Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:44:20 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss E.B. Solomont :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/E.B.+Solomont istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/salt-is-next-on-citys-hit-list/86792/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST New York City's health tsar, who has already waged war against tobacco, trans fats, and calories, appears to have chosen his next public enemy: salt. Voicing cautionary tales about high blood pressure that can be caused by eating too much salt, officials from the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in recent months have used editorials, public testimony, and educational campaigns to mount a push for regulation of sodium levels in food. "In many ways, high blood pressure is a... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-york-lags-in-regulating-bed-bugs/86754/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST In response to a growing bed bug epidemic, a number of cities across the nation have adopted new measures to identify and eradicate bed bug infestations — and others, including New York, are exploring such moves. In Boston and in San Francisco, regulations imposed in the past few years outline strict protocols for exterminating bed bugs and for disposing of infested mattresses and belongings. "I do not think New Yorkers have a place to go now," a City Council member who has been a vocal... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/founding-dean-named-for-cuny-school-of-public/86780/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST A former top official at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Kenneth Olden, has been appointed founding and acting dean of the proposed CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College. Previously, Dr. Olden headed the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, both parts of the NIH. He recently served as Yerby Visiting Professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. "Dr. Olden is a distinguished scientific leader and cancer researcher," CUNY's... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bed-bug-boom-is-a-boost-to-one-sector/86850/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The bedbug boom has brought many people pain, but it does have at least one upside: Exterminators are profiting. The president of PestAway, Jeffrey Eisenberg, who has a loyal following on the Upper West Side, said he receives between 600 and 700 bedbug calls each week, up from about a dozen calls each month five years ago. The former accountant, who launched his business from his Upper West Side apartment in 1991, now has 30 employees and while he refused to discuss profit margins, he said... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bedbugs-emerge-as-new-area-of-housing-law/86658/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Lawyers who visited Brooklyn housing court were abuzz recently, when bed bugs were reportedly spotted inside a courtroom on Livingston Street. A spokeswoman for the courts insists the courts are insect-free, but the claim came as attorneys for landlords and tenants said bed bug disputes are filling the docket in New York City courts. At stake are thousands of dollars, including the cost of extermination, destroyed property, and rent for infested apartments. The cases are also setting new... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/queens-hospital-makes-last-ditch-effort-to-save/86496/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST In a last-ditch effort to stay in business, Parkway Hospital in Queens has filed an injunction to prevent state health officials from closing down the hospital next week. A hearing is set to take place in Queens Supreme Court tomorrow. The hospital, situated in the Forest Hills section of Queens, was one of five hospitals in New York City slated for closure in 2006 by a state-appointed health commission, the Berger Commission. The hospital is set to lose its operating license on September 30... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-lights-ugly-campaign-to-deter-smokers/86399/ Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Rotting teeth, blackened lungs and oozing tumors are among the grisly images on free matchbooks the city's health department is now giving away in a new anti-smoking tactic. Starting this week, 330,000 matchbooks will be distributed to bodegas in the South Bronx, central and east Harlem, and north and central Brooklyn, where health officials said they hope their message will reach smokers and convince them to quit. The promotion is the latest in a string of graphic advertisements, including... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/upstate-hospitals-aim-to-hire-city-doctors-at-fair/86329/ Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST In a bid to address a physician shortage, hospitals in upstate New York will seek to recruit New York City doctors at a job fair slated to take place this week. The Where to Practice open house, set for September 28, is sponsored by the Greater New York Hospital Association. So far, more than 30 hospitals and health care organizations are scheduled to attend the event, which aims to attract medical residents. Earlier this year, the Paterson administration launched a loan forgiveness program... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/to-love-honor-obey-and-study-nursing/86330/ Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Christine Tassone Kovner was 25 years old and a student at the University of Pennsylvania when she first laid eyes on Anthony Kovner, a professor 11 years her senior. Their shared interest in health care gave way to mutual attraction, romance, and — 11 months later — marriage. Nearly 38 years hence, the Kovners, both professors at New York University, are as committed to health care management as they are to each other. In recent years, their work has focused on the nursing shortage in New York... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/chemical-in-plastic-is-linked-to-heart-and-liver/86040/ Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST In the first study of the effects on humans of exposure to a chemical widely used in plastic baby bottles and food containers, researchers found that the compound increases the risk for heart disease, liver problems, and type 2 diabetes in adults. The study, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, adds fuel to a heated debate about the safety of the chemical, Bisphenol A, which has been the subject of scientific scrutiny in recent years. The findings, which are... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/doctors-insurance-companies-affect-treatment/85819/ Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The vast majority of doctors in New York say they feel pressure from insurance companies to prescribe certain medical treatments, sometimes at the expense of what is best for the patient, according to a new survey. The survey, conducted by the Medical Society of the State of New York, is based on responses to a questionnaire filled out by more than 1,200 New York doctors in September. Overall, 90% of physicians said they changed the way they treat patients based on restrictions from an... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/medisys-may-figure-in-case-of-seminerio/85757/ Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Details of an alleged scheme by a state lawmaker accused by federal prosecutors of accepting more than $500,000 in exchange for lobbying activities point in the direction of the MediSys network as the hospital system that paid the lawmaker's consulting firm, sources told The New York Sun. Hospital executives told the Sun that a relationship among three hospital systems that was described in the criminal complaint against Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio of Queens matched a situation involving... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fewer-full-calorie-drinks-in-schools-report-finds/85627/ Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The country's largest beverage companies are supplying schools with fewer full-calorie drinks than they did four years ago, according to a new report. Companies shipped drinks containing 58% fewer calories between 2007 and 2008 than they did in 2004, according to the "School Beverage Guidelines Progress Report 2007-2008," which was prepared by Keybridge Research LLC on behalf of the beverage industry. In 2006, the country's three largest soft-drink manufacturers, the Coca-Cola Company, Dr... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/seeking-survival-hospitals-are-turning/85536/ Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Hospitals seeking to avoid being forced to close are embracing a new tactic: makeovers. The strategy is a last-ditch effort for some hospitals condemned by the Berger Commission in its 2006 report, which mandated closure for nine hospitals statewide and five in New York City. Having largely abandoned their legal challenges to the commission's ruling, hospitals are negotiating plans with health officials in efforts to preserve health care services in some fashion. In the case of Parkway Hospital... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/state-recovers-269m-in-medicaid-fraud-waste/85428/ Tue, 9 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST State auditors recovered more than $269 million in Medicaid fraud and waste between October 2007 and March 2008, officials from the state's Office of the Medicaid Inspector General told The New York Sun. The amount exceeds a commitment the state made to the federal government in 2006 to recover $215 million in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and a total of $1.5 billion from the state's Medicaid program by 2011. Under the agreement, the federal government gave New York State $1.5... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/3b-study-seeks-a-prevention-blueprint/85364/ Mon, 8 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST For the doctor behind a $3 billion national study of children's health, Philip Landrigan, the idea of identifying environmental triggers for common diseases is a priceless endeavor. Billed as the largest-ever study of children's health, the National Children's Study seeks to follow 100,000 children from conception to age 21. With the goal of identifying some of the environmental causes of diseases such as asthma, diabetes, and cancer, researchers aim to sign up children from 105 counties across... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/primary-care-boost-on-tap-for-lower-manhattan/85369/ Mon, 8 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Lower Manhattan's only hospital is planning an $8 million wellness center to offer primary care services to tens of thousands of downtown residents and Wall Street employees. New York Downtown Hospital's Wellness and Prevention Center, the beneficiary of a $5 million grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., will feature an MRI machine and a designated women's health program. The 10,000-square-foot space is projected to open in 2010, and use of the MRI machine will begin next year... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-york-shows-improvement-in-infant-mortality/85163/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The city's infant mortality rate — a barometer of its overall health — dropped to a record low in 2007, health officials are reporting. The officials said there were 5.4 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births in 2007, down from 5.9 in 2006. The rate was lower than the national infant mortality rate of 6.7 deaths for every 1,000 live births in 2006, the most recent year for which data are available. The decline in the city's infant mortality rate also coincided with an uptick in the birth... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/staten-island-resident-with-west-nile-virus-dies/84902/ Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A Staten Island man with West Nile virus has died, the city's health department confirmed. City health officials, who did not identify the 65-year-old, said he became ill and died earlier this month. "An investigation into whether the death was in fact related to the virus is ongoing," officials said in a statement. According to the health department, there have been five other cases of West Nile virus this season. Last week, the department confirmed that a 73-year-old Queens woman and a... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-staten-island-man-dead-from-west-nile-virus/84841/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:15:02 EST A Staten Island man with West Nile virus has died in the first fatal case this year, the city's health department confirmed today. The 65-year-old man became ill and died earlier this month. City health officials said they have launched an investigation into whether the death was related to the virus, which can be fatal if the infection spreads to the brain and spinal cord. Health officials said the man was the sixth human case of West Nile virus reported this season. Last week, the health... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/ny-hiv-infection-rate-tops-national-average/84740/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST New Yorkers are becoming infected with HIV at three times the national rate, according to new data from the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Based on a new model for tracking recent infections developed by the Centers for Disease Control, city health officials estimated that 72 out of every 100,000 New Yorkers contracted the virus that causes AIDS in 2006, compared with 23 out of every 100,000 individuals in America. Overall, 4,800 New Yorkers became infected with HIV that year... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/national/census-bureau-reports-number-of-uninsured-drops/84647/ Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST New York's local economy is defying a depressing trend felt throughout the country, as the percentage of those living in poverty fell last year even as the number of impoverished Americans grew. Although analysts cautioned that an economic downturn could reverse the gains, the percentage of New York City residents living below the federal poverty line fell to 18.5% in 2007 from 19.2% in the previous year, the Census Bureau reported yesterday in its annual snapshot of the nation's economy. The... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/hospital-woes-are-worse-in-ny-than-rest-of-us/84591/ Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Two separate financial reports are depicting growing financial problems for nonprofit hospitals nationwide and in New York, where analysts said hospitals have smaller operating margins and are under greater financial strain than in other areas of the country. In a report released yesterday on the credit quality of the nonprofit health care sector, analysts from Standard & Poor's described an increase in negative rating changes and outlooks in the first half of 2008, when they downgraded 31... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/a-new-kind-of-supersizing-tempts-at-healthy-salad/84537/ Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Whole Foods Market bills itself as a destination for organic and natural food, and the tactic seems to have worked, as a health-conscious crowd can often be seen at its prepared foods sections — and in particular, the salad bars. Armed with compostable containers, customers can be seen loading their trays with mixed greens and an array of cooked items such as tofu, stir-fry, and chicken. While many prepared dishes at Whole Foods can be healthful, an analysis conducted by a laboratory on behalf... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/americas-obesity-problem-takes-another-helping/84525/ Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST New Yorkers are getting fatter — again. According to a new report, New York is the 37th most obese state, and the state's adult obesity rate last year grew to 23.5% from 22.4% the year before. In a comparison of state obesity rates, Mississippi ranked first on the list, with a 37.5% rate. Colorado was last, at 18.4%. The obesity rate did not decline in any state, according to the report, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America," published by the Trust for America's Health and... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-yorks-hospital-project-approval-process-may/84435/ Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The lengthy approval process faced by hospitals seeking to purchase equipment or undertake construction projects may soon get shorter. State health officials are considering changes to the "certificate of need" process, a method for approving capital expenditures for all items, from new magnetic resonance imaging machines to parking lots and buildings. Although major projects would still face tough scrutiny, officials would ease up on smaller items. At least one proposed regulation, which would... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/albany-has-fix-for-doctors-insurance-ills/84342/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST By freezing liability premiums for a year, lawmakers have delivered financial relief to doctors in New York, but the battle over malpractice insurance rates is far from over. Lawmakers placed a moratorium on a rate increase between July 1 of this year and June 30 of next, a move that physicians said avoids an impending crisis and sets the stage for renewed discussions about ways to address the escalating cost of medical malpractice insurance in New York. The legislation also prohibits the... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/mount-sinai-appoints-a-president/84068/ Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Mount Sinai Hospital has tapped its chief operating officer, Wayne Keathley, to be president following the resignation of Dr. Burton Drayer. Dr. Drayer, who was named president of the hospital in 2003, announced his intention to step down several weeks ago in order to focus on his roles as chairman of Mount Sinai's department of radiology and chairman of the board of the Radiological Society of North America. Since 2003, Mr. Keathley has served as chief operating officer and executive vice... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/hospitals-paterson-at-odds-over-proposed-cuts/83956/ Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The fight between hospital groups and Governor Paterson is on. Hours after hospital groups publicized a new radio ad warning that budget cuts could force hospitals to close, the state's health commissioner, Dr. Richard Daines, convened an impromptu conference call with reporters in which he dismissed the advertisement as a scare tactic and said hospitals could absorb more than $1 billion in Medicaid cuts proposed by Mr. Paterson. The health commissioner, a former president of St... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-hospitals-most-affected-under-proposed/83842/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST New York City hospitals would bear the brunt of Medicaid cuts proposed by Governor Paterson, losing more than $663 million over the next two years, according to an analysis by hospital groups. Overall, hospitals around the state are projected to lose $974.1 million over two years if legislators enact Mr. Paterson's proposal to slash Medicaid spending by more than $500 million this year and $1 billion next year, according to the groups, the Healthcare Association of New York State and the... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/federal-aid-could-avert-hospital-cuts/83758/ Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST New York hospitals are turning to the federal government to offset Governor Paterson's proposal to slash Medicaid spending by more $500 million this year and $1 billion next year. Describing those cuts as untenable, hospitals are aiming for what they describe as a second federal economic stimulus package that would provide financial relief to states in the form of supplemental Medicaid funding. Currently, Medicaid financing is shared by states and the federal government, which pays a "federal... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-woman-is-120000th-recipient-of-cochlear/83794/ Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST For nearly 40 years, 72-yearold Susan Grossman suffered progressive hearing loss that restricted her use of the telephone and made listening to her favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, impossible. That changed yesterday, when doctors activated a device that had been implanted in the Upper East Side woman's ear. Three weeks ago, Mrs. Grossman became the 120,000th person since 1982 to receive a cochlear implant, a device that restores hearing to people with hearing loss by stimulating their auditory... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/rare-device-aids-ny-brain-surgeons/83602/ Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Inside the operating room, three screens projected the magnified image of the patient's brain as surgeons prepared to remove a tumor. But all eyes were trained on one screen in particular: the one offering a three-dimensional view. "Kill the lights," someone said, shortly after the surgeon, Dr. Theodore Schwartz, entered the operating theater. With an egg-size tumor resting on the patient's skull, Dr. Schwartz had planned a minimally invasive procedure using a three-dimensional endoscope, a... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/nursing-home-ceo-arrested-for-not-providing/83482/ Fri, 8 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The president and CEO of a Bronx nursing home that has been the focus of a probe by Attorney General Cuomo, and the site of multiple employee protests, has been arrested. The president of Kingsbridge Heights Rehabilitation and Care Center, Helen Sieger, 55, was charged with failing to provide workers' compensation coverage for 400 employees between May 31, 2007 and June 26, 2008, Mr. Cuomo's office announced. Six employees claimed to have been injured at work during that time. The arrest was... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/salary-talks-may-lead-to-home-health-aide-strike/83362/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A union representing 30,000 home health aides in New York City is stepping up a campaign to increase wages for its members, a message it plans to deliver at a rally today at Madison Square Garden. The union, 1199 SEIU, is seeking better wages for 20,000 members whose contracts expired in recent months, and its leaders are threatening to strike if contracts are not secured by September. Union officials said they want members to earn $10 an hour, up from an average of $8 an hour. They are also... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/moving-uptown-couple-entices-friends-to-follow/83334/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST When Rabbi Elie Kaunfer and his wife, Lisa Exler, decided to move with their daughter to Washington Heights from the Upper West Side, they resolved to bring some of their friends with them. Several weeks ago, they hosted a meeting at their home, drawing nearly 30 Upper West Side neighbors as well as friends from Washington Heights, who were invited to discuss the merits of living in the area. A few weeks later, the couple organized a walking tour of Washington Heights that included stops at... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/closure-of-hospitals-obstetrics-unit-is-criticized/83293/ Wed, 6 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The decision by Long Island College Hospital to close its obstetrics unit will deprive Brooklyn residents of needed maternity services, according to elected officials who plan to rally outside the hospital today. Last week, the cash-strapped hospital, situated in Cobble Hill, announced its intention to close the maternity unit as part of a reorganization plan that also includes downsizing its number of beds and selling off parcels of real estate. "There's been a bigger pattern in Brooklyn in... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/kidney-procedure-illustrates-some-wide-ranging/83202/ Tue, 5 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST During a recent cross-country kidney transplantation — a California woman received a kidney from an anonymous, living donor in New York — the operation was the easy part. The bigger problem for surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, who typically book donors and recipients in adjacent or nearby operating rooms, was that they had to race to retrieve the organ, pack it in ice, and transport the kidney inside a cooler to Newark Liberty International Airport, where... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/new-york-hospitals-are-maneuvering-in-war/83119/ Mon, 4 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST In their quest to attract patients, recruit top researchers, and burnish their reputations, hospitals in New York City are setting their sights on cancer patients. Buoyed by scientific advances, academic medical centers increasingly are building and planning cancer centers, modern facilities featuring state-of-the-art laboratories and clinics. Earlier this year, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center announced plans to expand its cancer program at a cost of $100 million... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/health-groups-launch-infrastructure-agenda/83085/ Mon, 4 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A coalition of New York health care organizations has introduced a five-point agenda aimed at improving New York's primary care infrastructure. Calling the agenda a "road map" for lawmakers, the Primary Care Coalition said its recommendations would also control the cost of health care in New York State, whose $45 billion annual Medicaid budget is the costliest nationwide. The coalition's agenda recommends changing the payment system to increase reimbursement for primary care; expanding the... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/gotbaum-seeks-to-make-cesarean-rates-public/83020/ Fri, 1 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The public advocate, Betsy Gotbaum, is asking the city's health department to publicize cesarean section rates at New York City hospitals on its Web site. In a letter Ms. Gotbaum sent yesterday to the city's commissioner of health, Dr. Thomas Frieden, she acknowledged the agency's previous reluctance to display maternity information on its site. But she urged Dr. Frieden to establish a link to the Web site of the state Department of Health, which began posting cesarean section rates online... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/hospital-obstetrics-ward-will-close-amid/82971/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST A cash-strapped Brooklyn hospital will stop delivering babies, aiming to regain its financial footing and reduce its escalating medical malpractice costs. Long Island College Hospital, in the Cobble Hill neighborhood, plans to shutter its obstetrics department pending approval from the state's Department of Health, hospital officials said yesterday. Last year, the hospital delivered 2,800 babies, and it is on track to deliver about 2,200 this year. Officials from the hospital's parent company... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/cash-strapped-brooklyn-hospital-shutters/82904/ Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:55:23 EST A cash-strapped hospital in Brooklyn Heights announced plans today to stop delivering babies as part of a reorganization plan designed to solve some of the hospital's financial woes. Long Island College Hospital, where 2,800 babies were born last year, will shutter its obstetrics department pending approval from the state's Department of Health, hospital officials said. The hospital also plans to sell off some of its real estate holdings and is looking to reduce its number of beds by as much as... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/hospitals-try-to-rein-in-doctors-rudeness/82728/ Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST The nurse later said she sensed the surgeon was in a bad mood when he walked into the operating room. Things did not improve when she handed him the wrong size gloves, and they deteriorated further when he began shouting at her and then dismissed her from the procedure. "She came out very, very upset," the executive director of perioperative services at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, Pamela Mestel, recently recalled, sharing details of the spat that emerged when the nurse and surgeon... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/rockefeller-archive-gets-its-independence/82712/ Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST The Rockefeller Archive Center — which houses 80 million pages of documents, 750,000 photographs, and thousands of reels of microfilm — has become an independent organization after 34 years of being part of the Rockefeller University. The archive center, in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., will be headed by a new board of directors, including David Rockefeller and a former president of Harvard University, Neil Rudenstein. Last month, the board named Jack Meyers president and CEO of the center. As part of... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/new-york/montefiore-takes-over-our-lady-medical-center/82457/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx is expected to open a fourth division of its 1,100-bed hospital today, as it takes over the nearby Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center just after the stroke of midnight. With the $38 million transaction complete, Montefiore will unveil a new sign for what will be known as the hospital's North Division. Our Lady of Mercy, a 369-bed facility, is situated about a mile north of Montefiore's main campus in the Norwood section of the Bronx. The deal includes 2,500... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/mount-sinai-to-move-into-public-phase-of-1/82220/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Mount Sinai Medical Center has quietly raised $320 million and will soon move into the public phase of a $1 billion capital campaign. According to hospital leaders, the campaign is a signal that the Upper East Side hospital — which five years ago was hemorrhaging millions of dollars each year — has not only rebounded from its financial troubles, but is pressing forward with the next phase of its strategic plan. That plan hinges on recruiting top doctors and updating the hospital's facilities... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/sour-feelings-over-sweetener/82271/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST For coffee and tea drinkers, choosing a sweetener — pink, blue, or yellow packet? — became more complicated with the introduction this month of Truvía, billed as "Nature's Calorie-Free Sweetener." Wrapped in green-and-white packaging, Truvía made a splashy debut at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. Available via the Internet and at select D'Agostino supermarkets, the sweetener, which is derived from a South American stevia plant known for its sweet leaves, is all natural and "a lot like sugar,"... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/health-fitness/video-games-helping-burn-patients/82272/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST One of the most popular video game consoles on the market, the Nintendo Wii, is being used to rehabilitate burn patients. Therapists at the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are using the Wii to help patients regain motor skills and recover from skin graft surgery. Hospital officials said some patients are using wireless controls to simulate motions such as swinging a tennis racquet and hitting baseballs. For patients with skin... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/business/insurers-pay-doctors-to-push-generic-drugs/81992/ Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Two New York health insurance companies are rewarding doctors with cash incentives for prescribing generic drugs. The companies, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rochester, N.Y., and Independent Health, based in Buffalo, are offering higher compensation to doctors who increase their rates of prescribing generics instead of more expensive brand-name medications. The companies say the programs were designed to control the escalating cost of pharmaceuticals and to pass on savings to the patients...