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Powers & Santola Blog

One of New York’s U.S. Senators, Charles Schumer, is taking an aggressive stance against a federal bill that would allow commercial trucks with twin 33-foot trailers to travel on National Highway System roads in New York State and across the U.S. Schumer’s concern – one shared by many traffic safety advocates – is that longer …

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A former Ohio state Congressman is fighting an uphill battle with pancreatic cancer, allegedly due to negligence on the part of his government doctors. His case illustrates what is commonly called the “loss of chance” doctrine. According to Cleveland.com, the Congressman’s lawyer claims that government doctors failed to inform the Congressman of a pancreatic lesion …

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A recently released report by the Leapfrog Group patient safety organization and an op-ed piece in the New York Times shed light on a major factor in hospital injuries: A lack of support for nurses – specifically, understaffing. In the report, “Nursing Workforce Safe Practices,” Leapfrog states that a large percentage of the hospitals which …

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A new analysis of construction accidents in New York City underscores the fact that it is not only workers who are at risk of being injured or killed at work sites. Innocent passersby are exposed to the risk as well. A Wall Street Journal review of NYC Department of Buildings records found that “at least …

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Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that HAIs – “hospital-acquired infections” or “healthcare-associated infections” – are a serious problem in New York and in hospitals and clinics across the country, including staph infections such as MRSA. Because these infections are largely preventable, they are often cited as examples of …

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Pathologists whose work was analyzed for a recently published study often failed to properly diagnose early, non-invasive breast cancer in biopsy tissue samples. The results of the study underscore the importance of getting a second opinion after a breast cancer diagnosis, according to the study’s authors. HealthDay News reports that researchers gave 240 breast biopsy …

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With the arrival of Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month in May, attention clearly will be focused melanoma, which is considered to be the deadliest of skin cancers. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that, in 2015, there will be: 73,870 new cases of melanoma diagnosed 9,940 deaths from melanoma. However, the ACS notes, melanoma …

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The experiences recently shared in public by two actresses – Suzanne Somers and Rita Wilson – underscore why it is so important for people to get a second opinion about a cancer diagnosis. Too often, cancer is misdiagnosed, carrying tragic consequences for patients and their families. One actress, Suzanne Somers, experienced a false-positive diagnosis. As …

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New York’s Labor Laws are aimed at encouraging construction owners, contractors and their agents to provide a safe site for workers. When those parties fail to live up to their duties, the Labor Laws allow injured workers or the families of deceased workers to seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and …

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