Animal Agriculture Alliance debuts Meat Matters campaign

February 1, 2016 – Today, the Animal Agriculture Alliance unveiled a new campaign focused on promoting the role of meat and poultry in a healthy, balanced diet. The Meat Matters initiative counters claims made by activist groups about the nutritional value of animal protein, as well as the sustainability of meat and poultry production.

“We’ve heard a lot of concern over the years from our members about activists pushing the “Meatless Mondays” movement in their local schools and communities,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “This misleading movement is another tactic to eliminate consumer choice – the ability that we each have to determine the right food choices for ourselves and our families. Our new campaign will help consumers sort through the myths and misinformation to understand the true value of meat and protein in their diets.”

The Alliance has produced and maintained consumer-facing resources explaining the truth behind “Meatless Mondays” for nearly a decade, and the new Meat Matters materials take that content to a new level with eye-catching graphic design and easily digestible information.

Campaign materials include:
• Print and web versions of a poster filled with facts and statistics about meat’s role in a healthy diet intended for distribution to consumers or decision-makers in communities being pressured by the “Meatless Mondays” movement
• Content and resources posted on the Alliance website
• The Meat Matters pledge, allowing proud omnivores to announce their understanding of the nutritional value of meat and poultry to their social media connections
• Editorial pieces by third-party experts on nutrition and sustainability
• Links to published, peer-reviewed research
“It’s easy to find celebrities and other public figures who are very public about their choice to follow vegetarian or vegan diets,” said Hannah Thompson, Alliance communications director. “Unfortunately, we don’t hear as much from meat-eaters, who make up the vast majority of the population. We want to help people feel confident about their choice to include meat and poultry in their diets, and hopefully the Meat Matters campaign will do just that.”

For more information and to take the “Meat Matters” pledge, visit www.animalagalliance.org/engage/#meatmatters.

Women’s Choice Award® Announces the 2016 America’s Best Hospitals for Heart Care

Best hospitals for heart care in honor of American Heart Health Month
Ft. Lauderdale, FL. - February 1,  2016 – The Women’s Choice Award®, America’s trusted referral source for the best in healthcare, has just announced its 2016 America’s Best Hospitals for Heart Care. This evidence-based designation is the only heart care award that identifies the country’s best healthcare institutions based on robust criteria that consider female patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.  February is American Heart Month and it’s more important than ever to raise awareness, especially since one in every three women dies from heart disease and stroke in the United States, according to the American Heart Association.
The list of 353 award recipients represents hospitals that not only performed well clinically with regard to heart care measures, but also had a high recommendation rate, which women have identified as a very important indicator when selecting a hospital.
The 2016 America’s Best Hospitals for Heart Care list is determined by first identifying hospitals across the nation, that offer a minimum number of cardiac and/or vascular services. Only hospitals that perform well clinically with regard to heart care measures reported to Medicare, and also have a high Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) recommendation score, are selected. All data used to determine the award recipients is completely objective and evidence-based.
 “Considering that heart disease is the number one killer of women across the country, helping her find the best in cardiac care is how we empower women to make the best healthcare choices for themselves and for their family,” says Delia Passi, CEO and Founder of the Women’s Choice Award.
The following hospitals have partnered with the Women’s Choice Award in empowering women to make the best healthcare choices for themselves and their family:
• Baptist Heart Hospital at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
• Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
• Baptist Medical Center South, Jacksonville, FL
• Bethesda Hospital East & Bethesda Hospital West, Boynton Beach, FL
• CarolinaEast Medical Center, New Bern, NC
• Citizens Medical Center, Victoria, TX
• Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Lawton, OK
• Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina, MN
• Firelands Regional Medical Center, Sandusky, OH
• Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute at Hoag, Newport Beach, CA
• INTEGRIS Heart Hospital at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK
• Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, Rogers, AR
• Norman Regional Health System, Norman, OK
• North Shore University Hospital, member of Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY
• Orlando Health Heart Institute, Orlando, FL
• Parkview Medical Center, Pueblo, CO
• Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, CT
• San Antonio Regional Hospital, Upland, CA
• Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Santa Rosa, CA
• St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Edgewood, KY
• St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, Syracuse, NY
• St. Luke’s Hospital, Chesterfield, MO
• St. Peter’s Hospital, Albany, NY
• St. Tammany Parish Hospital, Covington, LA
• Stamford Hospital, Stamford, CT
• The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ
• UC Davis Cardiovascular Services, Sacramento, CA
• Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola, NY

"We have known for almost twenty years that the experience of heart disease is significantly different for men and women. Ignorance of the signs, symptoms and optimal treatment of women with heart disease leads to missed diagnoses and even unnecessary deaths,” says Marianne J. Legato, M.D., F.A.C.P. Emerita Professor of Clinical Medicine, Columbia University and Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins.
To view a full list of the 2016 America’s Best Hospitals for Heart Care visit http://www.womenschoiceaward.com/awarded/best-hospitals/heart-care/

Division Winners Announced in Truckload Carriers Association’s 2015 National Fleet Safety Awards

Seventeen fleets with outstanding safety records will now compete for two grand prizes in March

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – From many entries across the U.S. and Canada, the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) has selected the division winners for its prestigious National Fleet Safety Awards. Sponsored by Great West Casualty Company, the awards honor trucking companies that demonstrate a superior commitment to safety and accident reduction.
“Truckload carriers are constantly striving to improve overall safety while out on the roads,” said Holly Caskey, TCA’s Safety & Security Division chair and the vice president of driver training for Dart Transit Company of Eagen, Minnesota. “It takes a lot of work, and it’s a tremendous achievement when you can boast a very safe record, so we want to showcase that via this contest.”
Below are the names of the 2015 top divisional winners based on low accident frequency ratios per million miles. Companies are listed according to the order that they placed within each category.
Division I Winners (under 5 million miles)
1. Stageline Express, Coopersville, Michigan
2. FTC Transportation, Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
3. Rocha Transportation, Modesto, California
Division II Winners (514.99 million miles)
1. MacKinnon Transport Inc, Guelph, Ontario
2. HiTech Express, Inc., Roseville, Minnesota
3. Landstar Express America, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida
Division III Winners (1524.99 million miles)
1. Smokey Point Distributing, Arlington, Washington
2. High Country Transportation, Midlothian, Texas
Division IV Winners (2549.99 million miles)
1. Halvor Lines, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin
2. TransWest, Lachine, Québec
3. Erb International, Inc., New Hamburg, Ontario
Division V Winners (5099.99 million miles)
1. Groupe Robert Inc., Rougemont, Québec
2. May Trucking Co., Salem, Oregon
3. Cargo Transporters, Inc., Claremont, North Carolina
 Division VI Winners (100+ million miles)
1. Bison Transport Inc, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2. Interstate Distributor, Tacoma, Washington
3. Landstar Ranger, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida
The division winners were selected based on their accident frequency per million miles driven for each of the six mileagebased divisions listed above. The numbers were verified by an audit conducted by an independent expert. The division winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony to be held during TCA’s Annual Convention, March 69, 2016, at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. They will be recognized again during TCA’s Safety & Security Division Annual Meeting, to be held May 2224, 2016, at the Worthington Renaissance in Fort Worth, Texas.
For the next step of the competition, the division winners will compete for two grand prizes, one in the “less than 25 million annual miles” category and one in the “25 million or more annual miles” category. To win the grand prize, companies will be judged on their overall safety programs, both on and offhighway, including employee driver/independent contractor selection procedures, training, supervision, accident investigation, inspection and maintenance of equipment, and outside activities including general highway safety.
As with the division winners, the two grand prize winners will be honored at an awards ceremony to be held first during TCA’s Annual Convention and then again during TCA’s Safety & Security Division Annual Meeting.
To stay informed of further developments related to TCA’s National Fleet Safety Awards, please visit www.truckload.org and follow the organization on Facebook—www.truckload.org/Facebook—and Twitter—www.truckload.org/Twitter.

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