2004
HomeCNYHSA 28th ANNUAL MEETING (November 18, 2004). Pauline Frazier, Associate Regional Director, NYS Dept of Health was the guest speaker. Her topic was "Priorities to Protect and Promote Health" She discussed the varied roles the CNY DOH Regional Office plays in implementing state programs and regulatory and surveilence functions. The topics covered included: prescription fraud, obesity, provider credentialling, quality improvement, the Clean Indoor Air Act, and state operated information-sharing/access systems. The meeting was held at Jivoff Education Center at the Hospice Center in Liverpool, New York.
CNYHSA MAY 20 BOARD MEETING. CNYHSA recommended approval of Community General Hospital's 2.6 million dollar proposal to establish an adult cardiac catheterization laboratory (For more information, click here). The Board also adopted a working budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004 and heard reports from Executive Director Tim Bobo on the status of the HSA's Community Health Planning in Central New York: the Future is Now proposal to establish a new health planning model for Central New York and from Associate Director Steve Waldron on several CNY HIV Care Network activities including the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on May 16th at Clinton Square and National HIV Testing Day on June 28, 2004.
CNYHSA FEBRUARY 26 BOARD MEETING. Michael F. Roizen, M.D., was the guest speaker. His topic was: "Lowering Healthcare Costs And Improving Quality: Is there a Role for Coordination?" Dr. Roizen discussed the importance of understanding physician behavior and indicated that the absence of rationality in medical markets is a key factor why planning and coodination is needed. Dr. Roizen served as a member of a blue-ribbon "Healthcare Issues Discussion Group" which developed a paper adopted by the Business Council of New York State in the fall of 2003 which cites the lack of community involvement in regional healthcare policy and calls for creation of Regional Healthcare Advisory Groups. Dr. Roizen is Professor of Anesthesiology at Upstate Medical University and is best known as author of the book: Real Age: Are You As Young As You Can Be?.
SYRACUSE POST-STANDARD RECOGNIZES CNYHSA IN LEAD EDITORIAL. The newspaper’s January 31,2004 editorial entitled "Smart Medicine," highlighted the value and expertise of CNYHSA in regional health care planning. The editorial cited the high cost of health care and duplication of services in urging that the Metropolitan Development Association (MDA) involve CNYHSA in its health care task force deliberations: "The MDA panel would be wise to include the agency more fully in its efforts."… "It has much to contribute." The need for health care planning was noted in the editorial, along with a brief history of HSAs’ planning and review roles and consequences of deregulation.
In a letter to the editor expressing support for the Post-Standard’s recommendations, CNYHSA President Bill Conole emphasized that: "CNYHSA has a proven track record in carrying out community health planning functions, maintains state statutory responsibility for these functions, and provides a neutral setting for tackling some of the difficult health care cost and delivery challenges spoken to in the editorial." To view a complete copy of the editorial and Mr. Conole's response, click here.