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Home > Newsroom > In the News > In the News 2003

Abt Associates in the News — 2003

Welcome to the Abt Associates' In the News Section.  Many members of our staff are frequently quoted as expert sources for news articles.  Below are summaries of selected articles in which our experts are cited.  Many of these summaries list on-line access information: access is sometimes free, but sometimes a small fee is charged once the article is archived.  For more information or for a hard-copy of the original article, contact Corporate Communications at 617-520-2982, or e-mail newsroom@abtassoc.com.

In the News, November 2003

In the News, October 2003

In the News, September 2003

In the News, August 2003

  • "Fish and foul," Jeanne Bassett, The Albuquerque Tribune, August 19, 2003

In the News, July 2003

In the News, June 2003

In the News, May 2003

In the News, April 2003

In the News, March 2003

In the News, February 2003

  • "Smoke Screen," Michael Scherer, MotherJones.com, February 24, 2003

In the News, January 2003






November 2003

Management Scinces for Health landed a three- year; $100 million government contract this year to help train health care workers, but there's significant catch. They'll be working in Afghanistan.  Orginization such as Abt Associate Inc. send there staff and expertise around the world .


Abt Associates is conducting an evaluation for the Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services.  Our company found that it is possible to get working TANF recipients involved in community college, but their earnings did not increase during the first year and a half of program participation. 


The flow of bad news from Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration has been so steady in recent years that good news about the agency's performance is worth noting.  Abt Associates and the Urban Institute recently concluded a five-year study which compared recipients of the state's current system to recipents of the old Aid to Families with Dependent Children system. 


October 2003

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has selected MDRC in partnership with Abt Associates, Child Trends, and Optimal Solutions to conduct evaluation of healthy marriage programs for low-income couples.


The U.S. Department of Commerce will sponsor a tradeshow that will focus on rebuilding Iraq. The 'Outreach 2004' tradeshow will be located in Las Vegas. From the article: "Bechtel, Halliburton, Abt Associates and the other prime contractors will be invited to participate," said Tom Kallman of The Kallman Group, organizer of the tradeshow.


September2003

...Nearly 6,000 of those deaths are attributable to plants owned by a mere eight companies, according to a study by Abt Associates, which frequently conducts assessments for the EPA.  (The companies are American Electric Power, Cinergy, Duke, Dynegy, FirstEnergy, SIGECO, Southern Company, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.)... 


This is an annual list by the Boston Business Journal of the Boston area's largest management consulting firms. Abt Associates is listed 2 of the 25 firms. Firms are ranked by number of management consultants working in Massachusetts.


This new article on the relaxation of EPA emissions standards is supported by an Abt Associates study on the health implications of such a move.  One of the findings cited says that current contamination from power plants alone cause 30,000 premature deaths, 20,000 respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalizations, and 600,000 asthma attacks annually.


This editorial uses information from an Abt Associates study for the EPA about the health effects of emissions from coal burning power plants.


August2003

Clark Abt, Chairman of Abt Associates, gives five solutions to rescue the U.S.'s mission in Iraq in a Boston Globe op ed piece. These are:

  1. Triple the number of troops in Iraq
  2. Change the mission of the US armed forces from hunting down terrorists and Saddam's hard-liners to protecting civilians who are rebuilding Iraq's oil fields, electric power, water and food supply, health care, education and police structure
  3. Triple investment in Iraq's physical and social services and bring in U.S. Corps of Engineers and multinationals to accelerate the work
  4. Accelerate full-time employment and training as needed of all willing Iraqis in restoring physical and social services, first in the poorest neighborhoods
  5. Communicate constantly and honestly with all media in Arabic, and accept and communicate local criticism and US response to it
 


Raymond E. Glazier of Belmont, Massachusetts was recently named National Employee of the Year by the National Business & Disability Council of Long Island, New York. Glazier was honored for 35 years of service from a wheelchair at Abt Associates Inc. Among the projects Glazier has directed for Abt was the four-year, $1.4 million National ADA Technical Assistance Coordinator contract for the U.S. Department of Education. Glazier currently heads up the Abt Associates Center for the Advancement of Rehabilitation and Disability Services.  


This Boston Globe opinion article describes the cost to the public of the Bush administrations easing up of the Clear Air Act. The article cites an Abt Associates' study done for the Boston-based Clean Air Task Force. The study's conclusion is that the failure to install pollution controls at 51 of the largest dirtiest coal burning power plants - a focus of the Clinton administration - "contributes to 5,000 to 9,000 premature deaths and 80,000 to 120,000 asthma attacks every year."


Dr. Rocco Casagrande, director of Homeland Security for Abt Associates, will be a guest speaker at the upcoming Iowa Food Security Conference.  Topics covered at the conference include bioterrorism, on-farm livestock security, and food-processing industry security. 


This is an article critisizing the new "Clear Skies" initiative proposed recently.  From the article: "According to a study by the Environmental Protection Agency's own consultants, Abt Associates, pollution from the grandfathered power plants in New Mexico causes 599 asthma attacks each year, many of which occur in children, as well as 4,880 lost workdays." 


Abt Associates Inc., an employee-owned company, has been ranked 23rd in Honomichl's prestigious list of the top 25 global market research organizations.  


From the Article: "Dozens of clinics in Iraq have been looted.  Almost a third of the children in the south and center of the Persian Gulf country suffer from malnutrition. And there is a severe shortage of nurses.  Three months into a $43.8 million contract, Abt Associates Inc., a Cambridge company, is still mapping out how to shore up the Iraqi health care system." 


July2003

Abt Associates is aiding in the reconstruction of Iraq. From the article: "Abt has taken on a $10 million project to quickly restore the country's health services. The contract is a key element of the U.S. Agency for International development's reconstruction for Iraq.

Abt will support a reformed Iraqi Ministry of Health as well as deliver health services, provide medical equipment and supplies, train and recruit health staff, provide health education and informatin, and determine the specific needs of the health sector and vulnerable populations such as women and children."


The U.S. Department of Agriculture implements 15 programs as a food safety net to provide low-income families and children with access to a healthy diet. Abt Associates Inc. has conducted a review of knowledge about effects of these programs on nutrition and health. This report can be accessed for free at the following Web site in the Publications section:


The Bush administration has agreed to reconsider provisions in national environmental policy in response to pressure from state attouneys general and environmental groups.  The legislation in question, the Clean Air Act, had already been drafted into a 'final' version by the EPA.  The article a research study by Abt Associates, commissioned by the watchdog group Environmental Integrity Project. 


The Bush administration is considering changes in national environmental policy in response to pressure from state attouneys general and environmental groups.  The legislation in question, the Clean Air Act, had already been drafted into a 'final' version by the EPA.  The article states that a main motivator behind this movement is a series of studies by Abt Associates, commissioned by the watchdog group Environmental Integrity Project. 


This is a followup to an earlier USAID press release, this time focusing on the USAID grant awarded by Abt Associates to the Iraqi Nursing Association.  Iraq has been suffering through a short supply of medicines, equipment, and nurses, and this $137,000 grant will go towards "new uniforms, bed linens, and nurses' kits — which include stethoscopes and pen lights — and other equipment for the Yarmouk Hospital." 


The press release talks about the National Iraqi Nurses Conference convened at the Baghdad Convention Center. The conference was sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in conjunction with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).  It mentions a USAID grant awarded by Abt Associates to the Iraqi Nurses Associates, to help them restore a health system underfunded and undertrained since the 1980's. 


This feature article describes Wendell Knox's career at Abt Associates Inc. and describes in detail the history of the company as a leader in global business research and problem-solving for a wide variety of social issues.  


This annual ranking by the National Center for Employee Ownership organization lists Abt Associates Inc. as 73rd of the top 100 American employee-owned companies. 


June2003

This article deals with the multifaceted issues of health and nutrition in Iraq, especially pertaining to that of children.  It mentions that firms are trying to several health issues left over from the old regime, and that Abt Associates in particular is providing machinery to add micro-nutrients to cereals — a process which was done in the United States 50 years ago. 


Three enginers from a Batavia firm will leave for Iraq Tuesday to help in the country's reconstruction.they are asssigned to to asses health-care facilities and clinics.  Abt associates of Cambridge, Mass., will act asprime contractor. 


In preparation for a possible terrorist attack, officials hope to catalog emergency resources — from decontamination tents to body bags — from eight rural Pennsylvania counties in an Internet database that could serve as a national model.  Abt Associates is heading up the project with Geisinger Health System, in order to collect a range of information they say will be far more detailed than existing databases. 


Geisinger Medical Center of Danville Pennsylvannia has teamed up with Abt Associates Inc. to create and maintain a database of all emergency resources in eight Pennsylvannia counties. In the event of a terrorist attack, lead officials will be able to access a secure database managed and protected by Abt Associates in order to help victims, coordinate emergency materials and organizations needed to solve problems caused by bioterrorism and terrorism. Participants hope that this project will expand statewide.  



Honomichl, a widely respected research industry observer, has named Abt Associates Inc. as one of the top 50 U.S. research organizations for 2002. Abt Associates was rated 18 out of top 50 marketing organizations Honomichl listed. U.S.-only revenues for the top 50 companies rose by 3.6% from 2001 revenues.  


Abt Associates Inc. has named Kathleen Heintz managing vice pesident for it's housing and community revitalization practice area.   Prior to joing Abt Associates in 1991, Henitz held positions at Urban Systems Research and Engineering, The Urban Institute and ICF Inc. 


The article cites a recent Abt Associates study in Montana, which found that most people who left the state welfare rolls have not achieved self-sufficiency.  This indicates a certain failure in the TANF program. 


The article cites a recent Abt Associates study on a Montana welfare program that provides cash payments to poor families and provides them with incentives to find jobs and get off welfare has mixed results.  The study found that though the proportion of welfare families who made solid financial improvements grew from 9 percent to 24 percent, families who were considered nearly self-sufficient dropped sharply from 33 percent to 8 percent.


From the article: It's not encouraging that a program designed to promote self-sufficiency hasn't succeeded for a fairly substantial number of people and that number has gone up," said Hank Hudson, who heads the Human Community Services Division in the Department of Public Health and Human Services.


From the article: The National Minority Business Council Inc., and the National Association of Minority Contractors called President Bush on May 20, to ensure that minority owned compaines are included in reconstructionprojects in Iraq.  To date, US AID has awarded $90.9m in Iraq reconstrucioncontracts, including Abt Associates Inc. for health; 7.9M. 


May2003

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Abt Associates a $12.7 million, seven-year contract for support for the EPA Oil Program Center.

From the article: Under this contract, Abt Associates and an impressive team of subcontractors and consultants will provide a wide range of regualtory, technical, and outreach services for a small EPA office with a critical mission: oil pollution prevention and response as well as homeland security," commented Peter Eglinton of Abt Associates, the project director.


From the article: The US company Abt Associates, which won the tender for medicines supply in post-war Iraq reconstruction, is interested in supplying Bulgarian medicines, Bulgarian Economy Ministry announced Saturday.


This is an interview with Rocco Casagrande, who is the director Abt Associates' Homeland Security Program.  The Q&A session covers the topic of Bioterrorism, it's implications, and the tie-ins with Iraq.


The state of Ohio has recently contracted with Citicorp Electronic Financial Services to use Smart Card technology to deliver Food Stamp benefits.  The Smart Card technology is more expensive than magnetic strip technology used by other states because it uses built-in processors and memory.   An analysis done for the state of Ohio by Abt Associates concluded that magnetic-stripe cards, similar to to credit cards that dial in to a phone line, are less expensve, largely because they use multipurpose terminals that stores already use to process credit cards.


Abt Associates has been selected, along with partners Voxiva, INc. and Rand, to implement a state-of-the-art electronic diary providing a new and efficient way to monitor recipients of the smallpox vaccine.
From the article: "Abt Associates' call center capacity and Voxiva's integrated phone and Web technology and Rand's technical expertise allowed us to customize a new and unique solution for the Department of Defense Vacine Agency," said Judie Mopsick, Managing Vice President of Abt Associates' Survey Research Area.


Numerous sources are reporting on the recent Abt Associates' win of a USAID contract to rebuild the health system of post-conflict Iraq.  (official press release).  Sources include:

ABC News
Aberdeen American News
Austin American Statesman
Belleville News-Democrat
Biloxi Sun Herald
Boston Globe
Boston Mass High Tech
BBC News
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Forbes (2)
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Grand Forks Herald
Guardian (UK)

  

Grand Forks Herald
Houston Chronicle
Kansas City Star
Macon Telegraph
Reuters
Rocky Mount Telegram
Riyadh Daily (Saudi Arabia)
San Jose Mercury News
Texas News Journal
Washington Technology
Wichita Eagle
Wilkes Barre Weekender

(Hard copies available.)


This article describes the emergency measures and priorities necessary to improve the Iraqi medical system because of the war. It names Abt Associates Inc. as the organization contracted for one year by USAID to repair Iraqi health services.



April2003

This article cites a popular study performed by Abt Associates for the U.S.  Environmental Protection Agency.  In response to (New Zealand based mining company) Solid Energy's plan to build a new coal-fueled power plant, they cite that Abt Associates' report which showed that particulate matter emitted from the coal plants resulted in up to 170,000 asthma attacks and 9,000 deaths each year. 


The purpose of this article is to expose the false information surrounding the privatization of the prison system.  As pertains to Abt Associates, it says: "The fiction of illusory “cost savings” has been well demonstrated in studies by the General Accounting Office, by Abt Associates Inc.  and by long-time researcher James Austin (with Garry Coventry) for the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance."


March2003

This article says that Abt Associates, extrapolating from studies in other cities, estimated that 29 people in Athens die prematurely each year because of fine-particle pollution — more people than die because of homicides or drunk drivers. 


This Living Arts feature article interviews Rocco Casagrande, an MIT Ph.D. graduate in Biology, who spent four months in Iraq as a weapons inspector. From the article: Starting April 1, Casagrande will become head of a homeland security program at Abt Associates, an international government- and business-research firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


From the article: Statistics released by ABT Associates, the South African Society of Actuaries and Harvard Centre for International Health reveal that 4% of SA's skilled workforce is HIV+.  "Most of these people, however, believe they are at a very low risk of contracting the virus and are therefore not interested in learning more about its prevention, treatment, impact and workplace ethics," says [Echoteq CEO Yoram] Percale.


Abt Associates Inc. ranked 63rd in Boston Business Journal's annual list of 100 largest private companies. Ranking is based on revenue.


This article is about a suit filed by seven midwestern and southeastern environmental organizations in the U.S.  Court of Appeals in Washington.  The article cites a recent study by Abt Associates that maintains up to 170,000 asthma attacks and 9,000 deaths yearly result from particulate matter emitted by about 50 coal-fired power plants in the Midwest and Southeast alone.


February2003

This article is about the upcoming "Clear Skies" legislation proposed by President Bush.  It alleges that the legislation would actually weaken and delay current measures mandated by the Clean Air Act of 1990.  It cites, among other things, an EPA-funded report by Abt Associates which states that at current pollution rates sulfur and nitrogen are responsible for 6,000 premature annual deaths, 140,000 asthma attacks and 14,000 cases of acute bronchitis per year. 


Abt Associates President and CEO, Wendell Knox, spoke to more than 300 people at a talk sponsored by the Naples Council on World Affairs, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization, which promotes education on foreign policy.  The talk's theme, with America at war, what are this country's strength's and weaknesses and those of America's allies and enemies?


This article cites a report that Abt Associates completed for Congress last year.  The report found that a minimum staffing level of 4.1 total nursing hours per resident per day was needed to ensure quality nursing home care.  However, staffing shortages have brought the average down to 3.8 hours nationally, and 3.9 in South Carolina. 


From the article: Because Medicare's data seemed far out of touch with the reality we were hearing from hospitail pharmacies and cancer program administrators, ACCC commissioned a study by Abt associates Inc., to determine what hospitals were paying for cancer drugs. 


From the article: The study, by consulting firm Abt Associates of Bethesda, Md., found that about 29 percent of people who left welfare for jobs had taken college classes.  By contrast, only 12 percent of the people still on the rolls had taken college classes, according to the study.  "School alone hasn't worked well in welfare," said David J.  Fein, senior associate at Abt.  "Work alone has done all right, but hasn't done much to improve self-sufficiency."


From the article: "Abt Associates Clinical Trials is conducting clinical trials and assisting in the regulatory process for Hemopure the U.S. and international markets. Hemopure is being developed by Biopure Corp. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently accepted the electronic biologics license application preparted by Abt Associates seeking regulatory approval to market Hemopure which is a used in the treatment of acute anemia in adults."  

Inder Kaul, M.D., VP and Executive Director of clinical o

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