Today in the United States, there are more than 113,000 men, women and children on an organ transplant waiting list. Nearly 9,000 are waiting in New York State, with almost 600 from our region alone. Someone is added to the national waiting list every ten minutes and, sadly, 20 people die each day before an organ becomes available. Thousands more are in need of cornea transplants to restore vision or donated tissue to heal wounds, reduce pain and/or improve mobility.
One donor can help save the lives of up to 8 people through organ donation, provide sight to two people through cornea donation, and improve the lives of nearly 75 more through tissue donation.
Why is it important to decide and talk about organ donation?
Organ, eye and tissue donation is an end-of-life option that everyone should decide upon. Making your decision now about donation means your family won’t be burdened with having to make it for you later. It only takes a few minutes to enroll online in the New York State Donate Life Registry. Regardless of whether you chose to register as a donor or not, telling your family what your wishes are will give them peace of mind.
FACTS ABOUT ORGAN DONATION
Anyone age 16 or older can enroll in the NYS Donate Life Registry at www.donatelife.ny.gov/register
There is no upper age limit to registering as an organ donor.
Don’t assume you aren’t healthy enough to donate. Health conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, do not prohibit someone from registering as a donor.
Medical professionals and tests will determine what organs and tissues can be donated at the time of death.
The doctors and nurses involved in life-saving care are separate from the medical professionals who perform organ transplants.
Only authorized organ and tissue recovery specialists (not doctors or nurses in the hospital) have access to the confidential donor registries. A person’s registration status is only checked at the time of death.
Enrolling in the NYS Donate Life Registry is the best place to document your wishes regarding donation.
Tell your family what your wishes are regarding organ donation. Making your decision now means they won’t have to make it on your behalf later.
Major religions support an individual’s choice to be an organ donor.
Final burial wishes can be honored after donation.
HOW TO REGISTER AS AN ORGAN DONOR
There are several ways to enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry. Regardless of which method you choose, the information is sent to the state’s organ, eye and tissue donor registry database. Signing the back of your license is not enough to ensure your wishes are known.
Online: New York State residents can sign up to be organ, eye and tissue donors at www.donatelife.ny.gov. Registering only takes a few minutes.
DMV: Check the “New York State Organ and Tissue Donation” box when applying for, or renewing, a Learner’s Permit, Driver’s License or Non-Driver’s ID.
Voter Registration Form: Check the “New York State Organ and Tissue Donation” box on the voter registration form.
New York State of Health – Health Insurance Exchange: Residents applying for or renewing health insurance benefits through the state have the opportunity to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor.
Don’t reside in New York? Go to https://www.organdonor.gov/ to find out how to register as a donor in your state.
October 12, 2021, 12:00-1:15PM ET
American Dairy Association North East and co-sponsor New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and American Academy of Pediatrics Chapter 1, would like to invite your members to attend our upcoming free health professional webinar in honor of National Farmer’s Day titled, “Virtual Dairy Farm Tour for Health Professionals. ” Please see details below.
• Webinar – Tuesday, October 12th from 12:00-1:15 PM ET (National Farmers Day)
• Title: “Virtual Dairy Farm Tour for Health Professionals”
• Farmers: John Dickinson, Owner at Ideal Dairy
Luke Getty, Owner at Ideal Dairy
Kyle Getty, Owner at Ideal Dairy
• Host: Jonathan Valdez, MBA, RDN, CSG, CDN, CCM, CDCES, ACE-CPT
• Pre-register here for the webinar: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
o CME Credit (pending approval)
o CPEU Credit (pending approval): 1.0 hour for registered dietitian nutritionists
o Professional Development Certificate – Available for School Nurses
• See Promotional Webinar Flyer attached to share with your members.
• Feel free to share our promotional social media post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well.
All webinar-related questions. Contact Michelle Barber MA, RDN, CDN, Health & Wellness Specialist/ADANE at mbarber@milk4u.org.
Here is the recent upstate on the state of Vaccinations in NYS:
Vaccines are widely considered among the greatest public health achievements of the last century.1 Diseases that previously killed thousands of children in the United States per year are now unheard of to most families. Over time, New York State has seen important increases in childhood vaccination rates. Yet, New York has also seen outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in recent years.3 In addition, children of color have historically faced barriers to vaccine access, creating disparities in vaccination coverage4,5,6 It is critical to further increase vaccination rates to prevent the return of diseases we had relegated to the past. An early childhood series of vaccines, as recommend by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), protects against 11 illnesses, including measles, mumps, and chickenpox. This report examines early childhood vaccination coverage in New York State from 2018 to 2020. Vaccination coverage refers to the percentage of children who completed the entire early childhood vaccine series by the age of 24 months. Data on childhood vaccination were made available through the New York State Immunization Information System (see more details on the data in the Methods section). Data on New York City immunizations are maintained by a separate immunization information system and were not made available to the report authors. This report therefore represents trends for about half of the statewide population of children ages 24–35 months.
For the entire packet, click here.
Click here for the article
There has been a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in the unvaccinated. To get your vaccine or for more information go to https://flvaccinehub.org/
The COVID-19 crisis doesn’t just impact one field or industry, it affects nearly all aspects of our everyday lives. During this time of uncertainty, the staff at Pullano & Farrow are striving to make sure our clients receive guidance and practical solutions, appropriate to fit their needs.
The outbreak has created immense and overwhelming difficulty across all professions and with day-to-day operations. P&F’s attorneys and support staff are closely monitoring new developments to provide clients with the most applicable information. Delivering a Different Client Experience has always been the motto at P&F and we take pride in providing quality guidance relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will get through this together.
Click here for COVID-19 Legal Updates.
On May 5, 2021, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the New York Health and Essential Rights Act (“NY HERO Act), which mandates employers to implement extensive workplace health and safety protections from future airborne infectious diseases. The HERO Act applies to all employers with worksites located within New York State, except for government employers and healthcare employers who are covered by the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Emergency Temporary Standards (discussed in our previous legal briefing).
On July 7, 2021, the New York Department of Labor issued new Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Standards and a general Model Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Plan. In addition to the general model plan (applicable to all covered employers), the Department of Labor also issued additional model plans that specifically address the unique health and safety concerns in several industries including agriculture, construction, retail, food services, and others.
With the release of the model standards and policies, employers now have until August 6, 2021 to establish their airborne infectious disease exposure prevention plans. Employers may adopt the model plan or create their own plan. If employers do choose to create their own plan, they face several requirements – including minimum standards and collaboration with employees and collective bargaining units.
Within 30 days of adopting a plan, employers must provide a written copy to employees, post it in a conspicuous location in each worksite, and add it to their employee handbook. Moving forward, the plan must be provided to all new employees upon hiring. If in the future, the worksite closes due to an airborne infectious disease, the employer must provide a written copy of the plan to employees within 15 days of reopening.
At this time, employers only need to adopt and provide written notice of an airborne infectious disease prevention plan. The safety measures in the plan do not need to be implemented until such time that the New York State Commissioner of Health designates an airborne infectious agent or disease as a highly contagious communicable disease that prevents a serious risk of harm to the public health. In other words, employers are not required to implement the plan for each flu season or other endemic infectious disease. Until such time that the Commissioner of Health publicly designates a particular airborne infectious disease as triggering implementation of the plan, employers are not required to perform the plan’s safety measures.
In the event that the Commissioner of Health makes a future designation, employers will be required to review the plan, update it if necessary to conform with current information and government guidelines, activate the plan at each worksite, and provide written copies to each employee. During the duration of the airborne infectious disease designation, employers must ensure that employees adhere to the plan. Employers will need to assign a non-supervisory employee to enforce the plan’s requirements, monitor and maintain exposure controls, and keep up to date on information and guidance issued from the Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Employers who fail to adopt or comply with an appropriate plan could face significant penalties, including monetary fines of up to $10,000.00. Employers should take immediate action to adopt a plan and ensure compliance with all statutory requirements.
Our team has extensive experience in counseling businesses on labor and employment matters and regulatory compliance. If you have any questions about this Legal Briefing or whether your airborne infectious disease prevention plan complies with NY HERO Act requirements, please contact any member of the Firm at (585) 730-4773.
NYS Department of Labor Issues HERO Act Model Policy and Standards – Compliance Deadline L
.
This Legal Briefing is intended for general informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice or counsel. The substance of this Legal Briefing is not intended to cover all legal issues or developments regarding the matter. Please consult with an attorney to ascertain how these new developments may relate to you or your business. © 2021 Law Offices of Pullano & Farrow PLLC
COVID-19 disrupted both in-person learning and routine well-child visits for many children over the last year. As a result, too many children have fallen behind on receiving recommended vaccines1. We all want our kids to be back in school safely, and that means getting caught up on vaccines that were missed over the last year. CDC’s public sector vaccine ordering data show a 14% drop in 2020-2021 compared to 2019, and measles vaccine is down by more than 20%. Kids need to get caught up now so that they are protected as they go back to in-person learning. Catch-up vaccination will require efforts from healthcare systems, health care providers, schools, state and local governments, and families.
Healthcare systems and healthcare providers should:
Healthcare provider organizations should:
Schools and state and local governments agencies should:
We all should:
Help us protect children by doing what you can to get kids caught up on recommended vaccines.
Sincerely, Nancy Messonnier, MD Senior Official, CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization: Vaccination Programs. ACIP Vaccination Programs Guidelines for Immunization | Recommendations | CDC. Accessed March 21, 2021.
Join us on Thursday, June 24, 2021, from 6:00 to 8:00pm for a screening of Black Men in White Coats, followed by a panel discussion. This event is free with limited in-person seating and will be live-streamed on Facebook. This free event is brought to you through generous support from the Black Physicians Network, the Monroe County Medical Society and the Rochester Academy of Medicine. Donations to, or membership in, any or all of these local organizations would be deeply appreciated.
To register, go here!
Panel Speakers: Dr. Mark Brown, Dr. Patrick Okolo, III, Dr. Christopher Richardson, Bryan Redman, MD, PhD Candidate ‘26 + Audience
Moderator: Dr. Cephas Archie, Chief Equity Officer for the City of Rochester
About The Film
Fewer Black men applied to medical school in 2014 than in 1978 and Black men have the lowest life expectancy in the United States. With only 2% of American doctors being Black men, this comes as no surprise. This documentary dissects the systemic barriers preventing Black men from becoming medical doctors and the consequences on society at large.
Health care accounts for nearly 20% of the United State’s GDP and a significant portion of that is driven by disparities in a system that lacks diverse physicians. What if we had a medical workforce that actually reflected our patient population? What challenges do our Black boys face? Who are their role models? Why is it easier to visualize a Black man in an orange jumpsuit than it is in a white coat? What’s happening in society that more black women are becoming doctors while Black men are stagnant? WHOSE FAULT IS IT? It’s time to end this CRISIS and get more BLACK MEN IN WHITE COATS?
