In Brief
Physicians rally in Annapolis over medical liability
costs
Nearly 1,500 Maryland physicians, including dozens
from Johns Hopkins, descended upon the state capital on
Jan. 21 to help raise awareness of the crisis that medical
liability costs are creating in the health care
industry.
The three-and-a-half-hour event, called Rally for
Change, was organized by MedChi, the Maryland State Medical
Society. The group's aim was to petition the governor and
the state Legislature to contend with the skyrocketing
premiums for medical liability insurance that have forced
some physicians to limit their practices or close their
offices, denying residents access to health care.
The physicians assembled at the Lawyer's Mall outside
the State House, where they heard comments from Gov. Robert
Ehrlich; Donald Palisano, president of the American Medical
Association; Michael Busch, speaker of the House of
Delegates; and other officials.
Following the speeches, the assembly moved indoors to
observe the day's legislative session. Later they met with
individual elected officials, in part to show their support
for a bill--expected to be introduced by Delegate Pete
Hammen--that is supported by MedChi, Johns Hopkins Medicine
and others. The legislation seeks four key reforms: roll
back the cap on non-economic damages to $350,000; end the
use of inappropriate numbers in calculating economic
damages; establish a sliding scale for attorneys'
contingency fees; and require awards for future damages to
be paid over time rather than in a lump sum.
For more information, go to
www.medchi.org.
New Balto. Collegetown Web site draws visitors and
kudos
The Baltimore Collegetown Network Web site was
selected on Jan. 19 as the Site of the Week by
Communication Arts, the largest design magazine in the
world.
"The relaunch [of the Web site] is a rich resource for
current and prospective students," said the magazine in its
citation. "The site attracts students, engages them in the
Baltimore lifestyle and promotes the city as a permanent
residence after graduation."
Noting that results are measurable because the site is
a redesign, Communication Art noted, "Since the site
launched three months ago, site traffic has increased 300
percent, with the greatest number of visits occurring on
Saturdays, which indicates a strong engagement with core
content--things to do around Baltimore."
The site —
www.baltiumorecollegetown.com — was designed by
G2G Productions.
Johns Hopkins is one of the 14 members of the
Baltimore Collegetown Network.
City MESA program at risk; APL seeks funding
support
Due to lack of funding, 60 schools and 600 students
are in danger of losing an educational program that has
served Baltimore City for more than 25 years.
The Maryland Mathematics, Engineering, Science
Achievement Program, known as MESA, supports and develops
the interests, skills and abilities of K-12 students in
science, technology, engineering and math.
APL established the program in 1976 with just two
schools in Baltimore City; today, Maryland MESA serves more
than 130 schools and 2,300 students throughout the state,
with 600 of them coming from 60 Baltimore City schools.
Through partnerships with universities and
corporations, Maryland MESA works to increase the number of
engineers, scientists and mathematicians. It also
encourages and assists minorities and females in achieving
academic and professional success in these fields.
The future of the city program is now in jeopardy
because new funding is needed for a coordinator to
implement activities, train teachers and act as a liaison
between city schools and program management. Anyone
interested in supporting the city program can contact
Maryland MESA's director, Nora Day, at 443-778-5382 or
Nora.Day@jhuapl.edu.
For more information on Maryland MESA, go to:
www.jhuapl.edu/mesa.
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2004
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