News stories tagged with "health-care"

(05/25/12) Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to create a new state agency, designed to protect people with disabilities living in instutions or assisted-living facilities across New York.

Yesterday, Courtney Burke, who heads the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, traveled to Plattsburgh to promote the idea, which is now being considered by the state Assembly. Brian Mann has our story. more

(04/03/12) The Obama administration set off a firestorm when it released rules requiring employer-provided health insurance to cover the cost of contraceptives. Leaders in the Catholic Church said the policy violates their right to religious freedom.

Meanwhile, states around the country are considering hundreds of bills addressing women's health care: everything from forcing women to carry dead fetuses to term, to forcing women who seek abortions to go through invasive ultrasounds, to cutting funding for health clinics. Many women say these bills violate their right to to make their own health care decisions, and will limit access to quality health care..

The New York State legislature is considering a bill called the Reproductive Health Act. It codifies a woman's right to contraception and abortion. But even so, some women see a trend, and they're worried. more

(03/30/12) The debate over whether to privatize Essex County's Horace Nye Nursing Home continued this week, as employees of the facility took to the streets in front of the Essex County Courthouse in Elizabethtown to protest the potential sale.

The county has received bids from three interested parties in New York state, all for $4 million. County lawmakers asked those three groups to submit their best and final offers in hopes of getting more money for the nursing home. As Chris Morris reports, the potential sale continues to be a divisive issue in Essex County. more

(02/16/12) Hospice groups provide care and comfort to people facing the end of their lives. Hospice of Jefferson County is about to take a big step forward in the kind of care it can offer dying patients -- a home.

Joanna Richards toured the new Watertown residence with CEO Stephen Lyman. more

(09/19/11) Advocacy groups say it's now likely that New York State will miss another deadline to get federal funding to implement the new health care law, as the State Senate expresses some grave doubts about implementing parts of a program that's identified with President Obama at this time. Karen DeWitt has more: more

(08/12/11) New York's two U.S. Senators will make rare joint appearances in the Adirondacks today. David Sommerstein reports.

(06/30/11) The New York State legislature left town without implementing changes required under the federal health care legislation. Advocates warn that failure could cost the state millions of dollars in federal funds. more

(06/14/11) Yesterday in Albany, the state Assembly held a public hearing into allegations that some disabled people have been abused while cared for at facilities like Sunmount in Tupper Lake.

A New York Times report last week suggested that "systemic abuse" exists across the state, especially at large institutional care facilities. As Todd Moe reports, state officials say reforms are now underway. more

(06/08/11) Fall-out continues this week from a New York Times article published Monday that described "patterns of abuse" at the Sunmount Developmental Center in Tupper Lake

Sunmount cares for some of the most troubled and vulnerable people with developmental disabilities. The facility is also one of the region's top employers, providing over one thousand jobs.

State officials and disability advocates said the report in the Times makes it clear that reforms are needed but local workers and elected officials said the vast majority of workers at Sunmount are doing a good job, providing safe and supportive care.

Brian Mann has our story. more

(04/22/11) Some of the major provisions of the federal health care reform act don't take effect until 2014. But New York State has already begun to figure out how to comply with the changes. One particularly tricky provision is the one which will require every state to set up a health insurance policy exchange for the uninsured. Karen Dewitt reports.