NEWS BRIEFSAt AbilityMaine we are developing a special page for events, committee meetings, board meetings, etc. that are of interest to people with disabilities. The calendar link will still be on our site, but this special page will be specifically for disability related meetings and events. If you have items to add to this page, if you are a committee member who can provide dates for your meetings,or if you are planning an event, send items to Mainefun40@hotmail.com with CALENDAR in the subject line. We're always looking for news and information at Abilitymaine. If you have items you think we can use, send them to Mainefun40@hotmail.com with NEWS in the subject line. NewsBriefs Saturday, May 12 marks the annual birdwalk led by Steve Coleman, blind birder, at Fields Pond Nature Center in Holden. This year we also have a non-visually oriented program on skunks. See the NHEST website at http://www.nhest.org for details. There is also a introduction to birding by ear by Bob Duchesne Friday, May 4, at 7:30. Directions to Fields Pond are also posted on the site: http://www.nhest.org/directions.html Don Tarbet Internships for Persons with Disabilities at Verizon Communications Verizon is seeking qualified college students to serve as paid interns for up to 10 weeks. Candidates should have an interest in telecommunications issues including wireless, broadband, voice and video, as each of these business units participates in this program. Knowledge of information technology is a plus. While internships could be located anywhere in Verizon's footprint, most opportunities will be available in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Florida and Texas. Interested candidates should forward resumes, attendant information, and relevant questions to Jeff Kramer at Jeffrey.a.kramer@verizon.com. GAO Report on Nursing Homes Finds Lack of Enforcement Medicare Rights Center Press Release: When Your Health Privacy is Violated, Complain! If a pharmacy, health plan, hospital or medical practitioner improperly shares your health information, they may have violated the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the federal agency with the power to enforce this Act, has a new web site that shows how it enforces the federal health care privacy standards. You can also file a complaint on their web site. HHS' online FAQ helps explain the extent and limitations of this Act at http://www.hhs.gov/hipaafaq/index.html. With over 26,000 complaints filed alleging some sort of HIPAA violation, the web site has statistics and summaries about the complaints. HHS also shows some of the corrective actions they have obtained from companies that individuals complained about. Other information on the site shows patients' rights to have access to their health records and to control how protected health data are used and disclosed. The HHS HIPAA enforcement web site is at You can file your complaint using the information on the web site at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacyhowtofile.htm or contact HHS by phone 1-800-368-1019; or by TTY: 1-800-537-7697; or via email: OCRComplaint@hhs.gov For additional information on HIPAA or on your health care civil rights, contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights/HIPAA as follows: 1-800-368-1019 - Civil Rights; 1-866-627-7748 HIPAA; TTY: 1-800- 537-7697; Email: OCRMail@hhs.gov If you file a complaint at HHS and you don't mind sharing this with AAPD, please let us know. We believe there may be more and more such concerns as health records become more and more "digitized." Contact either Jenifer Simpson at aapdjenifer@aol.com or Anne Sommers at aapdanne@earthlink.net Source: AAPD |