Get me out of here ‘I have had enough of this?’
Health Minister Reilly gets stuck in a lift at psychiatric hospital
Irish health Minister James Reilly was imprisoned in one of Ireland's newest psychiatric hospitals today Thursday after he got stuck in a lift with his cohorts . The question is where were the lift engineers?.
The Minister was getting a tour of the Phoenix Care Centre in Grangegorman in north Dublin which will replace the grim St Brendan’s Hospital built in the early 19th century.
However, Dr Reilly, who was accompanied by Junior Health Minister Katheleen Lynch, a group of doctors and officials ended up trapped in a lift for around 13 minutes in the new €22m facility.
The lift refused to budge and engineers were quickly summoned to the hallway to try to physically open the doors.
Staff who are still putting the finishing touches to the hospital – before it admits the first patients at the end of March – frantically tried to open the doors and rescue the Minister.
The lift was eventually released and the stranded dignitaries were transported to the second floor.
The Minister later laughed off the incident and quipped that it gave him time to meditate.
The HSE publishes the details of its service cuts plans for Ireland today
Details of spending cutbacks affecting four HSE regions and two hospitals groups are being published today.
The HSE South regional service plan states that Mallow General Hospital’s emergency department is to close, with emergency surgery being moved to Cork University Hospital.
The casualty unit at Bantry General Hospital will be replaced by a 12-hour urgent care centre operating seven days a week, according to the plan.
So far, HSE West and HSE South have published their regional service plans, and similar documents are due to be issued shortly for HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster and Dublin North East, as well as for two hospital groups in the Mid-West and Louth-Meath.
An overall national operational plan is also being published.
The HSE South plan commits the organisation to the full implementation of the small hospitals framework, which has not yet been published.
It says acute surgery will be transferred from Bantry to Cork University Hospital in the second quarter of the year, while casualty will be replaced by a 12/7 urgent care centre in the third quarter.
The plan says the small hospital framework will also be fully implemented in respect of Mallow General Hospital, with emergency and inpatient surgery being transferred to Cork city hospitals during the year. The emergency department will be reorganised into an urgent care centre comprising a local injury unit and a medical assessment unit.
“While the smaller hospitals namely Mallow and Bantry now have a defined role delivering less complex care, which will guarantee a sustainable and central future role in health care delivery for both hospitals. Mallow and Bantry will continue to provide services that are appropriate for the hospitals and for the local population, delivering non-complex care as close as possible to patients’ homes,” the plan states.
Last month, the HSE published the national service plan, outlining its plans to spend €13.4 billion on the health services this year while making savings of over €721 million.
Tánaiste Gilmore hopeful of securing an EU budget agreement with European Parliament
Eamon Gilmore said there will be a process of ‘deep negotiation’ between the European Parliament and the Irish Presidency
The Tánaiste has said he remains hopeful of securing agreement on the EU’s multiannual financial framework – its Budget for the next seven years – despite severe criticism from the President of the European Parliament.
After talks in Dublin, Martin Schulz said it was most likely an “overwhelming majority” of MEPs would reject the budget agreement reached between the 27 member states.
The agreement between the governments at a meeting of the European Council was hailed as a major achievement by the Irish Presidency, but it has to be approved by the European Parliament.
Mr Schulz said the an addition of 27 national interests did not amount to a European project, and it contained no change on agriculture, no change on cohesion policy and nothing for the modernisation of the budget.
He said the Government must win the confidence of the European Parliament before the budget can be agreed.
Mr Gilmore said there will be a process of “deep negotiation” between the Parliament and the Irish Presidency, but while it was difficult and complicated, he was hopeful that agreement could be reached.
Genetic link to psychiatric disorders found
FIVE MAJOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS SHARE COMMON GENETIC RISK FACTORS, RESEARCH HAS SHOWN.
Scientists looked at genetic links to autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.
Four genetic variants were found to be associated with all five.
In particular, the research highlighted mutations in two genes that help govern the balance of calcium in brain cells.
The discovery could pave the way to new treatments, say the researchers writing in the latest online edition of The Lancet medical journal.
Scientists scanned the genome, or genetic code, of more than 33,000 patients with mental disorders as well as 27,888 healthy individuals.
The study was the largest investigation of genetic links to psychiatric illness ever conducted.
Dr Jordan Smoller, a member of the team from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, US, said: “This analysis provides the first genome-wide evidence that individual and aggregate molecular genetic risk factors are shared between five childhood-onset or adult-onset psychiatric disorders that are treated as distinct categories in clinical practice.
“Significant progress has been made in understanding the genetic risk factors underlying psychiatric disorders. Our results provide new evidence that may inform a move beyond descriptive syndromes in psychiatry and towards classification based on underlying causes.”
Sligo IT students named Imagine Cup finalists at Microsoft app and gaming event 2013
IT Sligo students Damien Fee, Gabriel Cioflica and Killian Mc Cormack, Irish finalists for Microsoft’s Imagine Cup. Right pic a night view from the fish monument at the entrance to the College in Sligo.
IT SLIGO STUDENTS ARE NAMED IMAGINE CUP FINALISTS AT MICROSOFT APP AND GAMING EVENT.
A team of students from IT Sligo and their innovative system to improve the lives of older people at home have been named the winner of the Irish Microsoft Imagine Cup finals 2013, and will now go on to compete at an international level in Russia.
Killian McCormack, Damien Fee, Linzi Ryan and Gabriel Cioflica came up with an innovative solution to support older people’s social and physical well-being in their homes through technology. Using Windows Phone, Skype and Kinect, their service provides online fitness classes through the TV, allows older people to watch TV with family and friends remotely, and can send alerts from an older person’s home should they encounter difficulties.
Having been named the Irish winner of the Microsoft Imagine Cup at Microsoft’s National App and Gaming Conference in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin today, the IT Sligo students will now represent Ireland in the international finals in St Petersburg.
This year, the competition focused on three core themes: world citizenship (for software applications that will impact positively on people), games and innovation. Entrants had to build their systems using Microsoft’s platforms, tools and technology, and the process teaches young technologists, developers and entrepreneurs about developing a technology application – from creating a business plan to bringing a concept to market.
PREVIOUS WINNERS TEAM HERMES NOW CLEVERMILES
The winning team follows in the footsteps of 2011’s overall Imagine Cup winners, who also hailed from IT Sligo. Team Hermes designed a device they hoped could reduce road deaths by monitoring dangerous driving behaviour and road conditions, and providing instant feedback.
Team Hermes is now a small business called CleverMiles, with original team member James McNamara in the role of CTO. “The Imagine Cup is a great competition and provided us with the start we needed to turn our idea in a business concept,” said McNamara, speaking at today’s event. “We’ve spent the last two years developing and testing our concept. We believe there is a real need for a product like CleverMiles.”
The 2013 Irish team will be mentored by Microsoft Ireland in the lead-up to the Imagine Cup finals in July and, this year, prize money was almost doubled to US$300,000. Finalists like the IT Sligo students selected today will also have the opportunity to apply for Imagine Cup grants as part of a three-year US$3m investment by Microsoft to help make these innovative ideas become a reality.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield snaps a great photo of Mount Etna erupting
Astronaut Chris Hadfield, the planet’s most popular space shutterbug, snapped a spectacular photo of Italy’s Mount Etna volcano streaming ash toward the sea early this morning (Feb. 28) and a photo of Australia’s ‘Catastrophic’ bushfires
The volcano erupted yesterday (Feb. 27), the latest in a series of strong paroxysms, or short, violent bursts. For the first time, explosions and ash spewed into the air from Mount Etna’s Voragine crater, while webcams trained on the fiery summit showed activity at Bocca Nuova crater as well.
Mount Etna’s current eruption started with a stunning dawn lava fountain on Feb. 19, caught on video, followed in quick succession by three more paroxysms over the next two days. Then, on Feb. 23, towering lava fountains more than 2,600 feet tall (800 meters) shot out of Bocca Nuova crater overnight.
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