Team Photo

MEDFORD, Mass., January 12, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Advanced Addiction Center is excited to announce the grand opening of its new outpatient center on January 13, 2024. This event marks a significant milestone in the center's commitment to providing comprehensive and accessible addiction treatment options to the local community. The state-of-the-art facility is fully licensed and poised to make a substantial impact in the lives of individuals struggling with addiction.

The owners of Advanced Addiction Center, local to the area, have dedicated themselves to addressing the urgent need for quality addiction treatment services in the community. They are passionate about offering hope and effective treatment solutions to individuals and families affected by addiction.

The outpatient center provides a variety of services, including individual counseling, group therapy, family support programs, and innovative treatment methods, all administered by a team of seasoned and compassionate professionals.

"In anticipation of our grand opening on January 13, 2024, we invite the community to join us in taking a significant step forward in combating addiction," said Joseph Simonelli, the founder of Advanced Addiction Center. "Our new facility is more than a treatment center; it's a vital community asset aimed at enhancing lives and fortifying the fabric of our community."

The facility's flexible schedule allows clients to seek treatment while managing their everyday lives, making access to recovery services more convenient than ever. Advanced Addiction Center is dedicated to removing barriers to treatment and offering high-quality care to everyone in need.

For additional information about Advanced Addiction Center, its services, or to arrange a visit to the new outpatient center, please visit https://advancedaddictioncenter.com/ or contact 781-679-5454.

About Advanced Addiction Center: Advanced Addiction Center is a leading provider of addiction treatment services. It offers comprehensive, individualized care aimed at holistic recovery and community engagement, striving to make a positive impact on its clients and the broader community. 

First 5 Association of CA
F5AC logo

SACRAMENTO, Calif., January 11, 2024 (Newswire.com) - The First 5 Network appreciates the Governor and administration of California for maintaining their commitment to early childhood education, infant and early childhood mental health, and protecting early childhood systems of care as part of the proposed 2024-2025 budget plan. Despite the difficult budget year, the First 5 Network is committed to ensuring the well-being of the state's youngest residents and their families.

“First 5 California continues to be grateful to the Governor and Legislature for last year’s unprecedented, values-based investments in children, families and communities. Although the budget shortfall will be a challenge for our state, we believe the Governor’s 2024 budget proposal is a carefully crafted and thoughtful first draft that addresses the state’s budget deficit while maintaining crucial investments for our youngest Californians, their families, as well as early learning and care educators,” said Jackie Thu-Huong Wong, First 5 California Executive Director.

“We appreciate the commitment to long-term investments to build the infrastructure necessary to continue to create healing-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive systems that will ensure equity for all Californians during this time of economic uncertainty. This is highlighted by his continued commitment to the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, among many other programs. We look forward to continuing to work with the administration and the Legislature in crafting a final budget that reflects California’s priorities.”

Recognizing that 90 percent of brain development takes place during the first five years of life, First 5s delivers essential programs and services to over 600,000 children per year. These include family strengthening programs, infant and early childhood mental health services, and high-quality early learning and literacy. In addition to state revenue challenges, First 5’s tobacco tax revenue continues to decline, and First 5 investments are at risk of cuts. Without new funding, many First 5 programs will end. In light of these projections, the First 5 Association of California will seek state investments to protect critical services for California’s youngest children.

“While belt-tightening during lean budgets is necessary, it is also an opportunity to double down on our best investment – and there is no better investment than California’s young children,” said Avo Makdessian, Executive Director of First 5 Association.

“Our state leaders have made tremendous strides for young children and their families over the last few years with investments in the expansion of Medi-Cal, universal transitional kindergarten, and early learning rate reform. The budget proposal from Governor Newsom keeps to that commitment of protecting investments in early childhood serving systems despite a significant state deficit,” said Karla Pleitéz Howell, Executive Director at First 5 LA. “We look forward to working with state agencies, the Legislature, and the administration to center communities facing the greatest systemic barriers by committing to ongoing funding for core programs and services, so that every child in California has the resources needed to reach their full developmental potential.”

The First 5 Network looks forward to continued collaboration of the Legislature and Governor to ensure this invaluable work continues unabated.

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About First 5 Association
The First 5 Association of California (F5AC) elevates the voice of the 58 county First 5s, created by voters in 1998 to ensure our youngest children are healthy, safe and ready to thrive in school and life. The First 5 Network impacts the lives of more than 1 million kids, families and caregivers each year. F5AC advocates for the state’s youngest kids, uniting partners and leveraging funding to improve and scale up California’s early childhood programming piloted by county First 5s. Learn more at www.first5association.org.

About First 5 LA
As one of the state’s largest funders of early childhood and an independent public agency, First 5 LA advocates for children and their families, amplifies community voice, and partners for collective impact so that every child in Los Angeles County reaches their full developmental potential throughout the critical years of prenatal to age 5. Learn more at www.first5la.org.

About First 5 California
First 5 California First 5 California was established in 1998 when voters passed Proposition 10, which taxes tobacco products to fund services for children ages 0 to 5 and their families. First 5 California programs and resources are designed to educate and support teachers, parents, and caregivers in the critical role they play during a child's first five years--to help California kids receive the best possible start in life and thrive. For more information, please visit www.ccfc.ca.gov.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., January 11, 2024 (Newswire.com) - BioGX, a leading global provider of easy molecular diagnostic solutions, is pleased to announce the test menu expansion support to Departments of Health (DoH) with the addition of its Candida auris assay. BioGX currently services 6 DoH agencies with expansion to 10 agencies expected in Q1 2024.

"We are excited to support the state Departments of Health by providing  menu expansion solutions to meet stringent assay performance requirements," said Shahin Iqbal, PhD, BioGX President & COO. "Our goal is to empower healthcare professionals with the best tools available, and this expansion is a testament to our commitment to improving public health outcomes in the region."

As healthcare continues to evolve, the importance of robust and accurate diagnostic solutions has never been more critical. BioGX is committed to providing innovative and reliable molecular diagnostics solutions to support public health initiatives. State health departments  play a pivotal role in safeguarding public health, requiring cutting-edge molecular diagnostics to quickly respond to the ever-changing landscape of testing needs.

This expansion will provide Departments of Health with access to BioGX's molecular assays, which are designed for speed, precision, and reliability. These assays may assist in the rapid and accurate detection of pathogens, contributing to more effective disease control and management.

BioGX has a proven track record of providing reliable solutions that are easy to use and adhere to high stringency standards of performance. By expanding the test menu, the company is ensuring that healthcare providers have access to a broad range of tools to best serve their communities.

About BioGX:

BioGX is a global leader in providing molecular diagnostic solutions designed to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of diagnostic testing. The company's innovative technologies enable faster and more reliable results for a wide range of applications. BioGX Sample-Ready™ PCR assay* is for use on many real-time PCR instruments including the BD MAX™, ThermoFisher QuantStudio™, Bio-Rad CFX Touch™ and the new BioGX pixl™ platform.

BioGX’s Sample-Ready™ line of products for use on many real-time PCR instruments including the BD MAX™, ThermoFisher QuantStudio™, Bio-Rad CFX Touch™ BioGX pixl™ are offered as custom manufactured or Research Use Only PCR assays, lyophilized in a single vial and fine-tuned to ensure high performance across multiple platforms that are commonly used in laboratories today.

For more information, please visit www.biogx.com

*Research Use Only or Custom Manufacture Only.

Sample-Ready, Just Add Water, Xfree and pixl are trademarks of BioGX, Inc.

WASHINGTON, January 11, 2024 (Newswire.com) - The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) today announced the appointment of Tia Butler as Chief People & Diversity Officer and Tricia Elliot as Vice President of Quality Implementation in the Quality Measurement and Research Group (QMRG). Butler will develop and implement human resources strategies that foster a positive work culture, and spearhead NCQA's DEI initiatives. Elliot will oversee innovations in the production, management, testing, and evaluation of digital quality measures and other content. 

"Both Tia and Tricia are exceptional leaders with a wealth of experience in their respective fields," said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. "Tia’s strong record of aligning organizational vision with strategic human capital will be invaluable to NCQA, and her expertise developing an engaged workforce and leading DEI initiatives matches our goal of ensuring all our employees have opportunities to succeed. Tricia’s experience in organizational change management will be instrumental as she oversees innovations in the production, management, testing and evaluation of digital quality measures. We are thrilled to have both these talented leaders join us."

Butler has more than two decades of experience in Human Resources leadership. Most recently, she served as Chief Human Capital Officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where she provided strategic, customer-centric Human Capital services to foster an engaged workforce capable of transforming America's healthcare system. Butler served as co-chair of the inaugural CMS DEI Council and led initiatives to mitigate bias and improve equity in talent processes. Prior to CMS, she served as Deputy Associate Director for Retirement Services at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and was Executive Director of the Corporate Senior Executive Management Office at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). She was appointed by the VA to the White House Advisory Group on Senior Executive Service Reform under President Barack Obama. 

Butler has more than two decades of experience in Human Resources leadership. Most recently, she served as Chief Human Capital Officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where she provided strategic, customer-centric Human Capital services to foster an engaged workforce capable of transforming America's health care system. Butler served as co-chair of the inaugural CMS DEI Council and led initiatives to mitigate bias and improve equity in talent processes. She was appointed by the VA to the White House Advisory Group on Senior Executive Service Reform under President Barack Obama. 

Elliot brings a wealth of practical knowledge that will inform the expansion and evolution of HEDIS to improve health care. She is a seasoned leader with experience in organizational change management and has worked on quality improvement in hospitals and ambulatory care settings, as well as measure development and endorsement. Elliot began her career in decision support and information systems, driving improvements in care and system effectiveness. At the Joint Commission, she led development of standards for hospitals, critical access hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities, and oversaw digital conversion of standards and measures. She also previously led the Measurement Science and Application division at the National Quality Forum.

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA Accredits and Certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. In recognition of its leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion, NCQA won the Excellence in Diversity Award from the Chesapeake Human Resources Association. NCQA’s website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make informed health care choices. NCQA can also be found on Twitter at @ncqa and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.

Media Contact
Theresa Masnik
SHIFT Communications
[email protected]

NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J., January 11, 2024 (Newswire.com) - PRISM Vision Group® (PVG), the largest vertically integrated eye care services organization operating exclusively on the East Coast, celebrates the addition of Delaware Valley Retina Associates (DVRA) to its growing platform. DVRA was founded in 1985 and has built a reputation for providing exceptional patient care in diagnosing and treating a comprehensive range of retinal disorders with five locations that serve New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“We are thrilled to welcome the entire DVRA team to PRISM,” stated Steven Madreperla, M.D., PhD., President and CEO of PRISM Vision Group; he continued “their commitment to high-quality clinical care combined with their focus on the patient experience made DVRA a natural partner for PRISM as we progress in our journey to be America’s premier independent eye care organization today, and 100 years from now.”

To learn more about PRISM Vision Group, please visit: www.prismvisiongroup.com To learn more about Delaware Valley Retina Associates, please visit: www.dvra.net

About PRISM Vision Group®

PRISM Vision Group® is the largest vertically integrated independent ophthalmology administrative services organization (ASO) operating exclusively on the East Coast. PRISM provides eye care in 91 locations, with 177 providers, 6 Ambulatory Surgery Centers, and over 1300 employees throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. PRISM Vision Group is a physician-led organization with a mission to support practices in providing patients with world-class, comprehensive eye care in an unrivaled practice environment for its network of affiliated physicians and employees.

HearingLoss.com
Makes Hearing Care More Accessible

VANCOUVER, Wash., January 11, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Hearing loss affects approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide. The newly launched HearingLoss.com is making it easier for individuals to access the information they need to know about hearing loss, including signs, causes, treatment options, and prevention.

Founded in partnership between Audigy, America’s largest hearing care practice management company, and Dr. Cliff Olson, the most recognized audiologist on social media and owner of Applied Hearing Solutions in Phoenix, AZ, HearingLoss.com is changing the game when it comes to hearing loss resources. As the new online hub for credible hearing loss information, the website takes the confusion out of sorting through what consumers need to know about hearing protection and treating hearing loss. It also serves as a one-stop shop for identifying the signs and symptoms of hearing loss in both its early and progressive stages.

HearingLoss.com Resources

It can be difficult to find accurate and up-to-date information on hearing health. HearingLoss.com aims to take the guesswork out of the process, simplifying the research stage of hearing loss treatment and ensuring that everyone can get the professional support they need.

Hearing Loss Provider Directory: Central to HearingLoss.com’s mission is a hearing loss provider directory. This user-friendly online directory streamlines the process for individuals seeking hearing loss support by providing easy access to hearing care professionals in their area.

Guided Hearing Experience: The Guided Hearing Experience is an online hearing test that is a helpful starting point for anyone concerned about their hearing health or a loved one's hearing health. This free online hearing test can be used to identify current challenges and suggest next steps, including providing the information for the nearest hearing care provider.

All-Inclusive Resources: Hearing loss can happen to anyone, which is why the new website is committed to serving as a resource for all, including those with existing hearing loss, those who may be at risk of future hearing loss, and individuals who have a loved one experiencing hearing loss.

Expert Articles: HearingLoss.com is home to a growing library of articles delving into what hearing loss is, what causes it, and what it looks and feels like. In addition to being authored by HearingLoss.com Certified Clinic providers, the articles have a distinct focus on spreading awareness about hearing health, ending the stigma around hearing loss and dispelling common hearing loss myths and misconceptions.

Family Support: HearingLoss.com is dedicated to providing comprehensive support for family members and friends of those with hearing loss. Whether individuals are in search of advice on effective communication strategies, insight into the emotional facets of hearing loss, or resources to aid their loved ones, the website strives to serve as a valuable source of assistance and understanding.

Accurate & Trustworthy Information on Hearing Loss

HearingLoss.com was created to provide accurate and trustworthy information on hearing loss. This is achieved through its on-site resources, free hearing test, and nationwide directory of hearing care professionals. Visitors will be able to seamlessly locate and connect with providers in their area to receive additional testing and, if necessary, a custom treatment plan based on their unique health status and challenges.

Interested readers are encouraged to visit www.HearingLoss.com today to view the site’s complete range of hearing care resources. Support specialists are also available to answer questions and help guide individuals in the right direction for their hearing health needs. 

About HearingLoss.com

HearingLoss.com was created by two powerhouses in the hearing care community: Audigy and Dr. Cliff Olson. Founded as a direct response to the complex and changing hearing care landscape, the online hub is removing the barriers to treating hearing loss and helping more people get the professional support they need to live their healthiest lives. Resources include a trusted network of hearing care professionals, as well as free online testing and expert-backed articles for consumers.

For more information, please visit www.HearingLoss.com.

Digital Pathology Desk

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, January 11, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Together, Tribun Health and CGI will support Region Sjælland's vision of becoming a digital pathology leader in Scandinavia, leveraging Tribun Health's award-winning solution CaloPix^® and CGI's extensive expertise in IT infrastructure, solutions and lab systems for healthcare.

Henrik Mejlgaard, Vice President Consulting Services, Healthcare, in CGI Denmark says, “CGI is a longstanding partner and provider of pathology solutions to the Danish healthcare sector. Being selected as the primary digital pathology integrator for Region Sjælland is a continued testament of CGI's commitment to advancing healthcare through digital transformation. Our collaboration with Tribun Health will contribute to the region's vision for cutting-edge patient care."

The CaloPix^® digital pathology system, a Best in KLAS recipient, will enable pathologist and lab technicians to gain improved accessibility, efficiency and collaboration in the overall diagnostic process, as well as reduce errors and gain more flexibility through the digital access to data, allowing them to work easily from different locations. The solutions analysis and decision-supporting tools can also be utilised in the pathologist cockpit, helping to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment support, ultimately saving time for patients.

Jean-Francois Pomerol, CEO at Tribun Health, states, "Tribun Health is thrilled to be the chosen solution provider for this ambitious project in collaboration with CGI. Together, we look forward to making a meaningful impact on healthcare outcomes in Region Sjælland."

The implementation of CaloPix^® is poised to empower pathology and enhance the overall healthcare landscape in Region Sjælland, benefitting the region's hospital network, consisting of Køge Hospital, Roskilde Hospital, Næstved Hospital, Holbæk Hospital, Slagelse Hospital and Nykøbing Falster Hospital, which serve the regions 835,000 inhabitants. This collaboration signifies a significant leap toward advancing healthcare practices, setting new standards in digital pathology, and positively impacting patient care in the region.