Mass regulators weigh relief plan for families with ties to Haiti

Family members of Haiti earthquake victims who are enrolled in state-subsidized health care plans would get a reprieve from premiums this year, under plans outlined by state health care regulators Thursday. The move, according to Connector Authority Executive Director Jon Kingsdale, is aimed at relieving financial pressure on Massachusetts residents sending money to their loved ones. The plan will be built into the Connector’s regulations and appears poised to move forward without a vote by the agency’s 11-member board. Of Commonwealth Care’s 150,000 enrollees, 79,000 pay premiums.

Ruth's Recipes: Especially in our grief, we must eat well for our health

Marie Ruth AugusteMarie Ruth AugusteThese last few weeks have been painful for so many of us. Sooner or later, however, the body demands nutrients to stay alive and well; mind, body and soul. For many of us (myself included) when we’re experiencing shocking, stressful, emotionally painful times loaded with anxiety, the appetite shuts down and the body says “no” to eating. From the lump that you feel in your throat to the seemingly yet vivid tightening knot in your stomach, food is the last thing on your mind and nothing will go down.

Moving beyond the remittance/transfer dependency

Karl SalomonKarl SalomonSince the 1980s, the level of remittance to Haiti has dramatically increased, and so has Haiti’s dependence on the Diaspora. According to the Inter-American Development Bank, Haitians abroad remitted $1.87 billion (US) to their relatives in Haiti in 2008. This amount is more than a 900 percent increase from the $106 million mark of 1980, based on The World Bank’s data. This astounding amount made up more than 26 percent of the country’s gross domestic product for that year and averaged out to about $5 million per day.

Boston University team relays news from their post-EQ visit

Seth Rolbein, a Boston University news editor, offers an interesting first hand account of his post-Jan. 12 visit to Haiti in the online BU Today. It is one in a series of articles by Rolbein, a member of a Boston University delegation which traveled to Haiti via the Dominican Republic following the earthquake. The feature includes a photo slideshow of the scenes the BU team witnessed.

Menino: Feb. 11 forum to focus on earthquake-related ‘scams’

The city of Boston has organized a community forum for Thursday to address what Mayor Tom Menino calls “potential scams and fraudulent activity” that are targeting Haitians in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake. The meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 4:30 p.m. at the Haitian Multi-Service Center on Columbia Road in Dorchester.

Tonight: Harvard for Haiti concert at Sanders Theatre

Harvard for Haiti concertHarvard for Haiti concertStudents at Harvard University have organized a Friday, Feb. 12 concert that will raise funds for Partners in Health. The event will be staged from 7-8:30 p.m. at Harvard's Sanders Theatre. Tickets: $10 student, $25 regular admission (buy here or at the Harvard Box Office in Holyoke Center; all proceeds go to Partners In Health (PIH).
If you can't make it: There will be a live webcast of the event, so you can still watch and donate here.
To end your evening: Mingle with performers and speakers after the event downstairs at Cambridge Queen's Head Pub at SAGHAH's* Gateway to Global Health!
Performers and speakers include: President Drew Faust, Dean Evelynn Hammonds, PIH Executive Director Ophelia Dahl, Mass. State Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Director Michael VanRooyen, award-winning internationally acclaimed violinist Ryu Goto, internationally acclaimed pianists Charlie Albright and Malcolm Campbell, Harvard Glee Club, the Pan-African Dance and Music Ensemble, the Caribbean Club Dance Team, Kuumba, and more.
Donations are accepted before, during, and after the concert.

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