Russ McCutcheon

Chief issues strict rules about stopping other officers and reiterates cooperation with the highway patrol.

By: Laura M. Reckford
Published: 11/18/11

Dr. Richard F. Salluzzo, former CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare, was disciplined by the state Board of Registration in Medicine this week for using drugs prescribed to others for his own use and prescribing drugs to family members without keeping proper records.

Dr. Salluzzo, 60, resigned one year ago from Cape Cod Healthcare after serving as president and chief executive officer of the Capes largest health care entity since July 2008.

According to Russell D. Aims, chief of staff of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, the board became aware of the transgression from Dr. Salluzzo himself. Mr. Aims responded in an e-mail that it is not unusual for the investigation of such cases to take more than a year because of the need to go through large amounts of pharmacy records and interview numerous people.

Dr. Salluzzo was not reachable for comment.

At the time of his departure from the job, Dr. Salluzzo was credited with turning Cape Cod Healthcare around through reorganization plans that included a large amount of layoffs. Dr. Salluzzo said that the reason for his departure was that he had achieved the goals set out for him and was moving on to pursue other career challenges.

On Wednesday, the board of medicine reprimanded Dr. Salluzzo and fined him $3,000.

Dr. Salluzzo is a 1978 graduate of Tufts University Medical School and is board certified in internal medicine. He has been licensed in Massachusetts since 1988.

Among the allegations in the boards investigation of Dr. Salluzzo are that in 2008, before he started at Cape Cod Healthcare, he wrote four prescriptions for Valium for an employee working under him and then asked the employee to fill the prescriptions and give him the drugs. In 2009, while holding the top job at Cape Cod Healthcare, he wrote prescriptions for Zoloft for a friend and filled the prescriptions for his own use.

According to the boards allegations, he also wrote prescriptions for controlled substances for his wife, his two adult children and his father but did not keep medical records for the family members.

In disciplining Dr. Salluzzo for those actions, the board cites the American Medical Associations Code of Medical Ethics that physicians should not treat themselves or family members as professional objectivity may be compromised and issues of patient autonomy and informed consent may arise.

In a consent order, Dr. Salluzzo agreed to the ruling and punishment, signing the document on November 1.

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine licenses more than 40,000 physicians, osteopaths and acupuncturists. The board was created in 1894 to protect the public health and safety by setting standards for the practice of medicine and ensuring that doctors who practice in the state are appropriately qualified and competent.
Cape Cod Healthcares board of directors, in a press release, stated, We became aware of a complaint and followed our established policies to ensure that the licensing board was involved in this matter on a timely basis. We then cooperated fully with the Board of Medicines investigation.

The board notes that the Board of Medicine discipline concerns Dr. Salluzzos private practice and not his management performance.

No complaint was ever reported or filed by any patients or physicians here regarding the quality of the clinical care provided by Dr. Salluzzo during his tenure on the medical staff of both CCHC hospitals, according to the statement.

The board reiterated its statement last year about Dr. Salluzzos tenure at the hospital. He achieved the goals set for him as witnessed by our financial turnaround and improved relationships with our physicians, then decided to pursue other career challenges and professional interests.

But it did indicate a divergence in the two sides goals for the future. Dr. Salluzzo believed that the key to the future of health care was consolidation while CCHCs board felt, and continues to believe, that its important to honor our mission by continuing to serve our community through local governance and control, and by maintaining an independently viable Cape-based system, according to the boards statement.

The board stated that because it is a personnel matter, it could not provide additional comments and suggested contacting Dr. Salluzzo, but Cape Cod Healthcare spokesman David T. Reilly said he did not know Dr. Salluzzos whereabouts.

In a blatant violation of the First Amendment, a public high school in Prairie Village, Kansas disciplined a student for speaking out against Gov. Sam Brownback (R-KS):

Emma Sullivan, a senior at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, was in Topeka on Monday as part of Kansas Youth in Government, a program for students interested in politics and government.

During the session, in which Brownback addressed the group, Sullivan posted on her personal Twitter page: “Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot”

On Tuesday, Sullivan was called to her principal’s office and told that the tweet had been flagged by someone on Brownback’s staff and reported to organizers of the Youth in Government program. [...]

Sullivan said the principal ordered her to write letters of apology to Brownback, the school’s Youth in Government sponsor, the district’s social studies coordinator and others.

Its troubling that Brownbacks staff is so thin skinned that they felt the need to call down the governments wrath on a high school student who had the audacity to criticize the governor. If nothing else, one would think a state governors office has better things to do than troll the internet looking for young dissenting voices they can intimidate.

Moreover, theres no question that the high school principal violated Sullivans First Amendment rights. Although public school students right to free speech is not unlimited, schools are generally only allowed to discipline students for speech that is disruptive to the schools learning environment. It is difficult to imagine how a single tweet criticizing a controversial politician during a field trip could have disrupted this high schools ability to educate its students.

Moreover, because the school district violated Sullivans clearly established federal constitutional rights, she is likely entitled to have the district or the principal pay her attorneys fees if she decides to bring a lawsuit challenging this unconstitutional disciplinary action. In other words, the district could be wise to settle this case immediately if Sullivan decides to bring them to court.

We analyzed their performance based on what each persons responsibilities were, and whether, on an individual basis, each lived up to those responsibilities, Nester said.

A 2009 report from the SEC inspector general called into question the performance of 21 agency staffers in their handling of the Madoff case, Nester said. Of that number, 10 are no longer with the agency and not subject to discipline.

Of the remaining employees, nine were ultimately singled out for punishment, though one elected to resign. Among the rest, one received a 6% pay reduction. Others received suspensions without pay for between three and 30 days. Two received counseling memos.

One employee was recommended for termination unless this would result in adverse impact on the agencys work. SEC officials ultimately concluded that a dismissal would indeed have an adverse impact, and elected only to suspend and reduce the pay of the individual, Nester said.

The disciplines took place over the course of the past year. The process has essentially been under way since the release of the inspector general report, Nester said.

Madoff ruined thousands, including his son

News of the disciplinary action was first reported by the Washington Post.

In 2009, the SEC inspector general said the agency had overlooked more than ample evidence, including complaints dating back to 1992, that flagged the Madoff scheme.

Despite numerous credible and detailed complaints, the SEC never properly examined or investigated Madoffs trading and never took the necessary, but basic, steps to determine if Madoff was operating a Ponzi scheme, the report said.

Bernard Madoff cheated more than 16,000 investors out of about $20 billion. He was arrested in December of 2008 and pleaded guilty three months later to running the largest pyramid-style scam in history, receiving a 150-year jail sentence.

Los Alamitos, California (PRWEB) November 25, 2011

The IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Semantic Computing is working with other professional societies to sponsor an interdisciplinary conference on Internet operating systems. Phillip Sheu, committee chair said, “We expect this conference to initiate important research for computer science as a whole.”

Believed to be the largest conference of its kind hosted by the IEEE Computer Society, the IOS conference will be held March 21-23 at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine, California. Authors are invited to submit papers by November 27. For more information, visit http://www.icios.org/.

“This is our first conference on Internet operating systems. We will continue this series and believe more colleagues will join us next year,” said Sheu, an electrical engineering and computer science professor at University of California Irvine’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering.

The effort is in keeping with the Technical and Conference Activities Board initiative to promote interdisciplinary activities between computer science and other disciplines.

Analogous to a desktop operating system, an IOS brings together computational technologies that let users manage Internet resources (including documents, devices, and applications). Unlike a desktop operating system, however, an IOS involves millions of people and requires technologies that can stimulate the generation of content from a wide spectrum of human activities including personal, professional, cultural, social, and many others.

Interdisciplinary in nature (and intra-disciplinary within computer science), the ultimate success of IOS requires that new, synergized technologies be developed from various disciplines such as computer science, social sciences, engineering, physical sciences, medicine, law, business, and humanities. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Modeling and Realization of Human Activities with the Internet
• Search Engine and Question Answering
• Service Discovery and Composition
• Internet Resource Management
• Internet Activity Management
• Internet of Things
• Internet Device Management
• Human-Computer Interface
• Architecture of Internet OS
• Engineering and Tools for Application Development
• Communication Technologies
• Embedded Systems and Real-time Applications
• Privacy and Security
• Semantic Web and Internet Operating Systems

The Computer Society supports more than three dozen Technical Committees dedicated to particular computing specialties. Computer Society TCs organize conferences, disseminate technical news, and sponsor awards and contests as well as other technical activities. For more information, visit http://www.computer.org/portal/web/tandc/home.

About the IEEE Computer Society

With nearly 85,000 members, the IEEE Computer Society is the world’s leading organization of computing professionals. Founded in 1946, and the largest of the 38 societies of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Computer Society is dedicated to advancing the theory and application of computer and information-processing technology, and is known globally for its computing standards activities. For more information, go to http://www.computer.org.

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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8989868.htm

To be a professional athlete in any sport it takes a certain skill level, it also takes perseverance, hard work and ambition. Prescott area resident, Eric Prindle, “The American Soldier” knows exactly what it takes to become a champion and on November 26th he will seek to win the Bellator Fighting Championships Heavyweight Tournament and earn the right to challenge current the current champion.

Prindle, 35, is one of the many practitioners of mixed martial arts or MMA, one of the world’s fastest growing sports in the last decade. MMA is a full contact combat sport that combines techniques from all martial art disciplines and hand-to-hand combat disciplines and it allows fighters to combine strikes and grappling techniques. Bellator Fighting Championships is one of the world’s leading MMA promotions and it is the first promotion to hold tournament style championships which will be televised; airing on live TV every Saturday night on MTV2.

Prindle has been actively competing in kickboxing and boxing since age 12. He is also a US Army Veteran and it was during his time in the Army that he began his career as a weapons specialist and amateur boxer. In 1999, he won the battalion boxing smoker with the 101st Air Borne division at Fort Campbell Kentucky and the Super Heavyweight Division Title. These wins caught the attention of an All-Army boxing scout who invited Prindle to compete in the All-Army Box Off where Prindle would once again win the Super Heavyweight Title. After such success he was invited to represent the Army in the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) as their super heavyweight boxer. During his time with the WCAP he went on to become a 5-time All-Army Champion and 4-time Armed Forces Champion. During this time Prindle fought more than 100 amateur boxing fights. The nickname “The American Soldier” pays homage to the time he spent in the Army and to those men and women who continue to fight for our country. In 2004 Eric ended his career with the army and dedicated himself to his wife and children.

In 2008, he returned to combat sports, this time he began training and competing in MMA. Although he possesses great punching power and excellent boxing skills he knew that to succeed in MMA he needed to develop in every aspect of the sport. Some of the most used disciplines in MMA include boxing, kickboxing or Muay Thai and ground techniques such as wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (which employs chokes and joint locks to defeat opponents). In MMA fights can continue once fighters find themselves on the ground, Prindle has been keeping up his boxing skills as well as learning how to stop other fighters from taking him down to the ground or defending himself if he finds himself in that position.

Prindle has currently a 9-1 (W-L) record and his only loss was three months into his MMA training and to a seasoned fighter. Eric’s ability, perseverance, ambition and hard work are already paying off; he is currently ranked number 27 worldwide by Fight Magazine. The journey is still far from over. Without overlooking the opponent he will face on November 26th, The American Soldier seeks to be a good ambassador of the sport to the Quad-City Area and one day become the Bellator Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion.

Eric’s fight will be televised on MTV2 during primetime hours; 8p/9c.

Photo Gallery

Click on a thumbnail to see a larger photo. Photos courtesy of shedog.com,ericprindle.comand Bellator Fighting Championships.

On this weeks Special Report we profile two women dedicated to some of the most gruelling disciplines in sport.

Katie Taylor is the three time amateur world champion in womens boxing – and she likes nothing better than sparring against the men.

Meanwhile, World Championship silver medallist Nicola Sanders wants to make Team GBs 400m squad, but injury has plagued her preparations.

Katie and Nicola are both part of the Sky Sports Scholarships scheme, which aims to help athletes reach their potential on the international stage.

Check in with Special Report this Monday at 7.30pm Sky Sports News HD to find out how they are getting on.

Missed last weeks show or want to watch it again? Catch The Billionaires Club on Sky Anytime.

To find out more about the Sky Sports Scholarships scheme, click here.

Two Bainbridge Island police officers received disciplinary action in the wake of separate investigations that have resulted in one officers suspension and another resigning.

Police Officer Scott Weiss, president of the Bainbridge Island Police Guild, has filed a grievance of his current suspension of 160 work hours without pay after an investigation revealed he was involved in surveillance of a City Council member for personal reasons. The suspension does not affect his current standing as the president of the police guild.

In a separate action, Police Officer Michelle Vollmer, the guilds secretary, resigned in lieu of termination after an investigation pertaining to her surreptitiously recording a meeting between City Manager Brenda Bauer and members of the police guild.

We believe we have a very good police force … they work hard, Bauer said. If there are people who make mistakes they will be held accountable. If there are people who arent a good fit, there will be consequences.

Surveillance allegations

Weiss was alleged to have followed and surveilled Councilor Kim Brackett after a council meeting. According to the notice of discipline memorandum issued to Weiss by Bauer and Police Chief Jon Fehlman, the allegation was found to be sustained and he was suspended from Nov. 9 to Dec. 2.

The action was based on information brought forth during an investigation by the Washington State Patrol Investigative Services Bureau — an investigation that was held at the request of Fehlman.

Fehlman said he overheard Brackett’s allegations last February during a council meeting, and again during conversations outside the council chambers, and was personally prompted to request the investigation by WSP.

On Oct. 12, 2010, the council held an executive meeting that dealt with the city’s budget, and included councilors Brackett and Bill Knobloch, and Weiss, who attended in the interest of the police guild.

Knobloch had invited Brackett to his home for tea with his wife after the meeting. On her way to Knobloch’s home, Brackett noticed Officer Weiss in his patrol car in the City Hall parking lot as she exited. She told investigators that he remained behind her car as she drove along Winslow Way toward State Route 305, where traffic from a ferry had just been released. She lost track of Weiss at that point.

Later that week, an online comment posted on a Bainbridge Island Review article (“City cuts service groups’ funding out of budget,” Oct. 14, 2010) under the pseudonym “Hunter,” detailed Brackett’s location on the night of Oct. 12, including: “…Kim Brackett went straight to Bill Knobloch’s house after the council meeting. No doubt to commiserate and plan the attack to try amp; sway or undo the council decisions.”

During the investigation it was discovered that “Hunter” is Weiss, who admitted to using the alias when making online comments. As “Hunter,” Weiss had been commenting on a number of online articles, many regarding criticism of the city.

Weiss told investigators he knew Brackett’s location because he patrolled the neighborhood where Knobloch lives later while on duty, and noticed her car. He denied following her to the residence directly after the council meeting.

The investigation took into account police records indicating the whereabouts of Officer Weiss and concluded that the only time he could have patrolled Knobloch’s neighborhood was immediately after the meeting when Brackett was driving there. The notice of discipline states that this conclusion was consistent with the police officer’s online comment claiming knowledge that Brackett went “straight” to Knobloch’s home after the meeting.

“Because of the powers that we grant to police officers, we hold them to a very high standard of conduct,” Bauer said. “And generally, Bainbridge Island police officers perform to that high standard. In cases where that is not true, as with any employee, we will hold the employee accountable.”

The issue of Weiss commenting online under the alias “Hunter” was included in the investigation due to allegations that they may have constituted harassment.

“I think he’s harassing me…” Bracket told investigators. “…primarily through the blogs.”

Investigators found no direct or indirect contact between Brackett and Weiss, and concluded that they did not find any blog posts that could be considered threatening.

The investigation was concluded on June 8, after which the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office declined to prosecute the case, concluding that Weiss’ actions did not constitute criminal activity. The WSP then ran a second investigation which looked into whether Weiss’ actions violated the police’s cannon of ethics and the General Orders Manual.

Based on WSP’s report, the citys disciplinary notice stated Weiss violated four standards of the Bainbridge Island Police General Orders Manual Canon of Ethics, as well as being cited for violating standing orders regarding unbecoming conduct, violation of rules and courtesy, of the general orders manual.

Fehlman said Weiss, who has not responded to email and phone requests from the Review, has filed a grievance to the disciplinary action through the collective bargaining agreement between the city and the guild.

Fehlman will have 10 days after receiving Weiss’ written grievance to conduct a meeting on the matter and then 15 days after that to make a decision.

Surreptitious recording

Officer Vollmer resigned in lieu of termination on Nov. 7, a day before her disciplinary hearing.

The incident that resulted in her resignation stems from a meeting on Sept. 12 in Bauer’s office with Weiss, guild treasurer Mo Stich and Vollmer, the guild’s secretary. The meeting’s purpose was to address a press release from the city containing statements the guild felt were possibly inaccurate and did not favorably reflect upon the organization, according to Stich’s testimony to investigators.

After the meeting, Vollmer revealed to Weiss and Stich that she had used a tape-recorder during the meeting and planned to use the tape when typing up a summary of the meeting for the guild. Weiss and Stich informed Vollmer that despite the intent for personal use, all parties must be aware of the recording and her actions were therefore illegal.

Washington law requires that all parties are aware and consent to any recording private communications including private conversations or meetings such as between the guild and the city manager.

The three officers informed Chief Fehlman the following day, who in turn reported the incident to Bauer. Vollmer was immediately placed on administrative leave while an investigation was conducted by the Lynnwood Police Department.

“There’s a violation of law on the outside, but whether there was intent to break the law, I do not believe so,” Stich said in her testimony to investigators. “I really don’t believe there was an intent there to break the law.”

A report of the investigation was turned over to the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office, which declined to prosecute the case after finding that there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal act beyond a reasonable doubt.

Due to her role as a victim in the situation, Bauer was not involved with the disciplinary action toward Vollmer. Deputy City Manager Morgan Smith and Chief Fehlman tended to the investigation and course of discipline.

“There are some very talented, kind hardworking officers in the police department,” Bauer said. “In addition we will hold people accountable.”

Contact Bainbridge Island Review Staff Writer Richard D. Oxley at roxley@bainbridgereview.com or 206-842-6613.

Comment on this story.

Initiative to support, empower women STEM faculty
by Erin Zagursky
|
November 4, 2011

A group of five William amp; Mary Psychology and Neuroscience professors recently received a $580,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to benefit women faculty in science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) disciplines.

The three-year grant will sponsor career development activities, research and assessments for female STEM faculty not only at William amp; Mary and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, but Thomas Nelson Community College and Richard Bland College as well. The initiative, titled Women in Scientific Education (WISE), addresses the attrition of women in science at each stage of the educational process, a phenomenon known the leaky pipeline, by providing funds for career development.

Theres a discrepancy between males versus females who get their bachelors degrees in science-related fields and then who go on to get their Ph.Ds. There is an even bigger gender difference on who gets hired as faculty and then receives tenure, said Assistant Professor Cheryl Dickter. For women, maintaining a career in STEM drops off over time, and so the idea is to investigate why and figure out how we can help at each stage.

The WISE initiative is being directed by Associate Professor Jennifer Stevens, Dickter, Assistant Professor Catherine Forestell, Professor Pamela Hunt and Visiting Assistant Professor M. Christine Porter.

Stevens said that WISE will fund a variety of career-development activities, including workshops on topics such as writing, leadership and challenges that women in STEM disciplines face.

The initiative will also fund an annual leadership forum, an annual retreat, and four symposia each year.

This grant is to career develop and empower female faculty in the STEM disciplines, Stevens said.

In addition to career development, WISE will also provide resources for research, said Forestell. Approximately $50,000 a year has been earmarked to provide faculty with research and transition grants.

We are quite aware as women that women are typically caretakers, said Forestell, adding that women are often responsible for the care of children and aging parents. That might interfere with their ability to be productive researchers, so this grant is meant to provide a transition for them as they return from some of those family responsibilities.

The grants will also provide community college faculty members, who spend most of their time teaching, with rare access to research opportunities.

Money is tight with big, national grants, so if we can provide women with access to these resources, it encourages and empowers them, said Forestell.
In addition to career development and research opportunities, WISE will also allow researchers to conduct several assessments related to women in STEM disciplines, said Dickter.

One such assessment will look at how women in STEM disciplines perceive themselves.

Research suggests that even women who are at really good schools and are tenured or tenure-track faculty still may have negative implicit perceptions of themselves as women in science, said Dickter.
In order to examine those perceptions, the researchers will conduct several comparisons, looking, for example, at women who will be participating in WISE versus women who will not, women who are in STEM disciplines versus those who are in non-STEM fields and women faculty versus men.

We are looking long term to see if we can improve those implicit attitudes about women in science over the course of the three years, said Dickter.
Stevens said that it is important that the NSF, as a national funding agency, funded this grant to support and fund research for women in STEM disciplines.

They recognize the discrepancy between the genders, and theyre promoting women in the STEM disciplines by funding these initiatives, she said.

She added that its exciting that William amp; Mary is partnering with two community colleges for this grant and expects the grant to benefit students.

We are a relatively small school, and it is tough for us to get funding she said. In comparison to large institutions, we created a community for fostering development, collaboration, and mentorship by partnering with our community colleges and developing a critical mass. This will have long-term effects for our own faculty and should have down-stream effects for role-modeling with the students.

William amp; Mary is already becoming known nationally as a producer of young women scientists. The College was recently featured in a national Associated Press story Women Making Slow, Sure Strides In Science, Math. The story highlights Associate Professor of Chemistry Elizabeth Harbron and her work with young women scientists at the College.

In the article, Harbron extolls the importance of having women role models in the STEM disciplines.

For some students, if they dont see people like them represented in the faculty, it just becomes less appealing, I think, she said in the article. We are reaching a critical mass of women scientists, but we still have a long way to go in creating a science faculty that looks more and more like our students.

The care provided by an ER worker at Spotsylvania Regional was the subject of a medical board hearing yesterday.