Latest Cat layoffs from consolidations start this week

Caterpillar Inc. has not yet said how many employees, many of whom are in the Peoria region, are being laid off in the latest round of job reductions that start this week.

Already, many employees in Peoria, East Peoria and Mossville – many of them engineers – have begun receiving notices that their positions are being eliminated.

The reductions all are part of a large-scale restructuring first announced a year ago. At that time the company said about 10,000 jobs would be eliminated as work was streamlined. It did not say in a statement issued Monday whether that number has been met or exceeded as per the restructuring plan.

“There is no questions this is a tough period for everyone,” the company said in its statement. “The Peoria area has been home to Caterpillar for 91 years and the company wants to emerge even stronger for its own people and for this community.”

The newest round of cuts stem from the creation of a new Caterpillar division that was announced almost two weeks ago. That new division was created through the consolidation of two other divisions and it will be focused on research, technology and product development and be more aligned, efficient and competitive. Operations of the new division begin Thursday, the announcement said.

That announcement quoted Group President Denise Johnson, who said it was likely there would be “significant workforce reductions” as a result of the consolidation of the Advanced Component & System and the Product Development & Global Technology Divisions.

“While difficult, the streamlining at all levels of the company, including within the officer ranks, is necessary given the global market environment that is impacting the company's business," Johnson said.

The new division will be headed by Jean Savage, currently vice president of the Advanced Component & System Division.

Caterpillar said it will try to place affected employees in other positions in the company or help them transition to a new company. Displaced employees will receive severance packages and outplacement services, the company said.

Caterpillar stock has been trading consistently above $80 a share in recent weeks, hitting its 52-week high two weeks ago. It closed at $82.48 a share on Tuesday. 

Molly Crusen Bishop: East Bluff folks work to help others

There are many people in Peoria who never travel through the older neighborhoods and could literally live here for decades and never see what large sections of Peoria have going on.

We hear things on the news and then we complain about crime or poverty, and then move along in a world that is pretty boring, thinking how smart we are for noticing the obvious. 

I remember hearing a quote once tat states if you are not a part of the solution you are a part of the problem.

There are truly special people being a huge part of the solution on Peoria’s East Bluff. They are doing an amazing job but they can’t do it alone. We all need to figure out how we can help uplift this and other historic heritage neighborhoods throughout our city. 

We all saw the pretty brick home at 506 Frye demolished last week. It made the news and was a topic at the City Council meeting this past Tuesday, with residents asking for a “cooling off period” on privately ordered demolitions. 

Tomorrow at 10 a.m. will be the first Historic House Heritage Uplift at 413 Illinois Avenue. The community is coming together for a work day to help save this house and uplift the East Bluff. We hope this is the first of many such days for all the folks in Peoria to help.

It also will be an opportunity to get to know some of the people, some of the heroes of the East Bluff – people like Willa Lucas.

Meet Willa Lucas

Willa Lucas is one of these heroes helping right up front and center. I met Willa a little over a year ago at the EBNHS office on Wisconsin Avenue. She is there quite a bit helping folks who live on the East Bluff. Willa also runs an East Bluff Facebook page that she regularly checks and responds with help or advice to residents’ needs or complaints. She also helps organize fun social functions and events with local police and politicians. 

Willa also helps a lot at the East Bluff Community Center and East Bluff Food Pantry, which are both located at the old St. Bernard’s School at 512 E. Kansas.

Beginning around 2009, St. Bernard’s School, now known as the East Bluff Community Center and Food Pantry, has been helping to uplift residents in the 61603 zip code in many ways.

The EBCC holds numerous functions that benefit the neighborhood. The Boys and Girls Club has events there, St. Bernard’s holds classes in another room. There are several mini library sections, including rooms that are used to teach English to Spanish speaking people. Radio station WAZU 90.7 FM is in one old large classroom and is a community service-based station.

The gym can be rented for special events for a very reasonable price. Some groups use the gym for basketball. I even saw a large garden outside the building.

Willa Lucas helps run the East Bluff Food Pantry, which benefits any residents in the 61603 Zip Code. I was lucky enough for Willa to take me on a tour recently and show me first-hand the needs of this area.

Running a food pantry requires many faces on hand to volunteer, collect and organize food, and find funds to keep the pantry running smoothly. Willa helps bring a cooperative effort for these things.  Many local churches help get food to the pantry, which is open Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon providing food to dozens of people.

Please start to be a part of the solution. Some situations may appear too difficult but Willa Lucas shows us it is not. There are many ways we can all help uplift the East Bluff, such as helping organize and bag the food or passing out the food. You can donate non-perishable food items, cash or Kroger’s gift cards to help Willa get the food.

And you will meet people who will change your mind about some things in a positive way.

Please stop complaining and be a part of something positive instead!

Email ebcc@ebccpeoria.org to find out when and where you can start to donate some of your own time, talent, or treasure to make changes for the better. Please mail cash, check, or Kroger’s gift cards to the East Bluff Food Pantry 512 E. Kansas Peoria, Illinois 61603 or drive over and drop them off in person. 

Check safety factors before taking OTC pain relievers

Many consumers don’t pay attention to safety factors when choosing an over-the-counter pain reliever, according to a new survey from the U.S. Pain Foundation.

The national survey, conducted with support from McNeil Consumer Healthcare, found that while nearly all consumers (97%) say they feel confident when choosing a pain reliever to take, many disregard important safety factors that medical professionals say are critical to selecting which OTC pain reliever is most appropriate for their health profile.

The survey of nearly 1,300 U.S. adults found that consumers place more value on how effectively and quickly the medicine will relieve their pain, rather than prioritizing factors that could seriously affect their health, such as age and pre-existing medical conditions.

Top survey findings include:  

• Nearly half (45%) do not consider the prescription medicines they are currently taking;
• More than half (58%) do not consider their pre-existing health conditions;
• Two in three (65%) do not consider other OTC medicines they are taking;
• Three out of four (73%) of those 60 and over do not consider their age; and
• One in five (20%) do not consider any of these important safety factors.

"When choosing an OTC pain reliever, consumers should always balance finding effective relief with important safety considerations like their age, current health conditions, and other medicines they are taking," says Paul Gileno, founder of the U.S. Pain Foundation, an organization dedicated to serving those who live with pain conditions. "People with pre-existing conditions, or those that are currently taking prescription medicines, need to be especially careful when choosing an OTC medicine for pain relief."

For many consumers, certain OTC pain relievers may not be appropriate. For example, if you have existing stomach or heart conditions, or you are over the age of 60, some NSAIDs may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, or stomach bleeding.

Dr. David Biondi, Senior Director of Medical Affairs & Clinical Research at McNeil Consumer Healthcare explains, "Not every OTC pain reliever is appropriate for everyone. When you're in pain, it becomes easy to reach for the first OTC pain reliever on the shelf, but it's always important to consider your current health profile. A pain reliever that was right for you in the past may not be the right choice for you now."

How consumers can get pain relief safely and responsibly

To help consumers make more informed decisions when choosing OTCs for their pain, McNeil Consumer Healthcare has expanded www.GetReliefResponsibly.com, which now offers more resources for consumers and healthcare professionals on how to safely choose, use, and store OTC pain relievers.

Five tips for choosing and using OTC pain relievers:

1. Choose the OTC pain reliever that's right for you based on your health profile.
2. Always read and follow the Drug Facts label—whether it's the first time or the 100^th time. Drug Facts labels change and so does our health.
3. Stick to the recommended dose and keep track of other medicines you are taking and how they might interact.
4. Know the active ingredient in your medicine and be sure to take only one medicine that contains the same type of active ingredient at a time.
5. Avoid taking OTC pain relievers longer than directed on the label, unless told to do so by your healthcare provider.

OTC Pain Reliever Survey Methodology 
From June 24-July 5, 2016, APCO Insight conducted an online and telephone survey on behalf of U.S. Pain Foundation and McNeil Consumer Healthcare that included 1,292 U.S. adults who have used an OTC pain reliever in the last 90 days.

About U.S. Pain Foundation 
U.S. Pain Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to serving those who live with pain conditions, their families, and care providers. Founded in 2010, U.S. Pain Foundation was created by people with pain for people with pain. Its mission is to educate, connect, inform and, empower those living with pain, while also advocating on behalf of the entire pain community. Nationally recognized as a leading patient-focused organization, U.S. Pain Foundation helps individuals find resources and inspiration. For more information, visit www.USPainFoundation.org.

Study shows neighborhood environment can lead to weight issues in teens, young adults

A new Kaiser Permanente study found an increased risk for becoming overweight or obese among normal-weight 18-year-olds who lived in neighborhoods with lower education or income levels.

The study, published in Pediatric Obesity, found that over a four-year period, 25 percent of these young adults became overweight or obese.

In the past 30 years, obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents, with more than one-third of children and adolescents found to be overweight or obese in 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Emerging adulthood is a critical time period for excess weight gain due to a variety of factors, including many teenagers leaving home for college and having more freedom and access to food," said Deborah Rohm Young, PhD, study senior author and director of behavioral research, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Department of Research & Evaluation. "Our study found that living in a disadvantaged place puts teens at an increased risk for being overweight or obese. Although we did not explore potential reasons for this increase, factors may include cultural norms, as well as lack of access to public parks and grocery stores."

According to the CDC, social determinants of health, which are the conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age, affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.

A major strength of the study is that it examined the independent effects of gender, race/ethnicity and neighborhood-level education and income on incidence of overweight and obesity. Researchers analyzed the electronic health records of 22,823 racially/ethnically diverse Kaiser Permanente members in Southern California who were 18 years old in 2008 and followed them for four years.

In this study, the definition of overweight and obesity is based on the sex-specific body mass index-for-age growth charts developed by the CDC. All of those who were studied, with the exception of those who were Asian and Pacific Islanders, were normal weight based on a body mass index (or BMI) less than 25. Researchers utilized a lower BMI threshold for Asians – less than 23 – based on recommendations from the World Health Organization, which demonstrated the increased risks associated with obesity, such as diabetes and hypertension, occur at a lower BMI among this population compared with other racial/ethnic groups.

Over the course of four years, researchers found about 23 percent of the normal-weight 18-year-olds living in neighborhoods with low education became overweight and about 2 percent of those living in lower- income neighborhoods became obese. In addition, females and blacks had almost 1.7 and 1.3 times the increased risk compared with males and whites, respectively, for being overweight or obese. Asians and Pacific Islanders were almost three times more likely to become overweight compared with whites when using a BMI of less than 23.

"This study suggests that a teenager who is currently at a healthy weight can still be at risk of becoming overweight or obese in a short period of time. This seems especially of concern in the presence of a variety of socioeconomic factors," said Young. "In addition, it is important to use the lower BMI for Asians to ensure we are identifying individuals who may be at risk for obesity and related conditions such as diabetes."

Other authors of the study include Corinna Koebnick, PhD, and Jin-Wen Y Hsu, PhD, also from the Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Department of Research & Evaluation.

This study was supported by funds from the Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Fund.