We’ll miss you, Steve Jobs

The topic of today’s elevator conversation is certainly, in most offices, the passing of Steve Jobs. We’re likely to see an article from every major news organization on the man’s life and vision, on his passion to change the world. There’s no denying his importance. In the late 1970s, when the energetic entrepreneur was first getting started, only a select few people understood the capacity of computers to change everything about our daily lives.

In his life of work, Jobs worked relentlessly to bridge the gap between human and machine—to make machines make our lives not just easier, but more interactive and more accessible. Thanks to one of his many infamous creations, the iPhone, we can look up restaurants or directions from just about anywhere. We can skype friends and family across the globe, far from a computer. We can get instant, up-to-date facts to resolve any bar dispute—from how many coins you can have and still not change a dollar, to who had the lowest E.R.A. in 1988, or the status of your neighbor’s relationship with that guy from the gym.

Of course, there are plenty of legitimately helpful uses for the iPhone as well. Let’s say, for example, disaster strikes. Who knows in what form—a flood, an earthquake, a tornado. You might lose your home, and need desperately to find a shelter. Well, there’s an app for that, too.

Or, if for some reason you don’t like the iPhone (we’re “don’t ask, don’t tell” on smart phone preference), there are some great apps for Android phones as well. Get an emergency first-aid & treatment guide to manage almost any medical emergency—useful to medical professionals from anywhere, even offline—or let Dr. Oz guide you through an emergency situation.

None of this would have been possible without Steve Jobs’ unique vision for changing the world. His work in developing the personal computer from a pipe dream to a device we carry in our pocket has allowed medical and emergency workers to perform their jobs quicker and more effectively. Computer systems now allow health care professionals to communicate patient information electronically, and every day we see new developments, things that will become essential to treatment and to emergency care. Jobs may have passed away, but his robust vision of change will not soon fade. Just see our blog post from two weeks ago: technology has become an integral part of health and emergency care, an integral part of nearly every facet of our lives, and we have few people to thank more than Steve Jobs.

Written by: Jonathan Bressler

Timber: June Showers Topples Tree

A severe thunderstorm touched the City of Chicago on the early hours of June 9, 2011. The sky was illuminated by the blue of lightning and the earth shook from the vibrations of the thunder. Many people in the Chicago area did not sleep for worry that their homes might flood.

Janice Davis, resident of Dolton, Ill., placed her mother Janet and grandchildren to sleep and closed her eyes for the night, flooding was not a concern. At 4 a.m. she was suddenly shaken awake by a loud bang. Janice ran quickly to her mother’s room for she feared lighting had struck the home. After making sure that her mother and children were safe, she peeked out the window and to her shock saw that the tree had split in half and was hanging from her roof.

The collapsed tree pulled the electric lines and cracked the foundation, leaving the home without electricity.

Janice stated, “Being without electricity and my mom, who suffers from seizure and needs a respiratory aid, scared me half to death.” Janice tried to call friends and family for help without success.

“Before you guys came, I did not know who was going to help us,” Janice told Red Cross responders. The Red Cross provided the family with the security of knowing that they would have a place to rest, plug in the respiratory aid, store medications, and think about taking their next step.

Janice and her family were caught unprepared and without a plan. During disastrous weather, expected or unexpected, it’s key to be prepared. The Red Cross urges families to make a kit that includes some the following:

• Water—at least a 3¬-day supply; one gallon per person per day
• Food—at least a 3-¬day supply of non-¬perishable, easy-¬to¬-prepare food
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered or hand¬-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications (7¬-day supply) and medical items (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, cane)
• Multi¬purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, deed/lease
to home, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)
• Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes

Next time the unexpected may occur to you. Be prepared make an emergency kit. For more information visit: chicagoredcross.org

Chicago Red Cross Staff Serves in Flood Disaster

A week and a half of being on the clock 24-7, little sleep, helping distressed families, and observing what the widespread flood has damaged can sound stressful or even frightening to anyone. But Becky Streifler, a Chicago Red Cross staff member, looks forward to experiencing all of the above.

Becky feels compassionate about relieving families of stress through the mental health team in the Memphis, Tennessee flood.

“You never clock out and you are there to provide people with mental health support the whole time. As a mental health deployment team we have to be useful to ourselves or we can’t be useful to others,” said Becky.

When disaster-affected areas ask the Red Cross network for help, trained volunteers can be sent nationwide to aid those in need of help.

“When the American Red Cross is there, the community knows help has arrived,” said Becky.

She’s been deployed several times before to locations such as Greensburg, Kansas and Haiti as a mental health specialist. She is there to care for those who need comfort and reassurance that feelings of distress can be normal after a traumatic experience.

Of course Becky has her moments of being nervous like anyone else would, but what motivates to help is being there for the disaster victims. And that is rewarding enough for her.

Take a few minutes and check out Becky's video interview one day before she deployed.

If you would like to sign-up for volunteering at the American Red Cross, visit these links: volunteer and take a class . So the next time disaster strikes in your neighborhood or across the country, you will be ready to serve. One of the ways you can assist others down South is through taking a disaster service human resources class that the American Red Cross offers. Complete this class and you too can become a part of serving people who were affected by the flood.

Written by Rachel Moten

Photo from American Red Cross on Flickr