Wages can’t be garnished, liens placed on homes for medical bills

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed legislation (S.6522A/A.7363A) to protect patients facing steep medical bills that can lead to wage garnishment or liens against their property.

“No one should face the threat of losing their home or falling into further debt after seeking medical care,” Governor Hochul said. “I’m proud to sign legislation today that will end this harmful and predatory collection practice to help protect New Yorkers from these unfair penalties. With medical debt a burden for far too many, this is an important step to address this crucial issue.”

Legislation (S.6522A/A.7363A) amends the civil practice law and rules to prohibit health care providers from placing home liens on an individual’s primary residence or garnishing wages to collect on medical debt.

Nearly half of American adults struggle to afford health care costs, and more than 50,000 New Yorkers have been sued for medical debt over the past five years; this problem is most pervasive in Upstate New York.

Previously, hospitals or health care providers had been able to impose and enforce liens on a patient’s primary residence to satisfy a judgment in a medical debt lawsuit, leading to housing instability and devastating financial consequences for vulnerable New Yorkers.

“New Yorkers should not fear losing their homes or livelihoods as a result of seeking medical care, especially during such challenging financial times,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. “I want to thank Governor Hochul for signing my bill into law to protect New Yorkers from facing liens on their homes or wage garnishment by medical institutions in their effort to collect medical debt. We must work together to eradicate medical debt from our State and I am thrilled that we are taking this important first step.”

Press Release, Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments

‘Tis the season to bundle up, spend more time indoors, and enjoy family and friends over the holiday season. Unfortunately for some, it is also the time of colds, flu, Covid-19 and RSV.

We are already seeing an increase in flu activity across Genesee and Orleans counties. (Editor’s Note: The state Department of Health’s weekly flu tracker on Friday reported there are 7 active flu cases in Orleans and 29 in Genesee.)

Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every year.

“The flu vaccine is a safe and effective way to reduce the spread of the flu in the community, as well as decrease the risk of severe symptoms,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health).

For those who are more at risk of serious complications of these respiratory viruses, it is important to talk with your primary care provider about the best way to protect themselves from illness. If you are sick, stay home! Wash your hands and sanitize shared items frequently. Take care of yourself by eating healthful foods, getting good sleep, regular exercise and drinking plenty of water, non-caffeinated or non-alcoholic beverages. If you are a smoker or someone who vapes, that increases your risk of upper respiratory viruses.

If you are at high risk, consider that the more people you are exposed to, the more likely you are to get a virus. During this time of year, it is important to stay connected with family and friends, so be creative in how you do that. If the weather is good, spend time with family outdoors snowshoeing, hiking, and cross-country skiing.

For more information about the flu activity in New York State, click here.

Provided photo: From left include Halee Potter, United Memorial Medical Center’s outreach and education specialist; Julie Calvert, community engagement coordinator for Tobacco-Free GOW; and Renee Hungerford, executive director/CEO of Community Action of Orleans and Genesee County.

Press Release, Tobacco-Free GOW

The Great American Smokeout, observed on November 17 this year, was a day Tobacco-Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming partnered with the American Cancer Society, United Memorial Medical Center and Community Action of Orleans and Genesee to help our community commit to quitting tobacco products.

“The most important thing smokers and vapers can do to improve their health is to quit smoking cigarettes and using other tobacco products,” said Martin Mahoney, MD, PhD, professor of oncology and smoking cessation specialist at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Most people know the devastating impact of tobacco. Yet 34 million American adults still smoke cigarettes.

In New York State, smoking kills about 22,000 adult smokers every year. Another 650,000 adults in NYS live with smoking-related illnesses including poor reproductive outcomes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

The efforts of Tobacco-Free GOW, Community Action, UMMC, health systems, as well as state and local legislation, have led to record low smoking rates among adults and youths.

The adult cigarette smoking rate in New York State achieved a new low of 12 percent in 2020, a rate lower than the U.S. average of 15.5 percent. Among young adults, ages 18 to 24, the smoking rate is even lower, at 5.5 percent.

Despite these milestones, approximately 1.7 million adults in New York State still smoke. Adults with poor mental health, less than a high school education or annual incomes of less than $25,000 smoke at much higher rates than the general adult population.

To help reduce smoking rates during Great American Smokeout events this week and beyond, Community Action provided support and resources to people in the Holley Community Center wishing to quit. Team members distributed information kits on smoking cessation and how to get help quitting.

“Community Action of Orleans and Genesee is committed to help improve the health and wellness of our community members,” said Renee Hungerford, executive director/CEO. “We are proud to partner with Tobacco-Free GOW and UMMC’s Cancer Prevention Program in raising awareness of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout campaign.”

The Great American Smokeout is a national event that promotes tobacco and vape cessation by encouraging people to quit even for one day. It was founded to help tobacco and e-cigarette users begin a cessation journey.

Support is available for Western New Yorkers who want to quit. The New York State Smokers’ Quitline is a confidential service for all New York State residents who wish to overcome tobacco use, including e-cigarettes. Residents of all ages may contact the Quitline for support and educational materials.

Free offerings include individualized coaching and assistance with quit-planning from experienced Quit Coaches, text and chat support and free stop-smoking medications such as nicotine patches or nicotine gum for those 18 and older. In addition, the Quitline encourages teens and young adults (ages 13-24) to text “DROPTHEVAPE” to 88709 to join “This Is Quitting,” a free texting support program for help with quitting vaping. Visit nysmokefree.com anytime for more information or call 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) seven days a week, beginning at 9 a.m.

Photo and information from Oak Orchard Health

ROCHESTER — Karen Kinter, Oak Orchard Health’s interim CEO, joined public health and government leaders in Monroe County recently to help launch the “Keep Your Holidays Healthy” campaign. (Kinter is shown in top photo at right while Adam Bello, Monroe County executive, speaks during a news conference.)

The campaign emphasizes the need for flu shots and Covid vaccines.

“Covid precautions greatly reduced flu cases the past few years,” Bello said.

However, that isn’t the case this year. National data from the Centers for Disease Control shows that flu hospitalizations for this time of year are at the highest level since 2010.

That is one reason why Oak Orchard Health has a program for walk-in flu shots and for the Pfizer Bivalent Covid Booster for ages 12-plus for its patients. Check the Oak Orchard website for the most up-to-date information.

“Oak Orchard Health’s focus is to keep its patients and the community healthy, particularly during the holidays,” Kinter said. “It’s also important to keep our patients out of the hospital and one way is to get their updated vaccines, including the flu shot.”

During the campaign announcement, she joined Bello, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans, and Dr. Michael Mendoza, Monroe County Public Health commissioner.

Press Release, Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments

November is designated as Lung Cancer Awareness month, a global effort to reduce stigma for a disease that affects both smokers and non‐smokers and takes more lives annually than breast, prostate, colon and pancreatic cancers – combined.

Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, but lung cancer can occur in people that have never smoked. Other risk factors including being exposed to secondhand smoke, having a family history of lung cancer, exposure to asbestos, and exposure to radon gas. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an estimate of 21,000 Americans die from radon-related lung cancer every year.

The leading cause of lung cancer amongst non-smokers is radon exposure. Radon is a clear, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas that is naturally found in the Earth. Radon dissolves in groundwater, and forms pockets under homes and buildings.

The primary method of radon exposure is through cracks in home foundations, new or old. In fact, one fifth of all houses in the United States have dangerous levels of radon. According to the EPA, if you smoke and live in a home with high radon levels, your risk for developing lung cancer significantly increases.

Homes with a radon level over 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/l) need to be evaluated by a Certified Radon Mitigator to determine the type of radon reduction system that may need to be installed.

“By knowing your homes radon level and reducing it if necessary, you can protect you and your family,” said Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health).

Testing for radon is fast and inexpensive, and is the only way to determine the radon levels in your home. GO Health encourages residents to test for radon when buying a home, doing a major renovation, every 2 years if there is a mitigation system installed or every 5 years otherwise.

When purchasing a new house, make sure the seller completes a radon test kit and has the results available. If you are building a new home, make sure to have radon-resistant construction features installed and tested prior to moving in.

You can purchase a short-term radon test kit from your local hardware store or through a radon-testing laboratory.

For more information about radon visit, click here.

‘A small amount of fentanyl, smaller than the tip of a pencil can kill someone. This is a serious issue that impacts our children, our families and our community.’ – Paul Pettit, public health director

Press Release, Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments

The United States has passed a grim, heartbreaking milestone: a record number of Americans are dying as a result of a drug overdose.

Between April 2020 and April 2021, drugs – mostly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl – took the lives of more than 100,000 of our sons and daughters, loved ones and neighbors, community members, and friends. During the same 12-month period, eleven people died in Genesee County from opioid overdoses, and fentanyl was involved in all of these deaths.

This rise in opioid overdoses across the U.S. is largely due to illicit fentanyl contaminating street drugs. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is FDA-approved as a patch or lozenge for the treatment of severe pain.

Fentanyl is at least 50 times more potent than heroin. Most recent cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose, and death in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl that is mixed into drugs like counterfeit painkillers and benzodiazepines, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Fentanyl has also been detected in fake pills that look like candy.

“A small amount of fentanyl, smaller than the tip of a pencil can kill someone,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “This is a serious issue that impacts our children, our families and our community.”

Because we have an unregulated and criminalized drug supply, there is no way to tell if a street drug someone is using is 100% safe. This means that someone may use a product that they believe their body is able to tolerate, but it may actually be much stronger than they expect due to being contaminated with fentanyl, without knowing.

The opioid crisis is not confined to a particular subset of our population. The epidemic affects wealthy and poor, black and white, rural and urban, and every corner of Genesee County.

HEALing Our Communities

The street drug supply has always been unpredictable and inconsistent – this is especially true now. People who use drugs should assume overdose risk no matter what drug they’re using, and practice as much harm reduction as consistently possible. Our community should also practice harm reduction strategies by:

• Knowing the signs of an overdose.
• Carrying naloxone and knowing how to use it.
• Looking out for others in the community and administering naloxone if you suspect an overdose!

By following these harm reduction strategies, together, we can HEAL our communities and reduce preventable overdose deaths.

To learn more about fentanyl and naloxone, visit:

• HEALing Communities Study Website: www.HealTogetherNY.org/Genesee
• GOW Opioid Taskforce Website: www.gowopioidtaskforce.org
• GO Health Facebook: www.facebook.com/GOHealthNY

Provided photos: Alissa  Blount, left, and certified nursing assistant Ronnie DePaul display the pumpkins they created for Orleans Community Health’s first pumpkin decorating contest. They are in the hospital lobby, where visitors can vote on their favorite one.

MEDINA – The Orleans Community Health system is celebrating Halloween with its first-ever pumpkin-decorating contest.

Last week, Kristin Grose from Human Resources and Scott Robinson from Community Partners distributed 25 pumpkins to different Orleans Community Health departments and encouraged them to decorate them. This included the Albion Healthcare Center, dialysis centers in Batavia and Medina and the hospital’s different departments.

The pumpkins are now on display in Medina Memorial Hospital lobby, where the community is being asked to vote on their favorite pumpkin while visiting the hospital. The pumpkins have also been posted on the hospital’s Facebook page, where they can be voted on there through Halloween.

The winning department will get a pizza party, according to Alissa Blount, a nurse from the second floor.

Ronnie DePaul, a certified nursing assistant on the second floor, painted her pumpkin pink and created a pig with three piglets made from tiny butternut squash. Appropriately, pink is the color associated with October as breast cancer awareness month.

“Overall this is fun,” Robinson said. “We want patients to see something that’s a little more festive when they come for appointments. Internally, it’s an enjoyable competition for bragging rights.”

The winning pumpkin will be announced Monday on Halloween.

“This and other holiday related events are returning this year, such as breakfast with Santa in December,” Robinson said. “This seemed like a great way to kick off the fun.”

A row of uniquely decorated pumpkins on display in the lobby of Medina Memorial Hospital includes an “IV patient,” a patchwork pumpkin and a pumpkin pig with her butternut squash piglets.

Press Release, Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments

BATAVIA – The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) recently received a grant from the National Association of County and City Health Officials to learn more about the intersection of trauma, suicide, overdose and health.

There will be a conference to help understand how these issues influence our communities and help us work toward becoming a Trauma-informed Care GOW Region.

To that end, GO Health is coordinating a Trauma & Resiliency Conference on Nov. 9 at Batavia Downs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This conference will be looking at what Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are, ACEs data from Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, and what it means to be a trauma-informed care community.

If you are in education, behavioral health, mental health, department of social services, law enforcement, the court system, probation, human services, etc. please take the time to register now. Seating may be limited.

For more information or to register, click here. Registration is required before Nov. 2.

27 people in county died from drug overdoses from 2017-2021

By Mike Pettinella, GCASA Publicist

The local public health director says there is no time to waste in the effort to combat the opioid epidemic in Orleans County.

Paul Pettit

“The opioid epidemic has become a very urgent and serious public health and safety issue, and, without question, the entire human services network needs to come together to prevent more overdoses and deaths,” said Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee and Orleans counties. “This has been something that has continued to play in our community over the last six plus years now and has become an issue that we’ve really focused in on.”

Pettit said the health department works in collaboration with substance use agencies, such as Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, along with mental health clinics and law enforcement to prevent overdoses. And, that work is becoming more and more challenging.

Opioids, whether it be heroin or prescription drugs such as Oxycodone, are being laced with fentanyl, a lethal synthetic substance being smuggled into the United States through cartels based in Mexico.

Last year, more than 100,000 Americans lost their lives due to fentanyl, which, on average, is about 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. A dose as small as 2 milligrams can be deadly.

“Originally used as a prescription painkiller, fentanyl quickly became a popular choice for drug abuse because of its strength compared to other substances,” said GCASA Executive Director John Bennett. “Counterfeit Percocet, Oxycontin, and other drugs often contain fentanyl.”

Pettit agreed, adding that drug dealers are pushing fentanyl, which is cheaper and easier to access.

“Many of the opioid-related fatalities and overdoses are showing fentanyl in the autopsy results,” he said. “Now, that’s the number one killer and, hopefully, we will be able to get ahead of it, build capacity and put systems in place to help folks that are struggling with addiction.”

In Orleans County, 27 people died from opioid overdose from 2017-21. In 2018, the rate of overdose deaths jumped to 27.1 per 100,000 – much higher than state and national averages. That number prompted health department officials and others to allocate more resources to the problem.

“Sadly, today, drug overdose is actually the leading cause of injury mortality in the United States,” Pettit said.

Digging deeper into the data for the county, in 2020, 26 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms for opioid overdoses, and in 2021, that number increased to 31.

More than 450 Orleans County residents were admitted to New York State Office of Addiction Supports and Services-certified treatment programs over the past three years – 73 in 2019, 228 in 2020 and 174 in 2021. It should be noted that the numbers in 2020 and the first part of 2021 were not typical due to Covid-19.

In a move to increase awareness and community action, the health department helped institute the GOW Opioid Task Force, a three-county initiative to inform the public of the dangers of opioids and to develop strategies to deter use of opioids.

“We have put together an annual Community Health Improvement Plan, working with our healthcare systems, and have identified MEB, which is mental, emotional and behavioral health, as one of the focus areas,” Pettit reported. “And the primary reason for that was really around the drastic spike in opioid related overdoses and overdose deaths.”

Pettit said his department has enlisted services of epidemiologists “to get a handle on real-time data and to try to understand what’s going on in the community.”

“That’s why we’ve really focused in on this area and when we do get grants – when we have the opportunity to invest resources, we’re doing it where we’re going to get the most bang for the buck.”

He said that training more people in how to administer Naloxone to reverse an overdose is crucial to the task force’s success.

“We know that Naloxone training — getting more of that out in the community — saves lives. So, we’re working to get it into people’s homes and into businesses. We’re working to expand Naloxone across the community, replicating a program that already is in place in Genesee County,” he said.

Pettit said the health department supports the Public Service Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative in Genesee County – a partnership between substance use providers and law enforcement – and would hope that a similar program could be established in Orleans County.

“That, plus the placement of Naloxone boxes that we’re trying to replicate here in Orleans County,” he said. “I’ve been talking with the sheriff and other law enforcement to see if there’s something we can potentially roll out here but we’re not quite there yet. Maybe we’ll start a pilot test program and go from there. It’s definitely worth the time and effort.”

Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments

October 23-29 is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which is a call to bring together individuals, organizations, industry, and government to increase lead poisoning prevention awareness in an effort to reduce childhood exposure to lead.

About 3.3 million American households, including 2.1 million low-income households that have children under six years of age, live in homes containing lead exposure hazards. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, approximately 74% (30,000) of housing units in Genesee and Orleans counties were built before 1978 and may have lead exposure hazards.

“Childhood lead exposure is a significant issue in Genesee and Orleans counties because of the large number of older homes that may contain lead-based paint, which is the main source of exposure in children,” stated Darren Brodie, Environmental Health Director of Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “Lead is a toxic element that can cause damage to the brain and nervous system when it is absorbed into the body.”

Lead poisoning is preventable. The key is to stop children from coming into contact with lead hazards before poisoning occurs. Children can be exposed to lead by swallowing or breathing in lead dust created by old paint that has cracked and chipped, eating paint chips, or chewing on surfaces coated with lead-based paint such as windowsills. Lead exposure in children can cause learning and behavior problems, slow growth and development, and cause hearing and speech problems. These effects may be permanent and can continue into adulthood.

New York State requires health care providers to obtain a blood lead test for all children at age 1 and again at age 2. Health care providers are also required to assess all children ages 6 months to 6 years for risk of lead exposure.

Below is a table that shows local screening rates among children in Genesee and Orleans counties from 2021.

We encourage parents and community members to educate themselves about the dangers of lead exposure by reviewing the three key themes of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week:

1. Get the Facts!

• Any exposure to lead hazards can be serious, especially for children. The only safe blood lead level is zero!
• The most common source of lead exposure in children is through eating dust particles or paint chips so small that they may not be visible to the naked eye.
• The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets and fixtures.
• Other sources of lead could include metal toys, wooden toys or furniture painted with lead-based paint, metal jewelry, lead-glazed pottery or porcelain, some candles, spices, and even make-up.

2. Get your Home Tested!

• Many homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint. If your home was built before 1978, you should get it tested for lead paint.
• If you rent, ask your landlord to have your home or apartment tested.
• Contact GO Health for more information on getting your home tested.

3. Get your Child Tested!

• Children’s blood lead levels tend to increase from 6 to 12 months of age and tend to peak at 18 to 24 months.
• A simple blood test is the only way to find out if your child has been poisoned by exposure to lead.
• Most children with detectable levels of lead in their blood have no obvious symptoms.
• Blood lead tests are also recommended for pregnant women who think they may have been exposed to lead.

“Please contact your health care provider and make it a priority get your child tested for lead,” Brodie said. “Early detection is the key to preventing long-term health problems.”

In January 2019, the Genesee County Health Department received a $1.3 million federal grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to address lead-based paint hazards in homes and apartments in Genesee and Orleans counties.

“This funding can be used specifically for lead-based paint repair activities as well as other health-related home repairs,” stated Gabrielle Lanich, Lead Program Coordinator for GO Health. “Eligible homeowners and property managers with qualified tenants may apply to receive these funds.”

Contact the Genesee County Health Department for eligibility information. For more information on the HUD program, other lead prevention programs, to obtain an application or to determine if your family and home fits the criteria, contact GO Health’s lead program staff at the Genesee County Health Department at 344-2580 ext.5555 or Health.GOlead@co.genesee.ny.us.

You can also visit the GO Health website at www.GOHealthNY.org. Program staff can quickly determine your initial eligibility, and will help to guide you through the application process.

To learn more about the New York State Lead Poisoning Prevention program, click here.