Archive - Jun 29, 2012 - Article (News Story)

So the Supreme Court — defying many expectations — upheld the Affordable Care Act, a k a Obamacare. There will, no doubt, be many headlines declaring this a big victory for President Obama, which it is. But the real winners are ordinary Americans — people like you.

The long awaited decision of the US Supreme court confirming the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s health care bill, which went into affect in 2010, and its potential affect on American Samoa’s health care is an explosive issue, given that about 80% of the local medical center’s budget is federally funded.

According to LBJ Medical Center chief executive officer Mike Gerstenberger, the federal money includes Medicaid, Medicare and U.S. Department of Interior funding.

During the second quarter of fiscal year 2012, LBJ Medical Center documented a decline in patient visits to the medical center except for the Dialysis Unit, with a hike of 4.7% in patient visits, according to the hospital’s FY 2012 second quarter performance report covering the period of Jan. 1-Mar. 31, 2012.

At the end of the 1st quarter (Oct-Dec. 2011), dialysis visits totaled 4,079 but by the end of the second quarter there were 4,101 visits, the report says and noted that at the end of the second quarter in FY 2011, there were 3,915 dialysis visits.

Two former employees of Florence Saulo and Associates Insurance company will make their initial appearance in District Court today on allegations of misappropriating funds over $10,000 belonging to the company.

Priscilla Toelei’u and Herema Taupau were arrested yesterday by Criminal Investigation Division Detectives.

MARIJUANA DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO JAIL

Drug defendant Vili Oney, arrested in March following a Vice and Narcotics raid, was sentenced to one year in jail, as a condition of his five-year probation term. Sentencing for the defendant was handed down by Associate Justice Lyle L Richmond and Associate Judge Mamea Sala Jr.

Oney was initially charged with one count of unlawful possession of controlled substance of marijuana, a felony that is punishable from five to ten years in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

The American Samoa Government contends that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) alleged age discrimination case against ASG and its Department of Human Resources (DHR) centers on only two DHR employees and requested the federal court to limit the scale of the lawsuit to the two workers.

The EEOC civil suit filed at the federal court in Honolulu last August accused the defendants of violating the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the case is set for trial next year with ASG denying the allegations.

Board of Directors for the Hope House at Fatuoaiga are hoping for a great turnout tomorrow for the annual Hope House Fundraising Golf Tournament and raffle to support the work of the Dominican Sisters of the Trinity and staff at Hope House.

The major sponsor of the golf tournament is GHC Reid/Coors Light.

Congressman Faleomavaega extended his personal condolences in a letter to the children of the late First Lady Susana A.P. Lutali. The full text of Faleomavaega’s letter is copied below.

Le Fanau Loto Fa’avauvau:

O ‘upu a le atunu’u: “Tālofa e, ua motu le 'asoa, ua solo le falute, ua tāfea pulu i vai, ua matala le māfutaga fa’amātua ma fanau, ma o ai o le a tu atu e fa'alāvefau i le pule fai to'atasi a le Atua?”

This past Wednesday morning at the Nu’uuli Vocational Technical High School Office, Sodexo representative Nancy Tinitali along with Top Chef Sualua of the Culinary Academy presented four scholarships —  two $1,000 scholarships and two $500 scholarships awards to four students from NVTHS, who will be attending the American Samoa Community College in the upcoming semester.

Samoa News spoke to Nu’uuli Vocational Technical High School Principal Saouila Kava, on this opportunity for her graduated seniors.

110 degrees in Mesa, Arizona and I am looking for Pooch and our American Samoa football boys enroute to Arizona State.  Heck, can't find them, so I am off to the Mesa Gun Show for my wife.