Respect at a time of pain
Common decency to the next of kin when a loved one has died seems little to ask, but a New York City family has had to take their fight to secure this courtesy all the way to the state’s highest court....
View ArticleOffer variety of insurance options
I would like to respond to the commentary from Dr. Danielle Laraque and Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, a registered nurse (“Patients should be bottom line of care,” Feb. 14). When Medicare was established by...
View ArticleThe patient should say when its time
In Gina Lopes’ commentary (“Evidence rests with those who seek to die with dignity,” Feb. 17), a false dichotomy is posed with this question: “Should one have a right to die – or should one’s death...
View ArticleEnd federal marijuana ban
Even before it launches, New York’s fledgling medical marijuana program has been faulted for being so rigid it may never help many of the people with chronic conditions and diseases who could truly...
View ArticleExtend coverage for medical pot
Matthew Hamilton’s article, “The tricky logistics of medical marijuana,” March 9, correctly represents some concerns about New York’s current regulations but does not mention other concerns that have...
View ArticleDoctor shortage alarm unfounded
Allegations of a physician shortage in New York and the nation ignore key facts: New York has the third-highest per capita number of doctors in the nation and that number is growing at a rate faster...
View ArticleIndiana’s law rules out personal freedom
What authority supports a politician who feels privileged to create laws that determine what choices an individual may make regarding their sexual and health care rights? I have no issue with courts of...
View ArticleMCAT needs focus to widen diversity
The new changes to the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, demonstrate two things: A growing sense of academic narcissism in that academics attempt to make their own fields all-encompassing and...
View ArticleCARE Act essential in N.Y.
When our loved ones are discharged from the hospital, getting them back home can be mixed with anxiety and stress over handling the medical tasks so frequently required well after the hospital stay is...
View ArticleThe marijuana roadblock (updated)
Our opinion: Even as more states see marijuana’s medical value, the federal government refuses to, forcing patients and businesses to pay the price. Nearly half the states, including New York, have...
View ArticleMarijuana prohibitions should be repealed
Melissa Hilt and Christine Emerson in their commentary make a strong case against pending new cannabis legislation (“Emergency medical pot plan would offer false hope,” June 22). Their shared goal is...
View ArticleAssisted suicide is not ‘treatment’
I’m writing in response to your article “A right to die with dignity” (July 1). The image of force-feeding someone in restraints is horrifying. We must improve the way we treat patients who face the...
View ArticleOpen the marijuana files
Exercising an abundance of caution, the Cuomo administration moved slowly and deliberately as it weighed proposals to make the benefits of medical marijuana available to New Yorkers. But now that a...
View ArticleMedical marijuana a help to patients
I was delighted to read the editorial “Open the marijuana files” (July 14), encouraging more transparency in the processes for making medical cannabis available to New Yorkers. Our state needs to work...
View ArticleCongress’ anti-science way
Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia allow their citizens to obtain marijuana, in one form or another, for medical reasons. In a very real sense, much of America has become a living...
View ArticleHelp to prevent, not assist, suicide
It’s National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and we need to be preventing suicide rather than assisting it. It is immoral and unethical for a physician to assist any person with prematurely ending...
View ArticleHealth providers need to get their vaccinations
I noted with alarm the statistics cited in the article published in the Times Union concerning a drop in flu immunization rates. While most people who suffer from the flu will recover after some rest...
View ArticleHonored for contributions to our region
Continuing a rich tradition spanning four decades, three of our community’s most outstanding individuals are being appropriately honored for their extensive contributions and service to the Capital...
View ArticleCorrupt politicians make bogus claim
Politics can be a cynical game. Such is the case when a group tried to link corruption in Albany to their bogus claims of a medical malpractice crisis in New York (“Seeing the victim in it all,” Dec....
View ArticlePain management education needed
Joan Gundrum’s commentary (“Make medical aid in dying an option,” Dec. 20) tries to rally support for doctor-assisted suicide. Ms. Gundrum calls attention to a real problem but proposes the wrong...
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