EC from DC - October 24, 2014

THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS – WHAT ELSE NEEDS TO BE SAID??

It has been a dream come true, hasn't it? Even if you're not a baseball fan, you can still feel the excitement in the air. It's simply electric.

Kansas City Royals fans, once strangers to one another, have become fast friends, all sharing a common goal – cheering our beloved Royals to a win in the World Series. There's just nothing like it, is there?

The sights and sounds at ‘The K' say it all. And as millions around the world watch the Royals and Giants face off, our beautiful city is getting much attention and admiration as well.

Kansas City-- the Paris of the Plains, the Heart of America. We are home to the best barbecue in the country, the nicest people on the planet, and some of the richest cultural institutions, including the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the American Jazz Museum, and the Liberty Memorial! We have many great sports teams – and how about those ROYALS!?!

Check out this video of #Royals fans around the world, featuring yours truly. #TakeTheCrown

https://youtu.be/ojF5TFG0YtM?t=9m24s

MEDICAL PERSONNEL BRIEF THE CONGRESSMAN ON
LOCAL EBOLA PREPARATIONS

As Ebola continues to make headlines around the world, making sure we are secure here at home is of the utmost importance. Medical experts across the country are working to ensure healthcare workers, patients, and the public are prepared, trained, and updated on the very latest information, treatments, and breakthroughs concerning this deadly disease. We are no exception here in Missouri's Fifth District. This week I met with administrators from Children's Mercy Hospital to discuss and view their extensive Ebola preparation and readiness. But it's not just Ebola they are making sure they are ready for, if the time comes. There are other very serious health threats as well, like the Enterovirus and upcoming flu season.

Staff at Children's Mercy have created a separate decontamination entrance at the Emergency Department, and they have isolation capabilities within their Pediatric intensive Care Unit (PICU). Employees have already undergone training, but they are constantly being updated with the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While we hear the most about Ebola, the health professionals I spoke with made an excellent point. It is much more likely that people will suffer from complications from the common cold than from Ebola exposure. A flu vaccine remains the best way for us to protect ourselves during the cold season.

The number of patients presenting possible Enterovirus symptoms has steadied now, but at its peak, was bringing nearly 700 children to the Emergency Department every day.

There are many unnecessary fears about contracting Ebola, as it has a very low transmission rate. And although the likelihood of a child in our region contracting the Ebola virus remains very low, I feel confident Children's Mercy Hospital and their team of physicians and nurses, as well as other area institutions and healthcare professionals, are well-prepared to handle that or any other infectious disease that may impact our community.

THE FACTS ABOUT EBOLA

Taking precautions and preventing the spread of Ebola is of critical importance. And so is arming ourselves with as much knowledge as possible.

So what do we need to know?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

*A person infected with Ebola can't spread the disease until symptoms appear

*Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood and body fluids

*Protecting yourself against Ebola includes:
1.) Washing your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
2.) Never touching blood or body fluids of someone who is sick
3.) Never handling items that may have come into contact with a sick person
4.) Never touching the body of someone who has died of Ebola

For more information: www.cdc.gov/ebola

The above infographic in Spanish can be found here.

Additionally, here are some key online resources:

• Ebola Protection Do's and Don'ts Poster
• Information for Healthcare Workers

• Information for Colleges and Universities

CONGRESSMAN CLEAVER RECEIVES BIG AWARD
FOR CREATING JOBS

Creating good jobs for people in Missouri's Fifth District has always been, and will always be, a priority. I was honored this week to receive the "Spirit of America" award from jobs4america and the Professional Association of Customer Engagement (PACE), for contributing to the creation of more than 100,000 customer service jobs in this country. To me, this award represents what we've been working so hard for. It represents putting Americans back to work with meaningful jobs, and hope for a brighter future. In just the past 18 months alone, jobs4america has exceeded its target of creating 100,000 new customer service jobs nationwide, and exceeded it by more than 76,000. I am pleased to report that 3,389 of those jobs have been generated right here in Missouri. Our work is far from finished, and while this marks an important milestone, I pledge to continue our critical mission of helping people become fully employed.

For more information on the Spirit of America award, jobs4america, and PACE: www.cleaver.house.gov

CIVILITY CORNER

For the first seven years of my life, I lived in a wooden shack in an alley behind Kauffman Street in Waxahachie, Texas. We were poor, but no one told my three sisters and me. In fact, I thought we were living the life of Riley, an unworried and fulfilled existence. I actually felt sorry for the kids who did not eat hoe cakes (flat oatmeal biscuit) and water, heated and mixed with sugar syrup.

The proximity of the Cleaver rented shack to the railroad tracks, which ran through our little town, was one of my earliest and greatest blessings. The track was literally thirty yards from our front porch. By the time I was six years old, I could walk a narrow rail farther than anyone I knew. It was very much like walking a tight rope without the possibility of a thirty foot fall. As easy as it may have looked or sounded, it is and was, a challenge. But I, and I alone, was the master of the rail. And then one day, I was issued a double-dog-dare-supreme challenge, by two brothers who lived in a community on the far side of the tracks. The two brothers were attempting to defeat and denounce me.

The duel was on. I knew they could never walk further on one track than me. Only Superman, and perhaps the Lone Ranger, could stay on the rail longer than I could. I was the champ. And when it came time to prove it, I went first. I gathered myself together and even though I thought I could have stayed on the track much longer, I did about 35 yards and stopped. The brothers, looking confident, mounted the tracks side by side with a hand extended to the other. Because they were able to create a bilateral balance, they were able to track walk at least sixty, maybe even seventy yards. I argued that what they did was against the rules, but they said there were no rules: 2 to 1, I lost.

The United States Congress functions best, and goes further on the right track, when our hands are extended across the aisle. No political party sews together flawless legislation. We are at our best when we vote on legislation created by extending and receiving hands to others, who are on the track next to us.

In this way, we can find balance. And by the way, it's not against the rules.