Legislators Fall for Trojans
Co-sponsored by the USC Andrus Gerontology Center’s Fall Prevention Center of Excellence, Senate Concurrent Resolution 77 urges all state and local agencies to incorporate fall prevention considerations in the areas of housing, transportation, parks and recreational facilities. It also calls for state and local aging programs to incorporate fall prevention awareness into their master plans and to develop standardized definitions and methods for reporting falls.
Authored by Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), the resolution came to his attention at a Fall Prevention Summit Meeting in December.
“We see it as a great opportunity for creative fall prevention activities,” program manager Regina Gongoll said.
To kick off the week on Sept. 21, the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence will invite people of all ages to a “neighborhood walkability audit” at three separate locations in Culver City: El Marino Language School, Farragut Elementary School and Linwood E. Howe School.
Staff and volunteers will join community members to evaluate walking routes to schools, inspecting curbs, street corners and traffic lights to ensure safety for pedestrians.
“During the week, there will be similar fall prevention activities throughout the state put on by other coalitions,” Gongoll said. “Alameda County and Nevada County, for example, are really going all out with their agendas for the week and we have helped them.”
The importance for fall prevention awareness goes beyond the state of California. Based on CDC figures, more than $19 billion is spent nationally each year on treating the elderly for the adverse effects of falls: $12 billion for hospitalization, $4 billion for emergency room visits and $3 billion for outpatient care.
“We want to be a leader for increasing awareness in California and to be a catalyst for change on a national level,” Gongoll said.
By the year 2020, direct treatment costs from elder falls are predicted to escalate to $43.8 billion.
“The cost of falls to the health care system is staggering and yet very little is being done on a large-scale level to increase public consciousness,” said Fall Prevention Center co-director and USC Davis School of Gerontology professor Jon Pynoos. “Research shows that through an improved understanding of the risks and by carrying out preventative measures, at least 25 to 30 percent of falls can be prevented.”
The long-term goal for the Fall Prevention Center and other advocates is to establish and coordinate model fall prevention programs that can be replicated and sustained throughout the country.
“On all levels there is still much work to done but the Awareness Week is one large step toward strengthening the fall prevention infrastructure here in the state of California,” Gongoll said.
Funded by the Archstone Foundation, the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence is a public-private partnership made up of representatives from USC, California State University Fullerton, the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, the UCLA School of Medicine and the California Department of Public Health.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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