Author: Angela Leone

Film about Health Care Reform and What Went So Wrong

There has been so much debate about health care reform, that now there is even a film about it. This film will be called Money Driven Medicine and is produced by Alex Gibney and is based on a book also called Money-Drive Medicine by Maggie Mahar. This film will show that the U.S. has spent more on health care when it becomes an emergency situation and less money on how to prevent diseases and sicknesses in the first place. It will talk about how we might receive more medical care, but not necessarily better medical care. Based on how the Health Care reform debate is going on now, this may be right. This country has many resources and all the technology for good medical care, but it seems as though we wait to use it until patients come in seriously ill with chronic problems or illness. If we spent more time preventing the abuse and injuries going on in nursing homes, or with consumer products, or even with driving safety than maybe we would not have to spend so much about expensive medicines and technology and there may not be as many medical malpractice lawsuits. So instead of focusing on more care, maybe the debate needs to focus on ways to prevent injuries, abuse, and sicknesses in the first place. If this country did that, maybe we could save enough money to get everyone health care and proper medical care. We need to focus more on patients and less on expensive medicines and equipment and how to cut costs. Without patients to care for, we won’t need all that, so patients need to come first. They should always be the first concern.

For more information on the film Money-Driven Medicine, you may visit: http://www.moneydrivenmedicine.org/about-mdm

If you feel that you or a loved one has been the victim of abuse or an injury that could have been prevented, please call a malpractice attorney right away. They will advocate for your rights and those of your loved ones to help you get proper medical care.

How to look for Good Long Term Care Facilities

When a family member or loved one needs care but it has become too hard for you or your family to give it yourself, you want to find the best care possible for your loved ones. Too many times we hear stories about people that go to this nursing home or to that one and end up with injuries, are abused, suffer from malnutrition, have bed sores or other problems. Unfortunately, these are not just stories. These things happen to millions of elderly people every single day. If you want to make sure you are taking your loved one to a “sage” or high quality care facility, there are couple things you can do. You can talk with friends and neighbors about places they have tried and get a general idea of what to look for and then you can go online to www.medicare.gov

On this website you can search for nursing homes by state, city and more and then it will bring up a list of nursing homes and how they are rated based on their overall rating, health inspections, nursing staff, and quality measures. This website also lists what insurance programs they participate in and whether or not the nursing home is non-profit. Once you have this list, you can begin calling places and asking to see the facility or even to spend a day with a resident who lives there. It is important to see what actually goes on at a long term care facility, so that you know you are sending your loved ones to a place where they will be treated well for any injuries or sores they may get and where measures are taken to prevent nursing home abuse and other problems. This way you can feel better about the care of your loved one now and in the future.

For more information on nursing home ratings in New Jersey, you may visit: www.medicare.gov.

 

If you feel that your loved ones have been a victim of nursing home abuse, please contact a nursing home abuse lawyer right away.
He will help you advocate for the rights of you and your loved ones, to get the quality care they deserve.

Tort Reform is Hurting More Than Helping

As the health care debate continues, so does tort reform. While some efforts have been made to help protect patients and their rights, there is still tort reform that is trying to cut costs and because of this there are still many people that are unable to get proper medical care and unable to fight for their rights to it. If tort reform continues the way it has, it is hurting more people than it is or will help.  Cutting costs and providing coverage for everyone is a great idea, but it is only great if it actually helps people to get the care they need and to have the services they need to fight for proper medical care if it is not given.  They are still many people being injured daily because of medical errors and malpractice. They are still many elderly being abused in nursing homes due to improper medical care. It is great that programs are trying to be put in place to cut down on medical malpractice lawsuits but what about just cutting down on the actual malpractice? If patients receive proper medical care, including checkups, treatments, evaluations and more, then we can worry less about lawsuits because the medical care will be better. Until medical errors are dramatically reduced and programs are put in place for more adequate medical care than people still need malpractice rights and lawyers to help them advocate for their rights to proper medical care. Tort reform may try to cut costs all it wants, but people still need their rights and one of these rights is their right to sue for medical malpractice. These rights are there to help those hurting.  Tort reform has only hurt more and not helped.

If you would like more information on the health care debate and tort reform, you may visit:

This link.

If you or someone you loved has been injured or denied proper medical care, contact a malpractice lawyer right away. They will help you fight for your rights and get your voice heard to help those you love.

FDA requires Strongest Warning Label on Nausea Drug

On Thursday September 17th the Food and Drug Administration required that the strongest warning label be placed on a nausea drug known as Phenegran. This new warning label is due to the fact that after Diane Levine took this drug through an IV push for migraine related nausea and it then led to infection and gangrene. This caused her to have to have her lower right arm amputated. She sued the drug company Wyeth claiming that the warning label was not sufficient enough to warn against the effects of this drug especially in an IV push. This case made it to the Supreme Court and won Diane 6.7 million dollars. This then led to the FDA requiring this strong warning. This will warn users and medical professionals about the possibility of gangrene and also to let them know that IV drugs should be used in low doses and low concentration. This warning is the FDA’s strongest and is called a “black box” warning. The Court agreed that having the Food and Drug Administration’s approval and new warnings help cut down on medical device lawsuits.

For more information on Food and Drug Administration and  improper warning labels you may visit:

This link.

If you or a loved one have experienced a situation similar to this or have been injured due to a medical device or product, please contact a defective product lawyer right away. They will help you fight for your rights to be heard and get the care you or loved one  deserve.

Should a Price Tag be put on Good Medical Care?

There has been much debate about health care over the last few months. One of the issues that is being brought up over and over again is whether or not tort reform and limits on malpractice suits actually will save money. Some people say it does because doctors will not have to spend so much money ordering special tests and treatments for patients when it may not be needed. Should a price tag really be put on good medical care? What if a doctor did not order a test or treatment because they thought it was not needed and then later discovered that it could have helped? For situations like these that happen every day in millions of hospitals, doctor’s offices, and nursing homes in every state, we still need our malpractice rights. It is still possible that even with universal coverage those doctors may make a medical error either because they want to cut a cost or because they just did not pay enough attention. States that have medical malpractice caps and tort reform are not actually saving any more money than those who do not have them. So why should we deny patients the right to good medical care and treatment when we are not really saving any money by doing so? Everyone, even the doctors that see patients every day, should have the right to speak up if their medical care is inadequate or if there is a problem. This should be a basic right as a person and an American. Malpractice caps do not save money on health insurance so why take away a person’s right to good medical care and treatment and the right to sue if they do not receive it? The logic just does not make sense.

People in this country have the right to free speech as well as many other rights and that should always include the right to speak up about medical errors and malpractice. These rights should be totally different than the health insurance debate because there should not be a price tag on person’s right to good proper medical care.

If you would like more information on the health care debate and malpractice rights, you may visit this link.

If you or a loved one has been injured or abused due to improper medical care, contact a medical malpractice lawyer right away. They will help you advocate for your right to be heard and receive the care you deserve.

Good Actions Speak Louder Than Words for Trial Lawyers

In our society, we have been taught through tort reform and other actions to fear and hate trial lawyers. Many people have come to believe that lawyers do not really care if their client has been injured or if their rights have been violated because it means more money for the lawyer. Many people have come to believe that lawyers do not really care about the health care and well being of their loved ones because the money they get will help them take care of their own loved ones. Every time a lawyer has tried to say that they care about people’s rights, someone else has always been there to say they really do not. People and tort reform have done a good job to make lawyers seem greedy and selfish and given the good ones and the ones that work hard for our rights a bad reputation. This means that lawyers have to stop speaking about what good they will do and actually do it. They have to start persuading juries and the people that their acts are purely selfless by doing selfless good work just for the people. The only way people will begin to see that lawyers are not just all about the money and power but that they care for people and their rights is by showing them through their actions. Supporting people over profits and other similar organizations and groups and being out there in the community with people that are being abused, injured and neglected will help trial lawyers that are for the people gain trust and respect from the people they work  for to help and protect.

People learn by example. If they continue to see trial lawyers performing selfless acts for the people, then they will slowly learn again not to fear and hate lawyers and they will know that lawyers are truly are on their side and fighting for their rights.

For more information on what trial lawyers are doing for the people, you may visit:

This link.

More info.

ATV Safety Tips that may Save Your Life

These days ATVs have become very popular especially among young teens and young adults. Unfortunately, if you do not know how to properly operate one or drive one, injuries can and will happen. Many people get injured in ATV accidents every day. It is important to have the proper training and know how to drive an ATV before using it to help you and your loved ones avoid serious injuries or accidents.

Here are some safety tips for riding and driving ATVs from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

  • Wear a helmet and protective gear and clothing
  • Do not ride tandem (or two on one ATV)
  • Do not ride on the payment
  • Do not let children ride on adult ATVs
  • Do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Many injuries caused on ATVs are head injuries. Wearing a helmet that is certified by the U.S. Department of Transportation may help prevent serious head or other injuries. Wearing protective gear and clothing will help protect against burns or abrasions to the skin.  Most ATVs were only made for one rider. Having more than one rider causes the weight to be off balance which makes it harder to control an ATV. It is best to ride with no passengers for overall safety. Other injuries and even deaths have occurred when riders drive ATVs on paved roads, they were not designed for this kind of pavement and they can collide with other vehicles easily.  Children have been involved in many deaths and injuries when riding on adult ATVs and more likely to get injured on an adult ATV if they are less than sixteen years of age, than on an ATV made for youth.  As with driving any vehicle or operating machinery, ATVs should not be driven while under the influence of alcohol or drugs because timing and judgment can be impaired causing more injuries and accidents.

For these reasons and for the safety of yourself, your loved ones and other drivers, it is important to follow these ATV safety tips. They really just might save your life.

If you or a loved one has been injured in ATV accident and would like your rights heard for your medical needs and other expenses, please contact a personal injury attorney right away. They will help you advocate for the rights of you and your loved one.

For additional information on ATV safety, you may visit: this link.

Health Care Reform versus Medical Malpractice Rights

There continues to be much debate about health care reform and how to achieve it for everyone. There have been people talking about and trying to push aside medical malpractice rights in favor of other medical rights and reform. The truth is that is two different topics and should be given two seperate debates. Health care reforms main goals are to make sure every person in this country has affordable health care coverage. That is great and even wonderful if it can happen, but it should not come at the expense of taking away other much needed rights of the same Americans we are trying to get medical coverage. If we get medical coverage for every person, but then take away their rights to file a complaint if injured while receiving  that medical care what are we as a country saying? Are we saying you can go to any hospital or doctor you want now because you are covered with insurance but we do not care if you are injured or we do not care how good that medical care is? This country needs medical coverage for everyone, we really do, but we also need to keep protecting the rights of those injured by medical errors and malpractice every year. Thousands of people with medical coverage still not receive proper medical care, due to errors, injuries, malpractice, and abuse. We as a country need good medical care, but we also need to protect our rights to voice our opinions and let them be heard if we are injured by a medical error. If health care reform pushes aside medical malpractice rights then we will just have yet another crisis on our hands. We need to think of people first and foremost and profits second. Medical coverage will not matter if the medical care is not good. This is why medical malpractice rights are still very important and cannot be pushed aside.

If you want to do your part to protect medical malpractice rights, write a letter to your congressmen or your editor and get the word out about how we still need these rights and they should not be taken away.

For more information on the health care reform and medical malpractice rights you may visit: www.peopleoverprofits.org

September 11, 2001 Friend Remembered

Today is September 11, 2009. The United States will never forget this day.  In West Chester, Pennsylvania, not far from where I went to College at West Chester University, there will be a special gathering.   For the second straight year, people will gather to honor Mike Horrocks, a friend, Marine, United Airlines colleague and football teammate.  Mike was a person of principle and integrity whose life ended too soon on September 11, 2001.  Many of us from West Chester remember Mike as a tremendous athlete, competitor and leader from his playing days at West Chester from 1981 to 1984 when he was our quarterback.  Mike’s leadership and sheer determination was the catalyst leading to one of the biggest upsets wins in West Chester football history – the 1983 upset over the heavily favored Delaware Blue Hens in Mike’s first career start.Each year thousands of students, athletes and faculty attend various events at West Chester University.  However there is presently an absence of anything tangible at West Chester to connect those people with Mike’s story and its tragic ending on 9/11/2001.  Sadly, with the passing of time, it will only be a few short years until Mike’s name and the legacy of those he represents is completely forgotten at West Chester.

To ensure that Mike’s name and legacy are never forgotten at West Chester University, we have conducted fundraise the last two 9/11 anniversaries.   We plan to construct a permanent memorial and establish a perpetual scholarship in Mike’s honor at West Chester University.

This memorial and scholarship will serve many purposes – but two come quickly to mind:

1) To the thousands who will attend events at West Chester in the coming years and decades to come, it will serve as an important reminder of the senseless loss of Mike and nearly 3,000 others who tragically died on 9/11/2001; and

2) For those of us who knew Mike as a teammate, friend, Marine and colleague, it will be a place for us and our families to come and remember him and the short time we spent with him in our lives.

We have had tremendous suppport for this memorial.  But, we are still short of our fundraising goal.

All generous donations will make certain we “Never Forget.”  Information regarding donations is available at tonight’s donation tables.  Make Donation checks Payable to “Mike Horrocks Scholarship Endowment” and return to the donation table or mail to:

 West Chester University Athletics

Sturzebecker, HSC

West Chester, PA 19383

Credit card donations may also be made by calling 610 436-2557.  Donations may be made in a single installment or in equal monthly installments charged to credit card. 

 

Donations will be received by a 501(c)3 organization and earmarked for a special fund in honor of Mike Horrocks and will be tax deductible.

For additional Information call 610-436-2557.

For additional information on Mike Horrocks and the statue, you may visit:

This link.

No Such thing as a "nice bike ride in the park," with Dangerous Bike Chain

On Tuesday September 8th 2009, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and SRAM of Chicago, IL recalled defective bicycle chains and chain connectors because they can crack while in use and cause a fall hazard to the rider of the defective bicycle. One incident has been reported in the U.S. and three incidents outside of the U.S. with these Powerlock connector links, but no injuries have been reported. The recall is specifically on defective SRAM PowerLock connector links on 10 speed bicycle chains sold individually and on some bicycles as part of the original equipment.

If you may have one of these defective chains, play it safe and stop riding your bike and contact SRAM for a free replacement PowerLock connector link.

If you feel that you may have been injured or your rights have not been protected due to this defective consumer product, contact a defective product attorney right away. They can help you get your voice heard and make sure your rights as a consumer are protected.

For additional information concerning this product you may visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the SRAM website at: http://www. sram.com.