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Time of India
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
SP cadres promise 2027 poll win as birthday gift for Akhilesh
Lucknow: Recital of Sunder Kand, blood donation camp at cancer hospital, bhandara, 52kg Laddu, heaps of bouquets and garlands from enthusiastic party functionaries and workers marked the birthday celebrations of Akhilesh Yadav at party headquarters on Tuesday. Thousands of senior functionaries and cadres who assembled at the party HQ to wish the party chief on his 52nd birthday, promised to ensure the party's victory in 2027 elections as his birthday gift. Akhilesh thanked party workers for their wishes and reiterated his appeal to donate generously for the construction of the upcoming memorial in Saifai for Mulayam Singh Yadav . Recalling the contributions of Mulayam Singh Yadav in adding momentum to the socialist movement in India, Akhilesh urged the cadres to make best efforts to make sure that the socialist movement does not lose pace. Senior SP functionaries, including a host of sitting and former MP/MLAs, voiced the resolve of cadres to ensure SP's victory in 2027 polls, describing it as the "birthday gift" from the party's foot soldiers. Senior SP functionaries such as party vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda, leader of opposition in UP Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey, Rajendra Chaudhary and Ram Gobind Chaudhary, shared the stage with Akhilesh as he cut the 52-kg laddu that was brought by former MLA Santosh Pandey. While Rajendra Chaudhary and state SP president Shayam Lal Pal inaugurated a bhandara and distributed laddus, Sunder Kand and special puja were performed at several places across the state to mark SP chief's birthday. In Lucknow, Vasudev foundation organized a blood donation camp at cancer hospital where state president Shyam Lal Pal was the chief guest. At the party office, senior functionary Aparna Jain distributed sweets and gave away free mopeds and 12 bicycles to women winners selected through lucky draw. Transgender Payal Singh also reached the SP headquarters to wish Akhilesh on his birthday. Anshuman Singh of Bansgaon presented a silver idol of "Thakur Ji". Senior SP functionary Rajpal Kashchyap presented a Parijat plant to the SP chief. While members of the Sikh community presented Saropa and Sword, several Shia and Sunni clerics offered their blessings and wishes. Maniram Das of Hanumangarhi in Ayodhya also blessed the SP chief. While medical equipment and aides were distributed to patients at Balrampur hospital, trees were planted at Christian College grounds. Similar events were held across the state. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
CNBC
17-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Pain management startup Sword Health expands into mental health, raises $40 million
Sword Health, a startup focused on helping people deal with pain through digital services, is expanding into mental health and has raised additional capital to fuel its growth. The 10-year-old company is introducing Mind, which uses a combination of artificial intelligence, hardware and human mental health professionals to treat patients with mild depression and anxiety. Sword said Mind will help users access care whenever they need it, rather than during sporadic, hourlong appointments. "It's really a breakthrough in terms of how we address mental health, and this is only possible because we have AI," Sword CEO Virgílio Bento told CNBC in an interview. Also on Tuesday, Sword announced a $40 million funding round, led by General Catalyst, in a deal that values the company at $4 billion. The fresh cash will support Sword's efforts to grow through acquisitions, as well as its global expansion and AI model development, the company said. The round included participation from Khosla Ventures, Comcast Ventures and other firms. Sword had raised a total of more than $450 million as of September, according to PitchBook. The financing lands as the digital health market shows signs of recovery following a difficult post-Covid stretch, when rising inflation, higher interest rates and a return to in-person activities led to a dramatic retreat in the industry. Earlier this month, Omada Health, which offers virtual care programs to supports patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, held its Nasdaq debut, though the stock is trading below its initial public offering price. Weeks before that, digital physical therapy provider Hinge Health hit the New York Stock Exchange. The shares are trading a few dollars above their offer price. Sword, which was founded in Portugal and is now based in New York, offers tools for digital physical therapy, pelvic health and movement health to help patients manage pain from home and avoid other treatments such as opioids and surgery. Patients can sign up for Sword if it's supported by their employer or their health plan. Mind users will receive a wrist wearable called the "M-band" that can measure environmental and physiological signals such as heart rate, sleep and the lighting in a user's environment. Mind also includes access to an AI Care agent and human mental health professionals, who can deliver services such as traditional talk therapy. Bento said a human is always involved with a patient's care, and that AI is not making clinical decisions. For example, if a patient has an anxiety attack, Sword's AI will recognize that and could ask a clinician to approve some physical activity for later that day to help with recovery. The clinician would either approve the physical activity that the AI suggested, or override it and propose something else. "You have an anxiety issue today, and the way you're going to manage is to talk about it one week from now? That just doesn't work," Bento said. "Mental health should be always on, where you have a problem now, and you can have immediate help in the moment." Bento said Sword has some clients that have been on a waiting list for Mind, and the startup has been testing the offering with some of its design partners. He said early users have approved of Mind's personalized approach and convenience. "We believe that it is really the future of how mental health is going to be delivered in the future, by us and by other companies," Bento said. "AI plays a very important role, but the use of AI — and I think this is very important — needs to be used in a very smart way."
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ann Gallo Joins Sword Health Board of Directors, Strengthening Strategic Leadership in Healthcare Innovation
Seasoned healthcare investor and advisor brings decades of expertise to support Sword Health's mission to transform care delivery with AI Ann Gallo New York, April 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New York, NY — April 10, 2025 – Sword Health, the AI health company transforming care delivery, today announced the appointment of Ann Gallo to its Board of Directors. Gallo brings nearly 30 years of experience as a healthcare investor and advisor, with deep expertise in healthcare services, medical technology, public and private equity investments. Most recently, Gallo was part of Wellington Management Company, LLP, where she served as senior managing director, partner, and investment team leader of Wellington's $60 billion healthcare franchise. At Wellington, Gallo managed multiple long-only and long-short diversified healthcare portfolios and played a key role in the firm's dedicated late-stage private equity investments in healthcare services and medical technology companies. She also held leadership roles on several fiduciary committees, overseeing operations, governance, hedge fund review, and private equity investments. 'Ann's deep expertise in healthcare and her strategic insight into the evolving healthcare landscape make her an invaluable addition to our Board,' said Virgilio 'V' Bento, CEO of Sword Health. 'As we push the boundaries of AI Care, her leadership will help us move faster and go further in making high-quality care more accessible.' Before joining Wellington, Gallo built a strong foundation in financial and healthcare investment strategy through roles at Alex. Brown & Sons, Piper Sandler, Citibank N.A., and Coopers & Lybrand. She holds a master's degree in finance and applied economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor's degree in accounting from Boston College. Gallo's appointment comes at a pivotal time for Sword Health as the company expands its impact. Sword Health is pioneering the integration of AI and clinical expertise to transform healthcare. By combining proprietary artificial intelligence with the guidance of human clinical specialists, Sword delivers world-class care that drives industry-leading clinical outcomes and healthcare cost savings. The company empowers employers, health plans, and individuals to reduce pain, prevent unnecessary surgeries and enhance overall quality of life. 'I am excited to join Sword Health's Board and contribute to a company that is transforming care through technology and innovation,' said Gallo. 'The combination of AI Care and a patient-first approach is setting a new standard for healthcare delivery, and I look forward to supporting Sword in its next phase of growth.' For more information about Sword Health, visit About Sword Health As a global leader in AI Care, Sword Health makes world-class care available anytime, anywhere, by combining human clinicians and AI. Starting with physical pain, then pelvic health, and now a full platform of solutions, Sword is available through more than 25,000 employers, health plans, and public sector organizations, saving those clients an average of $3 in healthcare costs for every $1 invested in Sword. To date, the company has saved its clients more than $650 million in unnecessary healthcare costs. With a mission to free two billion people from pain, the company has raised more than $300 million from leading venture firms, including Khosla Ventures and General Catalyst. It was most recently valued at $3 billion and won Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Award in the health services category. Learn more at Attachment Ann Gallo CONTACT: Mariana Ascenção Sword Health mariana@
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
BBB warns of ‘storm chaser' contractors following flooding, hail
As people work to clean up flood, wind, and hail damage, others are going after peoples' trust and money. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7 first spoke to Audra Greene on Monday about the storms that moved through the Miami Valley over the weekend. Now, she says there are already contractors stopping by, uninvited, looking for work. Greene's Jamestown home sustained damage from the weekend's storms. Her siding had some holes from the hail that hit Friday night. 'Ours was about the size of an ice cube, but they were all over the front porch in clusters,' Greene said. TRENDING STORIES: 2-year-old girl dies after being bitten by ants; her family is suing medical center that treated her Man dies after car plunges 12 feet off parking platform Proposed bill would halt public funding for Ohio pro sports teams with losing records So far, she's had three contractors show up at her house unsolicited asking about repair work. She told News Center 7's John Bedell that she refused their offers because she already has contractors she knows. As shown on News Center 7 at 5:00, people may need help cleaning up flood damage, too. 'Anytime there is any kind of natural disaster, the storm chasers come out and they're looking for work,' Sheri Sword, with the Dayton Better Business Bureau, said. 'But it's really important to do your homework before you hire people that just come knocking on your door.' Sword also said that can be a red flag as reputable contractors are busy and don't need to go door-to-door to ask for jobs. Sword also told News Center 7 to make sure you're dealing with local contractors. 'Some of these storm chasers are here in town and as soon as everything's done, they leave and you can't get in touch with them again,' Sword said. She also recommended getting three quotes for the work in writing. 'If they're hesitant to give it to you in writing then you may be hesitant to do business with them,' Sword said. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge weighing dismissal of NYC mayor's case cancels hearing, suggesting a ruling could be near
NEW YORK (AP) — The judge weighing the Justice Department's request to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams has canceled a hearing scheduled for Friday, indicating a ruling could be imminent. In a written order Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho said he has reviewed filings from the parties and a court-appointed legal expert, all of whom favor dismissal, and 'does not at this time believe that oral argument is necessary." The only disagreement among the parties and the expert, former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, appeared to be whether a dismissal should be permanent. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The Justice Department is seeking the option to refile the case after the November mayoral election. Clement recommended that Ho prevent the charges from being refiled — known in legal parlance as dismissal with prejudice — so they don't hang over Adams 'like the proverbial Sword of Damocles.' Adams' lawyers have also asked for a permanent dismissal. The mayor, who is up for reelection this year, had pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges. A 2024 indictment accused him of accepting illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts from a Turkish official and others — and returning the favors by, among other things, helping Turkey get a consulate open without passing a fire inspection. The case, brought during the Biden administration, was on track for an April trial until President Donald Trump's Justice Department moved last month to drop it, arguing that the case was interfering with the mayor's ability to aid the president's crackdown on illegal immigration. After an extraordinary hearing where Adams' lawyer and a top Justice Department official argued for ending the case, Ho canceled the trial and appointed Clement to assist him in deciding what to do.
