Support local handcrafted products
Anyone who has ever followed my writing in the South Philly Review knows that I am a native of our South Philly neighborhood and old enough to recall when the Passyunk Avenue Singing Fountain was a horse trough and the huge parking lot on the 1600 block of Passyunk Ave. was a movie theater.
Well, I also recall when the Bok Building mentioned in Mark Zimmaro’s report (“Weaving together a holiday craft market,” Dec. 6) was a vocational high school. That means that they trained students in such skills as plumbing and carpentry along with obtaining a high school diploma. It has special meaning for me because my late beloved husband Stanley was once a student there. Heroically he dropped out so he could enlist in the Army and serve in the Korean War. Yes, he was a battlefield medic at the age of 18.
So today the same block-long building houses numerous businesses including Weaver House owned by Rachel Snack. They even have a pre-school using old classrooms on the first floor.
Anyway, it was good to read about Snack’s unique plan to host a Holiday Craft Market featuring mostly fiber arts like weaving, knitting, sewing, etc. She invited more than 60 vendors to participate in the first ever such market on Sunday, Dec. 9. They offered one-of-a-kind handmade gifts and an invitation to join Weaver House workshops that promote healing through weaving.
With so many imperfect products imported from other countries, it is truly encouraging to know that a place exists that promotes fully local handcrafted products. We should all support such businesses and the community contact they provide.
Gloria C. Endres
Who is a physically active person?
At high schools and colleges across the commonwealth, members of performing arts and military training have one thing in common: they are physically active individuals who, as a whole, do not fit into the definition of “physically active person” that defines the patient population that athletic trainers in the commonwealth are able to treat. ATs are the only health care providers in Pennsylvania who have a defined patient population, i.e., physically active person – an individual who participates in organized, individual or team sports, athletic games or recreational sports activities. Every other health care provider in Pennsylvania is limited by the type of services that they provide concerning an injury or illness – not by the type of activity that an individual participates in.
Senate Bill 559 and Senate Bill 560 are companion bills that seek to modify the practice acts that athletic trainers work under and expand the definition of “physically active person.” This modification will not change the scope of practice of ATs as defined under the definition of “athletic training services” within the practice acts.
How will these bills change the way an AT at a high school or college practices athletic training? Simply, the AT could see patients who are members of the performing arts or military training who would benefit from athletic training services. This would include an initial assessment and referral. The AT is often the only health care provider on site in the high school or collegiate setting during certain times. Having the ability to provide emergency or acute care to this expanded patient population would allow greater inclusion of these physically active individuals.
How will this help the commonwealth? There is currently a health care provider crisis in PA with an overwhelming number of individuals flooding urgent cares and hospitals. If these bills are passed, an athletic trainer at their high school or college could provide an initial assessment and treatment of these individuals and help facilitate a referral with the correct provider if necessary. This ability could help manage the number of individuals being seen at urgent care and hospital facilities.
SB 559 and SB 560 are a step in the right direction to one day bring the athletic training profession alongside all other health care providers in PA that treat a patient based on their scope of practice alone.
Tanya Miller
Positive changes in the United States
The holiday shopping season is our opportunity to support the industries operating in the United States of America. The growing support from America’s consumers has been encouraging businesses operating in America to remain in America where the majority of their customers live and need jobs.
Presently, 80% of the American people are employed by small and medium-sized businesses, which represent a variety of manufacturing facilities, retail stores in local neighborhoods and in shopping malls. All of America’s businesses depend on us to shop at their place of business to keep employees on the job, pay operational expenses and make a profit to share with investors.
Shopping at local businesses, especially those that offer a reasonable balance of items made in America alongside imported products, is the best way to show your support for American made. Our campaign to promote December as “National Small Business Month” has been another positive way for us to show our support for American workers. While you’re out shopping make it a point to let store clerks know that you support the Buy American Made Campaign and that you make it a point to shop at stores that offer a reasonable selection of American-made items.
We all want to see a growing number of American-made products available in the USA. However, the distributors that supply our stores often bypass American-made products because the profit margin on imported items is better for them. As a result of this an overwhelming number of imported products are now sold in the United States, which continues to hurt America’s manufacturers and American workers.
As you gather with family and friends at this festive time of year, help promote efforts like December as National Small Business Month and invite everyone to support America’s businesses as we work to restore no less than a 50-50 balance of what is being sold in America’s stores mainly made in America again.
Thanks for promoting our efforts. Email your suggestion to Michael@AmericanWorkersRadio.com
Michael Blichasz
