Category: Public Safety and Awareness

New Health Legislation may not provide Coverage for Everyone

The health legislation concerns still keep going and going. The Democrats have celebrated that the bill created in the Senate Finance Committee would not increase the deficit, but it may not actually provide coverage for every American as previously promised. Yes, the bill will cover the expensive and possibility the sickest patients, but it will pose an insurance risk to other people by making them pay even more in health care coverage. This will lead to people once again not being able to afford coverage and then again having not everyone receiving health insurance coverage. The health care reform was supposed to provide health care coverage for as many if not all Americans. This does not seem to be the case since health insurance will increase their costs for those with insurance making those with insurance unable to afford it. This means less injuries and health problems for those that are covered by the new health care reform and unaffordable insurance and more injuries and problems for people that already had health insurance. This seems like the bill will not actually be able to deliver what was once promised. Patients and proper health care should come first, but yet again, money and profits are still being put first. When will our system get up to speed to places like Europe where if you have an ehic card, that’s probably all you are going to need for coverage. We need to make sure that not only is every American able to afford coverage but that this coverage will provide proper medical care and less malpractice and injuries for patients.

For more information on the new health reform debate, you may visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/08/AR2009100801732.html

 

If you or someone you love feels like you have not received proper medical care, please contact a malpractice lawyer right away. They will help you advocate for your rights to receive proper medical care.

Support is Gaining for Health Care Reform, but will it really benefit everyone?

According to an Associated Press poll today, October 7, 2009, the country is spilt forty-forty about whether or not to oppose or support the new health legislation. This includes more seniors supporting the health legislation than back in September. This is very good news for many people, after all, having health coverage for everyone is a great plan, but will it really benefit everyone. The money to provide everyone with health care coverage has to come from somewhere and it means that programs such as Medicare and Medicare and long term care facilities services will be cut to help provide these services as well as cuts being made from many other programs that allow seniors and other people proper medical care and training which helps to prevent abuse. The president’s intentions seem to be great but is the whole picture being looked at? Health care coverage for everyone is not the only thing at stake. People getting proper medical care and services is also at stake. Taking services from people that really need them in order to make sure everyone has coverage seems like a contradiction. Everyone having medical coverage should mean that more services and opportunities are provided, but instead they are being cut and taken away from people that really need them. This means more injuries and abuse if the proper care is not provided. The president wants programs that prevent sickness and illness yet cuts are being made to the services already provided, that just seems wrong. This plan is a good idea, but if you say it will benefit everyone than it really should, and right now it is clear that it will not.

For additional information on the new health care reform poll, you may visit: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091007/ap_on_bi_ge/us_ap_poll_health_care

If you feel that you or a loved one is not getting the proper medical care or treatment, please call, a medical malpractice lawyer right away. They will help you advocate your case and get you the good medical care you deserve.

Is your Teen Safe Driving Their Own Car?

Many teens especially in this country consider it a right to have their own car when they are old enough to drive and have passed their test. A new study reported by MSNNBC,  from researchers at a Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Companies though finds that one in four teens that drive their own cars are more likely to get in an accident than those that share a car. This study also found that parents who set clear rules and guidelines about driving are less likely to get into a car accident. This is why it is important both as a parent and a teen to know about driving safety and to know the rules and guidelines you should follow as a teen driver. Some of these rules may include:

  • Signing a contract with a parent about responsible driving

Signing a contract with parents will let both teens and parents know the rules and guidelines and are prepared to face the consequences if that contract is broken.

  • Choosing a car that your teen can handle driving

Choosing a car that is the right size and type for your teen and one that have received plenty of practice on and know how to use will help make them safer.

  •  Not using a cell phone while driving

Cell phones being used while driving just create more distractions and result in even more accidents than those that do not use cell phones while driving.
 

  • Not allowing Teens to have passengers at night

More accidents can happen at night with teens and it is a good idea to eliminate more distractions but not having passengers after 9pm.

  • Making  sure Teens have plenty of sleep before Driving

If your teen has not gotten plenty of sleep and rest before driving, have them ride with a group or offer to take them where they need to go.

These tips for both teen drivers and their parents, can help make for less teen driver statistics and help your teen not to be that one in four teens in a car accident.

 

For additional information on teen driving safety, you may visit: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33022087/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/

http://www.nhtsa.gov/Teen-Drivers

If you or your teen driver has been in a car accident and feel you may need your rights heard, please contact a personal injury attorney right away. They will help you get your rights heard and the care you 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.

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.

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.

New Jersey’s Medicare Project

According to the Star Ledger as reported on August 18, 2009, there has been a difference in the amount of money that doctors receive when treating Medicare patients and what hospitals receive. Hospitals only receive a large amount of money, while doctors receive money based on the services they provide to Medicare patients. Some New Jersey hospitals have decided to try and change this by having doctors and hospitals share the profits received. They are hoping this will cut costs by cutting patient stays, lowering rates and improving discharge plans. They are hoping that by saving these costs, hospitals and doctors can work together to help improve medical care for Medicare patients due to sharing financial incentives. Medicare services are significantly more in New Jersey, then the payments that hospitals actually receive. There are currently twelve New Jersey Hospitals participating in this “Medicare Project.”

For additional information on this “Medicare Project” and hospitals involved you may go to:

This link.

Is Your Computer Chair Really Safe?

Each day millions of people sit down on their computer chair to check their email, have conversations with people and even to do business. We also let our children sit at the computer to play computer games, learn or do homework. We all assume that our trusty computer chair in our home is safe; we never consider that to could possibly injury or harm us.  This assumption is wrong.  Each day, millions of products are recalled because they are unsafe and may cause injury. One of these recent product recalls was on the OfficeMax Office Chairs which was found to cause serious injuries to user because it was a fall hazard.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the chairs were recalled on September 1, 2009 because the back and base were defective and could break during routine use causing a serious personal injury.  The OfficeMax Company has received thirty-six reports of these chairs bases or backs breaking while in use, resulting in fifteen reported personal injuries including lacerations, muscle strains, contusions, and concussions.

The specific office chairs being recalled are the OfficeMax Task Chairs with the model number OM182 and OM96614. The chairs are also charcoal in color and have plastic arms and a plastic and metal base.

If you have one of these office chairs, you should stop using it right away and go to an OfficeMax location for a full refund or a gift card.

If you have been injured or hurt by a defective product like this office chairs or know someone that may have been, you should contact a defective products lawyer right away. They can help you fight for your consumer product safety rights and be your advocate to make sure your rights are protected the way they should be.

For additional information regarding Consumer Safety Product Recalls you may go to the U.S. Product Safety Commission  located here: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerelsep09.html  and for additional information concerning this specific product recall you may visit: www.officemax.com

New Jersey Governor Signs bill concerning Patient Safety

 

When a Patient goes in to the hospital, they expect and deserve to receive the proper medical care and attention. Most patients believe they will be better when they leave the hospital than when they came in to the hospital. Unfortunately, there have been many times where a patient comes in with one illness or problem and leaves with a new and different illness because of medical malpractice.  For example, otherwise healthy patients have been known to leave hospitals with factures, punctures, transfusion reactions, drama from birth and even surgery done in the wrong place. This has caused many patients much more worry and pain than before they entered a hospital.

 New Jersey is now one  of the first States to take action on this problem  In fact the Governor of New Jersey signed a bill yesterday, August 31, 2009 that will require the Department of Health and Human Services to report safety measures for patients on a hospital by hospital basis. This bill will also help protect patients from being charged for a hospital’s medical error.  This bill means that each hospital and all their procedures will be checked and reported on annually and then additional safety indicators may be regulated by the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services. The Department of Heath and Senior Services will include the following patient safety indicators in their reports:

  • forgein body left during a procedure
  • post operative hip facture (a facture after surgery)
  • latrogenic pneumothorax
  • postoperative hemorrhage or hematoma
  •  postoperative deep vein thrombosis or pulmnary embolism
  • postoperative sepsis
  • postoperative wound hiscence
  •  accidental pucture or laceration
  • transfusion reaction
  • birth injuries
  • Obstetric trauma- vaginal delivery with instrument
  • Obstetric trauma- vaginal delivery without instrument
  • air embolism
  • surgery on the wrong side, wrong body part, or wrong person, or wrong surgery performed on a patient

This list consists of concerns and conditions that can happen to a patient if the hospital is not following safety regulations. Some of these are minor and some of them are very serious. Never the less, they are all very important are things that should “never” happen in a hospital. They are called the “never events” for this reason.

 The Commissioner may consider recommendations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the Commissioner requesting studies from the Quality Improvement Advisory Committee on how to get public reports on patient infections, bed sores,  ulcers, or falls by patients while in hospital care. 

This bill signed by the Governor yesterday on August 31, 2009 is another step towards better patient rights and patient care. After all, when you enter a hospital as a patient you should know that you are getting the best care possible. If you are not, you should be able to fight for your right to better patient care and services.

If you feel that your rights have been violated under this new bill, contact a New Jersey Malpractice lawyer,  right away for help regarding your rights.

 For more information regarding this bill and your rights you may visit:

New Jersey State Legislature