Violence prevention bill passes state Senate

The state Senate last Thursday passed a bill that would establish uniform guidelines for health care providers to follow when they link victims of violence to social services.

The Violence Prevention and Intervention Bill would require the state Department of Public Health to draft voluntary guidelines to help hospitals and community health centers link survivors of violence to services, such as existing programs for alternative education, legal counseling and housing.

Research shows that support services not only help victims address the trauma associated with violence, but also decrease their chances of becoming a victim again, according to a Boston Public Health Commission statement announcing the bill’s passing.

If signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick, Massachusetts would become the first state to establish statewide guidelines for treating victims of violence.

Ex-Boston City Hospital buildings win 2008 Preservation Achievement Award

The Boston Preservation Alliance earlier this month recognized two Boston Medical Center (BMC) buildings as 2008 Preservation Achievement Award winners. The annual awards honor outstanding achievements in historic preservation and compatible new construction in Boston.

The medical center’s BCD and FGH Buildings were honored in the category of Institutional Preservation of Historic Resources.

Designed by Gridley J.F. Bryant and completed in 1864, the BCD and FGH Buildings are the only two remaining structures from the original Boston City Hospital, a free hospital established to serve Boston’s “working poor.” Each of the three-and-a-half story brick Mansard buildings once housed multiple medical wards.

To preserve the character of the buildings while accommodating BMC’s contemporary needs for more administrative office space, the project team injected two new levels set back from the exterior walls, creating a system of mezzanine floors within the original volumes and preserving the elegant high windows. Exterior rehabilitation, conducted with the aid of historic photographs, included the restoration of a bell cast slate roof and the installation of two new carved granite lintels to match originals.

The BCD Building had stood vacant for 30 years, while the FGH Building was only partially occupied due to building deficiencies. Today, BDC houses the medical center’s information technology department, and FGH contains a conference center and the administrative offices of several departments.

“Boston’s hospitals face great challenges as they endeavor to maintain their historic buildings while providing the highest quality of facilities for their employees and patients,” said Sarah D. Kelly, executive director of the nonprofit Boston Preservation Alliance. “This project is proof that both can be achieved with remarkable success.”

Hub historic site to start free Black Heritage Trail tours

The Boston African American National Historic Site will celebrate Memorial Day by offering the first in a series of free guided tours of the city’s vaunted Black Heritage Trail, the site announced Monday.

The tour, which begins at the Robert Gould Shaw/54th Regiment Memorial on Beacon Street across from the State House, “winds its way through historic Beacon Hill illuminating the rich history of the Abolition Movement, the Underground Railroad, and the early struggles for freedom and equal rights for all,” according to a National Park Service statement.

Tours depart from the Shaw Memorial at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Larger groups are asked to call ahead for reservations at 617-742-5415.

Fresh Air Camp hosting info session about summer options for city youth

Goodwill’s Fresh Air Camp will host a free camp information program next Tuesday evening, May 27, from 6-8 p.m. at the Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries Headquarters located at 1010 Harrison Avenue in Boston.

Parents and children between the ages of 8 and 16 are welcome to hear about the activities slated for this summer, and sign up for one of four 12-day sessions at the overnight camp located on a 460-acre wooded setting in Athol, Mass.

Campers participate in a variety of athletic and artistic activities, according to a Goodwill statement, as well as a professionally developed and state approved curriculum designed to help children and teenagers improve their literacy, writing, math, science and technology skills. Computer training, with a focus on Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point, is also offered.

Goodwill expects the 500 slots for Fresh Air Camp to fill up quickly. Those interested in more information can call 617-541-1431 or visit www.goodwillmass.org.

Patrick trumpets $5.6M in funding for YouthWorks programs

Gov. Deval Patrick last week called attention to the administration’s funding of more than $5.6 million for the YouthWorks summer jobs program this year.

The funding, an increase of $1.2 million since last year, is part of “a comprehensive approach that coordinates education, employment and support services to increase opportunity … for young people throughout Massachusetts,” the governor said in a statement.

“Summer jobs raise the hopes and skills of young people in the Commonwealth and give them the opportunity to work and to earn,” said Patrick. “This investment in the YouthWorks summer jobs program is critical to the youth who will be on the job — and off the street — this summer.”

YouthWorks funding helps employers pay the wages of young people in summer job placements, providing a supplement to the state’s public resources and expanding the number of youth employment opportunities. Through the funding, youth get jobs in a variety of areas including: administrative, camp counseling, maintenance and landscaping.

YouthWorks employs low-income youth in 25 cities and towns in Massachusetts. Last summer, it provided jobs for more than 3,200 young people.

“We must take steps to connect our youth to job opportunities now, as the greatest predictor of holding a job as an adult is one who holds a job as a teenager,” said Secretary Suzanne Bump, secretary of the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

Calling YouthWorks “a key component of the administration’s youth development and anti-violence strategy,” the Governor’s Office statement highlighted the administration’s other efforts, including millions in grant programs providing youth with education, skill development and employment opportunities.

Employers looking for additional information on hiring youth can call 866-968-8461 or visit www.commcorp.org/
youthworks/employer-towns.html.

Beth Israel, Google team up to make exchange of patient records simple, secure

Seeking to expand options for users of its secure “PatientSite” portal, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has joined forces with online titan Google to offer a new way to safely exchange medical records and other health data.

Through the arrangement, according to BIDMC Chief Information Officer John Halamka, M.D., patients will be able to access their medical information more easily and widely through Google Health. The new service, launched Monday by the Mountain View, Calif.-based Web search leader, lets users import records from a variety of care providers and pharmacies.

BIDMC’s PatientSite enables patients to access their medical records online, securely e-mail their doctors, make appointments, renew medications and request referrals — which, Halamka said in a statement “is wonderful if all care is delivered at BIDMC.”

“However, many patients have primary care doctors, specialists, labs, pharmacies, and non-traditional providers at multiple institutions,” he said. “Our vision is that BIDMC patients will be able to electronically upload their diagnosis lists, medication lists and allergy lists into a Google Health account and share that information with health care providers who currently don’t have access to PatientSite.”

Google Health will enable BIDMC to extend its support for personal health records. PatientSite users will be able to access, store and share health information with designated family members and health providers. They will also gain access to other Google features such as drug-to-drug interaction checking and other safety and medical references.

“The end result will be when patients leave the BIDMC area or see a provider outside the area, they can have all their medical data located in one safe place,” said Halamka.

Google Health can be found on the web at www.google.com/health.