Latest news with #BuildingResilience
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Owners of Las Vegas health company ordered to pay $1M for Medicaid fraud
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Camille Funches, Rodshiekka Chester and their company, Building Resilience, were found guilty of fraudulently billing Medicaid for services that were not performed. The investigation of the company began after the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit received a referral for services not being provided by Building Resilience. According to the Nevada Attorney General's office, the investigation showed that Funches and Chester oversaw the billing services and knew the services weren't provided to Medicaid recipients, yet billed for them. Interviews with Medicaid recipients also confirmed that they either didn't receive the service, or the number of services that were billed was incorrect. Funches and Chester were placed on probation for two years and have a suspended sentence of 19 to 48 months. They were also ordered to pay restitution of $1 million to Medicaid. Suspected Medicaid fraud can be reported to the MFUC at (702) 486-3420 or (775) 684-1100. A complaint can also be submitted to the Nevada Attorney General's office at this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
When every minute counts: Building resilience before the next disaster
A highway in Southern Oregon during the Almeda fire in September 2020. (Oregon Department of Transportation/Flickr) Emilio will never forget evacuating with his family during the Almeda fire in 2020. A sheriff knocked on the front door and told them they had five minutes to leave. It was not enough time to even gather your thoughts, let alone your belongings. But some people had no time at all. The sheriffs knocked and yelled, 'Time to go. NOW.' Some people saw the flames approaching and simply fled. The roaring Almeda fire had record-breaking winds, some of the strongest winds we've seen yet. Just a few weeks ago, we experienced record-breaking flooding. As extreme weather becomes more common, we all have even more haunting memories of these life-changing moments. As community organizers who have personally experienced the devastation of the Almeda fire, we are working hard now to prepare our community for the next climate disaster. Every minute counts. During the Almeda Fire, Spanish-speaking families showed up at the Expo in Jackson County along with all the other evacuees. But there was no one on hand who spoke Spanish, so we sent a bilingual staff person to help. Stronger communication systems can give people more time to prepare and recover, save lives, and smooth the path to recovery. This is what community resilience looks like in 2025. Our work is far-ranging and hands-on. We table at community events, knock on doors and hold workshops in Spanish and English. Our team has passed out emergency packets with bandages, blankets, water packs, and ice packs. When possible, we give out air filters and purifiers. We connect people and nurture the relationships that will help protect us in the next emergency. In 2023, Unite Oregon helped advocate for the statewide Community Resilience Hubs and Networks grant program to make sure our communities have the supplies and services needed to withstand disaster. This vital grant program invested $10 million in community-led efforts to prepare us for the next disaster. Part of the first round of funds came to the Rogue Valley chapter of Unite Oregon to strengthen communication between community groups and public agencies before, during, and after an emergency. With this state funding, we can help make sure everyone in our community can access help during the next disaster, no matter what language they speak. But that first grant cycle was only able to fund less than 15% of applications. Extreme weather is real, it's happening now, and we want everyone to be ready. As climate resilience becomes more important, we are glad to be one of 50 groups supporting the Building Resilience agenda, along with climate justice and public health organizations, business and labor, faith and frontline communities, environmental, family and youth organizations and thousands of individual Oregonians. The community resilience hubs coalition in tandem with the Building Resilience coalition is requesting $10 million to fund a second round of the Resilience Hubs and Networks Grant program. This investment in communities will provide the resources and connections needed to make it easier for Oregonians like us to withstand disaster. Community resilience hubs and networks can help immediately, but fortifying our neighborhoods and communities against disaster takes time. Bills before the Legislature could do just that by improving a one-stop resource for finding and combining incentives for efficiency upgrades, banning utility companies from charging junk rates and funding statewide heat pump incentive programs. These bills and investments aim to help Oregonians upgrade homes and buildings to achieve better health, lower costs, less pollution, and higher resilience. Together, these efforts work hand in hand to create a more resilient Oregon and more resilient communities. Our efforts are even more important as the federal government backtracks on promised funds to Oregon communities, leaving $85 million worth of community preparedness projects in limbo. Minute by minute, we are creating a safer, more prepared Rogue Valley, so that when the next disaster strikes, we all have more support and more time to get to safety. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Jordan Times
17-04-2025
- Science
- Jordan Times
FAO, Mu'tah University launch women-led climate adaptation initiative
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in Jordan, in cooperation with Mu'tah University, on Wednesday celebrates the graduation of a group of 'Climate Wise Women Agents' (CWWAs) (Photo courtesy of FAO) AMMAN — The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in Jordan, in cooperation with Mu'tah University, on Wednesday celebrated the graduation of a group of 'Climate Wise Women Agents' (CWWAs), who completed a six-month training programme on climate change adaptation. The training is part of an agreement between FAO and Mu'tah University under the $33.25 million project, 'Building Resilience to Cope with Climate Change in Jordan through Improving Water Use Efficiency in the Agriculture Sector' (BRCCJ). The project is funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by FAO in cooperation with the ministries of Water and Irrigation, Agriculture, Environment, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), according to a FAO statement. The eight graduates, female agricultural engineers, are now certified trainers who will go on to empower 400 women across the governorates of Karak, Madaba, Tafileh, and Ma'an, enabling them to better adapt to the impacts of climate change, support their families, and promote sustainable development in their communities. Speaking at the ceremony, FAO Representative in Jordan Nabil Assaf said: 'FAO is investing in women as drivers of change. One of our most important initiatives is the BRCCJ project, which includes establishing a cadre of 400 Climate Wise Women to promote climate resilience in vulnerable areas.' He added that the eight newly certified agents are a major output of the FAO-Mu'tah agreement, which included developing a training manual and providing technical training to prepare the graduates for their role in scaling climate-smart practices. Representing the university, Vice President for Scientific Colleges Affairs Ameen Aqel affirmed the university's commitment to community development. 'The trained women will act as a core group to raise awareness and train 400 women,100 in each of the four targeted governorates, on climate adaptation strategies, particularly in agriculture and water resource management,' he said. He also said, "The challenges posed by climate change require a strong national response, including the adoption of sustainable environmental policies, improving water resource management, and raising public awareness about the importance of climate adaptation." He pointed out that climate change has significant negative effects on the Kingdom due to its geographical location and the environmental conditions it faces, particularly water scarcity. Director of the Prince Faisal Centre for Dead Sea, Energy, and Environmental Research Amjad Tarawneh also attended the ceremony. The BRCCJ Project, with a fund at $33.25 million, targets four governorates in the Dead Sea Basin—Karak, Madaba, Tafileh, and Ma'an, which are particularly vulnerable to climate change and water scarcity resulting from shifting climate conditions. The residents of these areas mainly rely on rain-fed agriculture, face high poverty rates, and lack adequate knowledge and resources to cope with climate change, the statement said. Women, as key agents of change in climate adaptation, are playing a central role in this project, aiming to improve women's accessibility to resources and information which will enable them to become more adaptive to climate change and safeguard their livelihoods.
