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TRENDS
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Celebrate
St. Louis Aims to Keep Young, Local Talent Right Here
By Laurie Burstein
J.S.
Alberici was one of the businesses that
sponsored Celebrate St. Louis, a new event designed to
encourage recent college graduates to stay in the region.
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With today's tight labor market, keeping recent college graduates
in the St. Louis region to live and work is vital. Recognizing
what's at stake, a group of businesses, universities and other
organizations have taken action.
On August 8, students attended "Celebrate St. Louis" at the City
Museum. Sponsored by the RCGA, Emerson Electric, G.A. Sullivan,
J.S. Alberici, KWMU and the St. Louis Business Journal, this is
the first organized event to reach out to college-age juniors
and seniors as well as new graduates.
According to Business Journal Publisher and Editor Ellen Sherberg,
the purpose of the event was to show students what St. Louis has
to offer after graduation.
"We are making a community statement to say to college juniors,
seniors and recent grads that we care about you and St. Louis
has much to offer in terms of jobs, graduate school programs,
cost of living and overall lifestyle," she says.
With live music, drinks and food, students mingled with representatives
from area businesses and universities including MasterCard International,
Fleishman-Hillard, and Webster University, and also had a chance
to talk with each other.
St. Louis native Kate Edwards, a senior at the University of Wisconsin,
was home this past summer interning at the law firm of Ziercher
& Hocker. She also served on the event's advisory board to help
recruit students and advise the event organizers.
"There is a lot going on in St. Louis between The Loop, Washington
Avenue and the Central West End. It's easy to meet people here
and there is plenty to do socially and culturally, while it's
not as overwhelming as New York or Los Angeles. I'm applying to
law schools here," Edwards says.
The event also gave the local business community a chance to get
in front of potential employees. "We want to help students discover
the many new worlds of St. Louis," says Dave Senay, general manager
of Fleishman-Hillard. "This event gave us a chance to promote
the area and raise our visibility among talented young people."
Linda Locke, vice president of MasterCard International, agrees
that it's important for students to realize that there is plenty
of opportunity right here. "We want people to take a closer look
at St. Louis. Our company is working on technology that goes to
more than 200 countries, so you can touch the world from right
here. Plus you can have a higher standard of living than you might
on the East or West Coasts."
With ComputerWorld ranking St. Louis in the top 10 as one of the
fastest growing regions for technology, Kevin Boylan, recruiting
manager at G.A. Sullivan, concurs.
"Celebrate St. Louis was a great opportunity for us to introduce
our company to the regional student body and remind them that
there are exciting technology positions available in our own backyard,"
he explains.
Kathy Osborn, senior vice president of the RCGA, hopes to hold
similar events in the future and build a database of St. Louis
alumni to keep students posted via e-mail about current opportunities
in St. Louis.
Access to Alternative Medicine Offered By Local HMO
By Laurie Burstein
Although it sounds unusual for health insurance to cover massage
therapy, acupuncture, vitamins and fitness centers, one St. Louis
health-care benefits provider is discounting these services and
more. And, other area HMOs are considering following suit.
In April 2000, Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield began offering
more affordable access to alternative health care. "Use of alternative
health-care services has grown throughout the country," notes
Kathy Zorica, senior vice president of product management and
business analysis at Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield. "Missourians
share this national trend. In a recent survey, a significant portion
of our members said they have used some form of alternative health
care and expressed much interest in having this as a benefit."
To add value for members, Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield offers
a network of alternative services through The American Specialty
Health Networks (ASHN). Members can access the ASHN website at
www.AllianceBlue.com/DiscountPrograms. Services include educational
information on alternative medicine, more than 1,200 health and
wellness products including vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements
at low prices, and access to a network of health and fitness facilities
at the club's lowest membership rate.
Also online are providers covered by the plan including chiropractors,
acupuncturists and massage therapists in the St. Louis area.
Scott Stream, vice president of group benefits with The Daniel
and Henry Co., explains that coverage of alternative health care
is a market-driven trend that is taking off. "Consumers are really
calling for this kind of service. It is right in line with wellness
and preventative care, and I believe we will see more HMOs cover
alternative services for their members."
While Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield is the first in the market,
additional St. Louis area HMOs, including HealthLink and United
Healthcare, are exploring coverage of alternative therapies.
"Consumers are more informed about alternative health-care options.
In today's health conscious society, this is a value-added service
our members clearly want and can now take advantage of, " Zorica
adds.
Laurie Burstein is a St. Louis-based free-lance writer.
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