#Petition - Walmart is promoting fake service dogs

Walmart has started selling fake service dog jackets and ID registration cards. This practice puts people who rely on their service dogs, as well as the animals themselves, at risk. Dominique has a service dog trained for cardiac alert. She’s experienced animals with fake service dog jackets acting aggressively towards her and her service dog. She’s worried that one day this will happen during a moment she needs her service dog. Join her petition calling on Walmart to immediately stop selling their service dog paraphernalia. Stop Walmart From Promoting Fake Service Dogs 2,452 have signed Dominique Weems’s petition. Let’s get to 2,500!

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Walmart has started selling service dog jackets and ID registration cards. This is affecting every disabled person with a legitimate task trained service dog. It puts our lives more at risk. ADA Federal Law, Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 specifically says that some organizations sell fraudulent registration cards and that they are scams because they hold no legal authority and donot make a dog a service dog.   Extensive training makes a dog a service dog. The fake service dog trend is getting out of control. And Walmart is promoting this for money.  Why do the 500,000 disabled people in the US who own service animals have to worry more about going to Walmart and having our $20,000 dogsattacked by pets in the store. That’s 500,000 service dogs lives and safety on the line. Task trained service dogs save our lives. Mine is for cardiac alert. We encounter pets in Walmart all the time. And Walmart never wants to help.Even when dogs are actively barking and lunging trying to attack. Instead of making things better and properly educating employees, they are creating a bigger problem by selling these products.  Walmart is not the only one adding to the problem.  There’s many online stores and websites that also promote this.  Our biggest problem is the uneducated general public. But Walmart is by far the worst place to go with a Service Dog. I shouldn’t have to accept the fact that my Medical Alert Service Dog WILL be attacked at some point. The Fake service dog trend is so out of control that it will happen. And it won’t be just me and my dog. Many service animals have already been attacked. And it’s only going to get worse unless we make a change now.

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Pray, Praise and Worship: PC(USA) joins call for peace in Ukraine

Pray, Praise and Worship: PC(USA) joins call for peace in Ukraine: Presbyterian Church signs onto statement by a dozen denominations and faith-based organizations by Rich Copley | Presbyterian News Service T...

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Share Tweet Forward The Christian Recorder is the official newspaper of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the oldest continuously produced publication by persons of African descent.   Bishop David R. Daniels, Jr., Chair of the General Board Commission on Publications Rev. Dr. Roderick D. Belin, President/Publisher of the AME Sunday School Union Mr. John Thomas III, Editor of The Christian Recorder Copyright © 2022 The Christian Recorder, All rights reserved.

#Petition: Health care crisis - SAFE STAFFING FOR PATIENTS AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS

America’s health care system is on the verge of collapse, and the lack of regulation around staffing is playing a huge part. Without safe staffing ratios, our medical professionals are often forced to care for more patients than they can safely handle. And the consequences are dire. For each additional patient a nurse cares for, a patient’s risk of dying increases by as much as 7 percent. A lack of safe staffing ratios also leads to more workplace injury and severe burnout. A group of healthcare workers started this petition because they know safe staffing saves lives. Join their urgent call to protect patients and health care workers. SAFE STAFFING FOR PATIENTS AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS 212,557 have signed Nurse Blake & IMPACT in Healthcare’s petition. Let’s get to 300,000!

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TELL THE JOINT COMMISSION: REQUIRE SAFE STAFFING RATIOS FOR ORGANIZATIONS SEEKING ACCREDITATION AND CERTIFICATION Safe healthcare is a human right. For decades, the United States healthcare system has understaffed healthcare workers to cut costs. Nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, CNAs, occupational therapists, pharmacists, social workers - healthcare workers of all disciplines have been intentionally understaffed to maximize profits for hospital systems. These staffing decisions come at a cost to patients’ safety. Healthcare workers need adequate time and resources to safely care for their patients.  For every additional patient a nurse cares for, a patient’s risk of dying increases by as much as 7% (Aiken 2014). Unsafe staffing is contributing to workplace injuries, burnout, and the Great Resignation of healthcare workers. Patients and healthcare workers alike NEED safe staffing ratios.  Safe staffing saves lives.  The Joint Commission has worked for 70 years to drive “quality improvement and patient safety in healthcare.” The Joint Commission has advocated for and led to the implementation of numerous patient safety initiatives and quality metrics. However, The Joint Commission’s quality standards do not guarantee adequate patient to worker staffing ratios for any discipline. With the surplus of evidence that safe staffing decreases sentinel events and patient mortality, we demand The Joint Commission: Immediately require safe staffing ratios for ALL LEVELS AND SETTINGS OF CARE, with noncompliance to these ratios being held as a barrier to accreditation; AND Immediately develop a taskforce that includes CURRENTLY PRACTICING CLINICAL PROVIDERS OF ALL DISCIPLINES to determine appropriate staffing ratios for each discipline and care setting based on existing research and clinical experience; AND Develop and make publicly available an annual report, based on payroll data, of individual hospitals’ compliance with mandated ratios; AND Develop and disseminate objective and peer-reviewed research on the impact of staffing ratios on workers and patients for ALL HEALTHCARE DISCIPLINES; AND Transparently partner with any and all relevant organizations (state, federal, and professional) to achieve these goals and ensure the prioritization of PATIENT SAFETY over stakeholder profit.  If The Joint Commission intends to fulfill their stated mission to advocate for patient safety, they must, immediately, demand safe, evidence-based staffing ratios for hospital workers and care providers of all disciplines.  With the rising prevalence of the DNV’s NIAHO® standards, the failures of the Joint Commission’s accreditation process have become increasingly obvious. We demand accountability from the organizations that protect us, and we challenge these regulatory bodies to fulfill their stated purposes.  Signed,   Nurse Blake, BSN, RN (@nurse.blake) IMPACT in Healthcare (@impactinhealthcare) www.impactinhealthcare.org

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Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - As micropantries pop up, creativity is key

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - As micropantries pop up, creativity is key: Church creates a ‘mini-me’ outdoor food pantry January 28, 2022   Not wanting to leave hungry neighbors out in the cold when the church buil...

About that helpless feeling...

That Helplessness You're Feeling Is a Trauma Response Lauren W. Reliford In January 2020, COVID-19 was first detected in the United States. In the two years since, we’ve experienced death and mourning on a massive scale, lost relationships over politically driven misinformation about the deadly virus, and felt constant fear and anxiety as we try to protect ourselves and our loved ones. This trauma has shaken many to their spiritual core in ways that will leave lasting effects. As the omicron variant rips through communities, I’ve heard many people express feelings of resignation. Helplessness. Hopelessness. And given how trauma works, we shouldn't be surprised when we notice ourselves experiencing these feelings, even in our churches. The first step in moving through trauma is recognizing it. There is currently no national or global standard definition of trauma, though there have been efforts to create a shared understanding. In 2014, the United States’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published a landmark report titled “SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach.” This guidance integrated three areas of trauma work: research, current practice, and the lived experience and first-person narratives of trauma survivors. The goal was to create a shared definition that would help coordinate trauma research, practice, policy, and education to aid people navigating trauma — or at the risk of experiencing it. […] This pandemic has made the past two years of life and living feel heavy. This is not to say that life was anything close to easy before COVID-19 and all of its mutated minions entered the picture. Prior to 2020, there were millions of families, children, and communities struggling with the stress and burden of poverty exacerbated by decades of underinvestment in rural, urban, and suburban America. More than 1 in 4 households experienced a major hardship such as an inability to afford adequate food, housing, or utilities over a three-year period prior to the pandemic. A third of those households had children; Black and Latino households with children were twice as likely to experience these hardships as white households with children.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE Forward Share

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Our Latest ‘Aggressively Conservative’ Supreme Court Embraces Culture War (by Lawrence Hurley, Reuters, Andrew Chung, Reuters) Scholars say the court’s 6-3 conservative majority has shown an eagerness to impact abortion, affirmative action, LGBTQ rights, and more. Pope Tells Parents To Support Their LGBTQ Children (by Phillip Pullella, Reuters) At his general audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis said that parents of LGBTQ children should not condemn them but offer them support. Marginalized People Need More Than a Seat at the Table (by Amar D. Peterman) Society is placing a bigger emphasis on representation. But where does structural change fit in? Priests We Arrest, Priests We Don't (by Jenna Barnett) What the life of Daniel Berrigan and the documentary Procession reveal about violence, religion, and justice.

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From the Magazine Survivors of Catholic Clergy Abuse Turn to Acting to Process Trauma (by Abby Olcese) Robert Greene's Procession demonstrates the restorative potential of creative expression.

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Seeking Associate Pastor Triune Mercy Center, a nondenominational church in Greenville S.C., seeks a full-time associate pastor. We share Christ’s love by serving the disadvantaged, including those experiencing homelessness and living in poverty. The position requires an M.Div. from an accredited seminary. Visit triunemercy.org for more. Email cover letter and resume to elaine.nocks@furman.edu. Upcoming webinar: seeking justice for our immigrant community Join SojoAction on Monday, January 31 at 7 p.m. EST for conversation, prayer, and action in support of our immigrant community. You’ll learn ways to support immigrants and connect with like-minded people of faith.

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#Petition: End Forced Pelvic Exams in Connecticut

Content Warning: The following contains reference to sexual violence. Facing general anesthesia for a medical procedure is a scary prospect. Most people going under the knife would never think they need to fear being violated. But in 37 states, including Connecticut, medical students can perform vaginal and rectal exams on anesthetized patients without explicit consent. Often, the exams aren’t even related to the treatment the patient is receiving. Livia is working hard to get this practice banned in Connecticut, where a new law is being discussed in just a few days. Sign now and help her send a loud and clear message that forced pelvic and rectal exams must end. End Forced Pelvic Exams in Connecticut 80,946 have signed Livia Fry’s petition. Let’s get to 150,000!

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*Please note that this petition contains clarifications to the original text* *Please note this petition is part of a campaign spearheaded by the petition author, Livia Fry, and Warriors C.A.R.E. Imagine needing surgery. You would worry about a lot of things. Finding the best doctor. Finding the best hospital. Having a complication. Not waking up from the anesthesia. The pain you will experience afterwards. The list goes on. Now imagine having one more worry. But this one isn’t to do with your health. Rather, it is to do with protecting yourself. Protecting yourself from the possibility of forced vaginal or rectal penetration for the purpose of practice/education while you are unconscious and unable to give - or withhold - consent. Would you have the surgery? Would you take that risk? Now you may have a choice to make. Do you protect your health, and indeed, your own life by undergoing the surgery? Or do you protect your body from the potential of an unwanted and unwarranted invasion by not having the surgery, but in doing so risk your health, and maybe even your life? The situation above probably sounds ridiculous to you. It probably sounds like something out of a dystopian novel. But the reality is, this is the situation facing the people of Connecticut right now. Because of language commonly found in medical consent forms, teaching hospitals can have a lot of leeway in the way they use their patients in their teaching practices. Language in consent forms is often written to be broad, particularly surrounding the role of students and trainees in the provision of healthcare, which in many cases consists of only one or two lines, and follows the following formula: “I understand that students and trainees may be involved in my care and consent to treatment by providers in the event of unforeseen events or complications.” Those one or two lines are typically buried in the middle or at the end of a form, which patients often report being rushed to sign by providers or administrators as they are “standard.”  Most patients assume “student involvement” - unless otherwise specified - is limited to observation. Unfortunately in Connecticut, it is not illegal for medical students to practice pelvic and prostate examinations on anesthetized patients without their direct and informed consent.   There is a bill before the Connecticut state legislature right now - HB-5067 - that would ban the use of non-consensual pelvic and prostate examinations as a part of the medical education process. It will still allow students to practice their clinical skills - it poses no threat to their education or to their ability and opportunity to one day become competent, confident, and experienced clinicians. It simply prohibits students from practicing these invasive examinations on patients who have not given their specific consent. HB-5067 is the latest iteration of this legislation, which was first introduced in the Connecticut state legislature in 2019 as SB 16. Unfortunately, while other states have acted quickly to enact similar laws, Connecticut’s bill did not even get a hearing during the 2021 legislative session.  The Yale University School of Medicine came out in opposition to the original iteration of this legislation (SB 16 - An Act Prohibiting an Unauthorized Pelvic Exam on a Woman Who is Under Deep Sedation or Anesthesia) in 2019, submitting public testimony to the state legislature stating, in part, that “all consent forms contain specific language explaining the involvement of trainees in the decision making and procedural process.” Please take a moment to judge that for yourself. Sample consent form language - in this case Yale’s - reads as follows: “I understand that some of the system hospitals are teaching hospitals. Doctors or other health practitioners who are members of the care team and are in training may help my practitioner with the procedure. I understand the purpose and potential benefits of the procedure in relation to my goals. I give permission to my responsible practitioner to do whatever may be necessary if there is a complication or unforeseen condition during my procedure.” *Disclaimer - Yale’s consent form language is provided as an example here as they refer to consent forms in their 2019 public testimony in opposition to SB 16 - An Act Prohibiting an Unauthorized Pelvic Exam on a Woman Who is Under Deep Sedation or Anesthesia cited in the above paragraph.* Tell me - would you define a student or trainee as a “responsible practitioner” in the event of a complication or unforeseen condition? Would any reasonable person? And how does a student’s need for practice - which is in no way unforeseen and can be established ahead of time - fall under that category? And when you sign any consent form, at any medical institution or provider, stating you understand the benefits of a procedure to your goals, would you even begin to imagine that  an intimate examination by a student who is unlicensed conducted for the purpose of them practicing their clinical skills could possibly be covered under that language?  Interestingly enough, medical students from various states have expressed discomfort conducting intimate examinations on patients for the purpose of practice without knowing whether that patient has given direct and informed consent, but did not feel at liberty to voice their discomfort or opt out.  We aren’t asking for much. We aren’t asking teaching institutions to sacrifice the educational opportunities they offer their students, or to take opportunities away from students. We are simply insisting that those opportunities only be offered with the consent of the patients whose bodies they are using. We are insisting that exploitation and abuse no longer play a role in the medical education of our state’s future doctors, and that they are taught the importance of consent early on. And we are insisting that our laws protect us from the dehumanization and indignity of being turned into living teaching tools without our consent. Hospitals exist to serve their patients - patients do not exist to serve hospitals, and we do not owe hospitals the use of our bodies in exchange for necessary healthcare. *Disclaimer - Yale is referred to in this petition due to their 2019 public testimony in opposition to SB 16. It is not the intent of this petition to accuse or in any way allege that the Yale School of Medicine or any of its affiliates or students have ever participated in or are currently participating in these practices.* If you are a Connecticut resident just becoming aware of this practice, please join us in standing up and saying enough by signing this petition and contacting your state representative and senator. If you live outside of Connecticut, please stand in solidarity with our state’s residents and in demanding justice and protection for us when we are at our most vulnerable. In addition to signing below, please consider reaching out to the Public Health Committee at (phtestimony@cga.ct.gov or by phone at (860) 240‑0560. If you are a Connecticut resident, please consider reaching out to your state representative (if you unsure of who yours is, you can find out https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp If you would like to learn more about this issue, please have a look at the following articles: Explicit Consent for Pelvic and Prostate Exams: A Case for CT House Bill 5067 https://ctexaminer.com/2021/03/20/explicit-consent-for-pelvic-and-prostate-exams-a-case-for-ct-house-bill-5067/ Providers Are Sexually Assaulting Patients — and It’s Legal https://www.healthline.com/health/nonconsensual-internal-exams-sexual-assault#1 Medical Students Regularly Practice Pelvic Exams On Unconscious Patients. https://www.elle.com/life-love/a28125604/nonconsensual-pelvic-exams-teaching-hospitals/

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