January 15, 2010

The United Nations Foundation's senior global health expert, Dr. Daniel Carucci, traveled to Haiti in the early morning to deliver medical supplies. Dr. Carucci has already met with United Nations staff and will continue to assess the situation on the ground to determine the best way to help the UN's emergency response. Dr. Carucci shared the following message with our staff while traveling. "It was dark as we made our approach into Port-au-Prince. The Haitian aircraft controls had closed the airport to all aircrafts but made an exception for us to land. There was the normal scattering of individual lights from the houses on the hills leading into the capital and an occasional car's headlights on the roads. Mostly things seemed normal for a developing country at that time early in the morning. As we got closer, however, the extent of the damage became clear. There were concrete structures that were completely flattened and houses that were piles of rubble. "We landed and I found a UN security officer who was transporting a small number of relief workers to the UN logistics office. He said many of his colleagues were missing and may have been killed. He seemed in a mild state of shock. There is no cell phone communication but he said they have satellite and internet. He seemed so happy to meet someone from the UN family that had come to help." Full release.

The announcement late yesterday that the White House brokered a deal with unions to exempt them from the proposed excise tax on so-called "Cadillac" plans delivered a stinging punch to small business. A key concern of small businesses, NSBA has repeatedly called on Congress and the administration to seek alternative methods of paying for the bill as the excise tax will more than likely be passed on to small businesses. "Contrary to all the pro small-business rhetoric we've heard from Congress and the White House, this back-room deal with unions sends a loud-and-clear message to America's small businesses: we have other priorities," stated Todd McCracken, president and CEO of NSBA. As reported, the White House agreed to exempt unions from the excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans until 2018, while small business would be forced to pay it starting in 2013. The deal would raise slightly the threshold for the 40 percent tax to plans that cost more than $8,900 for individuals and $24,000 for families. The agreement also included the exclusion of vision and dental from the overall calculation -- a minor concession. Full release.

Oxfam staff in Haiti is providing shovels and picks for local workers to clear rubble to search for trapped victims in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The international aid agency is also working to provide water by setting up water tanks in the city. Oxfam is flying water, sanitation, health, and shelter equipment to Santo Domingo to be carried overland to the quake zone. The agency also has stocks of goods and equipment in Panama on stand-by. An additional 17 Oxfam humanitarian response specialists arrived in Haiti today. "Our focus is clean water," said Michael Delaney, director of humanitarian response at Oxfam America. "People can go ten days without food, but we can only go three days without water. Many of the water systems are broken down because of this tragedy." Oxfam has had brief and erratic communications with members of its team in Haiti. Many have had their houses destroyed and are now having to sleep in the street. Some have lost family members. One Oxfam staff member was killed in the earthquake. Essential communications with the team are marginally improving, and Oxfam has more communication equipment arriving today. A horrific picture of need, and the vast obstacles to getting aid to people in need, is emerging. Full release.

On the eve of the meeting of Development Ministers on Monday in Brussels, European Commission Vice President and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton underlined the EU's determination to help Haiti in overcoming the consequences of the devastating earthquake. Ministers will discuss the EU's contribution to the short-term relief operation, but also in the forthcoming reconstruction efforts in the disaster area. On Wednesday next week, VP/HR Ashton will travel to the United States for meetings at the UN headquarters in New York and with the U.S. Administration in Washington, DC. "While we are making sure that Haiti receives the immediate and urgent support it needs, we also have to get ready for the very important next step in helping Haiti to rebuild the country," said Vice President and High Representative Ashton. "I am in close contact with our partners in Europe and beyond to coordinate these efforts. Together with the Spanish Presidency and [Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner] Karel de Gucht we have organized a meeting of development ministers which I will chair. I am absolutely committed to helping the people in Haiti. That is what the people of Haiti expect and they can count on us. Rebuilding Haiti is now a priority for the EU." Full release.

In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, MTV Networks is presenting "Hope for Haiti," a global telethon to air commercial-free across ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, and CMT on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT and 7:00 p.m. CT. "Hope for Haiti" will also be made available to MTV Networks International, CNN International and National Geographic channels worldwide. Leading the charge for "Hope for Haiti" will be George Clooney in Los Angeles, Wyclef Jean in New York City and CNN's Anderson Cooper from Haiti. The two-hour telethon will be broadcast from New York City and Los Angeles, and will feature musical performances and celebrity appearances to be announced prior to the event, as well as live news reports from CNN. "Hope for Haiti" will be produced by Joel Gallen, Tenth Planet Productions, in collaboration with MTV Networks and George Clooney. All proceeds will be split evenly among five relief organizations currently operating in Haiti: Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF and Yele Haiti Foundation (www.yele.org/text to give at 501501). Facebook and MySpace have also signed on as official social media partners to help drive donations and tune-in to the telethon. Full release.

The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (National Council) is offering small emergency grants and free Mental Health First Aid training to support mental health efforts in the wake of the devastating Haiti earthquake. "Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti and with their loved ones in the U.S. We commend the efforts of many agencies and individuals that are providing disaster relief. Our pockets are not deep but we are standing by to help in any way we can," said Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council. Through its Project Helping Hands, the National Council offers small grants to organizations working to meet the mental health needs of Haitian survivors and loved ones in the U.S. Since 2005, Project Helping Hands has supported behavioral healthcare organizations responding to emergency mental health and addictions treatment needs in the wake of disaster -- hiring treatment staff, setting up emergency outreach offices, and purchasing medications and emergency equipment. It is estimated that up to 25 to 30 percent of people in the most vulnerable communities experience the onset of trauma and mental disorders in the wake of disaster. These needs usually manifest several weeks to months after a disaster, as the reality of loss and displacement sinks in. Those with pre-existing serious mental illnesses may be traumatized anew or displaced and need extra care and support. Full release.

Consumers ended 2009 more optimistic than they have been in the past six months as the January Consumer Reports Index shows Sentiment, Stress and Trouble Tracker levels improving. The Consumer Reports Sentiment Index has shown its first meaningful up tick since June, climbing to 44.1 from 41.8 in December. The rise in consumer sentiment is tied to a decline in the Consumer Reports Trouble Tracker Index. The Trouble Tracker, which measures the amount of financial difficulties consumers face, now stands at 58.2 — its lowest level in the past five months. Retail shoppers showed up for the 2009 holiday season. Purchases in December were strong building on already sizable gains in November. Consumer purchasing was up about 26% in December from the prior month. The Consumer Reports Past 30-Day Retail Index for January (reflective of December activity) rose to 14.1 from 11.2 the prior month. Since October, the Consumer Reports Past 30-Day Retail Index has gained 57 percent. Gains over the prior month were driven by purchasers of personal electronics (34.7%), major home electronics (15.8%) and major home appliances (9.6%). Full release.

Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced steps to assist in the Haiti earthquake recovery effort. Members of Continental's OnePass frequent flyer program are now eligible to donate miles, in the amount of their choosing, to two major charitable organizations involved in the Haiti relief effort. OnePass miles may be donated to The American Red Cross and AmeriCares. To make a donation, OnePass members should visit continental.com and see Donate Your Miles. Continental also is waiving change fees and additional fare collections for certain tickets to the Dominican Republic, adjacent to Haiti. The policy is available on the Important Notices section of continental.com Continental is remaining in contact with various U.S. government agencies regarding their transportation needs. The airline will announce its participation in governmentally-sponsored official relief activities as they occur. Full release.

The widespread use of so-called fertility drugs, not just high-tech laboratory procedures, likely plays a larger role than previously realized in the growing problem of premature births in the United States, because these drugs cause a high percentage of multiple births, the March of Dimes said today. The organization's comments came in response to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology by authors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the March of Dimes that found controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) drugs -- used to stimulate a woman's ovaries to speed the maturity and multiply the production of eggs -- accounts for four times more live births than assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) such as in vitro fertilization. "Many people have focused on the role of ARTs in multiples and have not fully appreciated that fertility drugs alone are responsible for one out of every five multiple births," said Alan R. Fleischman, M.D., medical director of the March of Dimes. "COH drugs are widely prescribed, and some health care professionals -- and their patients -- are not aware of the serious risks of fertility drugs to women and their babies. There is a very high possibility of multi-fetal pregnancy resulting from use of these drugs, and that brings a high risk of prematurity and lifelong health problems for the babies as a consequence." Full release.

Late last night the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to the October 2009 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to preserve the open Internet and the Broadband Industry's practices. ITI's membership is a veritable Who's Who of the firms that design and provide the applications, content, software, hardware and network equipment used by providers and purchasers of broadband Internet access. ITI is, therefore, uniquely positioned to provide the FCC recommendations on the need for a carefully crafted, balanced approach in this proceeding. Most notably, as part of the High Tech Broadband Coalition, ITI previously proposed a balanced set of four conditions that were adopted as Chairman Michael Powell's Four Freedoms for preserving an open Internet. Those Four Freedoms later formed the basis for similar principles announced in the FCC's 2005 broadband Internet access service Policy Statement. Full release.

The 13 USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) members in Haiti continue to assess priority humanitarian needs and identify emergency relief supplies for immediate delivery to Port-au-Prince from the USAID/OFDA warehouse in Miami. The USAID/DART also continues to liaise with U.N. representatives regarding humanitarian coordination, and the USAID/DART team leader continues to coordinate with international donors until the full U.N. Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team arrives in Port-au-Prince. As of 2330 hours local time, U.S. urban search and rescue (USAR) personnel had rescued or assisted in rescuing nine individuals trapped under rubble. As of January 14, more than 300 USAR personnel had arrived in country, including a 72-person team from the Fairfax County Fire Department, a 72-person team from Los Angeles County Fire Department, an 80-person team from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, and an 80-person team from Miami City. An additional 42-person team from Fairfax County is expected to arrive in Haiti early on January 15. Full release.

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