“Hi, I’m Elizabeth Beisel: two-time Olympic-medalist, and proud ‘U-S-A Swimming-Foundation Ambassador’. The ‘Make-a-Splash Virtual Tour’—presented by ‘Phillips 66’—is a partnership with the ‘U-S-A Swimming-Foundation’, to educate Americans about water-safety. Together, we hope to raise public awareness of the critical need for all Americans to learn to swim—regardless of age. May is ‘National Water-Safety Month’. And, as more Americans look forward to summer-swimming, it is critical for parents, grandparents, and guardians to remember the importance of enrolling children in swim-lessons. Drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental death, for kids under the age of 14. However, swim-lessons can reduce that risk, by 88-percent—and are being offered in many places, safely, with proper protective-equipment and -protocols. Swim-lessons save lives: Don’t wait; enroll your child today. To find a swim-lesson provider near you, please visit ‘u-s-a-swimming’-dot-org-slash-‘make-a-splash’.”

As part of the “Florida Equality-of-Opportunity Initiative”, the “Florida Chamber Foundation” is partnering with the “Florida Prepaid-College Foundation”—to provide scholarships to more than 25-hundred children living in the state’s most-economically-disadvantaged ZIP-Codes. Mark Wilson is the “Florida Chamber’s” president and C-E-O…

“The ‘Florida Chamber Foundation’s’ partnership with the ‘Florida Prepaid-College Foundation’ will help further unite Florida’s business-community—in matching up to 10-million dollars in contributions, from Florida-businesses, organizations, and private donors. We know [that] poverty is a monumental challenge. But, this effort—in partnership with the ‘Florida Prepaid-College Foundation’ and Florida’s business-community—can make a real difference for Florida’s children living in poverty—one college-scholarship at a time.”

To learn more, visit “path-to-prosperity-scholarship”-dot-com.

Various geographic, racial, ethnic, and economic factors have been restricting healthcare-access, for many Pennsylvanians—which, in turn, has made disparities more pronounced during the pandemic. That’s according to a recent study from “A-A-R-P Pennsylvania”, and Drexel University’s “College of Nursing and Health Professions”. Angela Foreshaw-Rouse [as in “mouse”] is with “A-A-R-P Pennsylvania”…

“The pandemic is exacerbating inequities for those who live in poorer rural and urban areas, alike. It is also deepening the disparities that already exist in access to healthcare, the ‘digital divide’, and the healthcare-workforce. This research shows that gaps in healthcare will only continue to grow, as Pennsylvania’s population becomes older—unless we make significant changes toward health-equity, across the Commonwealth.”

The report is entitled “Disrupting Disparities in Pennsylvania”; to learn more, visit “a-a-r-p”-dot-org-slash-“p-a”.

The recently enacted “American Rescue Plan” for “COVID-19”-relief includes significant savings, for Pennsylvanians who are seeking coverage through the state’s health-insurance marketplace—called “Pennie”. That’s according to Joanne Grossi [as in “grow”]—“A-A-R-P Pennsylvania’s” state-president…

“Previously, only those who earned less than 400-percent of the federal poverty-level were eligible to receive increased financial-assistance, for offsetting the cost of insurance-premiums. But now, anyone can qualify for it. This new law increases the amount of financial-assistance that’s available—and provides relief for those who are struggling with the pandemic, and its economic impact. The law went into effect on April 1st—and overlaps with a special enrollment-period that runs through August 15th.”

To learn more, visit “pennie”-dot-com; that’s “p-e-n-n-i-e”-dot-com. Or, call 1-844-844-8040.

(This material is embargoed until Thursday, April 29th. The updated rankings for all states—plus D.C.—will be available at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/your-hospitals-safety-grade/state-rankings.)

-- GENERAL/NATIONAL WRAP (:60) --

Some hospitals are better at protecting their patients than others. That’s why the nonprofit watchdog, “The Leapfrog Group”, issues its “Hospital-Safety Grade”, twice a year; the report features a letter-grade of “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, or “F” that’s assigned, by experts, to the nation’s general-hospitals. Leah Binder [like “bind”, not “bin”] is “Leapfrog’s” president and C-E-O…

“This has been a hard year for everyone—especially frontline-workers at hospitals. Our well-being depends on their safety—and the safety of the patients whom they care for. But sadly, even before the pandemic, safety has been a problem in hospitals; in fact, more than 500 people, each day, die of preventable infections and medical errors. That’s why our grades are important—especially now. Someday, every hospital will earn an ‘A’; until then, you can protect yourself, by finding the safest hospital that’s available for you.”

To compare local hospitals, for free, visit “hospital-safety-grade”-dot-org.

-- ADDITIONAL SOUNDBITES FOR FIVE HIGHLIGHTED STATES --

Florida:

“In our latest ‘Hospital-Safety Grade’, 42-percent of graded hospitals in Florida earned an ‘A’. It’s great to see that those hospitals are making it a priority to protect their patients from medical errors and infections. Find the grades of your local hospitals at ‘hospital-safety-grade’-dot-org.”

Massachusetts:

“In our latest ‘Hospital-Safety Grade’, Massachusetts ranks first in the nation; we gave more than half of Massachusetts’ graded hospitals an ‘A’. Those hospitals are making it a priority to protect their patients from medical errors and infections—which, in turn, means [that] many lives in Massachusetts are being saved. Find the grades of your local hospitals at ‘hospital-safety-grade’-dot-org.”

North Carolina:

“In our latest ‘Hospital-Safety Grade’, North Carolina ranks fifth in the nation; we gave nearly half of North Carolina’s graded hospitals an ‘A’. Those hospitals are making it a priority to protect their patients from medical errors and infections—which, in turn, means [that] many lives in North Carolina are being saved. Find the grades of your local hospitals at ‘hospital-safety-grade’-dot-org.”

Pennsylvania:

“In our latest ‘Hospital-Safety Grade’, 45-percent of graded hospitals in Pennsylvania earned an ‘A’. It’s great to see that those hospitals are making it a priority to protect their patients from medical errors and infections. Find the grades of your local hospitals at ‘hospital-safety-grade’-dot-org.”

Virginia:

“In our latest ‘Hospital-Safety Grade’, Virginia ranks fourth in the nation; we gave half of Virginia’s graded hospitals an ‘A’. Those hospitals are making it a priority to protect their patients from medical errors and infections—which, in turn, means [that] many lives in Virginia are being saved. Find the grades of your local hospitals at ‘hospital-safety-grade’-dot-org.”

Illinois’ population continues to both age and diversify: Already, more than one-third of the state’s residents are over 50. And, over a third of those older Illinoisans are adults-of-color. That’s why “A-A-R-P Illinois” recently sponsored an online summit, to address the needs and challenges of these communities. Among those who spoke during the summit was Deputy Governor, Sol Flores…

“We need to ensure that we have diverse voices at the table—to begin addressing these disparities. We need to be able to listen to those folks who’ve been most impacted—to understand what are their challenges, and also to understand what specific solutions would work for them, in their local communities. What might work for an individual age-50-plus in northern Illinois may be very different from someone living in central or southern Illinois. And so, we want to understand what are local challenges—and local solutions.”

The “Advancing Racial Equity in Aging Summit” was also supported by the “Illinois Department on Aging”, and “R-R-F Foundation for Aging”. To learn more, visit “disrupt-disparities-i-l”-dot-com.

Hearing-loss is the third-most-common chronic-condition, among older Americans. Yet, some people are delaying care—partly due to the pandemic. Diane Nens [as in “men’s”], from “United-Healthcare Hearing”, recommends virtual-care options, for testing and treatment…

“Hearing-health is connected to overall health. So, improving access to hearing-aids may lower the risk of depression and dementia; reduce the frequency of falls; and improve overall quality-of-life.”

What advances are making it easier to access treatment?

“Our new virtual-care option, called ‘Right-2-You’, builds on our home-delivered hearing-healthcare model—and is designed to reduce the need for in-person appointments, for hearing-aid adjustments and support. Through ‘Right-2-You’, people with a mild to moderate hearing-loss can save up to 60-percent, on custom-programmed hearing-aids; ‘United-Healthcare’-members can potentially save even more.”

For more about “Right-2-You”—plus an online hearing-test—go to “u-h-c-hearing”-dot-com. That’s “u-h-c-hearing”-dot-com. I’m Bob Tebo, for the “Consumer Radio Network”.

This week [the week of April 19th], senators are scheduled to vote on expanding the “Illinois ‘Secure Choice’ Savings-Program”. And, if they vote “yes”, about a million more Illinoisans would be able to save for retirement, at work. That’s according to Al Hollenbeck—an advocacy-volunteer with “A-A-R-P Illinois”…

“Over half of Illinois-workers currently don’t have access to an employment-based savings-program, at their job. The good news, though, is that—after slightly more than a year in operation—the state’s ‘Secure Choice’-program has well over 80-thousand participants—who together have saved roughly 50-million dollars, for their retirement. And, more than six-thousand employers, throughout Illinois, are already registered for this program.”

Josh Harris—an associate state-director with the group—adds…

“Older adults in Illinois spend, on average, 25-thousand dollars on food, utilities, and healthcare, each year. Yet, the average annual ‘Social Security’-benefit in the state is just 19-thousand dollars. The inability for many older Illinoisans to pay for basic needs will cost taxpayers, down the road, when it comes to social services.”

An identical bill passed the House this past week. “A-A-R-P Illinois” urges residents to call their senators—at 1-844-226-1189—and ask them to support expanding “Secure Choice”.

On Friday [April 9th], a federal judge in Washington will hold a hearing that could determine the future of the “Dakota Access”-pipeline. According to Craig Stevens, of “Grow America’s Infrastructure Now”, the pipeline has safely transported “Bakken”-crude from North Dakota to an energy-hub in Illinois, since 2017—and received all of the necessary permits from state- and federal-regulators, before coming into service…

“The ‘Dakota Access’-pipeline has safely operated for nearly four years—playing a critical role in meeting our nation’s energy-needs. Shuttering the pipeline, even temporarily, would increase our reliance on energy [that’s] transported by trucks and trains—both of which create additional safety-risks, add costs, and emit more carbon-emissions than pipelines. A shutdown of the ‘Dakota Access’-pipeline would threaten our nation’s economy—as it would lead to raising prices on gasoline and food, eliminate jobs, and reduce tax-revenue. It would also increase American, and global, dependence on foreign sources of energy—enriching countries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, and making them even more powerful than they are today.”

To learn more, visit “gain-now”-dot-org.

Nebraska is one of only 13 states that currently tax “Social Security”-benefits. And, a new bill in the Legislature would gradually eliminate those taxes, by 2030. “A-A-R-P Nebraska’s” state-director, Todd Stubbendieck [“stew-bin-deck”], explains why his group supports “Legislative Bill 64”…

“This kind of taxation is grossly unfair. And, passing this bill would allow retirees to use more of their hard-earned benefits, to pay for such essentials as prescription-medications, food, and utility-bills—or to care for their own loved-ones. It’d also provide the additional income-security that they need, to live in their own homes and communities, as they age. Older Nebraskans account for 56 cents of every dollar, in state consumer-spending—generating an annual economic-impact of 50-billion dollars. They also contribute over two-billion dollars, each year, in unpaid family-caregiving. In fact, they represent a powerful economic-engine, for our state.”

To learn more, visit “a-a-r-p”-dot-org-slash-“n-e”.