Tidewater Area Command unveils new social service,
admin facility
With generous
community support, a successful capital campaign and years of planning The
Salvation Army Thomas R. Lee Administration and Social Services Building is
complete. On Sunday, July 23, a dedication ceremony began the celebration to
commemorate the growth of The Salvation Army Tidewater Area Command in Norfolk,
Va.
The Thomas R. Lee Administration and Social Services
Building serves as the new home for the area command, social services office
and warehouse. The 15,405-square-foot facility allows The Salvation Army to
better serve the needs of the community. It is a place specially designed to
serve the needs of people in time of crisis, providing emergency shelter, food
baskets or listening ears and open hearts.
The building
will serve as the meeting place for the advisory board, the recently-chartered
Women's Auxiliary of Hampton Roads and thousands of other volunteers who
donate their time, talents and treasures to be a part of The Salvation
Army.
The building honors the memory of Thomas Lee, a local
farmer, business man and philanthropist. Before his death in 1998, Lee selected
the Tidewater Area Command as one of six charities to receive a gift from his
estate. In addition to a cash gift in excess of $1.3 million, Lee donated 5.01
acres to The Salvation Army. The land is now the site of the new administration
and social services facility and will eventually be the site of the H.O.P.E.
Village, a transitional housing program for women and children.
Deborah A Myers, chair of the Tidewater Area Command Advisory
Board, welcomed special guests, including past area commanders.
Commissioner Max Feener, Southern territorial commander, shared a
message, "Let's Talk About Jesus" at the holiness meeting held at
the Norfolk Corps on the property across the street from the new
building.
Major Gene A. Hogg, Tidewater area commander,
asked attendees to join him in expressing gratitude for the privilege of
service to others.
"In times of crisis, we've been blessed to
lend a hand to our fellow neighbors with compassion, dignity and God's
love.," Hogg said. "May the generosity and resources of our community
allow us to continue our good work. We invite all to celebrate the opening of
The Salvation Army Thomas R. Lee Administration and Social Services Building as
it serves as a place of comfort and hope for Hampton Roads residents."
Grace Ramos
Commissioner Max Feener, territorial commander
(above) and Major Gene Hogg, area commander (right), speak at dedication
ceremony for new Tidewater facility.
Our ailing health care system needs
reform
Editor's note: The following article was written
by Henry E. Simmons, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., president of the National
Coalition on Health Care.
Our health care system is
under duress - besieged by three huge and interlocking problems, any one of
which would be reason for alarm: rapidly escalating costs; a huge and growing
number of Americans without any health coverage; and an epidemic of substandard
medical care.
Health insurance premiums are rising rapidly.
Between 2000 and 2005, health insurance premiums for employers increased 73
percent - overall inflation increased only 14 percent during this period.
Workers are paying more of the costs for their health insurance and health
care.
The second major problem the health care system faces
is the huge and growing number of Americans without health insurance. According
to the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans
without health insurance rose to 46 million people in 2004.
The third major issue our system needs to address is that despite
the fact that America spends more on health care than any other industrialized
nation in the world, we have worse medical outcomes based on several measures.
A study by RAND researchers found that only 55 percent of patients receive the
right medical care.
What can be done to address these major
problems? The National Coalition on Health Care, a non-partisan, non-profit
alliance composed of purchasers, providers, consumers, pension programs and
faith-based organizations - including The Salvation Army - believes that the
problems can only be solved through comprehensive, integrated reforms at the
national level. Specifically, we believe that three key public policy changes
must occur:
- Every American should have health insurance that covers
a package of core benefits.
- Health care expenditures must be better
managed to slow down the rate of increase in costs to be in line with increases
in other sectors of our economy.
- A comprehensive and concerted
national effort should be launched and sustained to improve the quality and
safety of health care.
The Coalition believes that the
lack of health insurance coverage for nearly 20 percent of our citizens
presents a significant challenge to our nation's values of independence,
opportunity, fairness and equality. Even those who have health insurance
coverage are at risk. The upcoming mid-term congressional elections provide an
opportunity for The Salvation Army's soldiers, congregants and volunteers
to engage Congressional candidates and ask them: What are you proposing to do,
if you are elected, to address the problems of increasing costs, decreasing
coverage and poor quality of care - and in a systemic way?
Unless you ask that question at candidate forums and town hall
meetings and demand action through follow-up communications with your elected
officials, we will continue to witness more Americans living in peril.
You can make a difference by telling the candidates your are
concerned. Action is needed now.
The Job Board
Salvation Army
employment
Emergency disaster
services
operation manager/trainer
Tampa, Fla.
Assists the divisional emergency disaster services director in
the overall management and dedication of resources in the achievement of the
EDS department mission. Qualified candidates must have a two-year college or
technical school degree from an accredited college or university and four
years' experience in fleet maintenance with disaster services management
experience, or any equivalent combination of training and experience which
provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. If interested please
forward resumes to Michelle Frank at Florida Divisional Headquarters via e-mail
(michelle_frank@uss.salvationarmy.org) or contact by phone at (813)
383-5682.