Kudos to dance troupe for inspiring others

BOUQUETS >> To the dancers from the Dancing Wheels Dance Company who inspired more than 100 Broadmoor School/ Broadening Abilities students with their recent performance.

The Nov. 14 performance featured Matthew Bowman and Kaitlyn Fabian, both ablebodied dancers, and Tanya Ewell, who dances in a wheelchair due to paralysis she suffered from a car accident.

The Dancing Wheels is a professional and integrated dance company which features dancers with and without disabilities.

“A lot of times they might be afraid of what people think of them, how they look, how they sound, how they talk,” Ewell said. “But by seeing someone else put themselves in that vulnerable state it may give them that same feeling of ‘hey if she can do it and not worry about what someone thinks of her than maybe they can, too.’”

School Age Program Supervisor Mary Elshaw echoed that thought: “It’s important for Broadmoor students to see performances like this one to prove it is possible to do anything you are passionate about regardless of physical limitations.”

Sentiments to inspire us all.

BOUQUETS >> To the folks at Forbes House, Lake County’s only domestic violence shelter, and those in the community who are answering their call for help.

The shelter is asking for volunteers and community members to help brighten the holiday for clients in need by assisting with the Holiday Family Adoption program.

According to Susana Lara, family advocate for Forbes House, while clients are thankful for all of the items that are given, new clothing, winter coats, toys and gift cards are always good gifts to donate.

The gifts all benefit clients who had to utilize the shelter’s services during the year whether by staying at the shelter or being a part of counseling and support groups.

Shoppers are advised to contact the Forbes House through its website, www.forbeshouse.org, or by calling 440-357-7321 to arrange delivery of donations.

We hope someday there is no longer a need for services like those Forbes House provides.

BOUQUETS >> To the organizers of the recent Jobapalooza in Willowick.

Area businesses set up shop Nov. 14 at “Jobapalooza,” a job fair organized by OhioMeansJobs Lake County. It was their largest job fair of the year, boasting an additional 30 employers compared to the last event.

As the events have grown in size, the organization could no longer hold them in their Painesville location. So they began utilizing spaces provided by local municipalities. “Jobapalooza” was held at Manry Park Community Center in Willowick and attracted 48 employers looking to find potential employees.

Such events are a great way for area job-seekers to make connections and hone their interview skills.

We know there are many skilled folks eager to work in our area and just as many employers trying to fill open positions. We applaud any and all efforts that help bring these groups together.

BRICKBATS >> To those capitalizing on the opioid crisis.

According to a recent report from the Rob Portman-chaired Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the company kaléo exploited the epidemic by “increasing the price of its naloxone drug EVZIO by more than 600 percent (from an initial price of $575 per unit to $3,750 and then $4,100 eleven months later), resulting in more than $142 million in charges to taxpayers in just the last four years.”

EVZIO is an auto-injector used to treat a person overdosing. The product first launched with a wholesale acquisition cost of $575. With sluggish sales at its initial price point, the subcommittee investigation states that the company implemented a new distribution model proposed by consultant Todd Smith that increased the price by more than 600 percent by 2016.

“While kaléo said its new model focused on commercially-covered patients, the majority of its initial revenues were from Medicare and Medicaid, and the resulting cost to taxpayers, to date, has been $142 million despite the fact that much less costly alternatives are available,” the report states.

kaléo responded: “First, we have received voluntary reports from recipients of donated product that EVZIO has saved more than 5,500 lives since we launched the product in 2014,” the statement read. “Second, we have never turned an annual profit on the sale of EVZIO. Patients, not profits, have driven our actions.”

We believe companies should make a profit on their products, but taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for exorbitantly priced drugs when lower cost alternatives are available.