Latest news with #KarenClark
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Action demanded as North Shields dental surgery limits NHS care
Concern over a dental surgery's decision to stop taking on NHS patients has prompted calls for a solution to be found "urgently".Verne Road Dental Practice in North Shields blamed financial and staffing strains for its move to limit NHS access to children, vulnerable adults and those in acute North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it was working with the company, which had seen three dentists leave in the past two a letter to North Tyneside mayor Karen Clark, Conservative opposition leader Liam Bones said: "Given the urgency of the situation, I am calling on you to immediately convene the North Tyneside Dental Taskforce." Bones said the meeting "should bring together local dentists, NHS England representatives, public health officials, and councillors from all parties".The practice has informed patients it would use its "small NHS contract" to prioritise the selected group with everyone else invited to sign up for a private said it was facing challenges including "funding, increasing staff and material costs as well as recruitment difficulties" and was having to make "crucial decisions to ensure our practice survives". Reassuring dental patients Many patients had expressed their confusion and concerns online, the Local Democracy Reporting Service Labour MP Sir Alan Campbell urged the surgery to provide urgent treatments at commenting on his social media post said the changes were "devastating" and it was "impossible to find NHS dentist in the area".North Tyneside Council director of public health, Wendy Burke, said she was concerned about access to NHS dental services in the area and about the impact of the decision "now and in the future". ICB chief procurement and contracting officer David Gallagher said the practice was in a difficult situation but "they have not asked to end their contract and they remain an NHS service provider"."We are working with the provider with a view to fully understanding the issues, offering support where possible and to provide clarity and reassurance to patients," he said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Business Wire
06-08-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Karen Clark Named to Forbes 2025 '50 Over 50' List Recognizing Innovation and Global Impact
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Karen Clark & Company (KCC) is pleased to announce that Karen Clark, co-founder and CEO of KCC, has been named to Forbes ' prestigious 2025 '50 Over 50' list, which honors women who are redefining what it means to be a leader and innovator. The list, published annually by Forbes, celebrates trailblazers across sectors making significant impact into their 50s, 60s, and beyond. A leading global authority on catastrophe risk assessment and management, Ms. Clark founded the first catastrophe modeling company in 1987 (AIR, acquired by ISO/Verisk in 2002) and is widely credited with creating the catastrophe modeling industry. The probabilistic catastrophe modeling techniques and innovative technologies Ms. Clark pioneered decades ago revolutionized the way insurers, reinsurers, and other financial institutions assess and manage extreme event risk. 'It's a tremendous honor to be recognized among such an inspiring group of women,' said Ms. Clark. 'From the start, my goal has been to build credible models that are able to accurately quantify the evolving risk landscape, first for tropical cyclones and earthquakes and more recently for wildfires, winter storms, floods, and severe convective storms. This recognition underscores the importance of continuing to innovate in the face of climate change and escalating global threats.' In its profile of Ms. Clark, Forbes highlighted her groundbreaking work helping businesses and policymakers in more than 50 countries assess hurricane, earthquake, wildfire, and other catastrophe risks. In the U.S. alone, KCC models are used to map more than $100 trillion in total risk exposure, helping insurers and reinsurers more effectively evaluate probabilities of insured losses. Under Ms. Clark's leadership, KCC has advanced catastrophe modeling to a new level of accuracy and transparency. KCC developed the first open loss modeling platform, RiskInsight ®, as well as advanced tools for real-time event tracking and exposure management. All of KCC's atmospheric peril models are climate-conditioned to incorporate past and future impacts of global warming. Ms. Clark has received numerous accolades throughout her career. The honors include the Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services, Hall of Fame Innovation and Leadership Award in 2018, the International Insurance Society's John S. Bickley Founder's Award in 2019, and an award certificate for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize bestowed on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for her contributions to the work of the IPCC since its inception. Ms. Clark has been named the 14 th most influential person in the insurance industry over the past 30 years by Reactions magazine and the 6 th most influential Living Legend by National Underwriter. The full Forbes 50 Over 50 list is available here. Ms. Clark's inclusion in the Forbes 50 Over 50 list reflects not only her pioneering legacy but also KCC's continued role in delivering the industry's most scientifically advanced, transparent, and climate-informed models. From helping clients quantify trillions of dollars in U.S. risk exposure to enabling better decision-making in real time, KCC remains at the forefront of weather, climate, and catastrophe risk innovation. About Karen Clark & Company Karen Clark & Company (KCC) provides advanced models, innovative software, and comprehensive consulting services for deeper insight into climate, weather, and catastrophe risk. KCC professionals are globally recognized experts in catastrophe modeling and risk management who work with company executives to enhance business strategies, competitive advantage, and financial results. KCC models cover tropical cyclones, extratropical cyclones, severe convective storms, winter storms, wildfires, floods, and earthquakes in over 50 countries. For more information, please visit
San Francisco Chronicle
28-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
California's major home insurers are likely to raise rates soon. Here's why
California home insurance companies could begin requesting rate increases within weeks, after state regulators approved a key step that will undergird new rate filings. Insurance rates have soared in California in recent years, but insurers say they still don't reflect the cost of doing business in the expensive, wildfire-prone state. To prevent insurers from further pulling back coverage or leaving the state, the California Department of Insurance recently enacted a set of reforms, called the Sustainable Insurance Strategy, that will make it easier for insurers to justify rate increases — though the state plans to ensure that the carriers continue to cover, and even expand, in parts of the state considered at risk for wildfires. A key step in the reform process occurred last week, when the Department of Insurance said it would allow insurers to use a catastrophe model to evaluate future risks. Previously, insurers have only been allowed to use backwards-looking information as the basis for rate increase requests — and thus could not take global warming or other predicted future changes into account. Insurers and regulators have long said that a more accurate assessment of future risks is critical for them to remain viable in California. California is an outlier: Other states already allow carriers to forecast risks using catastrophe models. The newly approved model was created by the New Jersey company Verisk. Two other catastrophe models, made by Moody's and Karen Clark, are now under review, according to Deputy Insurance Commissioner Michael Soller. 'I'm expecting (that) within a matter of weeks we could have our first filing from a major carrier,' Soller said in an interview Thursday. Exactly how much rates are likely to rise in the immediate future is unknown, and will undoubtedly vary by insurer. Mercury, a Los Angeles-based insurer that is one of California's largest carriers, said it is currently preparing a rate change request for homeowners insurance using the Verisk model. 'The move is a direct result of the ongoing implementation of (Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara's) Sustainable Insurance Strategy, which the company believes will provide California homeowners with more insurance options and lead to a more resilient insurance marketplace,' the company said. The use of catastrophe models is one of several key changes made by Lara under his Sustainable Insurance Strategy. Another key change is allowing insurers to partially pass on the cost of reinsurance (insurance for insurance companies) to policyholders — something not previously allowed in California, though it is common in other states. As soon as they file for updated rates, insurance companies will be required to tell regulators if they plan to write new policies, and if so, how many new policies. Insurers will also be asked to describe how they'll be seeking new policies to write — for example, if they'll offer full coverage to customers whom they partially cover under a companion policy to California's FAIR plan. (The FAIR Plan is California's insurer of last resort and covers only damage from wildfires, whereas traditional insurers include other risks such as liability and plumbing problems.) There have been virtually no rate increase requests filed after the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January. In prior years, large rate increase requests tended to flow in after major fires, Soller said. But this time, insurers have been waiting for the catastrophe models to be approved. 'It's why we are doing this,' Soller said, noting that really large rate increases after wildfires are 'not a sustainable path for us.'
BBC News
27-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Former North Tyneside Mayor Dame Norma Redfearn granted Freedom of Borough
The former three-time mayor of North Tyneside has been granted the council's highest Norma Redfearn was nominated for the Freedom of the Borough in recognition of her "extraordinary leadership" and the "transformative change" brought to the area during her Karen Clark put forward the Labour veteran's nomination, which was unanimously agreed said: "Through her passion, dedication, and tireless efforts, Dame Norma Redfearn has left an indelible mark on North Tyneside." She said the former mayor "really did make North Tyneside a great place to live, work, and visit."The position of mayor is an elected role and is effectively the leader of the Norma announced her decision last year not to seek re-election, marking the beginning of the end of her 12 years in narrowly retained the mayoralty for Labour in May after beating Reform UK by a thin margin. Dame Norma's administration saw the regeneration of large parts of Whitley Bay including the re-opening of the long-disused Spanish City Dome. She also played a key role in regional devolution, which saw the creation of the North East Combined Authority and the North East elected to North Tyneside Council as a councillor for the Riverside ward in 2004, Dame Norma joined the cabinet and was responsible for the children and young people portfolio in was first elected as mayor in 2013, defeating the then Conservative incumbent Linda to her 20-year career in local politics, she spent 30 years as an educator, culminating as the head teacher of West Walker Primary the Conservative opposition supported the nomination, Tory councillor John Johnson lamented that the same honour was not bestowed to her late following clarification from the council's legal officer, it was determined the Freedom of the Borough could not be handed over posthumously, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Reform UK takes Killingworth seat from Labour
Reform UK has achieved its first electoral victory in North Tyneside, winning a vacant council seat in a Brian Smith was elected as a councillor for the ward of Killingworth in one of two by-elections held at North Tyneside Council's Cobalt HQ. Labour held on to the ward of Longbenton and Benton with their candidate Bryan Longbenton and Benton seat was made vacant following incumbent Labour North Tyneside Mayor Karen Clark's narrow victory in May against Reform, securing the role by 444 votes. Despite the win, Clark said Reform was not a "serious threat" politically in the area."Reform has gained a seat and obviously we would have preferred to hold that seat," Clark told the Local Democracy Reporting Service."It is always difficult when your party is in power. If Reform was a serious threat I would expect them to take both these seats." Smith said: "This is the beginning for Reform in North Tyneside. "Just on the door steps, talking to people, Reform have been very positively received and people are wanting change."He also said that his first priority as Killingworth's councillor was to get his "head around everything"."I'm not a political-type person," Smith added."I was working in a JD Gym as a cleaner before this. "It's about seeing how things operate - work out our priorities and who we can work with."The turnout for Killingworth was 30.3% compared to 24.7% for Longbenton and Benton. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
