The Geography of Social Security Disability

Daily Yonder, a news blog covering the 55 million folks who live in the rural United States, has a great post today on the geography of Social Security disability beneficiaries. The authors of the post, Bill Bishop and Roberto Gallardo, break all the information down by way of text, maps and charts.

Overall, a thorough and very interesting read about how rural areas are well above the US average when it comes to receiving Social Security disability benefits. To the left is a map that was featured in the Daily Yonder post which breaks down by county the percentage of residents who are receiving Social Security disability benefits. For a larger version, please view the Daily Yonder post.

This is the first time we have stumbled upon Daily Yonder, but after sifting through a few posts, it looks like a good daily read for those who live in the rural parts of North Carolina. Below is from Daily Yonder's about page:

Check us throughout the day for breaking news, commentary, reports from our rural correspondants, updates from the best rural bloggers, and eye-opening photography from across the rural U.S.

The Daily Yonder's special reports also bring you overviews of the big issues now facing small communities -- health, employment, broadband access, education, and economic development. We're tracking how national policies are reaching (or ignoring) rural communities. 

WebMD: The Most Expensive Medical Conditions

WebMD has an interesting slide show on its website which breaks down the top 11 most expensive medical conditions in America. The list is below, but go ahead an click on the link to see the full explanations. While heart conditions top the list, trauma injures come in second at $74.3 billion. The biggest percentage of trauma injuries come from auto accidents. The article also notes that this amount has decreased due to better road design, air bags, seat belt laws and anti drunk driving laws.

1. Heart Conditions $95.6 Billion
2. Trauma $74.3 Billion
3. Cancer $72.2 Billion
4. Mental Disorders $72.1 Billion
5. Joint Disorders $57 Billion
6. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma $53.7 Billion
7. Hypertension $47.7 Billion
8. Diabetes $45.9 Billion
9. Hyperlipidemia $38.6 Billion
10. Back Problems $35 Billion
11. Normal Childbirth $35 Billion         

Come Ride With Us For A Great Cause!

Tomorrow, we will be in Harnett County for a Poker Run which benefits Harnett County Deputy Jonathan Overby and Becky Strickland and we want you to come out and ride with us. All funds raised at this event go to help with medical expenses for both Deputy Overby and Mrs. Stickland.

In addition to the motorcycle ride, barbecue plates will be sold starting at 2:00pm for $7.00 per plate and Fluffy's Funnel Cakes will be sold for $4.00 at the Lillington, NC VFW.

Good food, good people and motorcycle riding all for a great cause, so come on out and join us. All the information is below:

What:
Benefit Poker Run for Deputy Jonathan Overby and Becky Strickland

When:
November 19th, 2011
Registration: 8:00am
Ride Starts: 10:00am

Where:
Harnett County Court House

Rider Donation Fee:
1 Rider: $20.00
2 Riders: $25.00
All other donations are greatly appreciated.

More Information:
Please call Ronald Lackey (910) 890-6845

Day Care and Non-Relative Child Care Safety

When both parents work and there isn't family members nearby to watch children on a daily basis, often times the next best option is placing the child in a day care program or with some one who is not related to the family. Stats as recent as 2010 show that nearly 15% of children between the ages of 5-8 years old whose mothers' were employed use a center-based care. Additionally, in the same age range, a little over 10% of children are in the care of non relatives. In the younger age range of 0-4 years of age, 24% of children were in center-based care and 14% were in the care of a non relative.

When a child is being cared for outside of the family and not in their home, it can be scary for the parents. Problems do exist in day cares and non relative caretakers' homes. Recently, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) conducted a study to identify safety hazards in 220 licensed childcare settings. The study found that two-thirds of the child care settings had at least one of the safety hazards targeted by the CPSC. Also, annually 31,000 children visit the emergency room for injuries sustained while in day care or in the care of a non-relative.

When placing a child in a day care or the care of a non-relative, there are steps to take to make sure the location and those caring for a child are safe. Below we have linked many documents and websites from around the web. If you're thinking about or have any concerns about your child's care when you are at work, please view them.

Daycare Safety Checklist PDF (injuryfree.org)
Safety Tips for Childcare Facilities (Livestrong.com)
Childcare S.A.F.E. Tips (National Program for Playground Safety)
Family Child Care and Child Care Center Checklist (NC Dept. of Human Services)
Choosing a Daycare Provider (iVillage)
What to look for in a daycare (Macon.com)


If you know of any resources or have any tips you do not see covered in the resources above, please feel free to share them in the comments sections.

* Photo courtsey of D.Hilgart via Flickr Creative Commons

Have Medicine in Your Home? Lock It Up For Child Safety

Each year thousands of children are rushed to the emergency room after swallowing medicine that is not intended for them. To very small children some pills can even look like candy. If you have prescription pills in your house, make sure to lock them up. Please view the video below produced by the FDA on more information about locking up your medicine. Also check out some of the links below the video for more tips on keeping your medicine safe from children.



More information:
Keeping Medicine Out of Reach By Room (Tylenol)
10 Ways to Keep Medicine Out of Reach of Children (Tylenol)
Lock It Up: Medicine Safety in Your Home (FDA)
Keep Medicine Away From Children (Vicks)
Keep Medicine Away From Kids (Sheknows.com)

Insurer Reconsiders, Pays 2.5 Million On Workers' Compensation Claim of Tornado Hero

On October 24th, we brought you the story of Mark Lindquist. To recap, Mr. Lindquist nearly gave his life in an effort to save three developmentally disabled adults during the deadly tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri earlier this year. When the dust settled, Mr. Lindquist was left with broken ribs and all his teeth knocked out. He was also in a coma for two months. After the tornado, 132 workers' compensation claims were filed. Only eight were denied. Mr. Linquist's claim was one of the eight.

One day after the media broke the story of Mr. Linquist's denial of his claim, the insurance company decided to reconsider its decision and paid $2.5 million on the claim. Below is the statement from the insurance company:

“Upon further review of the case, and receiving additional information on the facts involved in this situation, Accident Fund believes the appropriate decision is to honor Mr. Mark Lindquist’s claim for worker’s compensation benefits. We are committed to working with Mr. Lindquist to ensure he receives all the benefits to which he is entitled and helping him to recover from his injuries.”

More information:
Insurer reconsiders, pays $2.5M claim of Joplin tornado hero
'Miracle' tornado survivor denied workers' comp

* Photo courtesy of steakpinball via Flickr Creative Commons.