ProfNet Experts Available on Hot Car Deaths, Behavioral Health and More

NEW YORK, May 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network – it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/alertswire.

EXPERT ALERTS

• PTSD and Amtrak Crash Survivors, Family Members
• Preventing Hot Car Deaths
• Tips for Helping Children Cope in Unsettling Times
• Behavioral Health M&A Volume Likely to Increase
• Integrating Behavioral Health and Medical Care Delivery Systems
• 'Transformers' Sheds Light on Business Leadership

MEDIA JOBS

• Writer/Blogger – The Intercept (NY)
• Features Reporter – Courier-Post (NJ)
• Features Team Leader – Virginian Pilot (VA)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Video for Writers
• 8 Tips for Breaking Into Content Marketing Writing
• Media Training for Writers: Five Key Takeaways

EXPERT ALERTS:

PTSD and Amtrak Crash Survivors, Family Members
Dr. Frieda Birnbaum
Research Psychologist, Psychoanalyst
"Post-traumatic stress disorder is a very hard issue to live with. Survivors and their family members need to try to distance themselves from it by distracting themselves so they don't obsess on it."
Based in the New York metro area, Dr. Birnbaum is available to discuss the PTSD and mental health challenges the Amtrak crash survivors and their family members face. She is the author of "What Price Power: An In-Depth Study of the Professional Woman in a Relationship." She's an expert on depression, women's issues, and attaining happiness, and has been featured on "Oprah" and "20/20" as the oldest woman in the U.S. to have twins.
Contact: Mark Goldman, [email protected]

Preventing Hot Car Deaths
Latrice Hickman
Chief Program Operations and Compliance Officer
Childhelp
In the U.S., five children die every day from abuse and neglect. Says Hickman: "Temperatures inside vehicles can quickly increase even in moderate weather. In only 70-degree weather with overcast skies, a child left in a car is at risk for heatstroke and death. Under no circumstances should a child ever be left in a car for any amount of time."
Hickman shares these five tips to prevent leaving children in the car: 1) Place an object that reminds you of your child in the front seat next to you; this will remind you they are in the back seat. 2) Place your lunch, briefcase, wallet, phone, or purse in the seat next to your child; you will need to access the back seat before leaving your car. 3) For longer trips and before driving, set an alarm on your phone to remind you to check the car. 4) Use the buddy system. Assign an adult passenger to remind you a child is in the car. This is especially helpful when infants or sleeping children are present. 5) Develop the habit of physically checking all doors upon exiting your vehicle.
Hickman is the chief program operations and compliance officer for Childhelp, the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit advocating for abused and neglected children. She is based in Phoenix.
Contact: Teri Morris, [email protected]

Tips for Helping Children Cope in Unsettling Times
Dr. Stephanie Vitanza
Professor, Chair Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Argosy University, Phoenix
"The world and the United States are going through many unsettling times, from natural disasters to global terrorism and continued concerns about racial equality in America. Teens and young adults need to develop coping mechanisms to support them in developing resilience as they transition into adulthood. Good mental health is essential to success in school and life, and children who receive mental health support are happier and do better in school."
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and Dr. Vitanza can speak to the importance of children developing coping mechanisms, the role of mental health support available in school, and tips to help children cope and develop good mental health. Dr. Vitanza is a Licensed Psychologist in Arizona with a specialty in both marriage and family and child/adolescent therapy.
Contact: Mandy Wilson, [email protected]

Behavioral Health M&A Volume Likely to Increase
Steven Shill
Healthcare Practice National Leader
BDO USA
Behavioral health M&A deal volume is highly likely to increase. The market is small and fragmented, and new government initiatives are incentivizing such care and creating profitable opportunities in new markets, such as lower-income patients. But traditional, retrospective financial due diligence processes don't accurately reflect the dramatic changes happening with insurance and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and health care business models. And they don't always look at the clinical outcomes. Even as deals surge, deal value and risk could be dramatically overestimated -- or underestimated. Says Shill: "Insurers and government payers are no longer going to pay for treatment that doesn't provide outcomes. But investors aren't necessarily looking at outcomes when they review deals. On the flip side, providers that appear to be bleeding cash could actually provide great ROI for investors who know what to look for."
Website: https://www.bdo.com/industries/healthcare/overview
Contact: Danielle Elliott, [email protected]

Integrating Behavioral Health and Medical Care Delivery Systems
Dr. Bill Bithoney
Managing Director and Chief Physician Executive
BDO Consulting
The behavioral health and medical care delivery systems have long been separate, but the tides are changing. We're starting to see more of a push to integrate the two, and it's a trend expected to continue. Increased efforts to grow behavioral health service capacity through better integration with clinical care have health systems turning toward telemedicine. Dr. Bithoney can discuss how partnerships between behavioral health facilities and telemedicine can drive value and impact outcomes: "Developing new avenues to deliver care that support behavior change, while engaging individuals in their own health, can not only be a more cost-effective strategy than simply providing more (or different) health care services, but can also be a smarter strategy to ensure better quality of care."
Website: https://www.bdo.com/industries/healthcare/overview
Contact: Danielle Elliott, [email protected]

'Transformers' Sheds Light on Business Leadership
Seth Spain
Assistant Professor, School of Management & Fellow, Center for Leadership Studies
Binghamton University
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to the impact of Saturday morning cartoons. According to Seth Spain, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Binghamton University, fantasy-based stories, in particular the popular 1980s cartoon series "The Transformers," can shape children's perceptions of what behaviors are associated with effective leadership. Says Spain: "We believe 'Transformers' presents three key lessons about leadership: 1) flatter groups are more successful -- sharing power is more valuable than trying to use power for the selfish benefit of oneself; 2) in general, leaders tend to be exceptional people; and finally, 3) intelligence (cognitive ability and skill) is a particularly important attribute for a leader to have. These messages align well with the current academic literature about what kinds of individuals emerge as leaders and what it takes to be effective as a leader."
Spain, along with University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Peter Harms, rated the leadership skills of more than 120 characters featured in the first two years of "The Transformers" cartoon (1984-1985) and the 1986 film "The Transformers: The Movie." The individual leadership ratings were developed using "Bio and Tech Specs" profiles printed on the back of "Transformers" toy packages. For more information on this research, watch a YouTube video featuring Spain: http://j.mp/1KK6Uzz
ProfNet Profile: http://www.profnetconnect.com/s_spain
Website: http://www.binghamton.edu
PR Contact: Ryan Yarosh, [email protected]

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/

• Writer/Blogger – The Intercept (NY)
• Features Reporter – Courier-Post (NJ)
• Features Team Leader – Virginian Pilot (VA)

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

• VIDEO FOR WRITERS. Writers are now expected to be marketers, promoters, social media experts and, occasionally, video producers. At the recent 2015 ASJA conference, freelance writer and independent producer Scott Sowers explained how writers can apply the use of video by recording their interview subjects, to promote a book or as an additional revenue stream: http://prn.to/1KX9TF1
• 8 TIPS FOR BREAKING INTO CONTENT MARKETING WRITING. Businesses are looking to transform the way they communicate to reach three specific customer segments: new customers, current customers and, perhaps most urgently, recently lapsed customers. Marketers have recognized that editorial content holds a persuasive power that can be used to increase bottom-line figures, so while the consumer publishing industry shrinks, content marketing is thriving. At the 2015 ASJA conference, a panel of journalists-turned-content-marketers shared their best advice on how to break into the business: http://prn.to/1zwTKES
• MEDIA TRAINING FOR WRITERS: FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS. As journalists, we often face unique challenges. We are constantly on the hunt for good quotes, story ideas, etc. However, what happens when you're the one who has to the give good quotes? Leah Ingram offered her two cents on "Media Training for Writers" at this year's ASJA Conference. Here are five key takeaways: http://prn.to/1GZ23Xn

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