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From Flight Attendant to Founder: Meet the Woman Who Founded the Company to Make Airport Travel More Accessible for Everyone – Essence

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Travel assistant

Veronica Woodruff went from flight attendant to founder, founding an revolutionary, technological travel agency Travel assistantwhich provides on-demand airport assistance to those needing additional travel assistance.

For greater than a decade, Woodruff worked as a flight attendant and observed the various obstacles that passengers faced at the airport, especially those with young children. So she decided to try to find an answer.

Her profession thoughts began to change when she met a technology mentor who saw potential in her. “They introduced me to the world of technology, guided me through my first pitching session, and that’s how I got to where I am now, which is my true passion – entrepreneurship.”

During this time, Woodruff was also participating in hackathons and recalled one investor telling her, “It’s time for you to solve your own problem.” Working with what she knew, Woodruff had an epiphany: “Every time I traveled with my little daughter, I spotted it was a struggle for me. There was no specialized service that might meet me and help me at the airport,” she said.

From flight attendant to founder: Meet the woman who started the company to make airport travel more accessible for everyone

“I remember going to California to visit family and commenced connecting the dots. As a flight attendant, I remember at all times watching moms with young children struggling to board the plane and wondering, “How much has this evolved?”

Woodruff found that seeing people undergo such experiences at the airport and infrequently struggle with their very own problems made her want to do something about it, and that is how this revolutionary Afro-Latina business owner launched Travelsist in 2020.

Since then, Woodruff’s technology efforts have been backed by $1.1 million in enterprise capital, and she or he has participated in accelerators equivalent to J.P. Morgan & Techstars and The Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE) in partnership with Opportunity Collective (ROC) Rockefeller Foundation.

GoDaddy’s Venture Forward research initiative shows that Black women are “the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs, with the number greater than doubling since August 2019. Black women make up a complete of 10% of entrepreneurs surveyed for the latest report, a rise in the variety of Black women by 70% of corporations that began operations before the pandemic.”

Travelsist is a synthetic intelligence (AI)-powered travel companion platform that helps streamline the entire process for those needing extra assistance at the airport, whether it is a family traveling with young children, someone in a wheelchair or someone with special requirements, someone who needs help finding directions, a senior traveler or a VIP traveler. Users can download the app and book an assistant to help them get from the airport to boarding their plane more easily.

“Our mission is to transform the travel technology landscape by using innovative solutions to improve the airport experience and make travel more inclusive,” Woodruff said. “Our main goal is accessibility. We focus on helping people with special or additional needs get through the airport safely, smoothly and on time and ensure their eligibility. With our technology, we are giving the power back so they can enhance and create their own airport experience.”

Travelsist currently serves Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Airport and has plans to expand. For Woodruff, it was necessary to think holistically about her employees and support other women. “We hire in opportunity zones, which is around the airport,” Woodruff said, adding, “and most of our employees are single mothers,” she says.

“The airport provides one in all the safest environments for people to work. It also provides the most jobs in any city, and we offer women with flexible, protected and competitive work options. What’s more, they meet people from throughout the world.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Car exhaust fumes can be linked to autism, a developmental disorder increasingly diagnosed in black children

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Autism, ASD, car exhaust, autism risks, autism in Black children, theGrio.com

New research has found that exposure to automotive exhaust fumes in utero or in the early stages of a child’s development may cause autism.

According to a study published Tuesday, November 12 in the journal Brain medicineexposure to nitric oxide (NO) – produced during fuel combustion – while pregnant or in the primary months of the mother’s life may pose a “significant risk” of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the kid.

“NO is a common air pollutant, produced mainly by vehicle emissions and the combustion of fossil and industrial fuels. Exposure to NO and its NO2 derivatives while pregnant and early childhood may disrupt normal brain development,” the study authors wrote.

The authors added that “the timing of exposure is key.”

According to the researchers, exposure to these pollutants while pregnant and early development “constitutes a significant risk of ASD because these periods are essential for brain development.”

The study also found that folks with a family history or genetic history of autism spectrum disorder may be at increased risk of developing the condition, affecting the best way individuals communicate, learn, interact and behave.

It’s not nearly automotive exhaust fumes. The study examined other air pollutants, including ozone, wonderful particles and other emissions, and located that every one of those toxins combined increased the danger of developing autism.

In particular, it listed benzene as a “volatile organic compound commonly found in vehicle exhaust, industrial processes and tobacco smoke” that, when combined with NO2, can also increase the danger of ASD.

Air pollutants may promote the event of ASD because they cause inflammation. Experiencing neuroinflammation brought on by exposure to NO over an prolonged time frame may “impact” brain activity related to social and cognitive functions which might be typically impaired by ASD.

“Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy may activate the mother’s immune system, leading to inflammation and abnormalities in fetal brain development,” the authors wrote, adding: “Elevated concentrations of inflammation-related cytokines in maternal serum in utero and early infants have been associated with their lives. with poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes.”

One sec nearly 40% of Americans live without healthy airautism disproportionately affects black and Latino children in the US. This condition can be on the rise in this country.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention1 in 36 children were diagnosed with ASD – a rise from 1 in 44 just two years earlier. Predominantly, the condition still affects boys more often than girls, although this too has been established girls are frequently diagnosed with ASD later in life.

Holly Robinson Peete was

For generations, white children seemed to have the disease at higher rates than other children, but in recent years this risk has modified as more black and brown families gain access to quality health care and earlier diagnoses .

As increasingly black families select to live with an autistic member of the family, several organizations have emerged to help spread awareness, advocate and supply support. These organizations include The color of autismthat gives families with culturally competent support and care; Autism in blackwhich offers educational and counseling services to Black parents raising autistic children; and Black Autism Support Societywhich goals to fill gaps in support for the black community.


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Health and Wellness

Perfect Imperfection of Wabi-Sabi Makeup – Essence

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Fairchild/Penske Media archive via Getty Images

Perfection is an addictive ideal of beauty that we have now all fallen victim to. This is clear in every thing from our drugs cabinets full of “anti-aging” skincare products to standardization Botox parties. What’s more, we even see it in horror movies (think: ) – revealing our insatiable desire to research and abandon perceived flaws.

This season, nonetheless, perfection is an outdated trend. Wabi-sabi— a Japanese worldview characterised by finding beauty in imperfection — is gaining popularity as a crucial antithesis to the fear of perfection. While aesthetic surgery is entering itsThe undetectable era” in response to the improvements of the watch, the makeup world is questioning whether beauty even exists in perfection.

“Don’t stress about imperfection. Embrace it. Relaxed, vibrant makeup feels more real and authentic” – MAC Senior National Artist Fatima Thomas says ESSENCE. “Things that are a little bit uneven, like a little blurry or a little bit uneven, can actually be quite visually pleasing.”

Below, Thomas explains the impact of Wabi-sabi beauty and her skilled techniques in achieving this look.

The rise of Wabi-sabi makeup

“A lot of people are taking a less stringent approach to makeup,” says Thomas. “When you worry less about having every line be perfect, every blend being perfect, you can actually enjoy applying and wearing makeup.” With beauty tricks like showering after punching to set the look with steam or sleeping in eyeliner for a soft grunge aesthetic, “Wabi-sabi allows for greater freedom and self-expression.”

Why now’s the proper time to adopt this mindset

“Do you really need to spend an extra 10 minutes to get your eyeliner perfect, or is it already good enough,” she asks. “After the pandemic and global inflation, people don’t want to stress about their makeup,” she continues, as TikTok’s viral “dopamine menu” trend turns beauty right into a form of therapy. “Wabi-sabi is about doing your best, and if it’s a little shaky, it’s okay.”

What does imperfect makeup appear like?

With airbrushes and editing apps distorting our view of achievable beauty: “I believe [imperfection] it is an opposition to digital filters and Photoshop,” he says. “It could be intentional or accidental, but it takes away the urge to rush and refine everything to look photoshopped.”

According to Thomas, the wabi-sabi approach relies more on philosophy than on any particular view. However, the important thing to imperfections is in nuances: “Do your makeup quickly and refrain from fixing minor imperfections.”

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Companies that help insurance companies deny pre-authorization claims –

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Medicare, Melissa D. Hall


KFF survey found that roughly 6 in 10 insured adults have experienced problems while using their insurance. Issues include denied claims, network adequacy, pre-authorization delays and denials. As the investigation shows, this is just not a surprise. A hidden industry makes money by denying doctors’ payment requests, called prior authorizations.

According to a ProPublica investigation, one in every of the important thing participants on this scheme is Evernorth’s EviCore. A ProPublica investigation found that EviCore is owned by the big insurance company Cigna. The largest U.S. insurance companies employ EviCore and supply protection to 100 million consumers.

EviCore apparently uses a synthetic intelligence-supported algorithm that insurance industry insiders call “the shield.” The algorithm system will be customized, which ultimately results in more pre-authorization claim rejections.

What’s even weirder is that EviCore reportedly has some contracts that allow it to make more cash the more it cuts health care spending by insurance companies.

EviCore is just not alone. Another big player is Carelon Medical Benefits Management, a subsidiary of Elevance Health, formerly Anthem. Although the corporate has been accused in court of unlawfully denying legitimate insurance applications, it denies all allegations.

How companies respond

EviCore claims that the approval process ensures that the procedures are protected, obligatory and price-effective.

“We are improving the quality and safety of healthcare, and – by a happy coincidence – we are significantly reducing unnecessary costs,” said an EviCore doctor in the course of the company’s series of webinars.

But based on the investigation, EviCore’s approach is way more sinister than it suggests. EviCore reportedly guarantees a 3-to-1 return on investment, which implies your insurer can pay $3 less for medical care and other costs.

For some perspective, in 2021 in Arkansas, EviCore denied prior authorization requests almost 20% of the time. Medicare Advantage plans denied prior authorization requests about 7% of the time in 2022, based on a ProPublica evaluation of knowledge.

A Cigna spokesperson said on behalf of EviCore: “Simply put, EviCore uses the latest evidence-based medicine to ensure patients get the care they need and avoid services they don’t need.”

The spokesperson added that the corporate uses algorithms in some clinical programs “only to expedite the approval of appropriate care and reduce administrative burdens on healthcare providers.”


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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