A nurse is usually the first person a patient sees when he or she falls ill and the last they see when leaving the hospital. Nurses play a large role on the impact of healthcare and patient care. They are compassionate, committed and always ready to offer encouraging words in time of need.

On behalf of ECPR, thank you to all nurses for their immeasurable dedication to their profession.

-Whitney Herrick

Starmark Animal Behavior Center, formerly known as Triple Crown Dog Academy, announced its launch today, continuing Triple Crown’s reputation as the world leader in pet education. As part of the rebranding, the company also announced several enhancements to the 360-acre training and boarding center for dogs and their owners.

“Starmark is an internationally recognized brand because of our pet products, and we’ll be able to connect with more people using the Starmark name in all of our endeavors,” Keith Benson, president and COO of Starmark Animal Behavior Center, said. “Not only have we changed our name, but we’ve also enhanced our training and boarding options. We are continuing with the same wonderful staff and superior amenities, but we understand the importance of continuously evaluating and improving our training methodologies and facilities, which is why we are introducing some key upgrades.”

For nearly 20 years, certified training and behavior specialists at Starmark—handpicked from the top graduates of the Starmark Academy for Professional Dog Trainers—have worked with thousands of dogs from around the world to create the best training practices. This research has resulted in added features to the boarding and training services to better meet the needs of individual dogs.

Some of the new features at Starmark Animal Behavior Center include:

• Customized training packages for a personalized approach to ensure success for each dog

• A Pet Hotel with climate-controlled, indoor/outdoor suites for every dog and customized boarding packages

• Studio Suites with accommodations in a cozy and quiet environment designed for dogs’ natural denning instinct; ideal for small dogs, puppies or senior dogs that prefer a more relaxing experience

• The Discovery Playground, a thematic outdoor play yard equipped with a variety of dog park attractions, including tunnels, jumps and other obstacles

• A Grooming and Spa Center with full-service grooming provided by certified professional groomers, certified message therapy and a variety of spa services

“We are extremely proud of all we have accomplished over the years in pet education and training,” Benson said. “And we look forward to many more years of helping Central Texans and people across the world better communicate with their dogs through our Starmark Animal Behavior Center, the Starmark Academy and our Starmark Pet Products.”

For more information about the changes at Starmark Animal Behavior Center, to make a reservation or schedule an appointment with one of Starmark’s certified professional trainers and behavior specialists, please call 512-759-BARK (2275) or visit AboutDogTraining.com.

About Starmark Animal Behavior Center
Starmark Animal Behavior Center is the largest, most comprehensive dog training, behavior and event center in the world, and is located near Austin, Texas. Since 1997, tens of thousands of dogs and their owners have trained at Starmark. Starmark’s training and behavior programs use a broad range of scientifically proven techniques that provide dog owners with practical, motivational and results-oriented ways to communicate with their dogs. In addition, Starmark has a pet products division (Starmark Pet Products) and an academy for dog trainers (Starmark Academy for Professional Dog Trainers). Starmark Academy has provided training to an estimated 1,300 homeless dogs and donated approximately $4 million in products and services to local rescue organizations. For more information, visit AboutDogTraining.com or call (512) 759-BARK (2275).

Recently, I had the honor of attending the Texas Access to Justice Commission’s Champions of Justice Gala. The event raised more than $338,000 to help provide civil legal services to low-income veterans. These services assist in addressing legal issues related to getting medical or disability benefits, wrongful foreclosures and other situations that may arise.

Veterans are part of the 5.7 million Texans who qualify for civil legal aid. It is an honor to work with a client who is a champion for providing access to our courts for those who face life-changing legal problems.

Thanks to the staff at the Texas Access to Justice Commission and Texas Access to Justice Foundation—and to all the veterans who have served our country.

Donna and Don Bachler, with Grapefruit, from the Wounded Warrior Project.

-Erin Moore

With the goal of reducing the number of driving-related injuries and fatalities for oil and gas workers, Texas Mutual Insurance Company and its partners launched the “Give Safety a Hand” campaign in Corpus Christi on Tuesday, April 30, 2013, which has been declared “Give Safety a Hand Day” in the City of Corpus Christi.

Representatives of Texas Mutual, the STEPS Network, the Texas Oil and Gas Association, the City of Corpus Christi, Nueces County and San Patricio County, as well as area business and community leaders, officially launched the “Give Safety a Hand” campaign with an event at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds.

Through brochures, billboards, radio commercials and the SafeHandTexas.org website, the public education campaign will give drivers the tips and tools they need to be safe on the road. It will also provide resources for employers to talk with employees about the importance of driving safely.

“It is critical for all employers and their drivers, especially those in the oil and gas industry, to know there are several ways we can give safety a hand while driving—including always wearing a seat belt, controlling your speed and eliminating distractions,” Steve Bills, senior manager of loss prevention for Texas Mutual, said. “Texas Mutual and its partners are pleased to work with the community to educate people in Corpus Christi and surrounding areas about how oil and gas workers can avoid life-changing, and sometimes fatal, accidents.”

According to recent data from Texas Mutual claims, driving-related accidents account for nearly 60 percent of oil and gas industry fatalities.

Oil and gas workers are exposed to many of the same driving risks as other drivers, including speeding, distracted driving, driver fatigue and not wearing a seat belt. These factors can be made worse by inexperience, long shifts or deadlines.

Last year, motor vehicle accidents accounted for more than 13 percent of all accidents in the oil and gas industry statewide, among Texas Mutual policyholders. This is an increase from just over 8 percent in 2011.

Between 2011 and 2012, Texas Mutual reports that the number of fatal motor vehicle accidents in the oil and gas industry increased by 41 percent.

“Simple changes in driving habits can make a significant difference in safety,” Jim Sierra, vice president of financial affairs for the Texas Oil & Gas Association, said. “Although this public awareness campaign is specifically aimed at oil and gas drivers, the tips provided can be implemented by drivers and employers in their everyday lives.”

Area businesses participating in the campaign include Ainsworth Trucking, Apollo Towing Service, Coastal Drilling Co. and Gulf Coast Crane Service.

Insurance agents participating in the “Give Safety a Hand” campaign include Borden Insurance and Swantner & Gordon/Higginbotham.

For more information or to order toolkits for your employees, please visit SafeHandTexas.org.

Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Austin-based Texas Mutual Insurance Company is the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance, with approximately 37 percent of the market. Since 1991, the company has provided a stable, competitively priced source of workers’ comp insurance for Texas employers. Helping employers prevent workplace accidents is a major part of Texas Mutual’s mission. For more information, visit www.texasmutual.com.

Over the course of my life, I’ve done my best to avoid little ones. Frankly, when I was a child, I avoided children. I would much rather “hang” with the adults. Ironically enough, I did spend some time in college as a governess for a family, and I wouldn’t trade that experience. Those awesome children were five, seven and nine at the time. They weren’t little ones.

This little one got to me. She’s a little force of nature. But so is her mother who is fun, kind, very loving and extremely patient.

Our friend lent sunglasses to Salem when she announced it was too bright!

Salem and Kathleen having fun!

As a result of my weekend with a two-and-a-half year old, I have renewed compassion for the mother on the plane whose little one was having a breakdown. I no longer resent the mommy in the restaurant doing her best to comfort her unhappy camper at dinner.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, I think we should take time to appreciate and truly marvel at ALL a mother does for her family.

-Kathleen Smith

P.S. Thank you to my dear friend, Merry Anderson, for the photos!

SouthWest Water’s idea for the contest was borne from trying to find a way to give back to the community and bring more awareness to the importance of water.

One of our first steps included enlisting the help of the English/Language Arts Director for PISD. We quickly realized that it would be a good idea to model the essay prompt and scoring rubric to match those of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test, which students would take in the weeks following the contest. Working with SouthWest Water, we created a contest timeline, determined prizes and enlisted teacher support.

SouthWest Water was overwhelmed by the fantastic response to the contest. There were a total of 231 essays submitted. We developed an organized plan for teachers to anonymously score the essays, and five winners were chosen–one from each middle school, including a grand-prize winner.

Westview Middle School students working on their essays

On Mar. 19, SouthWest Water surprised the grand-prize winner from Kelly Lane Middle School, seventh grader, Paige Holtzendorf, in her ELA class with a bouquet of flowers, a certificate and $600 in Visa gift cards for all her classmates, her school principal and her family to see!

Brian Ernest, Kelly Lane Middle School principal; Paige Holtzendorf, Writing Contest Winner; and Gary Rose, SouthWest Water Company’s director of operations

With the success of this first writing contest, I imagine that SouthWest Water Company will likely continue with the contest next year and possibly bring it to other communities.

To see this story in the Pflugerville Pflag, visit: http://pflugervillepflag.com/2013/04/03/student-wins-600-in-water-essay-contest/

To read the winning essay, visit: http://swwcwritingcontest.com/

-Lindsay Ketchum

We knew how important this announcement was to the City of Austin—after all, Austin fiercely competed with more than 1,000 other communities to be the original Google Fiber location, before losing to Kansas City in 2011. Despite the loss, Mayor Lee Leffingwell, city officials and the community kept pushing for Google Fiber to come to Austin.

It’s a “no brainer” as to why Google Fiber and Austin go together. Austin is a mecca for high-tech startup companies, ones that will surely take advantage of a network that is more than 100 times faster than typical broadband Internet access. Additionally, the mayor hopes this will reduce the city’s carbon footprint because more people will be able to efficiently work from home. Lastly, city and Google officials alike have listed numerous reasons why Google Fiber will deliver a better quality of life for people living in Austin, including boosting the economy and creating innovative new teaching methods by joining together professionals out in the field with students in the classroom.

With all of this in mind, ECPR’s goal was to pull off the best and most informative press conference so that everyone was “in the know” about this exciting change coming to Austin.

Along with the Google internal team, we were able to draw more than 300 people—politicians, influential community members, and leaders from the tech and business communities—at Brazos Hall to hear Governor Rick Perry, Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Council Member Laura Morrison and top Google executives make history with the announcement. More than 40 journalists from publications all over the world, including CNN, the Associated Press, CBS News and all the major local publications and TV news affiliates packed the venue.

Once the announcement was made, the Internet and news outlets were ablaze with articles and blogs about the news, including an enthusiastic reaction from local Austinites on social media.

In the end, we were proud to have been involved in what is surely a history-making event and one that will change the way Austinites and Austin businesses interact with one another in the future.

We are happy to officially say, “Welcome to Austin, Google Fiber!”

To learn more about Google Fiber, visit fiber.google.com

Members of local, state, national and international media outlets gather for the announcement that Google Fiber is coming to Austin. Photo courtesy of CultureMap Austin.

Milo Medin, vice president for Google Fiber; Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell; Governor Rick Perry; Council Member Laura Morrison; Kevin Lo, general manager for Google Fiber, pose for photos after the announcement. Photo courtesy of Austin Chronicle.

-Lia Pette

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell and City Councilmember Laura Morrison, along with other City of Austin officials, announced today that Google, Inc., is bringing its 100x faster Internet connectivity—Google Fiber—to Austin, making the city the second in the nation to have this service.

Google Fiber is Google’s Gigabit Internet service that offers Internet connection speeds for homes and businesses up to 100 times faster than today’s average broadband, as well as TV service with hundreds of high-definition channels.

“Three years ago, the City of Austin expressed a desire to have Google’s revolutionary fiber-optic communication infrastructure in Austin,” Mayor Leffingwell said. “We are a city of early adopters and entrepreneurs, and as such, offer the perfect environment for Google Fiber.”

Google will start working immediately to build the infrastructure of the network throughout the Austin city limits. Surveyors and engineers will put together a plan for crews to attach fiber on utility poles and bury it underground to create the local fiber ring. After this process is complete, Google anticipates connecting the first homes by mid-2014. The City of Austin will work with Google to identify 100 public institutions that will receive free Gigabit connections.

“It is an exciting day for our city to welcome Google Fiber to Austin,” Councilmember Morrison said. “The high-speed connectivity will have a great impact on our diverse groups of creative and entrepreneurial citizens, educators and businesses allowing them to develop and execute their concepts at a much faster speed.”

In 2011, after more than 1,100 communities applied to be the first recipient of the Google Fiber technology, Google announced that Kansas City, Kan., would be the first city to receive the technology.

“When Google was originally choosing where to bring fiber, Austin had one of the most enthusiastic responses,” Milo Medin, Vice President of Access Services at Google, Inc., said. “We are excited to see what Austinites can do with Fiber, and we appreciate the work of the city leaders to make it all possible.”

For more information on Google Fiber and to receive updates, please visit googlefiberblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/google-fibers-next-stop-austin-texas_9.html, and sign up to learn more.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not a runner! However, I covered my share of runs and races as a local television reporter, and I even worked on a project that involved RunTex in my current role (the Maudie’s Moonlight Margarita Run benefiting The Trail Foundation).

Runners participate in Maudie's Moonlight Margarita Run (benefiting The Trail Foundation) in June 2011.

It’s difficult to see an organization that’s helped so many—stumble.

Carrozza attributes the setback to a failed expansion effort a few years back. He also admits, via a number of media interviews, that the expansion was a mistake and that this setback is “heartbreaking.” As a person standing on the outside looking in, I appreciate Carrozza’s honesty and openness. In fact, that is the No. 1 piece of advice we give to our clients—transparency is key.

I am optimistic that RunTex will get back on its feet, though, despite this hurdle (puns intended).

-Erin Ochoa

“Our cerebrovascular team is proud to have earned this distinguished certification,” Johanna Morton, M.D., vascular neurologist and stroke medical director at St. David’s Medical Center, said. “St. David’s Medical Center is truly dedicated to providing the highest level of care for the region’s stroke patients. This hospital has met the nation’s highest standards in stroke care, an accomplishment that is a genuine team effort.”

Certification of comprehensive stroke care ensures that a hospital can provide services such as neurosurgery, neurocritical care and endovascular therapies for cerebrovascular diseases. The surveyors conducted a rigorous two-day survey, during which they reviewed the program’s quality and care requirements. In some states, including Texas, the level of certification determines where EMS providers will transport patients for the most appropriate medical care within state health department guidelines.

DNV Healthcare is the only hospital accreditation program approved by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that integrates the ISO 9001 Quality Management System with the Medicare Conditions of Participation. DNV’s National Integrated Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations (NIAHO) accreditation program requires hospitals to evaluate the continuum of patient care and take measured steps to improve, if warranted.

The DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification incorporates elements from its NIAHO hospital accreditation standards, as well as requirements from the Guidelines of the Brain Attack Coalition and Recommendations of the American Stroke Association.

In order to earn and maintain a Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification, hospitals must participate in the Medicare program and be in compliance with the conditions of participation, which may be demonstrated by maintaining accreditation with DNV or another CMS-approved accreditation organization.

As part of the accreditation process, DNV surveyors will visit St. David’s Medical Center annually to monitor the hospital’s adherence to patient safety criteria established by CMS and to evaluate processes that impact patient care across various departments and facilities of the hospital.

DNV Healthcare Inc. is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a part of Det Norske Veritas, a global independent foundation dedicated to safeguarding life, property and the environment. For more information about DNV Healthcare and its NIAHO hospital accreditation program, visit DNVAccreditation.com.

St. David’s Medical Center
St. David’s Medical Center is part of St. David’s HealthCare, one of the largest health systems in Texas, which was recognized in January 2012 as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. Founded in 1924, St. David’s Medical Center is a full-service medical center offering comprehensive medical care at three locations—St. David’s Medical Center, located at 919 East 32nd Street in Austin; Heart Hospital of Austin, located at 3801 North Lamar Blvd.; and St. David’s Georgetown Hospital, located in Georgetown at 2000 Scenic Drive. The three campuses offer a full range of medical specialties, as well as many other innovative healthcare services.

St. David’s Medical Center in central Austin includes a 350-bed acute care hospital and a 64-bed rehabilitation hospital providing comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care. St. David’s Medical Center is also home to NeuroTexas Institute and the internationally renowned Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute. The hospital provides a complete range of women’s services, including its acclaimed maternity unit, maternal-fetal medicine, a high-risk maternal and neonatal transport team, the region’s largest and most sophisticated Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and The Breast Center; a fertility center; complex surgical services; a comprehensive Bariatric Surgery Center; and a 24-hour emergency department.

St. David’s Medical Center was named among the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics (formerly Thomson Reuters) for four consecutive years, from 2010 to 2013. In October 2012, Truven Health Analytics also named St. David’s Medical Center to the list of 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals. The hospital earned a national distinction for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, in June 2012. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.