Even as older Illinoisans await vaccines, Black, Latino, and Asian-American seniors—throughout the state—are dying of “COVID-19” at much-higher rates than their share of the population. That’s according to the first study from Illinois’ new “Disrupt Disparities”-initiative—which also looked at economic stability, overall health, and Internet-connectivity. Rosanna Márquez is the state-president for “A-A-R-P Illinois”—one of the initiative’s members…

“The disproportionate number of Illinois’ older adults-of-color dying from ‘COVID-19’ isn’t an anomaly. Instead, it’s evidence of many longstanding inequities that have existed for years—from the social conditions that lead to poor health, to unequal access to quality care, to limited economic-resources. It’s never been more evident that systematic changes are needed—to help Illinois’ residents-of-color live the same longer, healthier, and more-productive lives as their white counterparts.”

Karen Freeman-Wilson is the president and C-E-O of the “Chicago Urban League”—another member of the initiative…

“We already knew [that] the pandemic was having a disproportionate impact on Black and Brown communities. Through this collaboration, we now have research and data that show that senior members in communities-of-color are perishing at disproportionate rates—due to unequal access to healthcare, and other longstanding disparities. This cannot be acceptable: We must have action to address these disparities—and to improve the quality-of-life for older individuals, who are often the backbone of our communities.”

The study and the initiative were launched on Monday [February 8th]—during a virtual press-conference that also included state-legislators and racial-advocacy organizations. To learn more, visit “a-a-r-p”-dot-org-slash-“i-l”.

Achieving information-dominance, in a new way, is truly essential to the future of national defense—according to Greg Wenzel—executive vice-president, and leader of “Digital-Battlespace Solutions”, at “Booz Allen Hamilton”…

“The wars of the future will be an accelerated race to be both invisible and omniscient, on the battlefield. To win this race, it’s paramount to break down data-silos in a way that allows the ‘Department of Defense’ to operate as an enterprise where solutions are readily available, and reusable, across the Armed Services—versus the ‘stove-piped’ paradigm that we have today. The fully connected information-grid that’s at the core of the digital battlespace focuses on open, smart, resilient, and secure solutions—all the way to the tactical edge—where the next platform is a fully informed ‘digital warrior’. Equipped with this kind of information-superiority, we can transform the future of warfare, by making informed decisions faster—while still functioning independently.”

To learn more, visit “booz-allen”-dot-com-slash-“digital-battlespace”.

The holidays offer plenty of opportunities for scammers. But, with a little vigilance and preparation, Virginians can cut down on the threat of becoming a victim. That’s according to Natalie Snider, of “A-A-R-P Virginia”…

“Many seasonal scams involve bogus websites or mobile-apps. In fact, some fake ‘e-stores’ even mimic trusted retailers—with familiar logos and slogans, plus a Web-address that’s easily mistaken for the real thing. They offer popular items at a fraction of the usual cost, and promise perks like free shipping and overnight delivery—exploiting the premium that online shoppers put on both price and speed. That’s why it’s important to remember that ads, e-mails, and social-media posts about impossibly good deals could be scams—and should immediately send up a red flag. When it comes to fraud, vigilance is Virginians’ number-one weapon.”

If you believe that you’ve fallen victim to a scam this holiday-season—and for more tips—Snider recommends visiting “a-a-r-p”-dot-org-slash-“fraud-watch-network”, or calling 1-877-908-3360.

Vaccines for “COVID-19” are starting to roll out, across the country—and throughout Alabama. Unfortunately, scammers are trying to take advantage. That’s according to Jamie Harding, of “A-A-R-P Alabama”…

“Scammers are using telemarketing, text-messages, social media, and even door-to-door visits, to perpetrate vaccine-related scams. Don’t respond to any solicitations about the vaccines—or about offers to ‘buy’ a spot on a priority-list. Also, no-one from either Medicare or an insurance-company will ask for your ‘Social Security’-number, or credit-card information, on the phone; anyone who requests that is a scammer. Vaccine-doses were purchased with taxpayer-money—and will be provided to Americans at no cost. However, providers may charge an administration-fee—and have that fee reimbursed by insurance-companies. There’s also a means of reimbursement for uninsured patients. Finally, if you have questions about whether—and when—you should receive a vaccine, you should only get that information from your physician, or another trusted healthcare-resource.”

To learn more about Alabama’s rollout-plans, Harding recommends calling your county health-department—or visiting “alabama-public-health”-dot-gov.