Capstone Rural Health Center among 4 percent of U.S. practices that manage records electronically
Birmingham News – July 2
…the Capstone Rural Health Center has something most big-city medical practices lack – a functioning electronic medical records system… Capstone Rural Health Center is a rarity, according to a recent poll published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The poll found that only 4 percent of medical practices in the U.S. have fully functional systems to handle electronic medical records, or EMRs, and most of those are in large practices…It was founded by Dunkin in 2001 as a spinoff from the University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing. It is managed by nurses. Two nurse practitioners handle most patient care, and an offsite doctor reviews charts and provides consultation.
The center still has contractual ties to the UA College of Nursing, but relies largely upon federal funding. Dunkin said that money made it possible to include the cost of new technology in budgets…
Jumpstart helps Hispanic preschoolers learn English
Tuscaloosa News – July 2
…Laura Dover and Wilson Boardman, both juniors at the University of Alabama, and UA sophomore Erin Shirley got the program off the ground. Dover and Boardman said that while they were doing community service projects, they became aware that the local Hispanic community was often overlooked and began thinking about what they could do to change that. Dover said they presented a broad idea to Marc Shook, director of UA’s Blackburn Institute, which nurtures future leaders. The institute then awarded Dover with funding from the Blackburn Institute Daniel Community Scholars Program, which pays for classroom expenses and the teacher’s salary…
XM Radio adds Alabama and Auburn
Birmingham News – July 2
…XM Satellite Radio added Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Vanderbilt to its SEC sports lineup Tuesday, meaning fans can get sports broadcasts of all 12 conference schools during the football, basketball and baseball seasons…
Mayor Langford refuses to do interview with Al-Jazeera reporters
Birmingham News – July 2
Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford Tuesday refused to be interviewed by reporters from Middle Eastern news network Al-Jazeera English because he opposes the group’s coverage of terrorist activities and its graphic display of hostages. Reporters were in town to do a story about Langford’s plan for a four-day work week for city employees. The new schedule, set to begin next week, involves most of the city’s 4,000 employees. That plan already received national and international attention soon after it was announced last month…While the mayor disagrees with the organization’s ethics, he has a responsibility to represent the city and his policy by talking to them, said George Daniels, assistant professor of journalism at the University of Alabama. In addition, Daniels said, if the mayor is serious about landing the Olympics for 2020, then he must be open to the international press. “If you’re talking about making the city an international city, a city that’s going to attract the attention of the world, it would seem to me that you would be willing to talk to the media from around the world,” he said…
Education briefs
Birmingham News – July 2
The University of Alabama faculty-produced documentary “Flying Away” will air Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on Alabama Public Television. The film celebrates the work of choreographer and dance professor Cornelius Carter.