(Photo: Scooter Waller, 247Sports)

On Sunday, Virginia Tech appointed former Safeties Coach Justin Hamilton to the role of Defensive Coordinator. His ascension through the program is quite remarkable, as he reaches the highest defensive position title after two years at the university.

Playing Career

Hamilton, a former Virginia Tech player, played at the University until 2005. He played wide receiver, tailback and safety, recording three touchdown rushes, a touchdown catch and three interceptions in his career as a multi-position player.

He was selected in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round. He played as a rookie but missed the next season due to injury and was waived. He jumped to the Washington Redskins, but only lasted until October 14 of the 2008 season. His NFL career would be over after two seasons.

Coaching Career

Following his playing career, Hamilton moved to University of Virginia - Wise. He served as the defensive coordinator. He then moved to VMI where he coached outside linebackers from 2014-2017.

He re-joined his Alma Mater nearly 12-years following his playing days. He joined as the Director of Plyaer Personnel in 2018. The next season he was appointed Safeties Coach, replacing Tyrone Nix.

Now in 2019, two years after joining the staff, Justin Hamilton has become the next Defensive Coordinator after Bud Foster.

Justin Fuente weighed in on the decision:

"Justin has earned this opportunity to lead our defense and our football team," Fuente said. "Everyone in our program has a great deal of respect for him and his abilities. Coach Foster has reiterated to me on several occasions that Justin is ready for this next step in his coaching career. I feel the same way and am convinced he's exactly the right fit for this role at Virginia Tech. Coach Hamilton is a talented coach and recruiter with a deep passion for both the game and Virginia Tech. He possesses a great knack for connecting with our players. His voice carries tremendous weight on the field and in the locker room because he's worn that helmet and experienced many of the same things the young men in our program are going through."

Bud Foster also chimed in on the decision:

"I couldn't think of anyone better to continue our tradition of Virginia Tech defense than Justin Hamilton," Foster said. "Justin embodied our team-first mentality as a player and did anything and everything we ever asked of him. He was a gritty player and he's exactly the same way as a coach. He's fought and competed for every opportunity he's earned in the coaching profession and I respect the way he's approached it from day one. When we brought Justin back to Virginia Tech, in the back of my head I was hoping that I could help groom him to someday become a defensive coordinator. While I didn't know when or where that opportunity might come, I'm thrilled that it's happened for him at Virginia Tech. "When Coach Fuente asked whether Coach Hamilton was ready, my answer was, 'Absolutely, he's ready. He's a guy who will evolve, learn and get better from every experience,'" Foster continued. "I know Coach Fuente didn't have to ask my opinion, but when he did it just confirmed what we were both already thinking, that we had the right man already in the building to carry the torch for the Lunch Pail Defense. I couldn't be more proud of Justin and I'll continue supporting him and the Hokies in any way I can in my new role away from the field."

Read more here:

The Ascension of Justin Hamilton to Defensive Coordinator - 247Sports

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - If you've had a hernia, you know they can be painful.

This month's Check Up 13 gives you a chance to have a free check with your doctor if you have or think you might have a hernia.

A hernia is a weak spot in the muscle or tissue. Doctors say patients tend to procrastinate getting a repair and don't realize hernias don't go away. Untreated, they can lead to complications.

"In general, as you get them to progress, they will progress to larger hernias which are more difficult to fix, which are more likely to have complications associated with it and are more likely to come back," said Ascension St. Vincent surgeon Dr. Paul Szotek.

Some people are born with hernias, others see them develop over time after surgery, pregnancy, overexertion or weight gain.

An overwhelming majority of hernia cases are in men like Ralph Hutcheson. He had his first hernia 20 years ago and said he learned an important lesson.

"Don't wait. It's never going to get better, it can only get worse," the 76-year-old said.

When his second hernia developed on the other side of his body, Hutcheson went to see the doctor right away. He knew that if he waited, the hernia could get bigger and cause complications.

His surgeon used the newer robotic surgery for his repair. He was amazed at the improved recovery time.

"Seven days out, feeling good," he said.

If you are 18 or older and you'd like to talk with medical staff about your hernia concerns, you can do so, free of charge, courtesy of Check Up 13 and Ascension St. Vincent.

Register by calling the hotline (866-824-3251) today, or registering online at WTHR.com through midnight tonight.

Link:

Early treatment can reduce hernia complications - WTHR

Google has been venturing into new areas of business and recently made huge news when it got access to the health records of millions of Americans through a partnership with the Ascension hospital network.

Both companies insist their goal is to provide better care to patients, but the program, code-named Nightingale, is already creating major privacy concerns. Just 48 hours after it was announced, federal regulators from the Department of Health and Human Services announced an investigation into whether the partnership violates HIPPA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

On this episode of the Reset podcast, Christina Farr, a tech and health reporter for CNBC, tells host Arielle Duhaime-Ross that this type of initiative isnt exactly new for Google.

Google has this history of walking into a new sector and and saying, Lets suck up as much data as we can, and well just use our engineering prowess to figure out what products and tools that we can build off the back of this data. And it seems like theyre going into health care with a similar intention.

So, what does this mean for the Americans whose health records were accessed by Google?

The first thing to know is that when it comes to medical records, its not always clear who owns the data, says Nicholas Tatonetti, assistant professor of biomedical informatics at Columbia University.

It is often generally owned by the doctors, hospitals, and organizations that collect it. But it seems to be a patchwork of regulations and frameworks, which is why its valuable for these large efforts to bring data together.

For many Americans, that can be worrisome. But its important to know that the Google deal is actually routine. Its part of a how a lot of medical research is conducted today.

Using an example from his own research in which his team used similar types of databases to discover that two common drugs, an antibiotic and a heartburn medication, can lead to potentially dangerous heart arrhythmias when taken together Tatonetti says that everything Googles done so far was perfectly above board. But there is still room for improvement.

There is a feeling in the air about who has access to our data, how private [is it], and when is it being shared? When we are left out of that process, it feels a little like were being taken advantage of, even if its legal. And even if they are appropriately protecting our data, Im disappointed in these types of announcements [because] there isnt an engagement of the patient population in order to bring them into this process, especially when it comes to a giant tech company that has the type of position and an ability to interact and reach billions of people.

Still wondering how we should think about what Google is doing with these data and whether theres a way to avoid all of the mistrust? Listen to the entire conversation here.

Below, weve also shared a lightly edited transcript of Farrs conversation with Duhaime-Ross.

You can subscribe to Reset on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Spotify.

This blew up because of various reports that some of this information was not anonymous that, in fact, it contained things about patients that you wouldnt necessarily want to share with a company like Google.

What kind of data was shared?

So the data that was shared was a bit of a mix. There were some cases where it was fully anonymized information, and that was simply to inform some of the analytics work that they were doing. In other cases, the companies came clean that they were sharing some personal health information which could have been potentially identifying. It could be all sorts of different things, including even just dates of service (when a patient went into the hospital).

We havent seen yet any clear evidence that patient names were shared in this process. But theres a reason to worry about Google having access to any identifying information, because if they combine that with any other data they have about us, anything could be identifiable.

We arent just talking about Google knowing peoples blood pressure, right? Were talking about Google knowing peoples HIV status or whether they have a mental health issue that requires medication.

Absolutely. The big fear here is that Google will start to learn more about our health conditions and [probably] already has quite a lot of that information.

Were sharing our health status with Google inadvertently all the time. And the idea that they could then touch our clinical records from when we go see our physicians at the hospital is just terrifying.

Adding to this is that Google has seen other issues with some of the health things that its done.

Only a few months ago, there was a lawsuit from a patient at the University of Chicago. And what came out is that Google was supposed to be making sure that information that was shared from the university to their servers was fully anonymous. But it turns out that some dates of service ... were actually shared with the company. So that led to a lawsuit.

Before that, there was a whole issue in the UK with DeepMind, one of their subsidiaries, having access to patient data.

This is all adding up to this picture that Google is not properly just managing this. I would like to see Google get out there and deny that and say, We would never target people based on their medical information, and just create some policies around this, and maybe even some public forums where people can ask questions of Google and get straight answers about how their health information is going to be used by the company.

What about Googles partner here? Why would they want to partner with a company like Google?

Ascension is a Catholic health system. They have lots of different hospitals and their own C suite that is looking for partnerships with tech companies, as are many other health systems. In the US, its quite common now to work with either one of the big three, whether its Microsoft, Amazon, or Google.

So, Ascension in theory would have wanted to have their brand associated with an innovative tech company like Google [be] very positive for them. I think they did see an opportunity to work with a big tech company on that and be viewed broadly as an innovative mover within the health care space.

What was Google trying to do with the data?

My sources have said that there were a few projects that were outlined with Ascension specifically. One of them was that they were looking to build a tool that could search through a medical record really easily. I also heard that they were looking at early detection of disease. So, for instance, if a patient is likely to have a condition called sepsis, which could lead to a fatal outcome, is there a way that they could look at these large-scale datasets and figure out whos most at risk and intervene earlier? And then once they had done that for something like sepsis, they could move on to other conditions.

Is it normal for a free company like Google to have access to this data, especially if its not anonymous?

These sorts of agreements are very common in the health care industry. Some folks in the wake of this news say that if these agreements didnt happen, health care would grind to a screeching halt. So we see these deals all the time. Typically it doesnt involve companies like Google, but it involves health care technology companies that you may be familiar with.

Optum, [for example], works with health systems regularly on large-scale data projects. And in these cases, they have to sign whats called a BAA (or business associate agreement), which allows for this data to be shared and can actually include some personally identifiable data.

Google is just latching on to a long history of these preexisting types of projects that we see every day but [that] rarely get reported on. When its Google, its a big deal. But when its not Google, people dont care quite as much.

It sounds like, because the name Google is tied to this, people are reacting really strongly.

Thats absolutely the case. This is standard practice. All sorts of health-privacy folks Ive spoken to have said these deals are routine now. I think there is still reason to criticize Google.

One piece where I would call them out is consent. There was no evidence here that Google did tell any of the patients or the physicians that they were doing this work. That only came out later, after the news exposing some of the details of the project. They could have chosen to do that. Did they have to? Maybe not. Some BAAs allow for this to be done without consent.

I hope that once the dust settles, we end up having much deeper discussions about what we expect when it comes to our health information, who should own it, who should access it, and in what circumstances should patients have the right to say no.

You alluded to a small number of Google employees who had access to this data.

Google hasnt disclosed yet exactly who those employees were, who had access to the data. They said that this small number of employees were closely monitored, implying that those employees were watched if they did have any access to the information.

At this point, we just have to trust them that those employees werent sharing this data or attempting to use it for any nefarious purpose, like selling the data, trying to use it for targeted advertising, or even just building tools off the back of Ascension datasets that they could try to sell down the line to other hospital systems.

We dont know that they did that. Google is asking a lot by just saying, Hey guys, a few people had access to this, but dont worry, we had it under control.

Its always fun when a large tech company like Google asks you to just trust them.

Exactly. As has been rightly pointed out, Google has been quite cavalier.

[The company] has this history of walking into a new sector and then saying, Lets suck up as much data as we can, and well just use our engineering prowess to figure out what products and tools that we can build off the back of this data. And it seems like theyre going into health care with a similar intention.

On the one hand, it could be a good thing, because this work does need to be done in health care and these large-scale analytics projects can be really important.

But on the other hand, you know, Google just hasnt instilled the public with a lot of confidence that theyre going to approach this with all the protections and the controls and just fundamentally do it in the right way.

To hear the potential positive aspects of Googles partnership with Ascension and its access to massive amounts of medical records, listen to the full episode and subscribe to Reset on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The rest is here:

Googles Ascension deal gave the company access to millions of medical records. Here are the pros and cons. - Vox.com

The backers of a plan to consolidate sewer service in Ascension Parish say 29 neighborhoods outside the parish also will be part of the deal and pay its increased rates. The Ascension Parish Council would become their rate setting authority, replacing the Louisiana Public Service Commission.

WATSON Just down Cane Market Road from Watson Baptist Church, the residents of the Fountainbleau subdivision live in one of the most norther

Here they are by parish:

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East Baton Rouge

Beaver Creek, Beaver Creek on the Plains, Carriagewood Estates, Cloverhill, High Plains, Builders Center/Hobby Lobby, Hoo Shoo Too Lakes, Lake Beau Pre, Landing at Mallard Lakes, Mallard Crossing, Manchac Reserve, Pecue Lane Estates, Reserves at Jefferson Crossing, and Willowbrook/Old Jefferson.

Iberville

Oak Trace

Livingston

Cypress Point, Duff Village, Fountainbleau, Gray's Creek, Lakes at Juban Crossing, Old Mill Settlement, River Highlands No. 1, Settlement at Bayou Pierre, The Cove, The Crossing Apartments, Three River Islands, Village at Juban Lakes, Waterfront East and Waterfront West.

GONZALESAscension government advisers working on 30-year deal to transform parish sewer service say they made several changes to the propos

See more here:

See list of neighborhoods outside Ascension Parish that are part of 30-year sewer deal - The Advocate

Madison Arnold, Pensacola News Journal Published 6:00 a.m. CT Nov. 25, 2019

Ascension Sacred Heart is moving forward with a number of projects, two of which are scheduled to open in 2020, in an effort to move more services out into the community.

A new outpatient rehabilitation center is under construction at the intersection of Grande and Market Place driveswith an estimated finish in April. That project will be followed by the completion of an outpatient surgery and dermatology center, among other services, just off Summit Boulevard next November.

"We know that toprovide a patient-friendly, family-friendly experience that we need to be in the neighborhood, we need to be out in the community," saidDawn Rudolph, hospital president. "... With innovation and capabilities that we've been able to bring,more things can be done outside of the hospital."

Construction of the brand new Ascension Sacred Health outpatient service center on Summit Boulevard is underway on Friday.(Photo: Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com)

The $9.5 million rehabilitation center will be a 17,500-square-foot facility and offer physical, occupation and speech therapy. Currently, the hospital system offers those servicesat two locations one inSanta Rosa County andthe other along Davis Highway and Sorrento Road.

The surgical center will be quite a bit larger at 58,000 square feet and next to the hospital's Haven of Our Lady of Peace nursing home. The $19 million project will include six outpatient operating rooms, imaging equipment, the breast health center with mammography and a dermatology center.

When determining what services are needed and where in the community to put them, Ascension Sacred Heart staff look at data, including the number of homes in growing areas andpropensity and prevalence of particular diseases, Rudolph said.

"Those lenses allow us to know what is the highest and best used of our services and try to customize it as much as possible," Rudolph said. "How can we make it easy for people to get good health care? That's the bottom line."

Currently, the system is looking into opening a separate emergency room to accommodate growth in Beulah, although an exact timeline hasn't yet been finalized, said spokesman Mike Burke. A media release announcing the project in August said it's planned to be an $11 million,4,700-square-foot facility scheduled to open in late 2020.

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It will be constructed on Nine Mile Road, nearthe new Ascension Sacred Heart Health Center at Milestone, an outpatient medical facility that opened in March.

These facility expansions come on the heels of the hospital system's new $85 million Studer Family Children's Hospital in April opening. Now Ascension Sacred Heart is construction a $19 million pediatric intensive care unit and operating rooms onto the children's hospital, which is scheduled to be finished in January 2021.

Madison Arnold can be reached at marnold@pnj.com and 850-435-8522.

Read or Share this story: https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2019/11/25/sacred-heart-rehabilitation-surgical-facilities-opening-2020/4261554002/

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Ascension Sacred Heart on track to open at least two new facilities in 2020 - Pensacola News Journal

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The Kroger Co. is reportedly adding an array of new healthcare services for customers in Tennessee.

According to the Cincinnati Business Courier, the grocery giant is partnering with Ascension Saint Thomas Health, a Tennessee-based hospital and healthcare network, to expand the range of consumer healthcare services it provides in Tennessee. Ascension Saint Thomas Health operates 97 practice sites that provide access to over 500 physicians and advanced practitioners. Kroger operates 116 pharmacies and 40 consumer health clinics in the state.

As a result, Kroger will reportedly offer 32 additional specialty care services provided by Ascension Saint Thomas Health. The partnership is part of Kroger 360care, an initiative designed to provide broader, affordable access to hospital and healthcare network services to Kroger customers.

Collaborations and partnerships are key to transforming the way health care is delivered in America, Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health, said in a news release. Our vision at Kroger Health is to help people live healthier lives. This partnership is a great example of our vision in action.

Kroger operates a total of 215 consumer health clinics in nine states. The retailer intends to partner with more hospital and healthcare networks through its 360care initiative in the future.

To read the full article, click here.

Excerpt from:

Report: Kroger expands consumer healthcare in Tennessee - Chain Store Age

Thanks to a thriving economy, a high-performing public school system and a low crime rate, Ascension Parish is growing at an unprecedented rate. However, such rapid growth has recently presented challenges that threaten to slow, and even halt, the economic momentum we are currently experiencing.

Earlier this year, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality declared Bayou Manchac an impaired waterbody, and similar declarations for New River and Blind River are imminent without significant changes to the way raw sewage is processed in the parish. That is stalling permits for residential and commercial development.

This summer, Ascension Parish officials received a proposal from Ascension Sewer to invest over $215 million in the development and construction of wastewater collection and treatment facilities for the East Bank of Ascension Parish, offering coverage for the most populated areas in the parish. Structured as a public-private partnership, the proposal allows the parish to retain ownership and ultimate control of the sewer system as a public asset and proposes affordable and predictable sewer rates, comparable to nearby parishes.

A recent survey of the Ascension Chamber membership showed that 95% of the respondents supported the Ascension Sewer proposal to initiate the buildout of a parishwide wastewater treatment system. Of those same respondents, 65% identified the need to stop the continued contamination of our parish ditches and waterways as the primary reason to connect and modernize the parishs outdated and failing sewer treatment system.

If the parish does not move forward with Ascension Sewers proposal, we risk the continued contamination of the waterways where our children fish, swim and play. We risk forfeiting our local authority to a consent decree by state and federal departments such as the DEQ and EPA. We also face the risk of increased taxes to subsidize the increased project costs associated with state and federal buildout orders. Given these risks, the benefits of a partnership between the parish and Ascension Sewer are all too clear.

The Ascension Chamber is confident that the due diligence underway by independent experts in vetting the proposal will give our parish council members the confidence to move forward in voting in favor of this proposal on Nov. 21. We are in full support of Ascension Sewers proposal as this important infrastructure project will enhance economic development in the parish and, more importantly, will improve the quality of life for our residents in the decades to come.

Barker Dirmann

president, Ascension Parish Chamber of Commerce

Gonzales

Read more here:

Ascension official: Failure to act on sewers could slow the parish's growth - The Advocate

Newly elected Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment is calling on the parish council to put off Thursdays scheduled vote on a new 30-year deal to finance, build and operate a $215 million regional sewer system.

The deala public private partnership between the parish and the privately owned Ascension Sewer LLC, which was created and is largely owned by Baton Rouge-based private equity firm Bernhard Capital Partnershas been in the works for nearly a year.

But Cointment says he and some of the newly elected members of the parish council have questions about the deal and dont think it should be approved by the outgoing council, which leaves office at the end of December

Were going to be the ones who have to work with this deal that was brokered with zero input from us, says Cointment, who finished first in the October primary with 42% of the vote and avoided a runoff after the second-place finisher dropped out. The process is broken. We should have some say in this deal. Its our turn.

Cointments concerns center on issues raised in a recently released report on the deal by E&Y that says rate payers will have little say over rate increases and suggests the parish is ceding much of its leverage and control to Ascension Sewer.

The report notes, for instance, that there is currently no detailed mechanism in the agreement for determining how rates are set or adjusted. and also that there is a high degree of uncertainty now as to how rate changes will be determined and proposed in the future.

We need to hit the pause button, Cointment says. We need to do our due diligence and look at this deal more closely.

But Ascension Parish Director of Infrastructure William Daniel, who has spearheaded the deal, says the outgoing council has been studying the proposal since May and a majority supports it. He argues that the multiple, disconnected systems that currently serve the parish are ineffective, causing public health issues and will ultimately need to be replaced anyway.

The long term prospect of not doing this deal is that starting in January, we would need to charge $90 a month to every household in the parish just to break even, best case scenario, Daniel says. Worse case, the feds could come in and order us to build a sewer system.

Daniel acknowledges rates will go up under the new plan but says they would anyway.

I think its a really, really good contract, he says.

Cointment says he understands something has to be done to address the problem in the rapidly growing parish and says the Ascension Sewer deal may be the best solution.

But we dont know yet and we shouldnt be in such a hurry to push it through, he says.

Ascension Sewers Jeff Baudier says he feels the company has been transparent and given the parish council all the time and information it needs, but he understands the concerns and wants to make sure everyone is comfortable with the deal.

Were not opposed to giving them more time, he says. Were going to follow the guidelines of the council as to how much time they need to fully consider the proposal.

Read the original post:

Incoming Ascension Parish president wants to 'put the brakes' on Bernhard sewer deal - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

The annual Council on Aging Halloween party was Oct. 25 at the Gonzales Senior Center. The music was provided by Route 61, and treats were given to the clients.

The rain dampened the day, but 26 seniors participated in the costume contest.

Volunteers from Canon Hospice, Accord Rehab, Francois Bend, Gonzales Home Health, Feliciana Home Health and Peoples Health judged the costume contest and provided door prizes.

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Winning the most creative division was Juanita Guillot; Stelle Menne, second; Ellen Riger, third; and Pay Mayers, fourth.

Mary Chauff won the prettiest category; Debra Danielson, Lucille Taylor, Wanda Torres and Ruth Kidd placing.

Elladee Chauvin won the funniest division, and placing were Lucille Blair, Mervin Young, Violet Patterson and Linda Francois.

In the scariest division, Frankie Tortorich was first, with other top winners including Mary Russell, Jeanette Richardson and Linda Lomas.

Carol Laparne was first in the sexiest division, with Gail Barter, Sam Bradford, Patsy Lafleur and Johnny Bradford finishing in the top spots.

In the most realistic category, Bertha Matherne won first; Ricky Wilson, second; Ann Jeanmaire, third; and Judy Lebourgeois, fourth.

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Halloween fun at the Ascension Council on Aging - The Advocate

For the second straight week, Ruston knocked off a team from Ascension Parish. In the first round, they upset Dutchtown, 29-27. Hosting the Spartans in round two, they grinded out a 21-13 victory.

Back in 2016, East Ascension was a big underdog as they made the 240-mile trip up north to face Ruston in the playoffs. The long journey was well worth while as they captured a 38-14 victory.

Three years later, the fourth-seeded Spartans were back in Ruston, and once again, there was an upset. Unfortunately for East Ascension, they were on the wrong side of it this time around.

For the second straight week, Ruston knocked off a team from Ascension Parish. In the first round, they upset Dutchtown, 29-27. Hosting the Spartans in round two, they grinded out a 21-13 victory.

The winning formula against East Ascension was very similar to the one they used against Dutchtown. They got off to a hot start, they controlled the clock and they were tenacious against the pass.

To begin the game, Ruston took the lead when quarterback Jaden Procell threw a screen pass to Ketravion Hargrove, and he did the rest. Hargrove raced 69 yards for a score to give the Bearcats a 7-0 lead.

The Spartans responded late in the opening quarter. Ethan Bagwell broke loose for a 62-yard run that set them up inside the Ruston 5-yard line. Bagwell then finished off the drive with a three-yard touchdown run to tie the game.

Hargrove then struck again for the Bearcats. He got loose for 51 yards to get Ruston down to the East Ascension 18. He eventually scored on a two-yard run to regain a 14-7 lead for the Bearcats early in the second quarter.

Ruston seemed to have control of the game, but then they fumbled a punt and East Ascension recovered at the Bearcat 47. It gave way to a 15-yard touchdown hookup between Cameron Jones and Jyrin Johnson.

The Bearcats were able to block the extra point, allowing them to maintain a 14-13 lead at the half.

East Ascension had a chance to take the lead at the start of the third quarter as Ruston muffed another punt.

However, the Bearcats got the ball back when Jones was sacked and stripped. Ruston recovered the fumble at their own 24.

To begin the fourth quarter, it appeared that East Ascension was about to hold Ruston to a punt as they were facing a third-and-22, but Dontre Griffin was able to convert on a draw.

The Spartans were also guilty of a face mask penalty on the playgiving the Bearcats the ball at the East Ascension 5-yard line. Griffin then powered his way into the end zone to extend the Ruston lead to 21-13.

With less than three minutes left in the game, the East Ascension defense forced the Bearcats into a fourth-and-one at their own 44-yard line. Griffin again picked up a first down. This conversion allowed Ruston to bleed the clock and clinch the victory.

After rushing for 126 yards against Dutchtown, East Ascension did a great job of containing Hargrove. He rushed for just 67 yards on 17 carries. Fifty-one of those yards came on one run.

But Griffin stepped up as a great second option for Ruston. He piled up 81 yards and a score on 16 carries.

Ruston possessed the ball for 27 minutes.

Jones was only able to complete eight of 19 passes for just 66 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked four times.

The loss prevented the Spartans from reaching the state quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons. They finished with an overall record of 9-3.

Read the original:

Spartans season ends on the road at Ruston - Leesville Daily Leader

Google and the massive Ascension health system have been secretly working together on a project to store and analyze millions of patient medical records.

Ascension is transferring the personal and medical information of 50 million Ascension patients onto Google's cloud network. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the project Monday.

In return, Google gains access to the data, a source with knowledge of the matter told Business Insider. The source asked not to be identified because the information isn't public.

The partnership titled "Project Nightingale" involves Google helping Ascension move its data onto Google's Cloud services and adding collaboration and G-Suite tools followed by plans to build an electronic search tool for patient records, according to internal documents reviewed by Business Insider.

The project is controversial, as patients weren't notified that their health information would be made available to Google, the person said. Both Google and Ascension said the program followed US health privacy laws.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has opened an investigation into the partnership, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Roger Severino, director of the department's Office for Civil Rights, told The Journal the probe will look into ensuring federal laws that protect the privacy of patients' health information were fully implemented.

Meanwhile, US Senators Amy Klobuchar and Lisa Murkowski said they were concerned about whether the organizations were taking proper steps to protect patient privacy.

Google's Tariq Shaukat said the partnership is "a business arrangement to help a provider with the latest technology, similar to the work we do with dozens of other healthcare providers."

"These organizations, like Ascension, use Google to securely manage their patient data, under strict privacy and security standards," added Shaukat, who's president of industry products and solutions at Google Cloud.

Ascension is the second-largest health system in the US, spanning 21 states and 150 hospitals. In the year that ended June 30, it brought in about $25 billion in revenue.

The partnership between Ascension and Google began late last year and ramped up this past summer and fall, according to the documents.

As of this month, about 20 million patients' information has been uploaded to Google's Cloud services, with the remaining 30 million to be completed by February, the source said.

About 2,000 out of the roughly 40,000 doctors and nurses in Ascension's hospital network were aware of the partnership, as they had been asked to test the electronic search system, the source added.

Google's Mountain View, California, headquarters. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The project involves employees from different segments of Google and Ascension. Close to 150 Google employees from different organizations are able to access the data, internal documents show. Among those are employees from the Google Health, research, and Cloud teams.

The data collected in the Google-Ascension partnership contains name, contact information, diagnoses, and medication orders, according to internal documents. The Ascension data that Google employees have access to includes patients' names and other personal information, according to the documents.

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the law, known as HIPAA, that is meant to protect the privacy of patients' health information, health systems can share patient information with business partners.

That includes everything from the software companies providing the electronic health records to billing vendors. Patients are typically asked when they join a health system to sign papers acknowledging a health system's privacy practices covering the third parties the information would be shared with, Roger Cohen, a lawyer in Goodwin Partner's life-sciences practice, told Business Insider.

"What's different is it's Google," Cohen said.

When it comes to big tech players rather than traditional health IT companies, there are broader public perceptions about how the data will be used, he said. "It goes to in this area where you have to think not just about the law but public perception as well."

Ascension said in a release Monday that "all work related to Ascension's engagement with Google is HIPAA compliant and underpinned by a robust data security and protection effort and adherence to Ascension's strict requirements for data handling."

As part of the business associates agreement, Google employees do have access to identified patient data, a Google representative clarified. Ascension employees have raised concerns about how Google might use its access to patients' personal data on the electronic system, the source told Business Insider.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Lisa Murkowski, who have introduced legislation to protect patients' health data, have expressed concern over the partnership.

Klobuchar, who is running to win the Democratic Party's 2020 presidential nomination, said in a Tuesday statement that the Google-Ascension partnership "isn't the only one that raises serious privacy concerns," citing Google's recent acquisition of health-tracking device company FitBit. Murkowski added that protecting patients' privacy is "a high priority of mine."

At the core of the project is a patient search tool. According to a user guide for testers of the tool that was provided by a source, users can type in patient names to find matches, get an overview of a patient's information, view notes and lab reports, and get a view of patient results over time. The information in the user guide does not contain Ascension patient information, the document noted.

Here's what it looks like:

User manual

The search gives users the ability to search through patients within Ascension, pulling up an overview of their health record with the ability to get a closer look at vitals or labs. Patient Search user manual

Much like Google Search, the forms are meant to correct for what medical providers are searching for.

Patient Search user manual

The reports can also provide a view of a patient's lab results over time.

Patient Search user manual

Over the past year, Google has gotten deeper into healthcare,hiring Dr. David Feinbergto head up the Google Health division.

Feinberg's team is now responsible for coordinating health initiatives across Google, ranging from the company's search engine and map products, to its Android smartphone operating system, to more futuristic offerings in areas like artificial intelligence.

In hisspeech at a conference in October, Feinberg said one of his first main goals for the team would be to oversee how health-related web searches came up and to work to improve that with the Google Search team.

Healthcarecosts are rising for consumers, andnumerous players want control over the dollars flowing in and out. From the perspective of the fast-moving technology industry, change is slow going, leaving entrepreneurs and companies alike thinking, "There has to be an easier way."

Tech powerhouses like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are increasingly focused on expanding in US healthcare. They've pursued strategies like selling software and computing services and offering hardware and have even shown some signs they'll get into the business of providing healthcare.

And as health systems have been amassing more information, there's an emerging race to see which company might benefit from storing that data on their respective clouds and what other platforms or tools might sway healthcare companies to work with them.

According to Business Insider Intelligence, healthcare companies were projected to spend $11.4 billion on cloud computing this year. Amazon as of 2017 had about 46% of the cloud infrastructure market, while Microsoft had about 11%.

Amazon and Google have been landing major deals as well. In July,the health information technology giant Cernersaid it had made Amazon Web Services its preferred cloud provider as it moved its business from being hosted on its own data centers to the cloud. The Minnesota-basedMayo Clinic in September signed Google as its cloud and artificial-intelligence partner.

This story was published on November 11 and has been updated with comments from US Senators Lisa Murkowski and Amy Klobuchar.

Excerpt from:

Inside Google and Ascension cloud and AI partnership: details - Business Insider

After news broke about a health data partnership between Google and Ascension Health,sparking potential privacy concerns,the tech giant and health system released statements defending the project.

Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported Google was collecting personal health information on millions of Americans as part of a partnership with Ascension,one of the largest Catholichealth systems in the U.S.

In a blog released this week, Google said the partnership is aimed at supporting the health system "with technology that helps them to deliver better care to patients across the United States."

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"Its understandable that people want to ask questions about our work with Ascension. Were proud of the important work were doing as a cloud technology partner for healthcare companies," wrote Tariq Shaukat, president of industry products and solutions and Google Cloud, in the blog post.

"Modernizing the healthcare industry is a critically important task, with the ultimate result, not just digital transformation, but also improving patient outcomes and saving lives," he said.

RELATED:Heating up competition with Apple in the smartwatch space, Google acquires Fitbit for $2.1B

In July, Google offered hints about the project during its second-quarter earnings call, saying Google Clouds AI and ML solutions are helping healthcare organizations like Ascension improve the healthcare experience and outcomes.But upon revealing what it dubbed "Project Nightingale" this week, Google reiterated the project shouldn't be seen as anything unusual.

For instance, Google has a "Business Associate Agreement (BAA)"with Ascension, which governs access to protected health information for the purpose of helping providers support patient care. All of Google's work withAscension adheres to industrywide regulations, including HIPAA,Shaukat wrote.

Ascension's data are de-identified and cannot be used for any other purpose other than providing services under that agreement, and patient data cannot be combined with Google consumer data, he said.

RELATED:David Feinberg offers a peek behind the curtain at Google Health

For its part, Ascension released a statement saying it is working with Google to "optimize the health and wellness of individuals and communities, and deliver a comprehensive portfolio of digital capabilities."

That includes modernizing Ascensions infrastructure by transitioning to the Google Cloud Platform, transitioning to Google's G Suite tools and exploring artificial intelligence applications that will have the potential to support improvements in clinical quality.

As the healthcare environment continues to rapidly evolve, we must transform to better meet the needs and expectations of those we serve as well as our own caregivers and healthcare providers. Doing that will require the programmatic integration of new care models delivered through the digital platforms, applications and services that are part of the everyday experience of those we serve, said Eduardo Conrado, Ascension's executivevice president of strategy and innovations, in a statement.

However, tech giants have faced increasing data privacy scrutinythat has only intensified as they wade into the healthcare space. Last year, Facebook sparked alarm afterCNBC reportedthe company asked several major U.S. hospitals to share anonymized data about patients for a research project in which it would match those data with user data to help hospitals figure out which patients might need special care.

As CNBC reported, the project never made it out of the planning stage. But it served as an example of the privacy concerns social media giants have to consider as they tiptoe into healthcare.

Google has made its interest in the health space well known. Last year, itbrought on Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System CEODavid Feinberg to serve in a new executive leadership role. Earlier this month,Google announced it is acquiring wearables company Fitbit for $2.1 billion."Our work with Ascension is exactly thata business arrangement to help a provider with the latest technology, similar to the work we do withdozens of other healthcare providers," Shaukat said. "These organizations, like Ascension, use Google to securely manage their patient data, under strict privacy and security standards. They are the stewards of the data, and we provide services on their behalf."

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Google, Ascension defend their health 'data transformation' partnership - FierceHealthcare

Google is collecting personal health records of millions of Americans who receive medical care from Ascension HealthWisconsin's second-largest health provider according to a Wall Street Journalreport.

The St. Louis-based Ascensionoperates 23 hospitals and over 110 clinics in Wisconsin, according to the Catholic nonprofit's website. Its areas of careinclude much ofthe east and central parts of the state from Eagle River to Racine.

Data collection for Project Nightingale, as the effort has been code-named, began last year and accelerated over the summer, according to the Journal. It includeslab results, hospitalization records and doctor diagnoses, as well as personal identifiers.

Neither patients or doctors had been notified of the data-sharing, the Journal reported.

Patient advocate Debby Deutsch wrote in an email to USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin on Monday that even if data analytics and artificial intelligence can helpimprove health care, "you don't need patient contact info and social security numbers to achieve that."

"Patients are right to be enraged with this violation of their protected health information," wrote Deutsch, who works at Patient Care PartnersLLC in Madison.

RELATED:Ascension and OSMS to build new clinic and surgery center in Fox Crossing

RELATED:Marshfield Clinic nixes plan for Wausau hospital, to buy Ascension hospitals in Weston, Park Falls

An Ascension Wisconsin spokesperson declined to share the number of patients in the state whose data has been accessed.

Ascension released a statement Monday saying the health system and Google were working together on a health care "transformation." The statement said work relating to Ascension's engagement with Google was compliant with the 1996 Health InsurancePortability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and did not make reference to patients' data collection.

HIPAA allows for health systems' business associates, like Google, to obtain patients' private health information without their consent, as long as it's "to help the covered entity carry out its health care functions."

Ascension's statement outlined its Google collaboration in three parts:

According to the Journal report, the Nightingale project aims to identify treatment plans, tests ordoctor teams for patientsand help a health system generate more revenue from patients.

Google's analysis of large amounts of health data to detect trends in causes and outcomes may fall under the realm of population health, Deutsch said.

For example, if a certain type of cancer is prevalent in a given region or population segment, data analysis would help determine the common characteristics of the patients and what treatments might be most effective.

But patient contact information or personal identification is not needed to pull off such an analysis, Deutsch added.

And there is an added threat that the shared data could be compromised.

"There is no danger of accidental identity breaches if they don't have the data in the first place," she said.

Contact Madeline Heim at 920-996-7266 or mheim@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @madeline_heim.

Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Subscribe to a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin site today with one of our special offers and support local journalism.

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Without notice, Ascension Health may have shared Wisconsin patients' personal records with Google - Post-Crescent

GONZALES An Ernst and Young financial analyst told an Ascension panel that a 30-year deal to finance, build and run a $215 million regional sewer system carried "slightly asymmetrical" benefits for the ratepayers and private partners behind it, ensuring cost overruns are born by ratepayers but offering no clear way also to share any savings with those future customers.

But the panel, the Parish Council Utilities Committee, which has been trying to find a way to build a regional sewer system under state and federal regulatory pressure to clean up discharge into area waterways, forwarded the plan for a possible final vote before the full council next Thursday, charging the private backers to answer the main critiques raised by the analyst.

If approved next week by an outgoing council with at least six departing members, the sewer deal could lock the parish into a relationship with Ascension Sewer for a generation. The deal carries costly termination fees in the tens of millions of dollars.

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Ascension Sewer LLC, whose partners include Bernhard Capital Management and Ascension Wastewater Treatment, is seeking a long-term concession with parish government to build a new regional treatment plant along the Mississippi River. The system would consolidate sewer service for tens of thousands of homeowners and businesses in eastern Ascension.

Ascension Sewer is proposing to sink in $78 million in cash upfront plus seek out commercial and government debt to finance the initial construction of a system expected to link up 19,500 parish government and Ascension Wastewater customers to the new system in the first phase.

Under the deal, the parish also is expected to put nearly $16 million in taxpayer cash and $60 million of the financing relies on a state and federal low-interest loan that parish was awarded several years go.

The first batch of customers as many as 35,000 could eventually be connected currently have community sewage treatment discharge that ends up in the impaired Bayou Manchac or other smaller waterways. Parish officials say the system could eventually remove 2.3 million gallons per day of discharge from Manchac.

Ascension Sewer is proposing a starting rate of $57.90 per month with annual 4% increases for the first 10 years of the deal, ending at $82.41.

At the same time, the parish has put forward its own analysis of status quo growth in the parish government customer base, suggesting a $60 per month fee with regular 3% increases, well above current rates, would end up with a combined $27 million deficit at the end of 20 years that would require taxpayer support.

The Ernst and Young analyst suggested the deficit might actually be less than half as much, however, though that plan held many cost uncertainties.

Parish government officials also suggested that if the parish didn't reach a deal with AWT, Ascenison largest privcate sewer provider, the company would find a way to make a private deal to do the same thing on its own, leaving the parish without control over a large customer base.

The committee vote late Tuesday night was 4-1. Council members Teri Casso, Oliver Joseph, Aaron Lawler, Daniel "Doc" Satterlee supported the proposal, while Councilman Bill Dawson was opposed. Councilman Benny Johnson, another member of the panel, was absent.

Before the vote, Stephen Auton-Smith, the Ernst and Young analyst, said uncertainty in the construction cost of the proposed system, which he estimated was 5% to 10% designed, held the biggest risk for cost overruns of up to 20%.

He said that just a 10% increase in the construction cost could boost rates by up to $10 per month over the 4% percent annual increases Ascension Sewer is currently proposing.

But, Auton-Smith said the deal has been structured with concern for those costs rising. He explained that the deal is structured to ensure those and other cost overruns would be transferred to ratepayers, which he said isn't unreasonable given the project's state of development.

Yet he noted that aspects of the deal held the potential for Ascension Sewer LLC to earn savings later and boost its 8% rate of return without a clear method pass on any of those savings to ratepayers.

In addition, the deal, as currently written, doesn't outline a clear way for Ascension Sewer to tell parish government when cost-savings happen.

"Right now, as generally drafted, there's a general trend towards cost recovery in the event things go wrong and an asymmetry if things go well," Auton-Smith said.

Auton-Smith's report had also noted that Ascension Sewer's plans lack the details to determine how the initial $57.90 per month rate structure was derived and how changing costs or saving might affect rates.

The council committee called on Ascension Sewer provide more details about its construction plans, work with Ernst and Young or another third party to develop a rate-generating model, better outline how rates could be adjusted higher or lower, and make changes to the deal contract to require annual or quarterly reports to the parish. All of that must be brought that back to the full council by Nov. 21.

Most of the requirements were proposed by Dawson but, under an amendment from Satterlee, the panel chose not to pursue another proposed by him, that Ascension Sewer bring its design to the 30% level.

Instead the panel called on Ascension Sewer to review its agreement with the parish to protect against cost overruns in design and construction, including ensuring cost savings were invested back into the system.

Jeff Jenkins, a partner with Bernhard Capital, told the panel before its vote that, based on his experience with public systems, he felt the construction estimates were solid and wasn't in favor of addition design work. He promised Bernhard Capital would work with the parish and Ernst and Young on the other items.

"We feel pretty firm we're already there. We're willing to put our money where our mouth is," Jenkins said.

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Long-term sewer deal in Ascension inches toward final vote next week - The Advocate

(RTTNews) - Ascension said Monday that it is working with Google to optimize the health and wellness of individuals and communities. It aims to deliver a comprehensive portfolio of digital capabilities that enhance the experience of Ascension consumers, patients and clinical providers across the continuum of care.

Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google has partnered with one of the country's largest health-care systems to secretly collect and crunch the detailed personal health information of millions of Americans across 21 states. Neither doctors nor patients were made aware of the effort.

The Journal reported that Google began the effort last year with St. Louis-based Ascension, the second-largest health system in the U.S., with the data sharing accelerating since summer.

The data involved in Project Nightingale encompasses lab results, doctor diagnoses and hospitalization records, among other categories, and amounts to a complete health history, including patient names and dates of birth.

At least 150 Google employees already have access to much of the data on tens of millions of patients, the report said.

Meanwhile, Ascension said that it will improve the experience of patients and consumers, as well as providers and associates, and advance its Mission of providing compassionate, personalized care to all, especially people living in poverty and those most vulnerable, through new capabilities.

Ascension said that the collaboration with Google will modernize Ascension's infrastructure by transitioning to the secure, reliable and intelligent Google Cloud Platform.

The collaboration will include transitioning to Google's G Suite productivity and collaboration tools. Using G Suite will enhance Ascension associates' ability to communicate and collaborate securely in real time, supporting interdisciplinary care and operations teams across Ascension sites of care.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Ascension Partners With Google On Healthcare Transformation - Nasdaq

GONZALES Officials running Ascension Parish's west bank water systems say they are prepared for subfreezing temperatures Tuesday night and early Wednesday but are asking residents to watch for water leaks and conserve water.

Low temperatures in Ascension are expected to be in the 20s overnight and into Wednesday morning, according to National Weather Service reports.

This week's big chill is draining water supplies in towns across South Louisiana, leaving a hospital and a nursing home in Ascension Parish dr

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The parish officials who operate two west bank water systems, Parish Utilities of Ascension and Ascension Consolidated Utilities District No. 1, are urging customers to protect exposed pipes and not to run faucets beyond a slow drip.

In early January 2018, another cold snap forced the parish to cut water service for several hours to the more than 3,200 customers on the PUA system, which serves the city of Donaldsonville, after a combination of leaks and running faucets overwhelmed the system.

The shutdown occurred due to low pressure and, once pressure was restored, the area remained under a boil water advisory until the system passed required water quality testing.

At the time, parish officials acknowledged that they did not have standard procedures to build extra water reserves ahead of cold weather, but since then have improved those procedures. The system, an old private water operation the parish bought in 2016, has also gotten added tracking systems and is in line for millions of dollars in other upgrades.

Parish officials said in a statement Tuesday that water towers are full and technical crews are on alert.

The boil water advisory for Donaldsonville residents was lifted Tuesday after Ascension Parish officials shut down the city water system last

Parish officials also urged residents to check on their neighbors, particularly the elderly and shut-ins.

Parish officials urged residents to watch for signs of water leaks, especially at the homes of neighbors who are away. Residents can report leaks by calling an emergency line at (225) 450-1078 or the Citizens Service Center at (225) 450-1200.

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Ascension: West bank water systems ready for frigid temperatures; conservation urged - The Advocate

GONZALES An Ascension Parish Council panel that for years has been investigating how to bring a consolidated, public sewer system to the eastern side of the parish will consider on Tuesday night whether to recommend a 30-year deal with a private partner to build and run the system.

Ascension Sewer LLC, which includes Bernhard Capital Partners and the parish's largest private sewer provider, Ascension Wastewater Treatment, is proposing a $215 million plan to eliminate dozens of community systems in Ascension Parish.

A new combined system would route the sewage of up to 19,500 customers in the first phase in Prairieville, Dutchtown, Geismar and the Gonzales area to a new treatment plant along the Mississippi River in the Geismar area and out of impaired bayous.

Another 2,800 Ascension Wastewater customers outside of Ascension, in East Baton Rouge, Iberville and Livingston parishes, would be part of the partnership and under the rate-setting authority of the Ascension Parish Council but not hooked into the consolidated system.

Ascension Sewer would design, build, operate and maintain the parish system for 30 years, earning an estimated return of 8% annually, potentially bringing the partners a few hundred million dollars in profit over the life of deal, according to a newly public Ernst & Young analysis.

Both the parish and Ascension Sewer would put up cash and debt to finance construction.

The plan proposes initial rates of $57.90 per month, a substantial increase for parish government's and Ascension Wastewater's customers, but on par, backers of the plan say, with rates in neighboring communities.

The Parish Council would be the rate-setting authority, but the deal lays out rates in the first 10 years. Rates would increase at 4% annually and reach $82.41 a month by year 10.

The deal also lays out several scenarios, such as slower than expected customer growth, under which the council could be asked for extra rate increases or end up in mediation if the two sides can't agree.

Under the deal, the Parish Council would face costly termination fees in the tens of millions of dollars or more to back out.

The Parish Council panel got a detailed explanation of the plan last month in a hearing shortly before the Oct. 12 primary, but Ernst & Young's analysis wasn't finished, putting off any vote on the plan.

Once the primary election votes were tallied, at least six of 11 council members were on the way out, including several members on the Council Utilities Committee shepherding the deal.

The incumbent for a seventh seat is headed to a runoff Saturday. The parish also will have a new parish president, President-elect Clint Cointment, with whom the private partners will have to negotiate.

Since the election, outgoing and incoming council members have offered mixed sentiments about whether the sitting council should act on a deal that would bind the parish for a generation.

Councilwoman Teri Casso, the chair of the full council, and Councilman Daniel "Doc" Satterlee, chairman of the Utilities Committee, have said they want to proceed.

Casso, who was reelected without opposition in August, said she would like the council to "finish strong" on a variety of matters, including the sewer plan. Satterlee, a two-term councilman who lost in the primary to Prairieville lawyer Corey Orgeron, agreed.

"I was elected to serve for four years, not three years and eight months, or 10 months, or whatever it is," Satterlee said.

Cointment has repeatedly declined to weigh in on the sewer plan while key details remained undisclosed but has said that once they are public, they should get a full airing before any vote.

Some councilmen-elect said they had already spoken with officials from Bernhard Capital but were still learning about the deal.

Chase Melancon, a councilman-elect from St. Amant, said the current council has done a lot work but, at the same time, the new council will be dealing with the plan, leaving him uncertain about a vote by the outgoing council.

Even before Ernst & Young's analysis became public, aspects of the plan not disclosed in the proposal's initial rollout have raised questions for some.

Officials with Bernhard Capital have said the addition of out-of-parish customers adds ratepayers, lowering the rate for all. They have simultaneously suggested the out-of-parish individual sewer systems wouldn't also present the kind of long-term regulatory concern that is helping drive the proposal to consolidate customers on similar treatment plants in Ascension.

Outgoing Councilman Bill Dawson, who has aired skepticism of that claim, told Bernhard officials last month that out-of-parish customers also would not be able to vote for any of the future Parish Council members who would set their monthly rates.

Currently, the state Public Service Commission sets their rates. Those customers have an elected representative on the state panel.

The Ernst & Young financial analysis, which has become public ahead of the utility meeting 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Gonzales, has added more questions for Dawson.

Ernst & Young detailed a variety of uncertainties in the plan that could either improve the partnership's profits or drive up costs. But the financial analysis found a pretax rate of return of 8% is not generally out of line, though valuable.

After the first three years of construction, Ascension Sewer's partners would earn a combined $267.6 million, after taxes, over the remaining 27 years. That's nearly as much as the future system's projected operating cost over the same period.

The analysis also found aspects of Ascension Sewer's financing plan assumes a more aggressive initial construction schedule and shorter-term construction financing than might otherwise be likely.

If those time frames were stretched out, the partnership could see a higher rate of return with no way to require disclosure of those savings or share them with ratepayers, Ernst & Young found.

Dawson said he will be asking the committee to have Ernst & Young further analyze the basis of Ascension Sewer's initial rate of $57.90 and call for more thorough sewer construction design plans, moves that could delay a final vote until next year.

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Sewer deal for Ascension heads to key vote by departing Parish Council; sewer rates could increase - The Advocate

Editors note: Got something on your mind? Community Voices is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.

Rick Banks serves as political director/organizer for Black Leaders Organizing for Communities; Nate Gilliam serves as organizer for Wisconsin Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals; and Jack Hanson is the research and policy analyst for the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization.

When the news broke in April 2018 that Ascension Health intended to dramatically cut services at St. Joseph Hospital, the last remaining general hospital on Milwaukees North Side, community members mobilized to save the hospital. Our group, the St. Joes Accountability Coalition, or SJAC, was born out of that fight to maintain quality healthcare services in a desperately underserved, mostly black area of the city.

Since then, SJAC has made it its mission not only to ensure that the hospital stays open, but also to work with Ascension to make it the type of facility the community wants, needs and deserves.

Ascension says that a community benefits agreement is not needed for St. Joes and that such agreements do not apply to health systems. Ascension has instead focused its efforts on drumming up positive media attention for its latest community health needs assessment, or CHNA, and community health improvement plan, or CHIP.

But lets get real.

First, every nonprofit hospital in the country is required by federal law to conduct a CHNA every three years and to develop a CHIP based on the findings.Froedtert, Advocate Aurora and Pro Health are all complying with this requirement quietly, while Ascension is trying to spin its efforts as something innovative and unique.Quite simply, in conducting a CHNA and issuing a CHIP, Ascension is just complying with the law.

Second, in conducting this newest CHNA, Ascension broke with past practice and chose to designate the whole of Milwaukee County as the community served by St. Joes. But anyone who lives here knows that the neighborhoods around St. Joes face health challenges different from those in other parts of the county. Glossing over that difference or, worse, simply ignoring it undermines the credibility of the CHNA and CHIP.This could also easily lend itself to continued medical redlining, as we see Ascension choosing to invest in wealthier (and whiter) parts of southeast Wisconsin.

Finally, and most importantly, the CHNA and CHIP processes on their own do not hold hospitals accountable. SJAC would love to see the projects discussed in the latest Ascension CHIP brought to fruition, along with other needed programs and supports identified by the community, but not addressed in the CHIP. But the federal agencies tasked with implementing the CHNA and CHIP rules have little interest in and even less capacity for monitoring progress. There are no sanctions for a hospital that fails to implement the projects discussed in its CHIP; the rules require only that a hospital publish a CHIP, not that it make good on it. Thats a big problem.

This is exactly why we need a binding, enforceable community benefits agreement with St. Joes.

The community also has valuable information and insight to offer Ascension concerning the future of St. Joes.Over the summer, SJAC conducted nearly 600 conversations with residents as we canvassed the neighborhoods around St. Joes.On Oct. 1, SJAC convened a town hall to release the results of our survey. Ascension representatives declined to attend.

Our survey resultsshowed, very clearly, that community members want Ascension to operate an urgent care center in the neighborhood; to deliver healthcare without racial bias; to provide housing assistance and greater support for affordable housing; to hire locally and train people into living wage jobs with union rights; and to respect community voices.

As a tax-exempt nonprofit, Ascension is expected to serve a charitable purpose. The corporations mission statement says that Ascension is committed to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable.Were asking Ascension to use its considerable resources to do just that. Milwaukees North Side is vulnerable. Its social, economic and health needs are great.The path forward is clear. But Ascension needs to be fully accountable to our community.

We stand ready to collaborate with Ascension to plan the future of our hospital and build the future of our neighborhoods whenever Ascension is ready.

How to reach us: Email is highly effective. We can be reached at info@milwaukeenns.org. Our newsroom phone number is (414) 604-6397.

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OPINION: We need more than hope and promises. Ascension should sign a formal community benefits agreement. - Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

WSGW News file photo

Ascension Health Care is spending $50 million in its Northern Michigan Division.

Regional President Doctor Stephanie Duggan says $17.6 million will be spent updating Ascension St. Marys Emergency Department in Saginaw. An additional amount of money will provide a new medical complex at Ascension Standish Hospital. Ascension St. Joseph in Tawas City will also have facility improvements.

Duggan said a partnership joins St. Marys and Covenant Healthcare with Central Michigan Universitys College of Medicine. The program currently has 101 medical residents doing their clinical training in Saginaw. The goal is to get 150 residents studying in the city. Its an effort to keep these future doctors in the area to meet a looming doctor shortage.

More than 60% of nearly 9,800 people receiving medical care as St. Marys patients came from outside Saginaw County, including the Great Lakes Bay Region, the Thumb and northern Michigan.

St. Marys has had a number of firsts, over the years, including the FlightCare helicopter, the first Level II trauma center and the first open heart surgery.

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Ascension Health Invests In Area Medical Facilities - WSGW

DONALDSONVILLE Five proposed industrial expansions in Ascension Parish totaling $784 million in capital spending received a key nod Thursday for property tax exemptions over the next eight to 10 years.

The Parish Council voted on six incentive applications for the five projects seeking exemptions for a combined $17.3 million in property tax revenue, parish estimates say.

If the companies build the proposed expansions, they would bring 13 new jobs combined, pull in millions in sales tax collections on construction and still draw a combined $90.6 million in property tax revenue for all local governments over the next 30 years.

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All of the incentives through the Louisiana Industrial Tax Exemption program also were approved this week by the School Board, but still need backing from Sheriff Bobby Webre and the state.

The state program exempts most, and some cases all, local property tax collections on new industrial machinery and equipment. Edwards has changed the value and length of the exemptions through various modifications and altered the approval process as some advocates and local officials had found fault with the older method that didn't seek local input.

Two of the tax break proposals, for two phases of expansions at Air Liquide's operations in Geismar off La. 30 worth a combined $278 million, also need support from the state Board of Commerce and Industry because the phases were proposed under older rules. The other applications, proposed under later rules, already have the board's backing.

The other projects, all of which would be in Geismar, are a $100 million expansion of Westlake Vinylspolyvinyl chloride and vinyl chloride monomer facilities, a $560 million ammonia plant for PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer, and a $276 million expansion at the Huntsman and Rubicon joint venture.

The PCS Nitrogen plant straddles Ascension and Iberville parish lines. Ascension's share of the expansion is valued at $130 million. The council only considered a tax exemption for that part of the project.

The Huntsman-Rubicon project required two tax exemption applications.

The Parish Council, many of whose members do or have worked in industry, ratified the deals with little comment and no statements from the public on Thursday.

In many cases, the votes happened so quickly that Kate MacArthur, director of the parish economic development arm, wasn't even given a chance to finish her presentations to speak in support of each of the proposals. For several votes, a handful council members abstained because of their ties to industry. No application drew a "no" vote.

The applications skipped the normal review by the parish Finance Committee, which meets next week and typically makes recommendations to the full council, because MacArthur is expected to be out of town and the council is running out of full meetings before the end of the year.

In an interview, MacArthur said the batch of applications in one setting was a quirk of the schedule and not timed with year's end. The council will see major turnover next year after elections this fall. A new parish president will also take office. She said two more tax exemption requests are coming in early 2020.

MacArthur said the parish's local governments have backed other, more capital-intensive projects with larger proposed tax abatements, including more than $1 billion projects for expansions by Methanex and Shell.

Methanex, which got backing last year, decided earlier this year to go forward with up to a $1.4 billion methanol plant, MacArthur said. It will be the third in Ascension.

Read more from the original source:

Proposed industrial expansions in Ascension receive backing for tax exemptions from parish - The Advocate