NCLC report makes some very broad statements that are not accurate. In an email statement to msnbc.com, Theresa Preg says background screening through Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRA), such as those that are members of NAPBS have “a very, very low error rate.”

Preg says members of her organization are highly regulated at the state and federal level. She warns employers not to use "free" criminal record searches offered via the Internet because they have no updating requirement and therefore can have inaccurate information.

 “The member companies of NAPBS help put millions of people to work, including ex-offenders,” she writes. “We also help consumers correct misinformation that may be contained on them at the actual courts or law enforcement agencies, as well as any incorrect criminal history information that may have been contained in a consumer report.

In preparing its  report, NCLC contacted attorneys and community groups that work with people who are hurt by faulty background checks. They say these reports routinely mismatch people. This can be devastating when a person with no criminal background is confused with someone who has a criminal history. Such mix-ups are more likely if you have a common name.

(Read: More background check horror stories)

“People are being denied employment because these companies are returning reports about the wrong person,” Persis says.

Background reports also commonly:

• Omit crucial information about a case. For example: A person is arrested, but then found innocent.
• Reveal sealed or expunged information, such as a juvenile offense.
• Provide misleading information, such as a single charge listed multiple times.
• Misclassify offenses, such as reporting a misdemeanor as a felony.

Even if you’re lucky enough to catch a mistake in a background check, it’s not always easy to get the error corrected.

“Many of these companies don't have very clear dispute processes,” Persis says. “Depending on the state and how the company got their records, it can take weeks or a month or more even to actually get the information corrected. By that time, a lot of times, the job is gone.”

The National Consumer Law Center wants the federal government to clean up the marketplace by creating rules that would ensure complete and accurate information. NCLC believes data providers should be registered, required to update their records each year and prohibited from making matches based solely on a person’s name.

Lake Arbor Jazz Festival. Sat. July 14th, Noon - 9:00 PM

 

Saturday, July 14, 2012, 12 noon - 9:00 pm

• Make plans now to attend the 2012 Lake Arbor Jazz Festival! Now in its third year, we're making it bigger and better than ever! Don't miss this year's festival! It's going to be another wonderful day of great music, friends, family and fun!
• Join us for a day and evening of contemporary and traditional jazz on the grounds of the Lake Arbor Community Center in beautiful Mitchellville, MD!
• In partnership with M-NCPPC and the Prince Georges Cultural Arts Foundation, this event will feature some of Washington, DC's finest jazz and R&B groups.
• Enjoy delicious food from a variety of food vendors, and arts and crafts merchandise from an array of vendors offering jewelry, clothing, books and more!
• Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, family and friends for a wonderful day and evening of jazz!

This is a FREE event!             You don't want to miss it! 

SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2012, 2:00 - 9:00 PM
(Gates open at 1:00 pm)
    _________________________
Gates/Vendor Marketplace Opens: 1:00 pm
 Show Times: 2:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    _________________________
Admission: Free to the Public
    _________________________
Event is "Rain" or "Shine"
    _________________________
Location: Grounds of the Lake Arbor Community Center
10100 Lake Arbor Way
Mitchellville, MD 20721
    _________________________
About the Festival 

The Lake Arbor Jazz Festival (LAJF) is a community music event showcasing top flight local and regional jazz and R&B musicians from the greater Washington, DC and Baltimore areas. This event brings together a diverse audience of jazz music lovers, young and old, for a one-of-a-kind event in a neighborhood community environment.

Enjoy delicious food from a variety of food vendors and arts and crafts merchandise from an array of vendors offering jewelry, clothing, book and more!

Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, family and friends for a wonderful day and evening of jazz!

The Lake Arbor Jazz Festival is an event of the Prince Georges Cultural Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

(Free parking on-site; free shuttle service for off-site parking)
    _________________________

http://www.lakearborjazz.com/index.htm

Events: April- Sept 2012. MCOG. Homeland Security & Public Safety

Date	Event	Time	Location	Committee
April 2012
Apr 24	NCR Operations Center Coordinatinon Group	10:00 AM	COG Board Room	NCR Operations Center Coordination Group
May 2012
May 7	Colombian Connection	08:00 AM		Police Training Subcommittee
May 30	6th Annual JFHQ/MDW - MWCOG Chaplains Training Day	07:30 AM		Public Safety Chaplains
June 2012
Jun 14	RICCS User Training - June 14, 2012	02:00 PM	Room 1	RICCS User Training
September 2012
Sep 13	RICCS User Training - September 13, 2012	02:00 PM	Room 1	RICCS User Training
December 2012
Dec 13	RICCS User Training - December 13, 2012	02:00 PM	Room 1	RICCS User Training

April 2012. MEMA Training Opportunities

http://www.mema.state.md.us/calendar/index.asp 4/16/2012 Storm Surge and the Sea, Lake, Overland, Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) Program - April 16, 2012 No cost [CG 7]  Maryland Emergency Management Agency [SEOC] 5401 Rue Saint Lo Drive Reisterstown , MD. 21136

4/16/2012 - 4/18/2012 Debris Management, Intro to the FEMA Public Assistance Program [CG 7] Cranford Graves Fire Services Building 6820 Webster Street Landover Hills , Maryland 20784

4/16/2012 Social Networking for Disaster Response and Recovery [CG 7]  Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management 1300 Quince Orchard Blvd. Gaithersburg , MD. 20878

4/17/2012 Basic HURREVAC Course - April 17, 2012 - No cost [CG 7]  Maryland Emergency Management Agency (SEOC) 5401 Rue Saint Lo Drive Reisterstown , MD. 21136

4/18/2012 - 4/19/2012 PER 284: Crisis Leadership for Local Officials (FREE) ~ April 18 &19, 2012 [CG 7] Best Western Westminster Hotel & Conference Center 451 WMC Drive Westminster , MD. 21158

4/18/2012 Coastal Community Resilience Henry L. Hein Public Service Building, 7480 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. Glen Burnie , MD 21061

4/18/2012 Advanced HURREVAC Course - April 18, 2012 No cost [CG 7] Maryland Emergency Management Agency [SEOC] 5401 Rue Saint Lo Drive Reisterstown , MD. 21136

4/21/2012 NWS SKYWARN Basic and Advanced Storm Spotter Class Kramer Center, 107 Powell Street, Centreville , MD, 21617

4/21/2012 Maryland CHART Highway Incident Training Public Safety Building 6501 Coastal Highway 2nd Floor Training Room Ocean City , Maryland 21842

4/24/2012 - 4/26/2012 COURSE FULL:L-146: Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Baltimore City (Free) April 24-26, 2012[CG 7]  City of Baltimore Public Safety Training Academy 3500 W. Northern Pkwy ROOM 200 Baltimore , Maryland, 21215

4/26/2012 Sisyphus Mass Casualty FSE Joint Base Andrews Joint Base Andrews , Maryland

4/26/2012 Tornado Exercise Caroline County , MD

National Domestic Preparedness Consortium

Consortium

 

As a member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, the NDPTC is a DHS/FEMA training partner dedicated to providing critical all-hazards training throughout the United States and its territories with an emphasis on natural hazards and island and coastal communities.
More about NDPTC

The NDPTC works collaboratively with numerous organizations and external agencies. In order to fulfill its goal of providing high-quality, up-to-date training on natural disasters, the NDPTC will continue to pursue opportunities to partner with State and Federal Agencies, Academic Institutions, Organizations, as well as other members of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC) to leverage assets and expertise to efficiently develop and deliver relevant training.

APR 18, 2012
Coastal Community Resilience @ Glen Burnie, MD

APR 23, 2012
Tsunami Awareness @ Rincon, Puerto Rico

l 

Evaluation of the FY 2011 Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects. Deadline June 11, 2012

Evaluation of the FY 2011 Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects

The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) recently released a solicitation for the Evaluation of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) FY 2011 Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects. The specific focus areas under this solicitation include:

1. An evaluability assessment of eight adult offender reentry demonstration projects. (NIJ anticipates one award of up to $400,000.)
2. A comprehensive evaluation of eight adult offender reentry demonstration projects. (NIJ anticipates one award of up to $3 million.)

States, local governments, federally-recognized Indian tribes, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, and certain qualified individuals are eligible to apply. Application titles should clearly indicate the focus area, and applicants may submit to either or both focus areas. The deadline for submitting an application is June 11, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

To download the solicitation, click here.

---

This is a National Reentry Resource Center Announcement. This announcement is funded in whole or in part through a grant (award number: 2010-MUBX-KO84) from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this announcement (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). 

Grants & Resources

Winners Announced for the fundsforngos.org Small Grant Prize! fundsforngos.org is pleased to announce the two winners of the US$500 Small Grant Prize as well as the ten runners up. Thousands of entries were received from across the world and the winners were selected by random drawing on 7 April 2012...[more] CIVICIS World Assembly 2012: Youth Participation Bursaries Deadline: 18 April 2012 All Countries CIVICUS and Institut du Nouveau Monde are offering 15 bursaries to committed young people so they can take part in the CIVICUS World Assembly, which will be held from 3-7 September 2012, in Montreal, Canada...[more] N-Peace Awards 2012 for women and men working for peace Deadline: 10 May 2012 Select Countries The N-Peace network - working to the leadership of women in conflict prevention, dispute resolution, reconstruction and peace building at the regional, national and community levels - is seeking nominations for the N-Peace Awards 2012...[more] Upcoming Webinars: How to raise Funds from European Foundations Date: April 17, 2012 Timings: 14:30-16:00 GMT Basic Budgeting: An Introduction for Developing Country NGOs Date: April 19, 2012 Timings: 11:30-13:00 GMT How to raise Funds from US Foundations Date: April 25, 2012 Timings: 13:00-14:30 GMT Recent Articles: Australia Endeavour Awards 2013 open Transnational Research Call for Improved Livelihoods in the Sub-Saharan Africa Finding a Job at the United Nations The Rockefeller Foundation's Innovation Challenges Heinrich Böll Foundation's International Petra Kelly Prize: Human Rights, Ecology & Non-Violence

Cyber Forensics and Security in the National Capital Region. May 22-23, 2012

The first "Cyber Forensics and Security in the National Capital Region" conference to be held May 22-23, 2012.  This conference is jointly sponsored by the FBI's Washington Field Office, George Mason University's Volgenau School of Engineering, and the InfraGard Nations Capital Members Alliance.  

Additional conference partners include CareerBuilder and the Government Technology & Services Coalition.  

 

Who:  Cyber Forensic and Security Professionals in the National Capital Region (NCR)

 

What:  Cyber Forensics and Security in the NCR conference

 

The agenda includes speakers from the FBI, GMU, private sector, and other government entities.  Topics to be discussed include cloud forensics, phishing detection, malware analysis, the importance of public-private collaboration to enhance cyber security, attacks targeting sensitive information & intellectual property of private sector companies, and current FBI cyber case studies.  In addition, Dr. Cliff Stoll, author of The Cuckoo's Egg, will speak about his own cyber intrusion investigation.

 

When:  May 22-23, 2012 (Tuesday & Wednesday)

 

Where:  GMU's Fairfax Campus

 

Why:  To encourage and strengthen the public-private partnerships between government, private industry, and academia in the areas of cyber forensics and security; to discuss current trends, emerging technologies, forensic techniques, and strategies to combat adversaries, strengthen our cyber defense, and protect critical infrastructure.

 

How:  Register at http://incrmacybermay2012.eventbrite.com. The cost of the conference is $150 and includes conference attendance, AM/PM coffee break service, buffet lunch, and parking for both days.  Seating will be limited to 120 attendees.

 

Additional information (specific location, directions, etc) will be provided to attendees once registration is confirmed.

Training: FEMA COOP Training-the-Trainer. Washington, D.C.

The D.C. Department of General Services' Risk and COOP Management Unit is sponsoring FEMA COOP Manager's Train-the-Trainer Course on May 10-11, 2012 and COOP Planners Train-the-Trainer Course on June 21-22, 2012.

The trainings will be held in the 5^th Floor Conference Room of the Frank D Reeves Center of Municipal Affairs, 2000 14th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009.  

FEMA 119-25-01 Training Application Form must be completed

Application forms can be sent directly to Julian Muhammad at julian.muhammad@dc.gov. I can also be contacted via telephone at (202) 731-9809 or (202) 671-2251. 

2012 New Madrid Incident Management Peer Exchange. October 23-25, 2012

New Madrid Incident Management Peer Exchange Pre-Event Survey

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet-Division of Incident Management along with the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection-Emergency Response Team, Kentucky Office of Homeland Security-HSEEP, US Department of Transportation, US Environmental Protection Agency and Kentucky Emergency Management Agency are tentatively planning the “2012 New Madrid Incident Management Peer Exchange” Registration from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT, with opening session beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, October 23, 2012.  We will have full-day sessions from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on October 24.  On October 25, the sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon EDT.  This inaugural conference will be held at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Office Building at 200 Mero Street, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601.

The Peer Exchange will focus on the key elements at play while planning the response to a catastrophic event in the New Madrid Seismic Fault Zone states.  The Peer Exchange tracks will include: a scenario based pre-planning response for Federal/State/Local and Private Transportation Partners (Freight “Air and ground, Evacuation “Air, Ground and Rail”, Navigation and Hazardous Materials”, Rail “Hazardous Materials and Infrastructure’ and Pipeline “Hazardous Liquids and Gas”.

Our goal is that as a participant you will experience a most beneficial and enjoyable knowledge-based return for being a part of our nation’s first Peer Exchange.  Please see and respond to the attached survey; this survey will take less than five minutes to complete.  Your responses will help us better determine what should be included so we can serve your agency or industry in the nation’s first such Peer Exchange for the transportation industry.  Please complete and submit this survey via link provided…

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2PWTFPR

Antimalaria drug: Mefloquine

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/04/military-new-concerns-antimalaria-doxycycline-mefloquine-041112w/

New concerns rising over antimalaria drug

By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 11, 2012 6:22:47 EDT

Navy Sonar Technician (Surface) Seaman Douglas Corrigan placed a Skype call to his wife March 25, 2011, from Rota, Spain, shortly after taking his first dose of the antimalaria medication mefloquine.

Preparing for a mission to a malaria-endemic region, his unit watched a video on the illness, and corpsmen dispensed two drugs: daily-dose doxycycline, and mefloquine, taken weekly.

Corrigan doesn’t remember getting a choice. He received a blister pack of mefloquine and was told it could cause nightmares.

“He told me he didn’t feel good,” recalled Nicki Corrigan, his wife of three years. “He said, ‘I don’t feel like myself anymore.’ It was a really weird thing for him to say.”

Corrigan’s personality changed radically, she said. The straight-laced husband and father began chewing tobacco, drinking and carousing. He climbed outside a three-story building to see whether he would feel fear.

Months later, at home, he was found tiptoeing around his basement, pursuing imagined intruders. He ranted psychotically and complained of daily headaches.

Medical tests showed no traumatic brain injury, nor did doctors believe he had post-traumatic stress disorder. They began suggesting he had a personality disorder or was a malingerer, faking his problems to get out of the military.

Finally, an ear, nose and throat doctor at National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, Md., offered another diagnosis: “multifocal brain stem injury” — brain damage — likely caused by mefloquine.

“He has a lesion. On his brain,” said Nicki, a registered nurse.

BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Mefloquine has drawn attention since the Army’s former top psychiatrist, retired Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, wrote a column in Time magazinelisting it among several drugs that may have induced psychoses in Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, charged in the shootings deaths of 17 Afghan civilians March 11.

But Defense Department concerns about mefloquine date back further — and some close to the issue say the most recent bout of scrutiny, which began with a meeting last Aug. 24-25 of DoD’s Joint Prevention Medicine Group to discuss mefloquine policy, stems from the Corrigan case.

“You have a sailor with permanent brain damage,” said an Army doctor familiar with the debate. “It’s very serious.”

The Navy would not confirm a link between Corrigan and the current DoD review, citing privacy laws. But on Jan. 17, two months before Bales’ alleged spree, the Pentagon’s top doctor, Jonathan Woodson, directed the Army, Navy and Air Force and the commander of Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical to give him all data and policies related to mefloquine.

DoD “wants to ensure each service conducts proper screening, patient education and medical documentation,” said Cynthia Smith, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

Mefloquine was developed under the Army’s malaria drug discovery program, which ran from 1963 to 1976. The Food and Drug Administration approved it for preventive use in 1989 and it was marketed under the brand name Lariam.

But no safety and efficacy reviews were ever done on a normal civilian population. The Army performed tests on prisoners in Illinois and Maryland in 1975 and 1976.

Shortly after commercial use began, anecdotes surfaced about side effects including hallucinations, delirium and psychoses.

According to the FDA, the most common side effects are nausea and vomiting, seen in less than 3 percent of users. Side effects occurring in less than 1 percent include emotional disturbances, seizures, hair loss, headache, tinnitus, pain and fatigue.

A 2004 Veterans Affairs Department memo urged doctors to refrain from prescribing mefloquine, citing individual cases of hallucinations, paranoia, suicidal thoughts, psychoses and more.

That same year, then-Assistant Defense Secretary for Health Affairs Dr. William Winkenwerder ordered a study to assess the rate of adverse side effects associated with antimalaria medications.

He ordered the study after questions arose over its possible role in several murder-suicides at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2002 and suicides in Iraq among deployed troops.

The Army in 2009 issued a policy listing mefloquine as a third choice behind doxycycline and another antimalarial, chloroquine. DoD followed with a memo later that year stating that doxycylcine and mefloquine may be used in areas where malaria is resistant to chloroquine, but doxycycline is the preferred choice.

The Air Force and the Navy have similar policies, officials said.

The DoD memo says troops given mefloquine must be counseled on its possible effects and must not be suspected of having any mental health concerns.

In 2011, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command issued memos barring mefloquine use except when doxycycline or another preventive drug called Malarone cannot be taken.

Roche, the manufacturer of Lariam, stopped marketing it in the U.S. in 2008, but it is still available in more than 50 countries. The mefloquine now taken by U.S. troops is a generic version.

OTHER DRUGS ALSO HAVE ISSUES

Doxycycline is not without its drawbacks. It can make patients photo-sensitive, causing debilitating sunburn; has a poor compliance rate, since it must be taken daily; and has side effects, including nausea and vomiting.

And Malarone costs much more than the other drugs — about $30 a week, compared with $3 a week for mefloquine and less than 25 cents a week for doxycycline.

Navy Cmdr. Bill Manofsky — who was medically retired in 2004 for PTSD and neurological problems, including loss of balance, that he said were documented in his medical records as mefloquine-related — said if cost concerns are an issue, they shouldn’t be.

He said if DoD wants to protect the troops from malaria as well as mefloquine’s potential side effects, it should ban mefloquine and pay the higher cost of Malarone.

“How much does a .50-caliber round cost? They’re worried about $4 a pill and they’re willing to spend $5 for a round?” he said.

There’s no question malaria poses a risk. In 2011, 124 service members contracted the potentially fatal disease — 91 in Afghanistan, 24 in Africa and nine elsewhere. The year before, 113 troops contracted malaria; one died.

But mefloquine continues to be used in part because it is taken weekly while the alternatives must be taken daily, and some physicians believe that troops are more likely to take a weekly dose.

The services have 90 days to respond to Woodson’s order for details of their mefloquine policies.

Nicki Corrigan and others have contacted lawmakers, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Jim Webb, D-Va., to press for congressional hearings.

Douglas Corrigan is currently undergoing a Medical Evaluation Board to determine if he is still fit for military service.

Event: MEA Magazine recognizing 50 Women of Power in Business

April 9, 2012

Data Solutions & Technology Founder Among 50 Women of Power in Business

Awards Luncheon Theme: Celebrating Global Leadership & Excellence

(LANHAM, Md.)—MEA Magazine, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency, is hosting the U.S.-Africa Trade and Investment Conference 2012 at the Washington Hilton, located at 1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

During this event there will be a 1 to 3:00 p.m. luncheon recognizing 50 Women of Power in Business.   This event will honor 50 women leaders who are doing business nationally or internationally; women empowering communities around the world; and women shaping our economic future. Data Solutions & Technology Incorporated (DST) President and CEO Deborah Scott Thomas is among the 50 women who will be honored at the luncheon.

Fernando Galaviz, President and CEO, The Centech Group, Inc. (www.centechgroup.com) is keynote speaker during the awards luncheon. Mr. Galaviz is an expert lecturer and advocate for small/minority businesses. He is also the founder and president of the National Federal Contractors Association (www.nafcausa.com).

Other confirmed speakers include John Bryson, U.S. Secretary of Commerce; David Hinson, National Director, Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce; and Gloria Parker, CEO and Senior Partner of Parker Group Consulting.  Ms. Parker consults for fortune 500 companies on government and business strategies. She served on the Obama-Biden Transition team, served as CTO and CIO of HUD, and Deputy CIO of the U.S. Department of Education. Moderators are Yvonne Davis, COO/ Director of International Affairs, True North Bridged Composites, and Collins Spencer, former CNN anchor.

A partial list of honorees include: Tomi Bannister, CEO, ARMA, Inc.; Jetta Bates-Vasilatos, Twist; Diane Hahn Bellegarde, Soundway Consulting; Angela Bradley, BTI Security; Kenya Brooks, Bonaparte Corporation; Dee Daniels, Noir Woman; Dr. Shirley Davis, Society for Human Resources; Betty Hines, Chair, Women Presidents Organization; Annette Johnson,CMT Services, Inc.; Latonia Jones, Alabama A&M University Research Institute; Valarie King-Bailey, On Shore Technology; Angelle Brigitte Kwemo, Congressman Bobby Rush’s Office; Dr. Madeline Lewis, Deline Institute; Viola Llewellyn, Praxis Asset Management Africa LLC; Sonia Lo, Chalsys Partners Limited; Jacqueline Lopez, Open System Sciences; Marsha Malone, Lockheed Martin; Amicitia Maloon-Gibson, MGAA Professional Development Institute; Rosalind McLymont, The Network Journal; Dr. Tendai D. Ndoro, SLIPPA/EDCT Trainers, LLC; Tammy Owens, City of Virginia Beach Economic Development; Necole Parker, ELOCEN Group; Tanaia Parker, T. White Parker; Dr. Suzanne Penn, MFS WealthCare;  Shalon Simmons, Global ICT; Janet Simmons, GRS, Inc.; Jennifer Streaks, Financial Expert; Peggy Seats, Washington Interdependence Council; Elizabeth A. Vazquez, WEConnect International; Desiree Watson, Wellness Interactive; Rosa Whitaker, The Whitaker Group; Patricia Williams, Omega Security International.

For more information, including ticket details, call 703-730-4091 or email at vpwilliams@comcast.net or meamagazine@yahoo.com.Visit the website at www.meecouncil.com.

Contact

Tammi L. Thomas, Vice President for Strategic Management, tthomas@dstincorporated.com,  240-487-1479, www.dstincorporated.com

Training Opportunity: E101 Foundations of Emergency Management

http://training.fema.gov/EMI/

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Course: National Emergency Management (EM) Academy  E101 Foundations of Emergency Management

This is an update to the announcement dated March 8, 2012. Please note the change in dates for the offering of E101 which had originally been scheduled for May 07-18, 2012. The new dates are April 30-May 11, 2012.

Dates and Location

       April 30 – May 11, 2012   Emmitsburg, MD
       July 23 – August 3, 2012   Emmitsburg, MD
       August 20 – 31, 2012        Emmitsburg, MD

Course Description:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognizes the need to tie training programs to an established set of emergency management competencies and to a career development program through a progressive training and education system that includes the entry-level Academy. Training objectives are based on the newly established EM competencies that the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), and local, State, territorial, and tribal emergency management professionals have established in coordination with the Emergency Management Institute (EMI).


The following topics in emergency management are covered in this course: legal issues, intergovernmental and interagency context, influencing, organizing, social vulnerability issues, managing stress, public information

Course Goal:

At completion of this course, students will have a basic knowledge of the history of doctrine and authorities of emergency management, the role of the emergency manager, and an overview of all hazards

Course Length:

Each Foundations course is 11 days in length with Sunday off after the sixth day of instruction. Class resumes on Monday through Friday for the final 5 days of instruction the second week. Travel days are Sunday of the first week, and Saturday of the second week.

Prerequisite:

The following courses are mandatory prerequisites to this course:


• IS 100 (any version) – Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS)
• IS 700 (any version) – National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
• IS 800.b – National Response Framework, An Introduction
• IS 230.b – Fundamentals of Emergency Management

Continuing Education Units (CEU’s):

                  The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) awards 8.8 CEUs for completion of this course.


Target Audience:

This course is intended for newly appointed emergency managers from State, local, territorial, tribal, Federal emergency management agencies, and prospective professionals transferring from another discipline to emergency management. Veteran emergency managers willing to mentor are also welcome to apply.

Locations:

National Emergency Training Center
Emergency Management Institute
Emmitsburg, Maryland

To Apply:

Students attending any course(s) of the Academy are required to submit a FEMA Form 119-25-1, General Admissions Application to:


Admissions Office, Room I-216 National Emergency Training Center 16825 South Seton Avenue Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727-8998


Phone: (301) 447 - 1035 Fax: (301) 447 - 1658 


Email: netc-admissions@dhs.gov


For further information, please refer to the EMI website: http://training.fema.gov/Apply/.


Upon receipt of the FEMA Form 119-25-1, General Admissions Application, the Admissions Office will confirm acceptance into the course by providing students with an Acceptance Letter and packet. Acceptance into any of the Academy couses will be on a first come, first served basis
.

                              Screen Fillable (Acrobat 2.1 and above)  633 KB PDF


Student Stipends:


State, local, territorial, and tribal students taking classes at EMI will be eligible for stipends to cover costs of transportation. Their lodging at EMI is provided at no cost.

EMI Point of Contact:

For course information for the May 7 - 18, 2012 offering, contact Mark Claveloux at (301) 447-1628, or by email at mark.claveloux@fema.dhs.gov.


For course information for the July 23 – August 3, 2012 offering, contact Paul Benyeda at (301) 447-1326, or by email at paul.benyeda@fema.dhs.gov.


For course information for the August 20 – 31, 2012 offering, contact Tom Gilboy at (301) 447-1535, or by email at tom.gilboy@fema.dhs.gov.