To earn the maximum number of points, develop a 275-word response per assignment

To earn the maximum number of points, develop a 275-word response per assignment. Check for spelling/punctuation and develop the draft in a Word document. You can use your own experience to describe how the articles relate to the concepts from the class.
To earn the maximum number of points, develop a 275-word response per assignment. Check for spelling/punctuation and develop the draft in a Word document. You can use your own experience to describe how the articles relate to the concepts from the class.
EpiPen Price Increase Puts Some Patients At Risk (Chapter 2)
Aug. 17, 2016 — The price of potentially life-saving EpiPens has increased more than 480 percent since 2009, putting them out of reach for some patients. An EpiPen (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) contains epinephrine (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.), a medicine used to treat a severe allergic reaction (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.). In 2009, pharmacies paid just over $100 for a 2-pack of EpiPens. The price is now more than $600, according to CBS News. That means some patients have trouble affording the device. “If they don’t have [the EpiPen], it could mean life or death,” pharmacist Leon Tarasenko told CBS News.
The high cost is forcing some patients to take risks. “Within the last two months, we’ve had about three patients who had issues with the price of an EpiPen. And we actually — they did not receive it. They just refused to take it,” Tarasenko said. EpiPen is made by Mylan. The company said in a statement to CBS News that the EpiPen’s price “has changed over time to better reflect important product features and the value the product provides,” and that “we’ve made a significant investment to support the device over the past years.” The company offers coupons worth up to $100, but patients with high deductibles (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) still have to to pay most of the cost of the device out-of-pocket, according to CBS News.
https://consumer.healthday.com/health-technology-information-18/press-medical-and-health-reporting-news-552/health-highlights-aug-17-2016-713973.html (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.).
Postage Rate Increase
Info on the 2017 USPS Postage Rate Increase
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will implement new postage rates for several mailing and shipping products on Sunday, January 22, 2017.
Summary of the 2017 Postage Rate Increase:
Domestic Mailing:
• First Class Mail Letters (1 oz.) rates will increase from $0.47 to $0.49 when purchased at the Post Office. Each additional ounce will cost $0.21.
• The discounted “Metered Mail” category for First Class Mail Letters (1 oz.), which includes online postage providers and postage meters, will decrease from $0.465 to $0.46. Each additional ounce will cost $0.21.
• First Class Mail Flats (1 oz.) will increase from $0.94 to $0.98. Each additional ounce will cost $0.21.
• Postcard rates will remain the same at $0.34.
Domestic Shipping:
• Priority Mail Express will see an overall rate increase of 3.4% in 2017.
• Priority Mail will see an average rate increase of 3.9% in 2017.
• First Class Package Service will see an average rate increase of 4.1% in 2017.
• First Class Mail — Parcels available at the Post Office will also see an increase and rates will start at $2.67 (previously $2.62) for a 1 oz. package.
• Parcel Select Ground will increase by 2.7%, but rates for some weight and zone groupings will be going down compared to 2016.
• Media Mail rates will start at $2.63 instead of $2.61 for a 1 lb. package.
International Shipping:
• Priority Mail Express International rates will not change in 2017.
• Priority Mail International rates will not change in 2017.
• First Class Package International rates will not change in 2017.

2022 Postage Rate Increase, New US Postal Rate Increase

Law enforcement in high demand, but odds of getting hired are low
June 22, 2017 by Caitlin Doornbos
While there is a need to fill open law enforcement positions, the odds of becoming an officer with the Orange County (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) Sheriff’s Office or the Orlando Police Department (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) are tough. About 7 percent of those interested in becoming a Sheriff’s Office deputy were hired in 2016. At the Police Department, about 1 percent of total applicants were hired last year.
This month, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings asked Orange County commissioners for a 2018 budget of about $18 million, largely aimed at recruiting and retaining deputies. He wants to create 55 new jobs — at least 46 of them sworn officer positions. Demings told county commissioners he has “very high standards” and personally makes all of the hiring decisions for sworn officers. He said it typically takes between three and six months to “delve into a person’s background and understand who it is that [they’re] hiring. “I will refuse to hire just anyone to put a gun on and give them the authority to use deadly force and to make arrests,” Demings said.
As of Thursday, there were 15 vacancies in the Orlando Police Department. The Sheriff’s Office — which is about twice the size of the Police Department with about 1,500 sworn positions — said it is “constantly recruiting.” “This is a daily task for an agency of our size dealing with the realities of retirements, resignations and turnover,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Angelo Nieves said this month. Nearly 109,000 people inquired about being an Orange County deputy through the agency’s website. Of those who filled out an application, 2,223 met the minimum qualifications for the job.
The Sheriff’s Office hired 144 sworn officers last year, meaning just one in 15 qualified candidates was hired — and one in 756 people who sought information about the job online was hired. Once hired, it can take about a year before deputies are ready to work on their own. If a new hire has no law enforcement experience, the Sheriff’s Office puts the person through a five-month law enforcement academy. All employees also go through an eight-week, agency-specific training program, Demings said. Finally, they spend another 14 weeks of training on patrol with another officer before going out on their own.
The Orlando Police Department received about 5,000 applications last year for sworn officer positions, up from about 3,500 in 2015. About half of those 5,000 applicants made it to the formal application process, spokeswoman Michelle Guido said. Of the approximately 2,500 qualified candidates, only 50 officers were hired — which Guido said is average for a typical year. OPD’s hiring process takes six months to a year to complete. Applicants must complete civil service exams, physical agility tests, polygraphs, “intensive background investigation,” multiple interviews, and medical and psychological exams, according to the department’s hiring website. Orange County commissioners are set to review a proposed budget next month that would include Demings’ request for more officers.
https://consumer.healthday.com/health-technology-information-18/press-medical-and-health-reporting-news-552/health-highlights-aug-17-2016-713973.html