Latest news with #Cronin
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Closure of Augusta pediatric clinic creates long waitlists for children with developmental needs
May 27—Sara Wing said her 11-year-old daughter needs to see a specialist who can make a diagnosis because she suspects her daughter has a developmental disability. Such a diagnosis would unlock Medicaid services and likely result in her daughter getting extra help at school. But Wing said when the Edmund Ervin Pediatric Center at MaineGeneral Health in Augusta closed on May 16 — a move that blindsided her — it left her with no access to someone who can make that diagnosis. Primary care doctors often don't have the necessary specialized expertise and rely instead on places like the Ervin Center. "It's devastating. I don't know what we are going to do," said Wing, who lives in Waterville. Everywhere she turns to try to seek a diagnosis for 11-year-old Kenzie, Wing finds yearslong waiting lists. Wing said Kenzie has anxiety and social issues and needs extra help. Wing said she believes her children — Kenzie and 8-year-old Amy — missed out on learning crucial social skills during the pandemic, with school shut down or on a curtailed schedule. "There's a whole group of kids behind on their social skills, who have mental health issues, and now one of the only places where you can get a diagnosis closed," Wing said MaineGeneral announced on May 5 that it was closing the Ervin Center because of low reimbursement rates from MaineCare, the state's name for Medicaid. Also, insurance denials and other increased costs made some of the center's programs financially unsustainable, hospital officials said. While most of the Ervin Center's services were folded into other parts of MaineGeneral Health, certain psychological services were closed, including diagnostics and a Pediatric Rapid Evaluation Program serving foster children. Hospital officials said they were losing $1 million per year on the programs. Nancy Cronin, executive director of the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, is leading an effort to allocate $2.5 million in Medicaid funding over the next two years to stand up a program or persuade MaineGeneral to agree to a fully-funded bridge program. Cronin said in the long term, she envisions a mobile unit that would travel all over the state to get children properly diagnosed. The solutions are in the early discussion phase, and could include legislation or a reallocation of current resources by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Officials at DHHS did not respond to questions for this story last week. Cronin said the loss of the Ervin Center is creating a gap of about 650 such diagnoses per year, and will result in a proliferation of yearslong waitlists. Cronin said there's no precise accounting of the demand, but thousands of children need to be diagnosed every year, and currently, waitlists are expanding. "Without a diagnosis, these kids can't qualify for Medicaid services," Cronin said. Many students who would qualify for special education or other school services will not be able to gain eligibility for those programs. And Cronin said an official diagnosis is needed for mental health and developmental services that extend past the school day. Gay Ann McDonald, executive director of the Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities, said that evaluations used for a school-based Individualized Education Program are not medical diagnoses. McDonald said in a written statement that "educational evaluations ordered by the IEP team are not intended to serve as a diagnostic medical tool." Medical evaluations outside of the school setting "are funded through separate mechanisms and often assess much broader areas of need, such as in-home support, community-based therapy or medical services and are beyond the educational needs of a child." Carrie Woodcock, executive director of the Maine Parent Federation advocacy group, said that with the added bottlenecks created by the Ervin Center closing, some services will be "completely inaccessible." "This is going to leave families with no place to go," Woodcock said. Cronin has built a coalition of 15 nonprofits advocating to reopen some services. Joy McKenna, spokeswoman for MaineGeneral, said that hospital officials appreciate efforts to revive the program. "However, we are wary of a temporary fix that will not solve the program's critical structural issues," McKenna said. "These services need adequate, sustainable funding to meet the needs of children and families." Wing, the Waterville mother, said it took a lot of effort and "jumping through a lot of hoops" to get Medicaid developmental services for her younger daughter. As a result, Amy can use noise-canceling headphones and get extra help at school, and she has also learned how to cope with anxiety and other social skills. While Amy is getting the help she needs now, Wing said she's worried her daughter's future needs may not be addressed with the cutbacks. "A lot of people don't realize that Edmund Ervin was the only place to get some of these services," Wing said. "It teaches them coping skills and how to be in life, and that's what my kids need, and what many kids need." Copy the Story Link
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Amazon says EU has singled out US companies in a discriminatory manner
The European Union spent the past five to seven years focusing on regulating US companies specifically, which was done in a discriminatory manner, said Lucy Cronin, the vice president of EU public policy at Amazon. Speaking at the 2025 Global Economic Summit at the Europe Hotel in Killarney on Monday, Ms Cronin told attendees that individual US tech companies were largely singled out when it came to the regulatory environment in the European Union. Noting the EU's Digital Markets Act, which was implemented in 2022 to ensure a fairer and more contestable digital economy, Ms Cronin said only seven companies, none of which were European, had to comply with the act. 'As far as Amazon is concerned, I think it is important to note that we have those 150,000 employees in Europe. We are competing directly with retailers in each member state. But we, as a company, are held to a much higher compliance bar than those with whom we are competing. 'That means we spend 20%-30% of our tech spend on complying with EU regulation. What could we be doing with that money? We could be investing it, we could be innovating, we could be creating jobs with it,' Ms Cronin said as part of a panel discussion with David Swan, chief operations and sustainability officer and SMBC Aviation Capital, Daniel McConnell, editor of the Business Post and MC, Ivan Yates. It is regrettable, this very protectionist approach that the EU has taken to tech regulation in the last five years. Ms Cronin also took aim at the EU's Digital Services Act, which was similarly adopted in 2022 and aims to address illegal content, transparent advertising and disinformation. Digital services taxes are applied on revenue, with Ms Cronin telling the conference: 'If you are anybody that knows anything about the retail sector, you will know it's a very, very small margin business. 'Applying a digital services tax to a retail business is very problematic.' Amazon's International revenue grew 9% annually last year to $143bn, with the company's web service business increasing by 19% to $108bn. The company's total global revenue rose my 11% to a total of $638bn in 2024. Ten years ago, Amazon's total revenue was just $89bn. In 2021, Luxembourg's data protection authority (CNPD) fined Amazon a record €746m for not complying with the EU's privacy rules. Draghi report The conference also featured talks and debates on the EU's response to the landmark Draghi report, which was published in September last year. It warned that Europe had largely missed out on the most recent era of technological innovation, with a widening productivity gap growing between the EU and the US. Since its release, the watershed analysis has become a cornerstone of the EU's policy agenda, with promises of cutting red tape, endorsing AI, and simplifying laws all part of the bloc's wider strategy to boost competitiveness and close the innovation gap. However, the EU's approach has been met with mixed reactions by politicians and academics. Many legal scholars have argued that the process of simplification could allow companies to avoid implementing concrete plans to reduce emissions, undermining the bloc's 2050 net-zero target. Asked by moderator Ivan Yates if the EU has abandoned its sustainability commitments, calling the EU's Green Deal 'politically dead', Mr Swan said: 'Climate change is real.' 'From an aviation perspective, we all need to take it very seriously and act.' Ms Cronin added: 'About 150 measures have already been adopted under the Green Deal. If you are a company operating in the European Union, you are already complying with a vast swathe of legislation that seeks to deliver a greener EU. 'The Green Deal may not be the political focus of the next five years, but what is important is that the measures already adopted serve as a mechanism to deliver those objectives set five years ago.' On a national level, Mr McConnell said the current government shows a 'complete lack of interest' in the green agenda compared to just 12 months ago. 'It's like night and day,' Mr McConnell told attendees. 'They are ignoring the Greens. Now, the critics within the government say the Greens were just blockers to big projects from an ideological perspective,' noting the Dublin Airport passenger cap as an example. 'There have been blockages within the system, both on a political level and within the civil service, which the Taoiseach said is one of his main priorities to undo and unlock.'
RTÉ News
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
Mondello set for Irish Rallycross Championship finale
The 2025 IRX Championship comes to a conclusion at Mondello Park this weekend with Rounds 7 and 8, which are also two counting rounds of the British series. Some of the top home competitors will include the former British and multiple Irish champion Derek Tohill in his Ford Fiesta and Naas driver Michael Leonard who is also aboard a Fiesta Supercar. The man to beat though will be England's Patrick O'Donovan, the reigning British champion in his Proton Iriz and also the current leader in the 2025 Five Nations series. Julian Godfrey and Tristan Ovenden (both Citroen DS3) will also be in the shake up, but there is no doubt that O'Donovan is the driver to beat. He was on those shores recently, taking part in an Irish Rallycross round to sharpen up for this weekend's action at Mondello. The County Kildare track will not only witness the supercars roar around the circuit on a mix of tarmac and gravel, but there will also be a number of other classes competing. In the modified section, the Coyne brothers, Willie and Michael, will hope to make local knowledge count in their respective Opel Corsa and Vauxhall Nova. The ultra-quick buggies will also be one of the other class attractions on view over the weekend Mondello will also feature for a second time in the 5 Nations BRX schedule, once again aligning with the Irish Rallycross Championship on 4-5 October, with Supercar, Junior, Swift Sport and the Retro Rallycross Championship making the journey across the Irish sea. Meanwhile, the 2025 Probite British Rally Championship (BRC) moves to Scotland for round three of the season this weekend for the Jim Clark Rally at the halfway point of the season. The BRC can be considered to be a bit of a hidden sport at times as most of their events take place in British forests, unlike Ireland as both the tarmac and national series here take place on open roads. Can't make it down to watch? We'll be live throughout the weekend for you to follow along no matter where you are. — Borders Competitions Jim Clark Rally (@jim_clark_rally) May 23, 2025 The Jim Clark, named after the legendary Scottish F1 driver, is one of the few events in the UK that also uses closed public roads for its two day event. Just three Irish drivers, Billy Coleman, Keith Cronin and Daniel McKenna have ever won the BRC with Cronin the most successful having won it four times, most recently in 2017. Sadly Cronin, who is still in his "drive for five" won't be competing after sustaining damage in a heavy crash at the Killarney Rally of the Lakes. The current points leader is Ireland's William Creighton, the former world junior rally champion, but he too will miss the Jim Clark due to family commitments. It leaves M-Sport driver Romet Jürgenson well placed to capitalise on Creighton's absence having won the Carlisle Stages in the Kielder forest in his Ford Fiesta Rally2. Jonny Greer and co driver Niall Burns [Toyota Yaris GR Rally2] are also set to make their first BRC appearance of the season and are the leading Irish crew at the Jim Clark. With no Creighton or Cronin in sight, a new winner may also emerge from the shadows. There are three BRC rounds remaining after this weekend and some 100-stage miles lie ahead for the competitors including a leg after dark on Friday night. Demanding stages, narrow margins for error, and the possibility of changeable Scottish weather, promise a rollercoaster weekend that could reshape the 2025 title hunt yet again. Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy co-drivers Darragh Mullen and Killian McArdle will compete in both Scotland's Jim Clark Rally and Ireland's Cavan Stages Rally this weekend. The Jim Clark Rally starts with six stages on Friday evening. A further eight tests on Saturday bring the competitive distance to 162 kilometres for the third round of this year's British Rally Championship. Mullen and McArdle will then travel across the Irish Sea overnight to make the start of the Cavan Stages Rally, round three of the National Rally Championship. The duo will be in direct competition on the Jim Clark Rally, as they go for glory in Junior BRC - Mullen co-driving for MI Rally Academy driver Kyle McBride and McArdle navigating Joseph Kelly through the Scottish Borders' iconic asphalt stages. Mullen steps up into four-wheel-drive machinery on Sunday, sitting alongside Brendan Cumiskey in the Volkswagen Polo R5 while McArdle returns to action with Ford Escort Mk2 ace Michael Cahill. Meanwhile Cork's Spike Island will play host to an unusual event when Red Bull Drift Pursuit takes over the former military base on Saturday, 5 July. With storied prison walls as their backdrop, 16 of the country's top drifters will face off in a fierce 1v1 knockout format, which will include Ireland's top WRC rally driver Josh McErlane in a Ford Puma. Drivers are judged on two key criteria: course time and clipping points, with penalties for any infringements. Conor Shanahan (above), Ireland's top drifter and also a rally driver and his brother Jack, are competing alongside McErlane's M-Sport World Rally Ford Puma with the drifting precision of Conor's Toyota GT86. "it is incredible to see a drift event like this take place at such an iconic location like Spike Island," said Conor Shanahan "Some of the best drifters in Ireland will be competing, and I know Jack and I are looking forward to putting on a show." There are four other Cork drivers among those set to compete at the Red Bull Drift Pursuit, with Aidan Dennehy, Owen Magner, Trevor Healy and Alan Hynes, the 2024 Red Bull Drift Pursuit champion all in action on the day.
Agriland
16-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Dairygold marks ‘milestone' in nutrient balance consultations in 2025
As of May 15, 2025, 1,500 Dairygold milk suppliers (70% of the milk suppliers) have completed a one-to-one nutrient balance consultation with Teagasc as part of the company's Grassroots Sustainability Programme since December 2024. This according to the co-op marks another 'milestone' for the programme and highlights the interest and enthusiasm that farmers have in improving their nutrient efficiency and environmental sustainability on farm. These individual consultations provide farmers with their current nitrogen and phosphorus balance figures and offer a tailored plan to enhance both economic and environmental sustainability on each individual farm. The figures are delivered via AgNav, a platform developed by Teagasc, Bord Bia, and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) that identifies the nutrient sources contributing to an individual farm's nutrient balance. Speaking about this milestone, Dairygold head of member services and engagement, Billy Cronin said: 'We're delighted to hit another milestone in our successful Grassroots Sustainability Programme.' 'The feedback from our milk suppliers has been very positive, and the strong uptake amongst our milk supplier base is evidence of the strong passion amongst our farmers for long-lasting, sustainable change in how we farm.' Cronin added: 'These consultations and the resulting action plans will help to deliver improvements in water quality and also increase profitability on farm.' Nutrient balance consultation During the consultations, the water quality status in nearby rivers or streams is also discussed, using data from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maps to highlight areas of the farm that are susceptible to nitrogen leaching or phosphorus run-off. The consultation provides an action plan for the participating farmer, outlining steps to mitigate nutrient loss, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance biodiversity on their farm. The consultations, which began in late December, are organised by Dairygold and delivered by Teagasc's sustainability advisors. According to the development manager of the Teagasc Advisory Programme, Dr. George Ramsbottom: 'This partnership with Dairygold shows what can be achieved when Teagasc and industry work together. 'We see initiatives such as this as a blueprint for other processors to follow on the journey to greater sustainability for Irish agriculture.'
The 42
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Ex-Munster prop James Cronin named as new head coach for home side Highfield
FORMER MUNSTER PROP James Cronin has been announced as the new head coach of his home club Highfield in Cork. Cronin, who is currently a member of the Leicester Tigers squad, is set to take over for the 2025-2026 season. He played junior rugby with Ballincollig RFC and Highfield RFC. In his second year with Munster, he represented Munster 'A' and made his senior debut for the province. Cronin was selected as part of the Irish senior squad to tour Argentina and made his Test debut in the win over Los Pumas in June 2014. He joined Leicester in 2022 from French club Biarritz Olympique. Advertisement A statement from Highfield RFC reads: 'Highfield Announce Head Coach for 2025-26 Season – James Cronin. 'Highfield Rugby Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of James Cronin as the new Head Coach of our Senior Men's squad for the upcoming season 2025-26. 'James is currently a member of the Leicester Tigers squad and returns to Highfield where he has played in the AIL and also won an All Ireland U18 medal.'
