NC State Representative Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland) has been appointed to serve on the North Carolina Institute of Medicine. The appointment was made by Governor Beverly Perdue and is effective immediately.

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) is an independent, quasi-state agency that was chartered by the NC General Assembly in 1983 to provide balanced, nonpartisan information on issues of relevance to the health of North Carolina’s population.

The NCIOM convenes task forces, or working groups, of knowledgeable and interested individuals to study complex health issues facing the state in order to develop workable solutions to address these issues.

Appointed by the Governor for five-year terms, the 100 active members of the Institute are drawn from government, education, business and industry, the health and legal professions, the hospital and health insurance industries, private philanthropy, the voluntary sector and the public at large. Because of its broad membership base, NC IOM serves to objectively represent the public interest in its advisory and consultative role.

As members of the Institute, citizens appointed to serve are not advocates for any particular point of view on issues under study and do not officially represent the organizations with which they are affiliated. The purpose of the NC IOM is to ensure that all aspects of complex health issues are examined and the results of these deliberations are made available to public and private sector officials with decision-making authority.

All former active members of the Institute continue to be listed as alumni members and are invited to continue their involvement in activities of the Institute.

For more information visit http://www.nciom.org/.

RALEIGH – NC State Representative Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland) has been named 2010 Legislator of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers, North Carolina Chapter.

The association membership chooses a legislator every year that represents the values, ethics, and concerns of social workers in NC.

Rep Glazier, a Democrat from Cumberland County, was the lead on several pieces of significant legislation for the

The Title Protection bill mandates that only those who hold a degree in Social Work from an accredited program of study may use the title “Social Worker”, with an exemption for those who work under the NC State Personnel Social Work Series. The School Violence Prevention Act is a law that seeks to protect all children, teachers and staff  in North Carolina’s public schools from harassment, bullying, and intimidation.

Jack Register, the association’s Legislative Director & Lobbyist, stated “Rep. Glazier is a long time friend to our profession. He understands the work we do with vulnerable people. We appreciate his efforts to strengthen our ability to serve NC’s citizens.”

The award will be presented at the association’s annual Ethics Conference March 5, 2010. For more information about NASW-NC, www.naswnc.org