Ruth Barge Thumbtzen of Newport and Donna M. Policastro of Providence have been selected to serve on the AARP Executive Council.  They succeed Ronald R. Turgeon of Newport and Gloria Williams of Providence who are tenuring off the Council board.

Ms. Thumbtzen retired from 30 years of teaching at Thompson Middle School in 2001 and has joined the staff of Salve Regina University as Community Service Liaison.  She is active in her city as a volunteer with the Newport Art Museum, Newport Public Schools, and Hammonds Scholarship Fund.

Mrs. Policastro is a Registered Nurse Practitioner and Executive Director of the R.I. State Nurses Association.  She serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Nurses Association and as Board Chair of the Central R.I. area Health Education Center.  She has a Gubernatorial appointment to the R.I.. Board of Nursing Education and Licensure.

"AARP is fortunate to have two more prominent and accomplished members of the community as Executive Council members" said State President, Anthony Regine.  "I look forward to working with them and the other members of the council."

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For Father’s Day

-  Mt. Hope High School in Bristol will be honored with a $ 10,000 Ethel Percy Andrus Award for Innovation announced today by AARP-RI state director, Kathleen Connell.    The award honors AARP founder and former high school principal, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, and AARP’s 50^th anniversary, which is being celebrated in 2008.  Ann Gardella, AARP Executive Council member and past president of the Rhode Island Retired Teachers’ Association chairs the anniversary event.

After careful review of the entries received from across the state, the submission by Donald Rebello, principal of Mt. Hope High School for its Proficiency-Based Diploma program was selected to receive this first-ever award from AARP.  “We were delighted to receive so many outstanding entries from public high schools across our state,” said Kathleen Connell, “and Mt. Hope’s implementation of the new Mt. Hope High School Proficiency-Based Diploma program is a clear example of innovation that makes us proud of our public schools.”

Three years ago, Mt. Hope High school embarked on a mission to reinvent itself.  Plagued by years of sub-par performance on state assessments and a general lack of rigor and high expectations, the school community set forth a plan to redefine the way they educate their students.  The primary objective of the school was to move from a system of graduation relying on seat time to one based on demonstration of proficiency and the application of learning for all students. The implementation of the new Mt. Hope High School Proficiency-Based Diploma has revitalized the school, revolutionized the way student achievement is looked at and given meaning to the diploma.  Last year, 88% of the students were deemed proficient.  In 2002, Mt. Hope was near the bottom of the state in English Language Arts test scores.  Currently, they rank 4^th in reading and writing in all of Rhode Island.   In October 2007, Mt. Hope - a school placed on accreditation probation by the N.E. Association of Schools and colleges in the late 1990’s - was identified as one of sixteen model schools in New England.

AARP received assistance from the Rhode Island Retired Teachers’ Association in promoting the availability of the award to high school principals across the state.  Principals were asked to provide a 500-word description of a successful program or practice that demonstrated successful innovation in student achievement or contributed to an improved environment for students, the school or the community served by the school.

A selection panel composed of key AARP volunteers and retired educators screened and judged the entries.  The Ethel Percy Andrus for Innovation Award and $ 10,000 check from AARP will be presented in April.

AARP-RI supported Senate bill S2382, as amended, Monitoring the Occurrence of Hospital Acquired  Infections, a bill relating to health care quality, which passed the Senate recently.  Infections in hospitals is a growing and serious problem and "transparency" is encouraged to allow consumers to have the information they need to get the safest medical care possible.  The bill would add hospital-acquired infections to the list of those matters requiring reporting by hospitals in Rhode Island e.g., fires or internal disasters, poisoning involving patients of the facility, kidnapping and inpatient psychiartic and minor escapes, etc.

The bill requires that any reportable incident in a hospital relating to hospital-acquired infrctions must be reported within 72 hours of when the complications relating to the hospital-acquired infection occurred.  AARP-RI presented testimony in favor of the bill during committee hearings.

Rules and regulations regarding the porcess of reporting by health care professionals will be promulated by the Department of Health.  Members are asked to call their legislators to urge their support.

When passed, the act will take effect on January 1, 2009.

The economic stimulus tax form 1040A must be submitted to the IRS prior to October 15, 2008, not April 15.  There is adequate time for all to file.

You MUST file a tax return in order to receive your rebate check.  AARP Tax-Aide volunteers are availabe at sites around the state. Call 1-888-227-7669 to find a site near you.  Or visit www.aarp.org/taxaide

If you have income of $3,000 or more, you are entitled to the rebate. Your Social Security is considered income.

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