Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, commemorated its 50-year anniversary by awarding $150,000 in total grants to three organizations that share its goal to improve healthcare: The American Red Cross, the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and Autism Speaks.
At a ceremony at the company’s flagship clinical laboratory in Teterboro, NJ, the company’s chairman, president and CEO Steve Rusckowski presented Health In Your Hands grants of $50,000 to representatives from each organization. Paul Brown, M.D., founder and former CEO of Quest’s predecessor company Metropolitan Pathology Laboratory, Inc. or MetPath, established in April, 1967, was also recognized at the event.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8080751-quest-diagnostics-50th-anniversary/
Autism Speaks – the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization – today joined the Ad Council and BBDO New York, the long-time volunteer agency for Autism Speaks, to announce the launch of a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to help parents recognize the early signs of autism and take immediate action. For the first time in the campaign’s history, the new PSAs feature an imaginative world, created using 3D and stop-motion animation, inspired by stories of real children with autism and told from the perspective of a child with autism. The PSAs are an extension of the award-winning “Learn the Signs” campaign, created by BBDO, which has helped significantly increase the percentage of parents who recognize the early warning signs of autism.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7674151-ad-council-autism-speaks-psa-s-2015/
It’s not the first question a parent asks. It’s likely not the fourth or fifth. But for parents like Brian and Diane Vollmert, the question of how to pay for their son, Scott, to receive the best care while providing for their family became an unmanageable challenge.
“From the very beginning, Scott didn’t fit cleanly in any category. He wasn’t clearly autistic. He wasn’t clearly developmentally delayed. He had characteristics of both,” said Diane. That combination of Autism Spectrum Disorder and developmental delay can add up to more than $2.4 million in care over Scott’s lifetime, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Pediatrics last year. An astronomical sum for most Americans, including the Vollmerts.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7422152-northwestern-mutual-special-needs/
For families who have a dependent with special needs, financial planning often takes a back seat to the necessities of daily life; but it also bears an increased importance.
“April’s Autism Awareness Month offers a great opportunity to emphasize the importance of planning for families who are caring for a dependent child, sibling or spouse with special needs,” said Ruthann Driscoll, JD, CLU, CFP®, director of advanced planning at Northwestern Mutual. “Crafting a comprehensive plan that addresses the needs of the dependent with special needs — for today and for tomorrow — and balancing that with the needs of the rest of the family is essential to achieving lifelong financial security.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7422151-northwestern-mutual-autism-awareness/
Although having a child with autism can be very frustrating at times, many of the problems that autistic people face can actually be blessings in disguise. http://youtu.be/xwpUh20XYCo
A Cigna Foundation grant to Achilles International will help determine whether running holds the key to better mental and physical development for children with autism. The Cigna Foundation today announced its $100,000 World of Difference grant to Achilles International, which has extensive anecdotal evidence showing that walking and running help people on the autism spectrum improve their emotional and physical health.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7252851-cigna-foundation-achilles-international-running-autism-study-grant/
Unlocking the Social Potential in Autism, by Dr. Karina Poirier, is an in-depth guide to understanding autism. It empowers parents to teach their children valuable skills essential for developing friendships and achieving academic success. www.socialcognitionpublications.com
Video production by Castelane.
In an effort to help families coping with the overwhelming situation of raising a child with ASD or other special dietary needs, accomplished chef, Jimi Taylor, in partnership with, Generation Rescue, is making a difference with a new Gluten-Free iOS App – “Chef Jimi’s – Cooking with a Cause.”
Seven years ago Chef Jimi’s son, Aiden, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social impairments, cognitive impairments, communication difficulties and repetitive behaviors. Statistics from the CDC identify around 1 in 88 American children as being on the Autism Spectrum, a 78% increase in the last decade.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62512-generation-rescue-chef-jimi-gluten-free-ios-app-autistic-spectrum-disorder
Extending its award-winning “Learn the Signs” campaign, Autism Speaks – the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization – today joined the Ad Council, along with partner agencies BBDO New York and LatinWorks, to announce the launch of a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to reach African American and Hispanic parents. According to research, children in these communities are often diagnosed later than the average. The PSAs, which are being distributed to media outlets nationwide this week, show some of the early signs of autism and encourage parents to take immediate action if their child is not meeting standard developmental milestones.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/61698-ad-council-and-autism-speaks-launch-psa-campaign
Today, Easter Seals released the Spanish version of the online developmental screening, the Ages & Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ), making it one step closer to its goal of having all kids under five screened for developmental delays, autism and other disabilities, and allowing for every family to access the screening free of charge.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55359-easter-seals-week-of-the-young-child-free-online-developmental-screening
Asuragen Inc., a leading molecular diagnostics company, today announced results from a study demonstrating that a new molecular test called Xpansion Interpreter® can improve the determination of a woman’s risk of having a child with fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and autism, compared to existing risk measures. The Xpansion Interpreter Test is based on a technology breakthrough that reveals both the number and position of “interrupting” DNA sequences in the fragile X gene of the mother and more accurately estimates the likelihood that her child will have fragile X syndrome. The study will be published in the April issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics and presented today at the 2013 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting in Phoenix, AZ.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60719-asuragen-xpansion-interpreter-xi-test-data-fragile-x-syndrome-autism
