Recent editorials from Louisiana newspapers:
Oct. 28
The Advocate, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on flu, West Nile being greater threats:
Although Ebola is grabbing the headlines, Louisiana residents have a much greater chance of catching the flu this season, and the consequences can be severe. That’s why residents should heed the advice of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and get their flu vaccinations if they haven’t done so.
Luckily, the flu vaccine is widely available at local drugstores, doctors’ offices and health units.
The flu spreads more easily than Ebola, and it can pose significant health challenges to those who contract it, especially the elderly and those already suffering from health problems.
“Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death,” DHH notes in its advisory. “Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others.”
Flu season begins in October and can last into May. It’s the time of year when flu viruses circulate most widely. Hand-washing, staying home while sick, and covering one’s mouth while sneezing are obvious ways to prevent the flu from spreading, but these simple precautions can’t be stressed enough these days.
DHH officials are also urging continued vigilance against the West Nile virus, which is spread through mosquito bites. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals announced five new cases of West Nile recently, but no new deaths.
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Online:
https://theadvocate.com
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Oct. 28
The Courier, Houma, Louisiana, on keeping healthy record:
Oil and more oil.
BP announced last week that it has made another oil discovery in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
That is a development that could bode well for south Louisiana.
As BP and other oil companies further develop the Gulf oilfield, our economy should benefit.
The workers and equipment that keep the oilfield operational come from here, and we have the benefits to show for it.
Our economy has rolled along healthily over the past decade even as the rest of the nation was mired in a recession.
Our jobless numbers have been among the lowest in the U.S.
Our real estate market has remained robust. Our property has kept and expanded its value while the bottom fell out of the real estate markets elsewhere.
And our local government agencies use the tax money generated by the oilfield and all its service industries to build schools, pay for teachers, light roads and build drainage projects.
BP’s deepwater find is the wave of the future.
“It’s just an indication of what activity we are going to see in the future,” said Chett Chiasson, director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission. “For us, it’s exciting to hear that. It enhances what we are hearing about in the industry.”
The Gulf oilfield is evolving. It is going farther out from shore and into ever-deeper waters.
As it does, the jobs it generates grow increasingly technical and the need for advanced training for future workers gets greater.
Our region has done a commendable job of capitalizing on the oilfield and using it for long-term benefit.
As that industry changes, though, we must change as well.
Our colleges and university have made great strides in changing along with the industry, attracting more future workers to their training programs and supplying the workforce the industry needs to keep going.
Finds like BP’s most recent one are excellent news for us as they help keep the economic lifeblood of south Louisiana pumping.
Our region is critical to the energy supply of the nation. It will become more so over the coming decades, and that can be good for us.
Now, though, it is up to us to make the most of the opportunities we have thanks to the immense natural resources we enjoy.
For generations, the oilfield has been a place for local people to turn for stable, lucrative careers. Thanks to continued development like BP’s, that trend should remain in effect for the foreseeable future.
Online:
https://www.houmatoday.com
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Oct. 24
The News-Star, Monroe, Louisiana, on Chase investing in state:
JPMorgan Chase employs about 3,400 workers in Louisiana with considerably more than half of them - about 1,900 - in Monroe.
This week, the company invested in its future workforce in Louisiana and Monroe with a $1 million pledge to the state’s new Workforce and Innovation for a Stronger Economy fund, known as WISE.
WISE is designed to provide funding to ramp up programs at Louisiana’s community and technical colleges and universities that will provide graduates for high-demand, high-wage jobs in the state.
Chase’s grant, which the state will add with $4 million, was the first major private sector commitment made to WISE.
It will be directed to the Foundation for Louisiana’s Community and Technical Colleges to fund statewide workforce training, much of which will be done at Louisiana Delta Community College in northeastern Louisiana.
Chase’s investment is part of the bank’s five-year, $250 million global New Skills at Work initiative.
“Helping people gain the work skills they need will transform lives and strengthen our state’s economy,” said John Kallenborn, president of Chase in Louisiana. “Every day, employers tell us they can’t fill good-paying jobs because there simply aren’t enough trained workers.
“Working with the WISE Fund, we can provide great careers for our citizens and continued economic prosperity for Louisiana.”
The need to produce such qualified workers is urgent. The Louisiana Workforce Commission’s Occupational Forecast predicts a shortage of more than 80,000 skilled workers during the next decade.
Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Monty Sullivan, who once worked at Delta, was quick to praise Chase.
“The workforce demand is unprecedented, and for JPMorgan Chase, a global financial leader, to quickly respond is verification of their commitment to the long-term success of Louisiana and its people,” he said.
We join with that praise for one of our top 10 largest private employers and hope other corporate leaders will also see the value of investing in a stronger future workforce for Louisiana.
Online:
https://www.thenewsstar.com
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