New Paltz Town/Village Boards endorse single-payer health care for New Yorkers
Control by Democrats of state government increases the chance that this “Medicare for All”-style plan will pass in New York State. New Paltz lawmakers hope it will.
Health
Local healthcare industry continues growth
Sixteen years ago, Ulster County had 8300 healthcare jobs and 5200 manufacturing jobs. Last year, it had three times the
Ulster County wants to cut opioid deaths in half
Among the most significant changes is a proposal to introduce “Medication Assisted Treatment” to the Ulster County Jail. MAT programs, which include the use of opioid substitutes like methadone and Suboxone have been proven effective in reducing deaths from opioid overdose and reducing addicts’ dependence on street drugs. But, until recently, corrections officials have almost universally resisted their introduction into jails and prisons.
Measles vaccine required at Ulster County camps
In response to a growing outbreak of measles throughout New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley, which has recently expanded to include cases in Sullivan and Greene Counties, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan has directed Commissioner of Health Dr. Carol Smith to issue orders requiring measles vaccination or immunity for all campers and staff, except those with a valid medical exemption, who wish to attend or work at day or overnight camps in Ulster County.
State Health Department approves $92.9 million HealthAlliance hospital expansion in Kingston
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) has granted full project approval to HealthAlliance for the significant expansion of its hospital on Mary’s Avenue in Kingston.
Caremount Medical to move into ShopRite Plaza in New Paltz
This is the latest in a series of steps intended to revitalize the plaza. The controversial parking lot redesign was a required prerequisite to amending the site plan. That work, intended to bring the lot up to current safety standards, is still brought up by locals without prompting because the new configuration remains unpopular. It’s yet to be seen if any plans to update ShopRite itself will be brought to a Planning Board meeting.
Phoenicia clinic opens with neurologist; seeks more practitioners
The new clinic in Phoenicia currently has only one doctor, neurologist Paul Mullin of Medical Associates of the Hudson Valley (MAHV), but the practice is looking to take on additional practitioners in family medicine, internal medicine, and mental health. Mullin, whose office opened on May 20 at 9 Ava Maria Drive, as part of the Kingston-based group, is already booked with patients, virtually back-to-back, for two weeks.
Breast Cancer Options annual Integrative Medicine conference is April 28
When Hope Nemiroff was diagnosed with breast cancer, she recalls, “There weren’t the services and information I needed to make decisions — and there still aren’t,” at least not in the standard medical setting. As a survivor, she decided to help people navigate the frightening and confusing process of dealing with such a diagnosis by founding Breast Cancer Options, which offers support groups and an abundance of information not readily available in a doctor’s office or hospital.
A man for all seasons
Take a paddle with Paul Andreassen and the Malden Yacht Club, a kayaking group that meets each Sunday to paddle on the Esopus and the Hudson. Calling themselves The Greatest Club that Never Existed, their coat of arms honors their meeting spot near the Malden water treatment plant with an outhouse backed by crossed paddles.
A clinic for Phoenicia
Medical Associates of the Hudson Valley, which maintains offices in Kingston, Woodstock, and Poughkeepsie, will open a branch in Phoenicia at the town-owned building that used to house a clinic on Ava Maria Drive, across from the post office.