States seek to cut disaster red tape
Thadeus Greenson/The Times-Standard |
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Flu and pneumonia combine to be one of the leading causes of death among the elderly, but a bill signed Wednesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger aims to put an end to that. Assembly Bill 106, authored by Assemblywoman Patty Berg, requires that every elderly patient be offered the chance to receive a flu and pneumonia immunization before they are discharged from the hospital. Berg said the bill meets an immediate need, as flu and pneumonia combine to be the fifth leading cause of elderly deaths, according to the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases. ”I've spent a lifetime advocating for seniors and this bill is a natural extension of that,” Berg wrote in an e-mail to the Times-Standard. “It's good public policy, and it's going to help a lot of people.” Berg's bill closes an unusual loophole in existing law that requires nursing facilities to offer vaccines, even though hospitals face no such requirement. The bill incorporates recommendations by the Center for Disease Control and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and Berg said it did not receive any opposition from California hospitals. ”These shots save lives, and hospitals are in the life-saving business,” said Berg in a press release. Brenda Bishop, a spokeswoman for St. Joseph Hospital, said it is still unclear how the bill will affect St. Joseph but the hospital certainly supports the bill's intent. McKinleyville Senior Center Executive Director Danna Bates, who has lost two people in her life to influenza, said the bill has the potential to make a huge impact on a segment of the population that is most vulnerable. ”I have no doubt this bill will save lives,” Bates said. “That (hospitals) have to offer these vaccines is a huge victory.” Wednesday's signature from Schwarzenegger represented the end of an almost year-long effort for Berg. ”It was a nine-month process to get the governor's signature,” Berg said. “The bill was introduced in January and went to the governor's desk in September. The bill went through the legislative process with bipartisan support. I'm very glad the governor signed it.” January will bring AB 106 full circle, when it officially becomes law. For Bates, January can't come soon enough. ”About 36,000 people die a year from influenza, and the majority of them are seniors,” Bates said. “You think flu is not a big deal, tell that to the families of the 36,000 people who died last year.” |
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