3 Ocak 2013 Perşembe

[PA] Never forgetting Iris Ramos, her life stolen in her cop husband's murder-suicide

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In her mother's kitchen Iris Ramos was shot twice in the head by her husband, Philadelphia police officer Orlando Ramos. He then  fatally shot himself. Iris underwent emergency surgery at Episcopal Hospital, but died the following day. "Police said the couple's 5-year-old daughter was in the house at the time of the shooting."
Orlando: November 24, 1984.
Iris: November 25, 1984.
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder suicide pennsylvania state politics]

[GA] Another domestic violence call to Officer Difiore's house

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...[Savannah-Chatham Police Officer Ralph] Difiore is at least the fifth metro officer investigated for a domestic violence incident this year... Officers noted that Pooler police had frequently responded to the couple’s residence for domestic disputes... A neighbor says they called police on the couple at least half a dozen times.... 

SAVANNAH POLICE OFFICER ON LEAVE AFTER BATTERY ARREST
Savannah Morning News
By Lesley Conn
Posted: October 26, 2012
[Excerpts] A Savannah-Chatham police officer has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest in a domestic violence incident. Ralph Joseph Difiore, 46, has been charged with battery/domestic violence and disorderly house after Pooler police responded Oct. 20 to a call from a neighbor. Difiore is at least the fifth metro officer investigated for a domestic violence incident this year. Difiore’s girlfriend, Heather Cook Walters, 35, faces the same two charges. A Jan. 17 court date was set for both... Officers responded about 12:40 a.m. based on a neighbor’s concerns that he could hear yelling, things being thrown and a woman crying in the couple’s residence. Officers noted that Pooler police had frequently responded to the couple’s residence for domestic disputes and determined that in this case, “mediation and separation was not the answer”... Their accounts to police differ in the Oct. 20 call. Difiore contends Walters was severely drunk and “stumbling all over the place.” She began swinging and clawing at him when he tried to get her into bed, he told police. When officers questioned Walters, they noted that at no time did she appear unsteady on her feet or falling-over drunk. She denied ever striking Difiore, but said he choked her and threw a foot stool at her... [Full article here]

SCMPD OFFICER PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE AFTER ARREST
WTOC
By Alex Bender abender@wtoc.com
Posted: Oct 24, 2012
[Excerpts] Savannah-Chatham Metro officer Ralph Difiore is on administrative leave... A neighbor says they called police on the couple at least half a dozen times.... They were both released on bond Wednesday. They will be back in court in January. [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety history hx repeated mutual combat alleged georgia state politics]

[WA] Benton County Sheriff's Deputy Abel Campos resigned Friday before he could be fired for allegedly hitting his wife

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"It's very difficult for me. Part of me believes when someone does something, they should be fired and not given an opportunity to resign."
~ Benton County Sheriff Steve Keane

PREVIOUS POST:
[WA] Benton Co. Sheriff's Deputy Campos walks away from domestic violence charges Benton County sheriff's Deputy Abel Prieto Campos walks away from domestic violence charge despite hair pulled out of his wife's head and signs of physical assault on the side of her head because she recanted and her mother backed away...

BENTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY RESIGNS
Tri-City Herald, Bellingham Herald
By Paula Horton
Published: November 3, 2012
[Excerpts] A Benton County sheriff's deputy resigned Friday before he could be fired for allegedly hitting his wife earlier this year... Sheriff Steve Keane waited until after the criminal case was resolved to complete the internal investigation and make a decision on any disciplinary action. Keane said he intended to terminate Campos, but Campos turned in his resignation when he reported to the disciplinary hearing Friday morning. "I believe an assault did occur," Keane told the Herald. "I believe Abel assaulted his wife and I believe I had enough to terminate him"... The sheriff said if he had not let Campos resign, the deputy could have filed a grievance and an arbitrator would have decided if the firing was justified. Arbitration is a "very expensive process," and when a witness changes her story five different times, there's no guarantee sheriff's officials could get an arbitrator to agree with the decision, he said. "It's very difficult for me. Part of me believes when someone does something, they should be fired and not given an opportunity to resign," Keane said... "The biggest thing an officer has is his credibility. People want to know you have honest officers," Keane said. "If he's been arrested for a crime and have victims recanting, I think it leaves doubts in citizen's minds. It left doubt in my mind"... The criminal case was dismissed Oct. 12 just before the trial. Richland's prosecutor said he had to drop the charges because the witnesses backed out of testifying... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety recant washington state politics teflon police union arbitration fop]

[MO] Dana Ison's police officer husband quit his job, shot her mother, killed Dana, then killed himself

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Dana Thompson-Ison
Dana Thompson-Ison's husband Landon quit his 9-year Lamar Missouri police officer job in August of 2012 by just not showing up. Both his friend - Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw, and Landon's boss - Lamar Police Chief Ron Hager, say they didn't pry by asking Landon Ison why he didn't report for work. 2 months later, on October 9th 2012, Landon Ison shot and killed his wife Dana, shot and critically wounded her mother Cheryl Thompson, then left the home with his shotgun and shot and killed himself. Landon and Dana Ison have two sons and yes, they were present at the home at the time of Dana and Cheryl's shooting.



WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?


CHIEF HAGER:
...said Ison had offered no explanation for failing to report in August, thus relinquishing his job, and that Hager had not asked for one...

CHIEF HAGER:
...said Ison was a good officer in the more than nine years he served on the Lamar police force...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...“because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...said he was aware that his friend had quit his job with the Lamar police. He said Ison never told him why, and he chose not to force the issue by asking... 

SHERIFF SHAW:
...said he was strongly affected by the events because he went to both death scenes and that he and his family "have known the Isons forever. "This is a terrible surprise, a terrible thing... It was a friendship"...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...acknowledged being a close friend of the couple, said he did not necessarily know all that was going on in their relationship...

Dana, never forgottenDana Ison worked at AOK Youth Development Services, an organization that works with under-privileged children... 

...Dana graduated from Pittsburg State College with her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Services and later received her Master’s Degree in Social Services from Missouri State University. She was a social worker for About Our Kids Youth Development Services in Lamar and director of After School care... [LINK]

...Dana was the Director Social Worker for the About Our Kids Youth Development, Director of After School Care and PEP Coordinator in Lamar, Missouri. She always enjoyed working with and helping children... [LINK]


I invite those who pray
to keep Cheryl's recovery,the Ison children,
and everyone brokenhearted
by this
in your heartsand on your list. 
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ison Children Fund at Metropolitan Bank, 1105 Gulf, Lamar, Mo. 64759



FORMER LAMAR POLICEMAN INVOLVED IN MURDER-SUICIDE; MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS LIFE THREATENING INJURIES [LINK]
koamtv.com
October 9, 2012
12:11 PM CST:
Authorities are investigating an overnight shooting death in southwest Missouri. The Missouri Highway Patrol is leading the investigation of a shooting outside of Lamar shortly after 1 a.m...
1:50 PM CST:
The Missouri Highway Patrol confirms two people are dead and another person is in critical condition at a Springfield hospital. A press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m...
3:10 PM CST:
A former Lamar policeman has shot and killed his wife [Dana Ison], shot and injured his mother-in-law [Cheryl Thompson], then shot and killed himself... It's unclear why Thompson was at the home but she went to get help from neighbors who called 911 before 1 a.m... Landon Ison's body was found at a different location at about 2:30 a.m.  Authorities say he shot himself with a rifle. In August Landon Ison resigned from the Lamar Police Department, but authorities say he just stopped coming to work. Landon and Dana Ison had two children.  They were at the home at the time of the shooting but were not injured are currently with family...  While the couple was still married, that had separated earlier in October. Dana Ison worked at AOK, an organization that works with under-privileged children
5:15 PM CST:
Statement released by Kathy Jenkins, AOK Board of Directors President: "Dana Thompson Ison was a beloved friend, coworker, daughter, sister and mother. She was an invaluable member of the AOK family as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. She also led the mentoring program and offered counseling and assistance to anyone in need. She loved the children and they loved her. She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing"...

WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?
Lamar Police Officer Landon Ison
ONLINE FIRST: FORMER LAMAR POLICEMAN SUSPECTED IN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE
Nevada Daily Mail
By James R. Campbell
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
[Excerpts] A somber panel of law enforcement officers announced Tuesday afternoon that a former Lamar city policeman was suspected of shooting his estranged wife to death, seriously wounding his mother-in-law and then driving to a remote area of Barton County before turning his rifle on himself about 90 minutes later. Landon Ison, 32, a member of the Lamar Police Department for 9 1/2 years until inexplicably failing to report for duty Aug. 7, was found near his blue Ford Explorer by a Barton County deputy sheriff about 2:30 a.m., Tuesday. Reading from preliminary reports, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Watson said the man was suspected of going to his 33-year-old wife Dana's home about 6 1/2 miles southwest of here shortly before 1 a.m., Tuesday, and shooting her to death. Flanked by Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw and Lamar Chief of Police Ron Hager, Watson said Ison was also suspected of shooting his mother-in-law, 67-year-old Cheryl Thompson of Springfield, who was airlifted to Cox South Hospital in her hometown. Watson said Thompson was listed in serious condition... Cheryl Thompson had managed to walk to a neighbor's house after she was shot and that the neighbor called 9-1-1... The Isons' two juvenile boys were in the home when their mother and grand-mother were shot... Watson declined to say what type of rifle was believed to be the murder-suicide weapon, how many times Mrs. Ison and her mother were shot or what room of the house the shootings were believed to have taken place in. Hager said Ison had offered no explanation for failing to report in August, thus relinquishing his job, and that Hager had not asked for one... The chief said Dana Ison had worked for AOK Youth Development Services in Lamar... Shaw said he was strongly affected by the events because he went to both death scenes and that he and his family "have known the Isons forever. "This is a terrible surprise, a terrible thing," the sheriff said. "Everyone knows the family. They're hard-working, good people. It was a friendship"... [Full article here]

WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?
FORMER LAMAR OFFICER KILLS WIFE, WOUNDS MOTHER-IN-LAW; EX-POLICEMAN TAKES OWN LIFE
The Joplin Globe
By Jeff Lehr news@joplinglobe.com
October 9, 2012
[Excerpts] Landon L. Ison never offered a reason for abruptly quitting his job as a Lamar police officer two months ago. He moved out of the house he shared with his wife and two sons at the start of this month. Then shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday, emergency responders were called to the troubled family’s home about a mile southwest of Lamar after Ison reportedly shot and killed his wife, Dana I. Ison, 33, and critically wounded her mother, Cheryl J. Thompson, 67... [Lamar police Chief Ron] Hager said Ison was a good officer in the more than nine years he served on the Lamar police force since being hired in January 2003. Before that, he had served as a dispatcher with the Barton County Sheriff’s Department... Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw said he asked the state patrol to serve as the lead investigative agency in the shootings “because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”... Landon Ison filed for divorce in January. Court records indicate that Ison and his wife both submitted parenting plans to the court. But the record shows that the case was dismissed by both parties on July 11. Shaw, who acknowledged being a close friend of the couple, said he did not necessarily know all that was going on in their relationship. “Whenever I was around, they seemed to have a good relationship,” Shaw said... The sheriff said he was aware that his friend had quit his job with the Lamar police. He said Ison never told him why, and he chose not to force the issue by asking... Dana Ison worked for AOK Youth Development Services. Kathy Jenkins, president of AOK’s board of directors, released a statement praising her contributions as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. “She loved the children and they loved her,” the statement read. “She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing”... The Lamar Police chief and the Barton County sheriff said there have been no previous reports of domestic violence involving Ison and his wife. [Full article here]

AND REALLY?
THE SHERIFF AND CHIEF
DIDN'T KNOW,
THEY DIDN'T ASK,
THEY DIDN'T TRY,
THEY WON'T ADMIT?
IT DOESN'T
MAKE SENSE. 

JANUARY 2008 CASEWORKER OF THE MONTH DANA ISON
Adoption Exchange Association
Pittsburg, Kansas
We have been lucky enough to have the same worker, Dana Ison, thru all of our adoptions. We are about to finalize our 2nd and 3rd adoptions next month. We have known Dana for over 4 years now. She has always made her self available to anything we need or want. She is always friendly and offers whatever support we need at anytime, and makes time for us no matter what, even if we just need to talk to someone. Dana is great at getting in contact with our children’s workers, when we need or want something and are unable to get in contact with them ourselves. Our children all look forward to visits with her, even our oldest who at one time had a great fear of caseworkers. After some struggles we have witnessed with other families and their workers, we know we are truly blessed to have been given Dana, and hope that with our next adoption we will be able to work with her... [LINK]


TOPIX EXCERPTS  [LINK]
Posted in the Independence Forum

...Statement released by Kathy Jenkins, AOK Board of Directors President: "Dana Thompson Ison was a beloved friend, coworker, daughter, sister and mother. She was an invaluable member of the AOK family as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. She also led the mentoring program and offered counseling and assistance to anyone in need. She loved the children and they loved her. She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing"...

...Dana used to babysit my son and daughter during summer breaks! I never had to worry about my children in her care! She was the sweetest girl! My kids loved her! She will be greatly missed! Prayers go out to Cheryl and the family!...

...Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw said he asked the state patrol to serve as the lead investigative agency in the shootings “because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”...

...Does anyone know Cheryls condition?...

...My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, especially those precious boys. Also praying for a full recovery for Cheryl. So very tragic and so so sad...

...wondering if anyone knows how Cheryl is doing? lets continue to pray for her and all this family...

...Cheryl is in a medical induced coma. They have reapplied her tongue and inserted a feeding tube. They plan to ship her to St. Louis for reconstructive surgery. Cheryl graduated from IHS in 63. Beautiful person both inside and out. Please everyone pray for the family as well as Cheryl. Going to be a long haul...

...Dana's service will be Tuesday the 23rd. Please coninue to pray for Cheryl...

...I agree Cheryl is one of the nicest people you could ever meet. I am praying for her and family...

...Thank you so much for the updates on Cheryl. Since many of us do not want to intrude on the family's privacy during these extreme times, it is great that we can be informed about Cheryl and her recovery. Please tell her family many friends and coworkers from Standard Motors think of her and pray for the family daily. Again thanks so much for keeping us informed and God Bless.




EXCERPTS FROM FACEBOOK POSTS:

We have a long road ahead of us. But you guys along with our friends have been our rock. I cant explain, dont have answers as to why this happened...

...She is off the vent. Waking up more...

...Update on Cheryl: she made it thru her first surgery with no problem. They fixed her boned around eyes, cheek, and face. Put metal plates in where needed...

...Cheryls doing great. Alert, awake, writing sentences on paper. She will be moved out of the ICU today to an observation room. Surgery next week will be major. They r building her a jaw/cheek bone...

...These past couple of weeks have made me look at life differently. PLEASE tell ur loved ones that u love them every day. Dont take them for granted. If u fight, make up b4 you leave or go to bed. You never know if its ur last day on earth. God bless!...

...Update on Cheryl: she made it thru her 12 hr reconstructive surgery without difficulty. They were even able to do some skin grafting...

...Cheryl is finally waking up since her 12hr surgery on Wednesday. She is doing good... She is writing up a storm!...

...Cheryl continues to progress well. She is awake and alert. Has been up in her chair. Skin graft is taking. She is well aware of things... I ask for continued prayers for the family...

...Cheryl continues to progress well. She is truely a miracle. She is a woman of faith...
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder suicide missouri state politics relatives children child abuse]

[AL] 4 years ago today Marshall County Sheriff's Investigator David Lowe was shot and killed by his wife Kathy

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4 years ago today Marshall County Sheriff's Investigator David Lowe was shot and killed by his wife Kathy. I thought I'd look up whether the case had been resolved yet and it has. After two mistrials, Kathy Lowe pleaded guilty last March to manslaughter in her husband’s death. Judge Tim Jolley sentenced her to three years probation, and gave her credit for time served in jail.


Previous post:
[AL] Kathy Lowe will be tried 3rd time in shooting death of her Sheriff's Investigator husband, David - Kathy Lowe will face a third trial in November for the November 11, 2008 death of her husband David Lowe. David, a former Marshall County Sheriff's Office deputy and investigator for the Marshall County District Attorney's office, was found shot twice in the back and side, at the Horton home the couple shared.

KATHY LOWE TO PLEAD GUILTY
The Sand Mountain Reporter
By Elizabeth Summers
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
[Excerpts] GUNTERSVILLE — Kathy Lowe was expected to plead guilty to manslaughter Wednesday... David Lowe had served as an investigator for the Marshall County Sheriff’s office and District Attorney’s office prior to his death. “Given the circumstances, this is a fair resolution to the case,” [Blount County District Attorney Pamela] Casey said Wednesday. “Now the state, Kathy Lowe and the families involved can move on with their lives.” Casey said Lowe was expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison but would be allowed to petition for probation. “I wanted her to have that felony on her record,” Casey said. “We won’t oppose if she asks for probation. “But this way, we will have a resolution, and she won’t be entitled to any of the life insurance money.” Kathy Lowe had been on trial in September 2010 and December 2011. Both trials ended in mistrials after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict... “I was going to ask she be put in jail until the trial because she was doing things to try and taint the jury pool”... Kathy Lowe admitted shooting David following a day-long argument and alleged she had been held hostage by David most of the day at gunpoint. Her defense attorney, John Paul Burson, also argued Kathy Lowe had suffered emotional and physical abuse at the hands of David Lowe for much of their married life. During both trials, prosecutors countered Kathy Lowe had plotted to kill David Lowe over several months so she could cash in several life insurance policies. Since David Lowe’s death, the family’s Horton home had burned to the ground. The fire, reported just before 3 a.m. on March 4, 2011, was deemed arson by the Marhsall County Arson Task Force. No one has been charged... The couple’s son, Brian, died Nov. 3 following a lengthy battle with a chronic illness. [Full article here]

KATHY LOWE PLEADS GUILTY TO MANSLAUGHTER
WHNT
by Carson Clark
March 14, 2012
[Excerpts] Kathy Lowe has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in her husband’s death. She entered the plea Wednesday afternoon in Marshall County. Lowe was put on trial twice for the 2008 death of her husband, David Lowe.  However, both trials ended in hung juries. A manslaughter plea carries a sentence of 10 years.  However, Judge Tim Jolley sentenced her to three years probation, and gave her credit for time served in jail.  Lowe will not have to serve another day behind bars. She will have to pay a $5,000 fine. Lowe admitted to killing her husband, David, but claims she acted in self-defense. The crime happened in Marshall County, but the Blount County District Attorney’s office prosecuted the case because David Lowe was an investigator for the Marshall County DA’s office. Prosecutors contend Lowe shot her husband to collect insurance money.  However, the defense says Lowe was a battered wife who couldn’t take the abuse any longer. [Full article here]

‘SLAP ON THE WRIST’: KATHY LOWE GETS PROBATION; SENTENCE UPSETS VICTIM’S BROTHER, HIS WIFE
The Sand Mountain Reporter
By Elizabeth Summers
Friday, March 16, 2012
[Excerpts] Curtis Lowe will always remember his brother, David Lowe, as a friend to many, willing to help in any way possible. But on Wednesday, he felt his brother’s memory was forever tainted when David’s wife, Kathy Lowe, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case involving her husband’s death in 2008 and received what Curtis feels is a “slap on the wrist” for punishment... [Judge Tim] Jolley then handed down a 10-year suspended jail sentence and ordered Kathy Lowe to spend three years on supervised probation and pay a $5,000 fine, court costs, $750 to attorneys and a $100 victim-assessment fee. “Justice wasn’t served,” Curtis Lowe said... Patricia Lowe, Curtis’ wife, had hoped a third trial would end with a guilty verdict and a sentence of jail time for Kathy Lowe. “I would have liked to have seen a third trial,” she said. “I think she should have served some time in jail. She hasn’t spent a day there yet, that I am aware of. But she will have to face the Lord and she won’t be able to walk away from that.” Lowe pleaded guilty to Marshall County Circuit Judge Tim Jolley to the Class B felony. She was represented by Albertville attorney John Paul Burson... Patricia Lowe said she felt disappointed with the case’s outcome. “We felt she might try to make a plea deal, and that is what she did in the end,” Patricia Lowe said. “Knowing she will have a felony on her record, knowing she won’t ever be able to vote again and knowing she won’t get any of the insurance money means a lot to us”... From the beginning, Kathy Lowe and her defense attorneys maintained she and her children, Amanda and Brian, suffered mental and physical abuse at the hands of David Lowe over the years. She claimed she acted in self-defense that night in 2008, following a daylong fight with David Lowe, where he allegedly held her hostage and threatened her with a gun during the day. Prosecutors painted her as an adulteress who had plotted to kill David Lowe for months as a way to collect on more than $100,000 in life insurance policies... [Full article here]
officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder female perp perpetrator alabama state politics]

2 Ocak 2013 Çarşamba

AMA Reaches Out to Doctors To Remind Them Patient Welfare Must Come First As Rising Pressures From Insurers and Hospitals Can Surmount At Times

To contact us Click HERE

This went out as a reminder as many more doctors are working imagedirectly for hospitals and some have “goals” they somewhat enforce as the pinch for money and profits grows.  Doctors normally get paid a salary from a hospital with a bonus tied in somewhere, the old pay for performance routine that insurers sell shareholders on as far as promising productivity.  Doctors’ sometimes get their salaries reduced too if they don’t meet goals. 

In addition private practice doctors are facing the inability to keep practices open and some band together to partner to help share expenses of an office.  In the meantime in addition to not knowing if they are going to get hit with a cut from Medicare, insurers such as United make unwelcomed statements about looking at doctors pay for savings, not what the doctor ordered.  Businesses show no or little compassion outside the dollar these days so again the AMA is reminding doctors to not get caught up in the Money ball doctors contracts that upset everyone. 

UnitedHealthCare Looks at Doctor’s Pay for Savings, Nothing New There Been Doing It for Years But Keep In Mind We Have the Annual Medicare Cut Fix on the Floor Again with Congress–Timing?

Also recently the AAFP found that United was paying doctors in several areas of the US, less than Medicare so if any group has reasons for frustrations today it’s the doctors.  Some contracts also prohibit doctors from working for competitors after they leave a hospital and the AMA recommended to be wary of such contracts and again keep in mind that patient care comes first. 

The AAFP Confronts United Healthcare On Reimbursements, Some Are Below Medicare Rates In Parts of the US–Payment Algorithms/Formulas Calculated Deep Within IT Infrastructures Do the Job


With as much heat as the FDA takes Commissioner Margaret Hamburg also made similar statements in her address (video at the link below)  this year to the graduating class of Einstein Medical.  When you start seeing such messages over and over it appears to be a sign of the time of how difficult it is these days as a doctor to keep everyone happy on both sides. 

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg Delivers Commencement Address at Albert Einstein College of Medicine–Video


Most doctors I know always keep the patient up front but again they have challenges with getting referrals and approvals right and left for patients, I used to hear it all the time.  BD 



WASHINGTON — With hospitals buying up medical practices around the country and seeking to make the most of their investment, the American Medical Association reached out to doctors this week to remind them that patient welfare must always come first and not be overridden by the economic interests of hospitals that now employ doctors in ever-growing numbers.

“In any situation where the economic or other interests of the employer are in conflict with patient welfare, patient welfare must take priority,” says a policy statement adopted by the association.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/27/health/27doctors.html?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto

Health Net Stops Covering Medical Services at 6 Southern California Tenet Hospitals in the OC and Desert Areas –Reimbursement Contract Differences

To contact us Click HERE

The hospitals affected are owned by Tenet in the desert and also in Orange County.  You can read the article below to see where the talks failed with Tenet wanting higher rates and Health Net had their own ideas of rate increases being tied to the consumer price index.  Medi-Cal was also in the picture with questions related to federal and state funding.  This is effective now and the actual date was December 21, 2012 so patients and doctors will have to scramble to go elsewhere for services. 

Health Net is not as large as some of the other giant health insurance companies and back in 2010 they had to sell some of their northeast business to United Healthcare while the Tri-Care contract fiasco was ongoing.  Here’s a few back links on that situation as once the initial loss was announced HealthNet needed to make some financial changes and then with the turn of events Health Net was re-awarded the contract for the northeast. 

HealthNet Will Keep the Tri-Care North Contract – GOA Investigated the Original Award to Aetna

HealthNet in Connecticut to Lay Off 750 Employees as United Healthcare Takes Over Membership In the Northeast

United HealthCare Purchase of HealthNet in the Northeast Did Not Include Transfer of Employees

UnitedHealthCare Buys a Portion of Health Net in the Northeast

I made mention of the above and it will be interesting to see what other insurers will do to perhaps entice members to change insurance companies as this is a good number of patients and doctors involved with this.   Also in 2009 HealthNet agreed to stop using the United Healthcare/Ingenix data base that short changed doctors and hospitals for around 15 years, and almost all the major insurers licensed it from United so all were in the same boat of using “algorithms for profit’ for quite a while.  BD




Health insurance provider Health Net, Inc. announced Thursday it will stop covering medical and health services at six Southernimage California hospitals run by Tenet Healthcare after contract negotiations broke down.

As a three-year contract came to a close at midnight on Dec. 21, the two companies were unable to agree on reimbursement rates for services necessary to renew the contract.  Health Net wanted reimbursement rate increases to be tied to the Consumer Price Index, which currently averages about 3 percent, according to the company. Health Net also wanted Medi-Cal reimbursements to be tied to state and federal funding for the program. Tenet was pushing for higher reimbursement rates.

The effected hospitals include Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Fountain Valley Hospital and Medical Center, John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio, Lakewood Regional Medical Center, Los Alamitos Medical Center and Placentia Linda Hospital.

http://palmdesert.patch.com/articles/health-net-insurance-to-stop-serving-some-desert-hospitals

Niche Health Insurance Company Files for IPO–Uses Cloud Based Platform for Algorithmic Consumer Shopping, Underwritten by Banks

To contact us Click HERE

My first thoughts here are to look at the underwriters, Citi and BofA Merrill Lynch?  The company plans to go on Nasdaq so we have banks here with algorithms and software getting into the health insurance business?  It appears there’s a client base with the numbers quoted. 

In looking at the website this appears to be a pitchimage to sell additional health insurance to cover where normal policies leave off, in other words a supplemental type of policy to cover specific items to where high deductibles and other provisions in policies do not cover.  In addition there are partners who offer additional services such as Lenscrafters, GymAmerica, Hewlett-Packard computer and digital equipment, and even floral discounts.  In addition I see prescription card benefits and visions discounts sold here.  Of course I think right off how much data is being created for sale here as that’s what happens out there today.  Basically this is an algorithmically operating site that searches out pricing and services and presents them to a client in a format for purchase and the fact that it is in the cloud doesn’t mean much other than the fact that it can use APIs to find their data. An IPO for some cloud algorithms to assist consumers for searching for supplemental insurance and non insurance items?   I guess time will tell on this one to see where the value lies.  BD



Health Insurance Innovations (HII), which operates a cloud-based platform for health insurance, has filed for an IPO to raise up to $86 million.

HII focuses on the sale of 12-month, short-term insurance plans, which are often half the cost of alternative major medical policies. A key advantage is HII’s core technology system, which analyzes large amounts of consumer data and purchasing habits.

The two key drivers include the likely drop of group coverage from many employers as well as the surge in uninsured Americans entering the insurance market. In other words, demand will inevitably be substantial for low-cost offerings from companies like HII.

http://investorplace.com/ipo-playbook/cloud-based-healthcare-operator-files-for-an-ipo/

Aetna Fined $1 Million by State of Washington for Insurance Violations–Sounds Like Automated Algorithm Issues With Editing Compliance & Marketing Integration, Included Dental Plans Sold to Nordstrom

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Some of the violations go back to 2005 when all the data systems we use today were not as sophisticated.  One area is in compliance that did not contain all the information required by the state law so the normal fix would be to update the IT infrastructure to either amend or send updates to policy holders and the state sounds like they saw an area of algorithm neglect here.  The retirees at Nordstrom were sold 100 dental policies that had not been approved and in another area the company continued to sell a health policy that had been disapproved. 

Again with IT infrastructures today those get removed with programming and automated letters are normally sent out to those affected.  With automated systems these areas do offer challenge to all.  Back in April of this year the company made a mistake in the IT infrastructure automation and sent  out letters in error to policy holders stating that their doctors were no longer in network.  The algorithm ran without checking all parameters and letters were sent or someone forgot to check a few strings in the SQL that set all of this in motion.   This is just a query process but when combined with other algorithms and something is not spelled out exactly in the computer coding, this is what happens.  BD 

Aetna States Letters Mailed to Thousands of California Customers Were A Mistake–Their Doctors Are Still In Network–”Rogue Algorithms and Flawed Data”–Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 25


OLYMPIA, Wash., Dec. 27 -- The Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner issued the following news release:

A Connecticut insurance company has been fined $1 million by Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler for multiple violations over several years.

Aetna Life Insurance Company has agreed to pay the fine.

The violations include issuing unapproved insurance policies, failing to file legally-required documents with the state and charging unapproved rates.

"All insurers must comply with state law, and most of them do," said Kreidler. "I hope that this fine and compliance plan resolves these problems with Aetna."

http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=367974&type=topnews#.UN3F9KzNk5Y

Cathy O’Neil, Mathematician/Quant: Wall Street Quants The Culture, Big Data Mechanics, Algorithms, Data Mining, Lack of Privacy, Web Profiling, Health Insurance Profiles and Modeling Abuse…

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imageThis is pretty good and I felt compelled to include this as she’s the one before the programmers, in other words, Quants build models and programmers design and build it.  In both videos you will find a lot of answers as she’s good and if you read here then you have probably heard a lot of this from a programming side.  She’s the first step ahead and created the model that programmers use to write software.  She has had  a very interesting background and she digs in to big data and that subject I think be renamed, the “data scientist”…same thoughts where in the world do you find these people.  You can find her blog here, MathBabe, like the name. 

“Data Scientists”– An Oxymoron? Is Finding the Value in Data Bases Queried Together in the Business World To Make Money Actually Science?


She gives her background about being a young nerd and she has been a professor and later was hired by a Wall Street Hedge Fund as a Quant.  She worked with Larry Summers who ended up going to work for the Obama Administration.  Her idea at the time was to “fix” the system.  Nobody including the SEC wanted to hire her and she says the same thing I have said many times, get the attorneys out and get the computer scientists folks in there.  She said nobody cared with the models and some of the CDO models were completely broken and gave random numbers.  Clients were never given fair warnings she said and she gave up and left and applied again to the Feds and and she signed forms to where she could not give away the private information on the models but she could talk about “techniques” of models and that’s what she does on her blog.  Her idea is to help people, not exploit them.  She says portfolios are “dummied” down into single numbers so those that think they understand can understand but they don’t really understand:)  My thoughts from a short while back on risk. 

Hiding, Falsifying, And Accelerating Risk Has Become the Achilles Heel of the US Economy As the “Real” World” Clashes With the Values Created From a World of “Fictional Values” Of Formulas and Math


Models are used increase obscurity and are not explained and are abused.  I made my comments on models used out of “context”.  imageAvoid doing harm she states.  She still models and knows the benefits when done correctly.  Nerds are never in charge.  I just talked with someone the other day where a study was done and the data was not supplied to substantiate the abstract and without the data, the recipient determined there were over 500 million available models, data counts and you just can’t take to the bank a report or study you see in the news without offering someone the opportunity to confirm the data origins, etc. 

Big Data/Analytics If Used Out of Context and Without True Values Stand To Be A Huge Discriminatory Practice Against Consumers–More Honest Data Scientists Needed to Formulate Accuracy/Value To Keep Algo Duping For Profit Out of the Game


A little later on she talks about how models get used “that was a really useful model to make a lot of money”…you’ve had heard something like that here before:)  People are trained to think of mathematics as a game you have to “win”, the culture in finance.  No Quants are ever expected to answer or account for the consequences on the effects of normal people.  Modeling has gone crazy and it has and it will. 

You can speed up to around 18 minutes where the healthcare portion comes in.  Think about 15 years from now she says, the information on the web about you never goes away.  De-Identified data, she says the same thing I said a few years ago, people are good at matching up De-Identified data, heck I did it years ago and not for the purpose of selling data or anything of the sort, it was some algorithms that I wrote for integrating software and to check and balance myself I created sample data that would rematch in the system for billing and an automated super bill system. 

Old hat been around a long time and a couple years ago the OMG stuff on the web about this being possible, that’s just when the public woke up. It’s not that we are really that smart it’s just that we have “been there done that” way before a consumer even hears the concept, why we are geeks:)  What is great about her videos is that she does for modeling about the same as I do for programming and there’s nothing like hands on as everyone else just reads other stuff and repeats it. She addresses both sides of healthcare data and says the clinical side is great and of course I agree, but then we have the health insurers who use segmentation in the opposite direction. 



She did some other jobs and a lot with credit risks.  Listen to her job offer about modeling in Hollywood and she’s see right through it with crazy modeling and how it keeps inequality alive.  If you want to hear her points on healthcare move forward to around 16 minutes.  Here’s a second video to where she talks at the Hadoop Strata Conference.  She says you can’t just rebrand people from the inside and turn them into data scientists. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3up4PezpthU



Here’s the series on the Attack of the Killer Algorithms that go right in line with what Cathy says and watch the videos and they are also on the left hand side of this blog on every page.  If you want a look into reality on how math and formulas rule the world, spend the time and get a tiny bit of education to understand how this works quietly behind the scenes and how the algorithms shift and take your money, a few SQL “strings” at a time.  BD


Attack of the Killer Algorithms–Digest & Links for All Chapters–on How Math and Crafty Formulas Today Running on Servers 24/7 Make Life Impacting Decisions About You

Quants: The Alchemists of Wall Street Video Documentary - Why It Needs to Matter What Companies Do and Not Focus Only On the Price of Stock With So Called Value - Attack of the Killer Algorithms Chapter 44


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXdeRcvz_zE

1 Ocak 2013 Salı

[PA] Never forgetting Iris Ramos, her life stolen in her cop husband's murder-suicide

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In her mother's kitchen Iris Ramos was shot twice in the head by her husband, Philadelphia police officer Orlando Ramos. He then  fatally shot himself. Iris underwent emergency surgery at Episcopal Hospital, but died the following day. "Police said the couple's 5-year-old daughter was in the house at the time of the shooting."
Orlando: November 24, 1984.
Iris: November 25, 1984.
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder suicide pennsylvania state politics]

[GA] Another domestic violence call to Officer Difiore's house

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...[Savannah-Chatham Police Officer Ralph] Difiore is at least the fifth metro officer investigated for a domestic violence incident this year... Officers noted that Pooler police had frequently responded to the couple’s residence for domestic disputes... A neighbor says they called police on the couple at least half a dozen times.... 

SAVANNAH POLICE OFFICER ON LEAVE AFTER BATTERY ARREST
Savannah Morning News
By Lesley Conn
Posted: October 26, 2012
[Excerpts] A Savannah-Chatham police officer has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest in a domestic violence incident. Ralph Joseph Difiore, 46, has been charged with battery/domestic violence and disorderly house after Pooler police responded Oct. 20 to a call from a neighbor. Difiore is at least the fifth metro officer investigated for a domestic violence incident this year. Difiore’s girlfriend, Heather Cook Walters, 35, faces the same two charges. A Jan. 17 court date was set for both... Officers responded about 12:40 a.m. based on a neighbor’s concerns that he could hear yelling, things being thrown and a woman crying in the couple’s residence. Officers noted that Pooler police had frequently responded to the couple’s residence for domestic disputes and determined that in this case, “mediation and separation was not the answer”... Their accounts to police differ in the Oct. 20 call. Difiore contends Walters was severely drunk and “stumbling all over the place.” She began swinging and clawing at him when he tried to get her into bed, he told police. When officers questioned Walters, they noted that at no time did she appear unsteady on her feet or falling-over drunk. She denied ever striking Difiore, but said he choked her and threw a foot stool at her... [Full article here]

SCMPD OFFICER PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE AFTER ARREST
WTOC
By Alex Bender abender@wtoc.com
Posted: Oct 24, 2012
[Excerpts] Savannah-Chatham Metro officer Ralph Difiore is on administrative leave... A neighbor says they called police on the couple at least half a dozen times.... They were both released on bond Wednesday. They will be back in court in January. [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety history hx repeated mutual combat alleged georgia state politics]

[WA] Benton County Sheriff's Deputy Abel Campos resigned Friday before he could be fired for allegedly hitting his wife

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"It's very difficult for me. Part of me believes when someone does something, they should be fired and not given an opportunity to resign."
~ Benton County Sheriff Steve Keane

PREVIOUS POST:
[WA] Benton Co. Sheriff's Deputy Campos walks away from domestic violence charges Benton County sheriff's Deputy Abel Prieto Campos walks away from domestic violence charge despite hair pulled out of his wife's head and signs of physical assault on the side of her head because she recanted and her mother backed away...

BENTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY RESIGNS
Tri-City Herald, Bellingham Herald
By Paula Horton
Published: November 3, 2012
[Excerpts] A Benton County sheriff's deputy resigned Friday before he could be fired for allegedly hitting his wife earlier this year... Sheriff Steve Keane waited until after the criminal case was resolved to complete the internal investigation and make a decision on any disciplinary action. Keane said he intended to terminate Campos, but Campos turned in his resignation when he reported to the disciplinary hearing Friday morning. "I believe an assault did occur," Keane told the Herald. "I believe Abel assaulted his wife and I believe I had enough to terminate him"... The sheriff said if he had not let Campos resign, the deputy could have filed a grievance and an arbitrator would have decided if the firing was justified. Arbitration is a "very expensive process," and when a witness changes her story five different times, there's no guarantee sheriff's officials could get an arbitrator to agree with the decision, he said. "It's very difficult for me. Part of me believes when someone does something, they should be fired and not given an opportunity to resign," Keane said... "The biggest thing an officer has is his credibility. People want to know you have honest officers," Keane said. "If he's been arrested for a crime and have victims recanting, I think it leaves doubts in citizen's minds. It left doubt in my mind"... The criminal case was dismissed Oct. 12 just before the trial. Richland's prosecutor said he had to drop the charges because the witnesses backed out of testifying... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety recant washington state politics teflon police union arbitration fop]

[MO] Dana Ison's police officer husband quit his job, shot her mother, killed Dana, then killed himself

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Dana Thompson-Ison
Dana Thompson-Ison's husband Landon quit his 9-year Lamar Missouri police officer job in August of 2012 by just not showing up. Both his friend - Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw, and Landon's boss - Lamar Police Chief Ron Hager, say they didn't pry by asking Landon Ison why he didn't report for work. 2 months later, on October 9th 2012, Landon Ison shot and killed his wife Dana, shot and critically wounded her mother Cheryl Thompson, then left the home with his shotgun and shot and killed himself. Landon and Dana Ison have two sons and yes, they were present at the home at the time of Dana and Cheryl's shooting.



WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?


CHIEF HAGER:
...said Ison had offered no explanation for failing to report in August, thus relinquishing his job, and that Hager had not asked for one...

CHIEF HAGER:
...said Ison was a good officer in the more than nine years he served on the Lamar police force...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...“because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...said he was aware that his friend had quit his job with the Lamar police. He said Ison never told him why, and he chose not to force the issue by asking... 

SHERIFF SHAW:
...said he was strongly affected by the events because he went to both death scenes and that he and his family "have known the Isons forever. "This is a terrible surprise, a terrible thing... It was a friendship"...

SHERIFF SHAW:
...acknowledged being a close friend of the couple, said he did not necessarily know all that was going on in their relationship...

Dana, never forgottenDana Ison worked at AOK Youth Development Services, an organization that works with under-privileged children... 

...Dana graduated from Pittsburg State College with her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Services and later received her Master’s Degree in Social Services from Missouri State University. She was a social worker for About Our Kids Youth Development Services in Lamar and director of After School care... [LINK]

...Dana was the Director Social Worker for the About Our Kids Youth Development, Director of After School Care and PEP Coordinator in Lamar, Missouri. She always enjoyed working with and helping children... [LINK]


I invite those who pray
to keep Cheryl's recovery,the Ison children,
and everyone brokenhearted
by this
in your heartsand on your list. 
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ison Children Fund at Metropolitan Bank, 1105 Gulf, Lamar, Mo. 64759



FORMER LAMAR POLICEMAN INVOLVED IN MURDER-SUICIDE; MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS LIFE THREATENING INJURIES [LINK]
koamtv.com
October 9, 2012
12:11 PM CST:
Authorities are investigating an overnight shooting death in southwest Missouri. The Missouri Highway Patrol is leading the investigation of a shooting outside of Lamar shortly after 1 a.m...
1:50 PM CST:
The Missouri Highway Patrol confirms two people are dead and another person is in critical condition at a Springfield hospital. A press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m...
3:10 PM CST:
A former Lamar policeman has shot and killed his wife [Dana Ison], shot and injured his mother-in-law [Cheryl Thompson], then shot and killed himself... It's unclear why Thompson was at the home but she went to get help from neighbors who called 911 before 1 a.m... Landon Ison's body was found at a different location at about 2:30 a.m.  Authorities say he shot himself with a rifle. In August Landon Ison resigned from the Lamar Police Department, but authorities say he just stopped coming to work. Landon and Dana Ison had two children.  They were at the home at the time of the shooting but were not injured are currently with family...  While the couple was still married, that had separated earlier in October. Dana Ison worked at AOK, an organization that works with under-privileged children
5:15 PM CST:
Statement released by Kathy Jenkins, AOK Board of Directors President: "Dana Thompson Ison was a beloved friend, coworker, daughter, sister and mother. She was an invaluable member of the AOK family as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. She also led the mentoring program and offered counseling and assistance to anyone in need. She loved the children and they loved her. She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing"...

WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?
Lamar Police Officer Landon Ison
ONLINE FIRST: FORMER LAMAR POLICEMAN SUSPECTED IN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE
Nevada Daily Mail
By James R. Campbell
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
[Excerpts] A somber panel of law enforcement officers announced Tuesday afternoon that a former Lamar city policeman was suspected of shooting his estranged wife to death, seriously wounding his mother-in-law and then driving to a remote area of Barton County before turning his rifle on himself about 90 minutes later. Landon Ison, 32, a member of the Lamar Police Department for 9 1/2 years until inexplicably failing to report for duty Aug. 7, was found near his blue Ford Explorer by a Barton County deputy sheriff about 2:30 a.m., Tuesday. Reading from preliminary reports, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Watson said the man was suspected of going to his 33-year-old wife Dana's home about 6 1/2 miles southwest of here shortly before 1 a.m., Tuesday, and shooting her to death. Flanked by Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw and Lamar Chief of Police Ron Hager, Watson said Ison was also suspected of shooting his mother-in-law, 67-year-old Cheryl Thompson of Springfield, who was airlifted to Cox South Hospital in her hometown. Watson said Thompson was listed in serious condition... Cheryl Thompson had managed to walk to a neighbor's house after she was shot and that the neighbor called 9-1-1... The Isons' two juvenile boys were in the home when their mother and grand-mother were shot... Watson declined to say what type of rifle was believed to be the murder-suicide weapon, how many times Mrs. Ison and her mother were shot or what room of the house the shootings were believed to have taken place in. Hager said Ison had offered no explanation for failing to report in August, thus relinquishing his job, and that Hager had not asked for one... The chief said Dana Ison had worked for AOK Youth Development Services in Lamar... Shaw said he was strongly affected by the events because he went to both death scenes and that he and his family "have known the Isons forever. "This is a terrible surprise, a terrible thing," the sheriff said. "Everyone knows the family. They're hard-working, good people. It was a friendship"... [Full article here]

WHERECOULDDANA AND CHERYLHAVE TURNEDFORHELP?
FORMER LAMAR OFFICER KILLS WIFE, WOUNDS MOTHER-IN-LAW; EX-POLICEMAN TAKES OWN LIFE
The Joplin Globe
By Jeff Lehr news@joplinglobe.com
October 9, 2012
[Excerpts] Landon L. Ison never offered a reason for abruptly quitting his job as a Lamar police officer two months ago. He moved out of the house he shared with his wife and two sons at the start of this month. Then shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday, emergency responders were called to the troubled family’s home about a mile southwest of Lamar after Ison reportedly shot and killed his wife, Dana I. Ison, 33, and critically wounded her mother, Cheryl J. Thompson, 67... [Lamar police Chief Ron] Hager said Ison was a good officer in the more than nine years he served on the Lamar police force since being hired in January 2003. Before that, he had served as a dispatcher with the Barton County Sheriff’s Department... Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw said he asked the state patrol to serve as the lead investigative agency in the shootings “because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”... Landon Ison filed for divorce in January. Court records indicate that Ison and his wife both submitted parenting plans to the court. But the record shows that the case was dismissed by both parties on July 11. Shaw, who acknowledged being a close friend of the couple, said he did not necessarily know all that was going on in their relationship. “Whenever I was around, they seemed to have a good relationship,” Shaw said... The sheriff said he was aware that his friend had quit his job with the Lamar police. He said Ison never told him why, and he chose not to force the issue by asking... Dana Ison worked for AOK Youth Development Services. Kathy Jenkins, president of AOK’s board of directors, released a statement praising her contributions as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. “She loved the children and they loved her,” the statement read. “She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing”... The Lamar Police chief and the Barton County sheriff said there have been no previous reports of domestic violence involving Ison and his wife. [Full article here]

AND REALLY?
THE SHERIFF AND CHIEF
DIDN'T KNOW,
THEY DIDN'T ASK,
THEY DIDN'T TRY,
THEY WON'T ADMIT?
IT DOESN'T
MAKE SENSE. 

JANUARY 2008 CASEWORKER OF THE MONTH DANA ISON
Adoption Exchange Association
Pittsburg, Kansas
We have been lucky enough to have the same worker, Dana Ison, thru all of our adoptions. We are about to finalize our 2nd and 3rd adoptions next month. We have known Dana for over 4 years now. She has always made her self available to anything we need or want. She is always friendly and offers whatever support we need at anytime, and makes time for us no matter what, even if we just need to talk to someone. Dana is great at getting in contact with our children’s workers, when we need or want something and are unable to get in contact with them ourselves. Our children all look forward to visits with her, even our oldest who at one time had a great fear of caseworkers. After some struggles we have witnessed with other families and their workers, we know we are truly blessed to have been given Dana, and hope that with our next adoption we will be able to work with her... [LINK]


TOPIX EXCERPTS  [LINK]
Posted in the Independence Forum

...Statement released by Kathy Jenkins, AOK Board of Directors President: "Dana Thompson Ison was a beloved friend, coworker, daughter, sister and mother. She was an invaluable member of the AOK family as a social worker and school-age program coordinator. She also led the mentoring program and offered counseling and assistance to anyone in need. She loved the children and they loved her. She was passionate about making a difference in their lives and she did. Words cannot express our sorrow at her passing"...

...Dana used to babysit my son and daughter during summer breaks! I never had to worry about my children in her care! She was the sweetest girl! My kids loved her! She will be greatly missed! Prayers go out to Cheryl and the family!...

...Barton County Sheriff Mitchell Shaw said he asked the state patrol to serve as the lead investigative agency in the shootings “because of the close personal relationships we all had with Officer Ison”...

...Does anyone know Cheryls condition?...

...My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, especially those precious boys. Also praying for a full recovery for Cheryl. So very tragic and so so sad...

...wondering if anyone knows how Cheryl is doing? lets continue to pray for her and all this family...

...Cheryl is in a medical induced coma. They have reapplied her tongue and inserted a feeding tube. They plan to ship her to St. Louis for reconstructive surgery. Cheryl graduated from IHS in 63. Beautiful person both inside and out. Please everyone pray for the family as well as Cheryl. Going to be a long haul...

...Dana's service will be Tuesday the 23rd. Please coninue to pray for Cheryl...

...I agree Cheryl is one of the nicest people you could ever meet. I am praying for her and family...

...Thank you so much for the updates on Cheryl. Since many of us do not want to intrude on the family's privacy during these extreme times, it is great that we can be informed about Cheryl and her recovery. Please tell her family many friends and coworkers from Standard Motors think of her and pray for the family daily. Again thanks so much for keeping us informed and God Bless.




EXCERPTS FROM FACEBOOK POSTS:

We have a long road ahead of us. But you guys along with our friends have been our rock. I cant explain, dont have answers as to why this happened...

...She is off the vent. Waking up more...

...Update on Cheryl: she made it thru her first surgery with no problem. They fixed her boned around eyes, cheek, and face. Put metal plates in where needed...

...Cheryls doing great. Alert, awake, writing sentences on paper. She will be moved out of the ICU today to an observation room. Surgery next week will be major. They r building her a jaw/cheek bone...

...These past couple of weeks have made me look at life differently. PLEASE tell ur loved ones that u love them every day. Dont take them for granted. If u fight, make up b4 you leave or go to bed. You never know if its ur last day on earth. God bless!...

...Update on Cheryl: she made it thru her 12 hr reconstructive surgery without difficulty. They were even able to do some skin grafting...

...Cheryl is finally waking up since her 12hr surgery on Wednesday. She is doing good... She is writing up a storm!...

...Cheryl continues to progress well. She is awake and alert. Has been up in her chair. Skin graft is taking. She is well aware of things... I ask for continued prayers for the family...

...Cheryl continues to progress well. She is truely a miracle. She is a woman of faith...
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder suicide missouri state politics relatives children child abuse]