On Our Mind…Opening Our Minds

​By Sue Keegan , AIC, MBA, Learning & Development Manager I ordered a book last week that was recommended to our Inclusion Task Force by Eileen Frank. It's written by Ron Chernow who I'm sure you all recognize as the author of Alexander Hamilton.   The book I ordered is Grant, and I want to read it because I don't know enough about things I should know a lot about, mainly the history in our country of suppressing the enfranchisement of Black people. I am not a history buff, a history nut, or a lover of the history genre, but I'm going to put that all behind me and get…

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Agency Staff Not Eligible for Early COVID-19 Vaccinations

​Some Big I New York members have asked us whether insurance agents are eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations in Phase 1b of the distribution plan. The answer appears to be no.The New York State COVID vaccine web page contains a long list describing New Yorkers eligible for vaccinations in Phases 1a and 1b​. The list includes health care workers; individuals over age 65; first responders; corrections officers; in-person college instructors; those working in schools (pre-school and grades K through 12); grocery store workers; childcare workers; public transit workers; and individuals living and working in homeless shelters. It does not appear that insurance agency staff qualify under any…

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On Our Mind…When Quality Matters

​By Sue Keegan , AIC, MBA, Learning & Development Manager I wanted to write a bit about when quality matters but then I got to thinking about those three words, and I couldn't help but wonder, well when the heck doesn't it matter? Or do we think now of quality more as it doesn't really matter until it matters. That's a dangerous approach, I think.  I'm reminded of my days in claims when the only thing coming between a settlement check and a denial was a missed endorsement or a simple typo or an incorrectly completed application or ignored legal paperwork. There is no better time than the…

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