Friday, August 14, 2009

News Clipping Archives

 

 

Counties get lessons in less Officials learn from panels and each other how to cope with coming budget cuts (Baltimore Sun)

H1N1 Vaccination Plans (Associated Press)

MARYLAND: Battlefields like lethal response to deer disease (Carroll County Times)

 

National / International

To screen or not to screen (Baltimore Sun)

Screening Could Lead to More Potent Cancer Drugs (New York Times)

The Expense of Eating With Celiac Disease (New York Times)

 

Opinion

One Special Olympian (New York Times Editorial)

A Dementia Syndrome (New York Times Letter to the Editor)

Don’t Hurt the Health Care Clinics (New York Times Letter to the Editor)

 

 

Maryland / Regional

Counties get lessons in lessOfficials learn from panels and each other how to cope with coming budget cuts

 

By Julie Bykowicz

Baltimore Sun

Friday, August 14, 2009

 

OCEAN CITY - The panel on terminations was appropriately somber and laced with references to death, luring public employees who increasingly have the dubious task of doling out pink slips to their own.

 

Among the PowerPoint tips shared Thursday by Harford County Human Resources Director Scott T. Gibson: Be honest! Acknowledge the hurt. Behave the way you would at a funeral.

 

It was one of several discussions around the theme of downsizing at this year's annual summer conference for the Maryland Association of Counties. Such talks were well-attended, as local governments prepare for their first major wave of cutbacks from the state.

 

Gov. Martin O'Malley said in an interview Thursday that some of the $470 million in reductions he's poised to make by Labor Day will come from aid to counties.

 

State officials already have approved $280 million in reductions from the current budget year as they contend with the national economic downturn.

 

Most local aid goes to public schools, but O'Malley has pledged not to cut education funding for kindergarten through 12th grade. That leaves vulnerable such programs as libraries, community colleges and local health departments.

 

"There are no cuts that, at this point, don't affect your core mission," O'Malley said. The Democratic governor said he also is talking to state employee unions about furloughs - mandatory days off without pay - to find "an equitable way to spread the pain."

 

Today, the governor plans to release some 2,500 suggestions from the public on how the state can tighten its belt. The 700 or so registered attendees at the MACo conference have ideas of their own, swapping stories throughout the four-day gathering that ends Saturday.

 

At "Doing More with Less," Timothy L. Firestine, chief administrative officer of Montgomery County, outlined how officials there tried to close the $1.2 billion gap that developed over the past three years.

 

Renegotiating employee contracts helped the most, he said. But smaller trims added up, too. Not mailing copies of property tax bills to people who pay through their mortgage companies will save about $43,000 per year, decreasing the number of printed budget books another $27,000.

 

But, he acknowledged, "You quickly run out of the easy options."

 

In Gibson's session, titled, "Reductions in Force, Involuntary Terminations and Furloughs: Managing Employee Behaviors in the Aftermath," the realities of cutting staff were laid bare.

 

Mostly in attendance were human resources directors from nearly every county.

 

Gibson warned his audience to be prepared to contend with the angry, distraught co-workers left behind. There are simple things you can do, he told them, such as removing the desks of laid off colleagues.

 

He compared the extra furniture to the closet of his deceased grandfather. Once his grandmother finally packed up his clothes, he said, "she could move on."

 

In the same way, he said, empty desks are "a painful reminder that your employees are going to have to walk by every single day."

 

Gibson urged possibly hiring crisis counselors to "facilitate the grieving process" and to acknowledge to employees that "we feel pain, too."

 

But, as he noted in a slide, it can't all be gloomy: "Layoffs should appear to be part of a general plan for a better tomorrow."

 

Baltimore Sun reporter Laura Smitherman contributed to this article.

 

Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun.

 

H1N1 Vaccination Plans

 

Associated Press

Thursday, August 14, 2009

 

BALTIMORE (AP) - Millions of Marylanders would be immunized against swine flu for free or for a nominal fee under a plan being developed by state health officials, whose goal is to provide the vaccine to every resident who wants it.

 

The vaccination plan is unprecedented in scope but depends on a robust supply of the vaccine, which is expected to be ready by mid-October at the earliest.

 

When it becomes available, Maryland will begin distributing the vaccine to doctors, pharmacists, local health departments and other partners.

 

The first shots will be given to those deemed most vulnerable by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - pregnant women, health care workers, children and people under 65 with chronic health problems, said Frances Phillips, Maryland's deputy secretary for public health.

 

Those priority groups account for more than 2.5 million of the state's 5.6 million residents, Phillips said.

 

"That's to be followed up very quickly thereafter with vaccinating the remaining 3 million Marylanders," Phillips said. "It's a massive, unprecedented vaccination campaign."

 

Some people who receive shots will likely have to pay an administration fee of between $10 and $20, but no one will be denied a shot because they are unable to pay, Phillips said.

 

Vaccination against swine flu remains voluntary, as does vaccination against seasonal influenza.

 

State officials and other experts said it's too early to guess how many people will get shots this year because the severity of the virus and the amount of available vaccine are difficult to predict.

 

The state does not keep track of how many people receive flu shots each year because the vaccines are typically administered privately, officials said.

 

Nationwide, about 34 percent of U.S. residents were vaccinated against seasonal flu during the 2008-09 season, according to the CDC, despite its recommendations that 83 percent of the population be immunized.

 

"There's going to be a lot of unknowns about that vaccine in terms of the uptake," said Dr. John Bartlett, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "If it turns out to be a serious flu with some deaths, I think people are going to want to get it and really bite and scratch to have it available."

 

Under that scenario, Bartlett is doubtful that the available domestic supply of the vaccine will allow Maryland to fulfill its goal of making it available to everyone.

 

Bartlett also noted that the flu season will be well under way before anyone becomes immunized. Vaccination against swine flu is likely to require two doses, three weeks apart, with immunity taking effect three weeks after the second dose, he said.

 

"The vaccine is going to be late," Bartlett said. "They can't make it any faster."

 

Another open question: how the state will pay for all those flu shots. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has received nearly $7 million in federal grants for swine flu preparation and will get more once it begins implementing its plans.

 

"The public sector can't do this alone. We can't vaccinate all Marylanders perhaps two times. We're relying on partners," Phillips said, including private insurance and Medicare. "We're hopeful we get the resources we need."

 

Part of the state's plan is to make the vaccine available at schools, prefarably in the form of a nasal spray, Phillips said. But it's unclear whether there will be enough doses of nasal-spray vaccine to immunize Maryland's 1 million school-age children.

 

The state is also trying to project what would happen if hospitals became inundated with swine flu patients. It is common during flu season for patients to be sent to hospitals other than the ones closest to their homes, but if swine flu hits hard, some patients may be hospitalized much farther away, Phillips said.

 

To prevent emergency rooms from being overrun, the state is planning a communication and education campaign about how to treat mild flu symptoms. Information will be available on Web sites, and the state may also set up call centers, Phillips said.

 

Copyright 2009 Associated Press.

 

MARYLAND: Battlefields like lethal response to deer disease

 

The Associated Press

Carroll County Times

Friday, August 14, 2009

 

HAGERSTOWN — The spread of a disease fatal to white-tailed deer has prompted the National Park Service to endorse a lethal response at two Civil War battlefields in western Maryland.

 

The agency is seeking public comment through Sept. 18 on its preferred option of potentially slaughtering hundreds of deer at the Antietam and Monocacy national battlefields if Chronic Wasting Disease is found within 20 miles.

 

Both parks are within 60 miles of confirmed cases of the brain disease in West Virginia.

 

The park service says killing large numbers of deer could prevent the disease from becoming established among the overpopulated herds within the parks.

 

The contagious illness is fatal to deer but poses no apparent risk to humans.

 

Copyright 2009 Carroll County Times.

 

National / International

To screen or not to screen

 

By Stephanie Desmon

Baltimore Sun

Friday, August 14, 2009

 

cancer screening benefits overestimatedHospitals have been sending me e-mails lately, telling me that "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month" is coming and touting free cancer screenings. We've all been told that early detection  saves lives.

 

A study published online late yesterday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that these messages are getting through -- probably a bit too loud and a bit too clear. In fact, in the study of more than 10,000 Europeans, researchers found that 92 percent of women either overestimated the mortality reduction associated with breast cancer or didn't know what it was. They also found that 89 percent of men overestimated or didn't know the mortality reduction associated with prostate cancer screening.

 

The truth is that studies have shown that approximately 1 life is saved for every 1,000 mammograms given. The recommendation in the United States is to screen women with mammograms every year or two from the age of 40.

 

As for prostate-specific antigen (or PSA) screening, there is insufficient evidence that it saves lives and could instead lead to unnecessary treatment of cancers that might never develop into anything.

 

Most other forms of cancer screening have not proven to be helpful and may be more harmful than doing nothing.

 

Why people are so off-base is unclear. The study found that people who get their information from doctors are no better informed about screening than people who do not.

 

"A big challenge is conveying the counterintuitive idea that screening does not always help -- and can even be harmful," wrote Steve Woloshin of the Darthmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice and Lisa M. Schwartz of the VA Outcomes Group in White River Junction, Vt., in an accompanying editorial in the journal. "Surveys have shown that most people believe that cancer screening is almost always a good idea and few believe harm possible. ...

 

"The harms can be serious. False-positive results cause anxiety and can lead to invasive and sometimes dangerous testing. Most importantly, screening leads to the overdiagnosis of some cancers never destined to harm."

 

The authors conclude this way: "Screening can lead to important benefits, but it can also lead to important harms, And the net effect may be a very close call. Screening messages should reflect this complexity. We should not be selling screening. We should be giving people  the numbers they need to decide for themselves."

 

Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.

 

Screening Could Lead to More Potent Cancer Drugs

 

By Nicholas Wade

New York Times

Friday, August 14, 2009

 

Researchers have discovered a way to identify drugs that can specifically attack and kill cancer stem cells, a finding that could lead to a new generation of anticancer medicines and a new strategy of treatment.

 

Many researchers believe that tumor growth is driven by cancerous stem cells that, for reasons not understood, are highly resistant to standard treatments. Chemotherapy agents may kill off 99 percent of cells in a tumor, but the stem cells that remain can make the cancer recur, the theory holds, or spread to other tissues to cause new cancers. Stem cells, unlike mature cells, can constantly renew themselves and are thought to be the source of cancers when, through mutations in their DNA, they throw off their natural restraints.

 

A practical test of this theory has been difficult because cancer stem cells are hard to recognize and have proved elusive targets. But a team at the Broad Institute, a Harvard-M.I.T. collaborative for genomics research, has devised a way of screening for drugs that attack cancer stem cells but leave ordinary cells unharmed.

 

Cancer stem cells are hard to maintain in sufficient numbers, but the Broad Institute team devised a genetic manipulation to keep breast cancer stem cells trapped in the stem cell state.

 

The team, led by Piyush B. Gupta, screened 16,000 chemicals, including all known chemotherapeutic agents approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The team reported in the Thursday issue of Cell that 32 of the chemicals selectively went after cancer stem cells. These particular chemicals may or may not make good drugs, but the screening system proves, the researchers say, that it is possible to single out cancer stem cells with drugs that leave ordinary cells alone. Only one of the 32 chemicals is approved as a drug for cancer.

 

Another approach to concentrating on cancer stem cells, based on the use of antibodies, was reported this month by OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, a company founded by Michael F. Clarke, a Stanford researcher who in 2003 discovered cancer stem cells in breast tumors.

 

If effective drugs against cancer stem cells can be developed, one obvious strategy would be to use them in combination with standard chemotherapeutic agents, so that all types of cells in a tumor could be attacked. That way, cancer would be attacked as AIDS is now — with a cocktail of chemicals that blocks all escape paths. Both the AIDS virus and cancer cells can change DNA to dodge an effective drug, but are thought to perish if confronted with many drugs at once.

 

Standard chemotherapy is effective because the chemicals are applied in such large doses that they kill all cells. But this approach is stressful for the patient.

 

“You could probably lower the doses considerably with a combination of drugs that attacked specific types of cell,” Dr. Gupta said.

 

Eric S. Lander, director of the Broad Institute, said: “If we make a drug that kills 99.9 percent of the cells in a tumor but fails to kill the 0.1 percent, that is the real problem. It’s a pyrrhic victory.”

 

Dr. Lander said that given the new screening system and the idea of using combinations of drugs against cancer, there was “a potential for a real renaissance in cancer therapeutics.”

 

“We have not been able to do that yet with cancer,” he added, “but if we could, it’s a numbers game, and we win.”

 

The cancer stem cell theory has been thrust into the spotlight in recent years with the discovery of stem cells in many types of solid tumors, including those of the breast, brain, prostate, colon and pancreas. This month, a Stanford team led by Irving Weissman reported finding the stem cells of bladder cancer.

 

But the theory is not without critics.

 

“The cancer stem cell hypothesis has in the past year been challenged on many fronts,” said Bert Vogelstein, a leading cancer geneticist at Johns Hopkins University. “For example, a paper on melanomas last year showed that 100 percent of melanoma cancer cells were cancer stem cells.”

 

If many of a tumor’s cells are stem cells, then existing chemotherapy agents are clearly killing them, Dr. Vogelstein said, and the cancer stem cell theory is not an effective guide to finding new drugs.

 

The theory has also aroused opposition because, in its extreme, it implies that standard chemotherapy goes after the wrong targets and is ineffective.

 

“It’s the most amazing polarity that I’ve seen,” Dr. Clarke, the Stanford researcher, said of the debate over stem cells among cancer researchers. “It’s like two religions fighting.”

 

Some advocates of the idea believe that to dissolve tumors, it would be necessary to go after only cancer stem cells, if such drugs existed. But the Broad Institute team and others take the view that a combination of drugs attacking each of the types of cells in a tumor would be best.

 

One reason for using a combination of drugs is the suspicion that mature cancer cells may be able to convert themselves back into stem cells, a route that is apparently prohibited to normal mature cells.

 

“The possibility is that the nonstem cells in a tumor may regenerate de novo new stem cells,” said Robert Weinberg, a leading cancer biologist at M.I.T. and, a co-author with Dr. Lander of the Cell report. “If one had ways of treating both the stem cells and the nonstem cells, then the de novo generation of stem cells would be dealt with.”

 

The basic insight of the cancer stem cell theory is that there is a hierarchy of cells in a tumor, with the stem cells at the top generating the mature cells that are the majority. Most researchers accept that this is a good description of leukemias because Gleevec, a highly effective drug for chronic myelogenous leukemia, does not kill stem cells, and the leukemia returns if the treatment is stopped.

 

But with solid tumors, Dr. Vogelstein said, “the jury is out.” If stem cells are common in solid tumors, not just a small resistant reservoir of cells, “then there’s no difference between the stem cells and the bulk cancer — so a screen for drugs to kill melanoma cells is by definition also going to kill the melanoma’s cancer stem cells.”

 

Still, in Dr. Vogelstein’s view, the Broad Institute’s new screening method is important whether or not the cancer stem cell theory is correct. “Because most of the compounds in use now clearly aren’t doing the job we’d all like,” he said, “then novel methods for screening could be extremely valuable.”

 

The Broad Institute researchers hope that pharmaceutical companies will use their screening method to begin to develop drugs against cancer stem cells.

 

Copyright 2009 New York Times.

 

The Expense of Eating With Celiac Disease

 

By Lesley Alderman

New York Times

Friday, August 14, 2009

 

You would think that after Kelly Oram broke more than 10 bones and experienced chronic stomach problems for most of his life, someone (a nurse? a doctor?) might have wondered if something fundamental was wrong with his health. But it wasn’t until Mr. Oram was in his early 40s that a doctor who was treating him for a neck injury became suspicious and ordered tests, including a bone scan.

 

It turned out that Mr. Oram, a music teacher who lives in White Plains, had celiac disease, an underdiagnosed immune disorder set off by eating foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

 

Celiac disease damages the lining of the small intestine, making it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients. Victims may suffer from mild to serious malnutrition and a host of health problems, including anemia, low bone density and infertility. Celiac affects one out of 100 people in the United States, but a majority of those don’t know they have the disease, said Dr. Joseph A. Murray, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota who has been studying the disease for two decades. The disease can be detected by a simple blood test, followed by an endoscopy to check for damage to the small intestine.

 

Seven years after receiving his diagnosis, Mr. Oram, who is married and has one daughter, is symptom-free, but the cost of staying that way is high. That’s because the treatment for celiac does not come in the form of a pill that will be reimbursed or subsidized by an insurer. The treatment is to avoid eating products containing gluten. And gluten-free versions of products like bread, pizza and crackers are nearly three times as expensive as regular products, according to a study conducted by the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University.

 

Unfortunately for celiac patients, the extra cost of a special diet is not reimbursed by health care plans. Nor do most policies pay for trips to a dietitian to receive nutritional guidance.

 

In Britain, by contrast, patients found to have celiac disease are prescribed gluten-free products. In Italy, sufferers are given a stipend to spend on gluten-free food.

 

Some doctors blame drug makers, in part, for the lack of awareness and the lack of support. “The drug makers have not been interested in celiac because, until very recently, there have been no medications to treat it,” said Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. “And since drug makers are responsible for so much of the education that doctors receive, the medical community is largely unaware of the disease.”

 

As awareness grows and the market expands, perhaps the prices of gluten-free products will come down. Meanwhile, if you suffer from the disease, here are some ways to keep your costs down.

 

When people first learn they have celiac disease, they tend to stock up on gluten-free versions of breads, crackers and pizza made from grains other than wheat, like rice, corn and buckwheat. But that can be expensive and might not even be that healthy, since most gluten-free products are not fortified with vitamins.

 

“The most important thing to do after being diagnosed is to get a dietary consultation,” Dr. Murray said. With planning, you can learn to base your diet on fruits, vegetables, rice and potatoes. “I have some patients who rarely use those special gluten-free products,” he said.

 

Get in the habit of reading labels, advises Elaine Monarch, executive director of the Celiac Disease Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Studio City, Calif. Soy sauce, for instance, often has wheat protein as a filler. But Ms. Monarch found a brand of light soy sauce at her local grocery with no wheat that cost much less than one specifically marked as gluten-free. “There are often alternatives to specialty products, but you have to look,” she said.

 

Gluten-free bread is more expensive than traditional bread and often less palatable. And that holds for many gluten-free items. Some people, including Mr. Oram, end up buying a bread machine and making their own loaves. Nicole Hunn, who cooks gluten-free meals for her family of five and just started the Web site glutenfreeonashoestring.com, avoids mixes, which she says are expensive and not that tasty, and instead bakes with an all-purpose gluten-free flour from a company called Bob’s Red Mill, which can be used in place of wheat flour in standard recipes.

 

If you’re too busy to cook, look for well-priced gluten-free food at large chains like Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s. “Trader Joe’s now carries fantastic brown rice pasta that is reasonably priced and brown rice flour tortillas that can sub for bread with a variety of things,” says Kelly Courson, co-founder of the advice site CeliacChicks.com. Ms. Courson put out a Twitter message to her followers and learned that many were fans of DeBoles gluten-free pastas, which can be bought in bulk on Amazon, and puffed brown rice cereal by Alf’s Natural Nutrition, just $1 a bag at Wal-Mart.

 

Finally, it may be worthwhile to join a celiac support group. You can swap cost-cutting tips, share recipes and learn about new products. Many groups invite vendors to bring gluten-free products to meetings for members to sample — members can buy items they like at a discount and skip the shipping charges. Support groups typically have meetings, as well as newsletters and Web sites where you can post questions. Groups to check out include the Celiac Disease Foundation and the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America.

 

Finally, if you itemize your tax return and your total medical expenses for the year exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income, you can write off certain expenses associated with celiac disease. You can deduct the excess cost of a gluten-free product over a comparable gluten-containing product.

 

Let’s say you spend $6.50 on a loaf of gluten-free bread, and a regular loaf costs $4; you can deduct $2.50. In addition, you can deduct the cost of products necessary to maintain a gluten-free diet, like xanthan gum for baking. If you mail order gluten-free products, the shipping costs may be deductible, too. If you have to travel extra miles to buy gluten-free goods, the mileage is also deductible. You’ll need a doctor’s letter to confirm your diagnosis and your need for a gluten-free diet, and you should save receipts in case of a tax audit.

 

Do you have a flexible spending account at work? Ask the plan administrator if you can use those flex spending dollars on the excess cost of gluten-free goods — many plans let you do this. For more on tax deductions, go to the tax section of the Celiac Disease Foundation’s Web site.

 

Yes, managing the disease is a hassle. But untreated celiac disease can wreak havoc with your health. A study published in the July issue of the journal Gastroenterology found that subjects who had undiagnosed celiac were nearly four times as likely to have died over a 45-year period than subjects who were celiac-free.

 

“Sometimes I resent how time-consuming it is to cook from scratch,” Ms. Courson of CeliacChicks.com said. “But I remind myself that my restrictions actually help keep me in line, more than the next person with unhealthy foods readily available.”

 

Copyright 2009 New York Times.

 

Opinion

One Special Olympian

 

By Lawrence Downes

New York Times Editorial

Friday, August 14, 2009

 

I doubt my brother Peter knew who Eunice Shriver was, though she probably brought more joy directly into his life than I, an annoying younger brother, ever did. Peter had fragile X syndrome, a common cause of mental retardation. His passion was Mrs. Shriver’s creation: the Special Olympics.

 

My parents had two fragile X sons: Paul and Peter. Both participated in Special Olympics, though at opposite intensities. Paul, older and more sedate, did the softball throw. He would get out there, throw the ball and go sit down. Peter’s goal was to race and win. He ran track and was good at it. He was on the Hawaiian team at the first International Special Olympics in Chicago in July 1968. He was 18. I was 3. I think I remember Peter with his Windbreaker and Pan Am bag.

 

Peter didn’t win in Chicago, though he came home and ran in Hawaii’s games every year after for the rest of his life. Sometimes he won. Often he didn’t. Still, he got lots of medals and ribbons that he kept in his room, markers of achievement to match his siblings’ report cards, diplomas and scout badges.

 

His last games were in May 1983. I was in college in the Bronx. My sister called and said Peter had collapsed after running in a practice meet. It was a brain hemorrhage; he was on life support. He died before I got home. He was 33.

 

At Peter’s funeral, his fellow athletes filled several pews. He had no co-workers or classmates, but lots of teammates and friends. They mourned with quiet dignity. The games that year were dedicated to his memory.

 

Mentally disabled people don’t catch many breaks. The world isn’t made for children who grow old before they grow up. The slow spread of tolerance hasn’t outraced indignity and neglect. People have always mocked the retarded, especially those who like to take credit for their own intelligence.

 

But there is one island of inclusion: the Special Olympics. They are the pride and inspiration of millions. They exist because Eunice Shriver, who had a retarded sister she greatly admired, insisted on looking differently at disability. She offered love without pity, a chance to race and win, and to win just by racing.

 

After she died, I read on the Special Olympics Web site that the organization considers Chicago in 1968 the most important event in its history. That was when Mrs. Shriver’s idea went global. It gladdens me to think that my brother Peter was there, lending his spark of intensity to a fire that spread and lighted the world.

 

Copyright 2009 New York Times.

 

A Dementia Syndrome

 

New York Times Letter to the Editor

Friday, August 14, 2009

 

To the Editor:

 

Re “When Loved Ones Seem Impostors” (front page, Aug. 9):

 

The phenomenon of the misidentification syndrome, “delusion of doubles” or Capgras Syndrome, is familiar to geriatric psychiatrists treating dementia.

 

A patient with Lewy Body Disease, a dementia syndrome similar to Alzheimer’s disease, believed that there were four women other than his wife in his home, and could never be sure if each morning he would be greeted by his wife or one of the four impostors.

 

As described in the article, much of his left brain function (linear reasoning) was intact, and he was able to understand and trust that his perceptions were a product of his illness, controlling his behavior though his perception remained firm that there were five women sharing his home and his company.

 

James E. Nininger

New York, Aug. 10, 2009

 

The writer is former chairman of the Committee on Aging, New York County District Branch, American Psychiatric Association.

 

Copyright 2009 New York Times.

 

Don’t Hurt the Health Care Clinics

 

New York Times Letter to the Editor

Friday, August 14, 2009

 

To the Editor:

 

Re “Centrist Democrats Upbeat on Health Care Bill” (news article, Aug. 6):

 

While Senate Democrats deal with political machinations, the women, men and teenagers of New York City await lifesaving health care.

 

As chairwoman of my local Planned Parenthood affiliate, I know very well that more and more women, men and teenagers are turning to us for the most basic and essential health care services. We are a safety-net provider with a special focus on reproductive health, including routine screenings for cancer, H.I.V. and AIDS, and sexually transmitted infections — critical services when one in four American teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease.

 

American women routinely use community health care clinics like Planned Parenthood as the entry point to full medical care. The need for our services is now greater than ever, as is the challenge to meet this need.

 

In looking to fix our country’s health care system, I hope that Congress does not compromise the services of Planned Parenthood and similar essential community health care centers.

 

Women must not be worse off with health care reform!

 

Diane Max

New York, Aug. 7, 2009

 

Copyright 2009 New York Times.

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