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DVDs To Include Anti-Smoking Messages
by Michael Martinez
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced plans this week to collaborate with a film production company to embed home videos with anti-smoking public-service announcements.
The state is joining forces with the Weinstein Company to include the announcements in the digital videodisc versions of movies that depict smoking. The first PSA is scheduled to run in the DVD version of "Clerks II," which is slated to hit shelves in December. The PSA that will run along with that film was created by the American Legacy Foundation.
"Bob and Harvey Weinstein deserve great credit for taking a leadership role in helping to fight youth smoking, which remains one of the most serious public health problems facing communities across the country," Lockyer said in a release. "I and other state attorneys general have been working with Hollywood studios to implement this PSA initiative as an important and meaningful protection for our children. I congratulate the Weinsteins for taking that all-important first step."
Lockyer and other attorneys general earlier this fall wrote to 13 major movie companies, urging them to include the announcements in DVDs and other home video products. They offered to make the announcements available to the companies for unlimited use at not cost.
The Weinstein Company is the only firm so far that has responded. In a statement, the Weinsteins said Lockyer made a sensible request, and they hope other studios will oblige him. They said the concept of the PSA campaign on DVDs has "a lot of merit."
Cheryl Heaton, the president and CEO of the foundation, also said she hopes The Weinstein Company's participation in the program will spark and industry-wide trend. "It is a simple way to prevent thousands of youth from smoking, and can ultimately reduce tobacco addiction and premature death," she said.
Fiber Network Helps California's Rural Areas
In other news from the Golden State, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a group of state and local lawmakers on Monday announced the completion of a 400-mile high-speed Internet connection that will link rural areas to the California Research and Education Network.
The $3.4 million project will connect schools in the Coachella Valley area to the high-bandwidth network that already is available to the majority of educational districts in the Golden State. It was funded by a grant from The H.N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation.
Local officials said linking to the CalREN network will provide a major boost to the area's educational system, and students and businesses can become more competitive in the nationwide and global marketplaces.
"This high-speed connection is a boon to our local community, our economy, our colleges and our long-term vision for this entire region," Palm Desert Mayor Jim Ferguson said. "It will allow educators and students to reach anywhere in the world with lightning speed. This is a significant step toward building a higher education system right here in the Coachella Valley."
The CalREN network has been extended by the deployment of nearly 400 miles of fiber-optic cable. The hubs of the new network were built in El Centro and at the California State University at San Bernardino campus located in Palm Desert.
"This vital project will help close the digital divide that has too often cut off Inland Empire educational and research institutions from the rest of the state," state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said. "Connecting Coachella Valley to the California Research and Education Network will help make the desert a center of educational innovation, and allow us to train hundreds of new teachers and nurses for the future."
Governors, HHS Join Forces On E-Health
The National Governors Association and officials from the Health and Human Services Department joined this week to launch an initiative to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of health information technology projects administered by state governments.
The State Alliance for E-Health has been kick-started by a $2 million award from HHS. The new group will provide a forum for state officials to discuss best practices in implementing health IT and to support nationwide efforts to increase exchanges of health information.
The project "offers an unprecedented opportunity for states to advance the creation of a nationwide network for health information exchange," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, the chairwoman of NGA. "This project is a significant opportunity to create synergies between national and state efforts."
The E-Health Alliance also has been tasked with brainstorming for solutions on privacy and security of e-health records, and with forging partnerships with the private sector.
"Governors are making real progress in improving the quality of health care, expanding coverage and boosting deployment of health information technology in their states," said Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. "[The State Alliance for E-Health] is a vital step toward enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of health care across the nation."
Alabama To Build System For Crime Victims
Law enforcers in Alabama announced that the state has received $1 million in federal funding to build an automated, statewide system for information useful to crime victims.
State officials unveiled plans to use the cash to create a statewide database that would give crime victims around-the-clock information about the status of their offenders.
The project is being funded by the U.S. Justice Department. The effort will extend a victim information and notification initiative already under way in Tuscaloosa County by integrating data about offenders from agencies throughout the state. The system will provide information about the release, transfer or escape of victims serving sentences, and provide notification to victims when ex-convicts commit repeat offenses.
"By linking all the victims' service offices to one accessible point," State Attorney General Troy King said, "every agency's service to victims will be improved."
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