Latest news with #MichaelAnderson
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
First-ever National Mississippi River Day frames the river as 'the great connector'
Michael Anderson views the Mississippi River as the country's great connector. It flows through 10 states — both red and blue — weaving its way through major population centers and small towns. Millions of Americans drink from it, and live, work and play on its banks. For that reason, Anderson believes it's high time the river had its day. This year, it will. For the first time, June 2 will be recognized as National Mississippi River Day, a move that Anderson and other advocates hope will bring sorely needed attention to one of the country's most significant waterways as it continues to struggle with pollution, disinvestment and the effects of climate change. The environmental advocacy group One Mississippi, for which Anderson directs outreach and education efforts, launched the day to kick off its annual campaign for the river, River Days of Action. More: 10 important facts about the Mississippi River More: The Mississippi River is central to America's story. Why doesn't it get more love? "In a time where it's almost more immediate to turn our backs on each other, now is the time to turn toward the river and turn toward each other," Anderson said. "This is about having a dedicated day for the people of the river, in these mainstem states and beyond, to turn toward each other. Several river cities and three states, including Wisconsin, have formally recognized the day. Gov. Tony Evers wrote in a proclamation that the river connects Wisconsin to the global economy and that protecting it is paramount as environmental threats continue to grow. In April, the national conservation group American Rivers named the Mississippi the most endangered river in the U.S. because of the Trump administration's plans to scale back spending on natural disasters, including flooding. There's significant room for improvement in federal flood relief programs, advocates said, but they argued federal participation is key to coordinating flooding response because the Mississippi touches so many states. The upper Mississippi River in particular is experiencing higher water flows and more severe, longer-lasting flooding due to climate change and land use changes. These high waters are killing floodplain forests and disrupting fish habitats. On the lower river, drought years have caused barges to run aground. And pollutants from Midwest farm fields and urban centers continues to choke aquatic life at the river's mouth off the coast of Louisiana. More: Mississippi River named most endangered in U.S. Why water quality is not the issue. More: Mississippi River runoff is not just a Gulf problem. It impacts health, recreation upstream. Layoffs and cuts to federal agencies that manage the river are also causing concern among environmental advocates. That's in part what propelled Steve Marking, a river historian and guest performer for American Cruise Lines on its Mississippi River cruises, to organize a June 14 event at Goose Island County Park near La Crosse as a part of One Mississippi's River Days of Action. More: Multiple researchers fired from La Crosse USGS science center, threatening work on invasive species and other Mississippi River issues "Celebrate the Mississippi," hosted by the Upper Mississippi River chapter of the Izaak Walton League, of which Marking is a founding member, will include a paddling trip through the river's backwaters, an outdoor photo contest, a floodplain forest tour and a demonstration of the league's Save Our Streams program, which teaches people how to do their own water quality monitoring. The demonstration is meant to help people realize their own power in taking care of natural resources, Marking said. "Being able to take charge of the data and find out whether your local stream, your local creek or even the mainstem of the Mississippi is healthy or not ... is something we can do," he said. On June 2, One Mississippi will host an online celebration at noon to hear residents' stories from along the river and discuss what's needed to protect it. Anderson said he thinks momentum for National Mississippi River Day will continue to build in years to come, similar to Earth Day. "There's just a really encouraging message of hope — of where we are ... and also of where we can go," he said. Madeline Heim covers health and the environment for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: First-ever National Mississippi River Day happening June 2
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- General
- NZ Herald
Popular Greerton restaurant catches fire
Fire and Emergency Services respond to a fire at Castle 91 Restaurant and Takeaway on Cameron Rd, Greerton. Photo/Supplied. 'Much-loved' Tauranga Indian restaurant Castle 91 caught fire this afternoon. Firefighters were called to the Greerton Village restaurant today at 3.09pm, Fire and Emergency NZ Northern shift manager Michael Anderson said. He said the Fire and Emergency received multiple calls about a fire in a building used as a
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
SoundHound AI and Allina Health Launch AI Agent to Redefine Patient Engagement
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 29, 2025-- SoundHound AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in voice artificial intelligence, today announced its partnership with Allina Health and deployment of 'Alli, ' an AI agent for patient engagement, powered by its Amelia conversational AI platform. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Allina Health's new AI agent, 'Alli,' streamlines patient access and frees customer experience representatives to focus on complex needs. Alli answers calls within Allina Health's Customer Experience Center and integrates directly with Allina Health's electronic medical record system, allowing it to instantly identify and authenticate callers. The AI agent allows patients to manage their appointments, and in the future patients will be able to refill medications, find doctors or locations, and receive answers to non-clinical questions – all without having to wait on hold. This eliminates the need for customer experience representatives to spend time on manual verification, accelerating access to care. Since launch, Alli has significantly improved operational performance for Allina Health. Average call time has improved by 5–10 seconds, and 80% of calls are now answered in 45 seconds or less, without increasing staffing levels. 'One of our key goals is to make sure that we're providing a market-leading patient experience,' said David Ingham, DO, Allina Health Chief Information Officer. 'Alli is an extension of our team, and we're excited to have her on board to streamline operations, reduce wait times, and deliver a faster, more seamless experience for our patients.' By offloading routine tasks to Alli, Allina Health's customer experience representatives are now able to focus on patients who have more complex or sensitive needs, providing the white-glove service and personalized support those situations require. Patients also benefit from increased self-service capabilities, gaining more control over their care journey through fast, convenient access to answers and actions. 'Long wait times and administrative complexity can be a huge source of stress for patients,' said Michael Anderson, Executive Vice President of Enterprise AI at SoundHound AI. 'We are proud to partner with Allina Health on this important digital transformation. The organization is taking a forward-thinking approach by integrating AI to support patients with immediate, personalized assistance.' SoundHound provides healthcare organizations with AI agents that leverage the latest in conversational and generative AI technology, ensuring reliability, security, and scalability. These AI agents are HIPAA-compliant and available across any voice- or chat-based channel to answer patient questions and automate self-service tasks through natural-language conversations. For more information on SoundHound's Amelia AI Agents for Healthcare, visit: For more information on SoundHound AI, visit: About SoundHound AI SoundHound AI (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in voice and conversational intelligence, delivers AI solutions that allow businesses to offer superior experiences to their customers. Built on proprietary technology, SoundHound's voice AI delivers best-in-class speed and accuracy in numerous languages to product creators and service providers across retail, financial services, healthcare, automotive, smart devices, and restaurants. The company's various groundbreaking AI-driven products include Smart Answering, Smart Ordering, Dynamic Drive-Thru, and the Amelia Platform, which powers AI Agents for enterprise. In addition, SoundHound Chat AI, a powerful voice assistant with integrated Generative AI, and Autonomics, a category-leading operations platform that automates IT processes, have allowed SoundHound to power millions of products and services, and processes billions of interactions each year for world class businesses. About Allina Health Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A nonprofit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 12 hospital campuses, 13 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services. Learn more at and join us on Facebook, X , Instagram and LinkedIn. View source version on CONTACT: Media Contact Fiona McEvoy 415-610-6590 [email protected] KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: DATA MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY HEALTH GENERAL HEALTH HEALTH TECHNOLOGY TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INTERNET VOIP TELEMEDICINE/VIRTUAL MEDICINE SOURCE: SoundHound AI, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 05/29/2025 08:55 AM/DISC: 05/29/2025 08:54 AM
Business Wire
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
SoundHound AI and Allina Health Launch AI Agent to Redefine Patient Engagement
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SoundHound AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in voice artificial intelligence, today announced its partnership with Allina Health and deployment of 'Alli, ' an AI agent for patient engagement, powered by its Amelia conversational AI platform. Average call time has improved by 5–10 seconds, and 80% of calls are now answered in 45 seconds or less, without increasing staffing levels. Share Alli answers calls within Allina Health's Customer Experience Center and integrates directly with Allina Health's electronic medical record system, allowing it to instantly identify and authenticate callers. The AI agent allows patients to manage their appointments, and in the future patients will be able to refill medications, find doctors or locations, and receive answers to non-clinical questions – all without having to wait on hold. This eliminates the need for customer experience representatives to spend time on manual verification, accelerating access to care. Since launch, Alli has significantly improved operational performance for Allina Health. Average call time has improved by 5–10 seconds, and 80% of calls are now answered in 45 seconds or less, without increasing staffing levels. 'One of our key goals is to make sure that we're providing a market-leading patient experience,' said David Ingham, DO, Allina Health Chief Information Officer. 'Alli is an extension of our team, and we're excited to have her on board to streamline operations, reduce wait times, and deliver a faster, more seamless experience for our patients.' By offloading routine tasks to Alli, Allina Health's customer experience representatives are now able to focus on patients who have more complex or sensitive needs, providing the white-glove service and personalized support those situations require. Patients also benefit from increased self-service capabilities, gaining more control over their care journey through fast, convenient access to answers and actions. 'Long wait times and administrative complexity can be a huge source of stress for patients,' said Michael Anderson, Executive Vice President of Enterprise AI at SoundHound AI. 'We are proud to partner with Allina Health on this important digital transformation. The organization is taking a forward-thinking approach by integrating AI to support patients with immediate, personalized assistance.' SoundHound provides healthcare organizations with AI agents that leverage the latest in conversational and generative AI technology, ensuring reliability, security, and scalability. These AI agents are HIPAA-compliant and available across any voice- or chat-based channel to answer patient questions and automate self-service tasks through natural-language conversations. For more information on SoundHound's Amelia AI Agents for Healthcare, visit: For more information on SoundHound AI, visit: About SoundHound AI SoundHound AI (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in voice and conversational intelligence, delivers AI solutions that allow businesses to offer superior experiences to their customers. Built on proprietary technology, SoundHound's voice AI delivers best-in-class speed and accuracy in numerous languages to product creators and service providers across retail, financial services, healthcare, automotive, smart devices, and restaurants. The company's various groundbreaking AI-driven products include Smart Answering, Smart Ordering, Dynamic Drive-Thru, and the Amelia Platform, which powers AI Agents for enterprise. In addition, SoundHound Chat AI, a powerful voice assistant with integrated Generative AI, and Autonomics, a category-leading operations platform that automates IT processes, have allowed SoundHound to power millions of products and services, and processes billions of interactions each year for world class businesses. About Allina Health Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A nonprofit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 12 hospital campuses, 13 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services. Learn more at and join us on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Philadelphia protesters urge Sen. McCormick to vote against Medicaid cutting legislation
A rally in Philadelphia Wednesday drew dozens of people to fight against proposed cuts to Medicaid. It's legislation that Republicans say will only go after wasteful spending and fraud. That legislation is now headed for the Senate. Wednesday's message was focused on the Republican senator from Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick, urging him to vote against legislation passed by the House that would cut an estimated $800 billion from Medicaid, which provides health care coverage for low-income Americans. The reductions would come from work requirements and other provisions. "Cutting hundreds of billions from Medicaid will rip health care away from those who can least afford it," said Dr. Walter Tsou from the Philadelphia County Medical Society. Michael Anderson, who has cerebral palsy, depends on Medicaid for disability services and medical care. He's worried about losing what he calls his lifeline. "It would be a disaster for me. I don't know what I would do without the services," Anderson said. President Trump insists Medicaid will largely stay intact. "The only thing we're cutting is waste, fraud and abuse," Mr. Trump said on May 20 ahead of a meeting with House Republicans on Capitol Hill. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, under the proposed legislation, about 7 million people would lose Medicaid coverage. "The so-called savings will be paid for on the back of the most vulnerable among us," said Donna Greco from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Alisha Gillespie is a breast cancer survivor who depends on Medicaid. "Its a major thing for me and my family," Gillespie said. McCormick has said Medicaid spending is "out of control" but that benefits should be preserved for the vulnerable. Dr. Walter Tsou, with the Philadelphia County Medical Society says Medicaid cuts would not only impact patients, but also the health care system overall, as it's the largest payer of hospitals in Philadelphia. It makes up 39% of local hospitals' budgets. We reached out to McCormick's office for reaction to the rally and have not heard back. A vote on the Medicaid legislation is expected this summer.
