Successful campaign
TO THE EDITOR: It is with great enthusiasm and appreciation that I announce the success of this year's annual campaign for the Foundation of CVPH Medical Center.
This year, our campaign fundraising goal exceeded $200,000, a new record for the foundation.
Through the support of our donors, we touch thousands of lives throughout the North Country.
In 2011, donations were to:
â Fund programs that improve the health of our community, such as the Teen Biggest Loser, an EMT workshop about special-needs patients, support of the Saranac River Trail and a program to boost self-esteem and self-awareness in young girls.
â Provide patient care program and equipment support for the Medical Center.
â Assist 52 families with travel expenses for specialized care out of the area.
â Educate health-care professionals to enhance patient care.
â Support the CVPH diabetes self-management class, which taught 47 people how to better control their health.
â Reach 1,000 people who attended health lectures on topics, such as childhood obesity, diabetes management, prostate cancer, and sports injuries in young athletes.
â Award health-care scholarships to nine high school seniors in Clinton County.
This year, we had 60 campaign volunteers who actively solicited their friends and neighbors in support of the foundation. Their commitment and each donor's gift have been critical to the success of our campaign and our programs. It is because of this generous support that we can provide these and many other vital health and wellness programs.
Thank you to everyone who supported the Foundation of CVPH in 2011. Whether through the annual campaign or for another purpose, your gift has touched the lives of your friends and neighbors throughout the North Country.
Gerard "Jerry" Kelly
2011 Annual Campaign chair
Touched by gesture
TO THE EDITOR: I was at Skyway Plaza in Plattsburgh on Friday, Jan. 20, and I stopped at Burger King. While I was waiting for my order, a young man was standing there, and he reached across in front of me and gave the girl waiting on me some money.
I had jokingly reached for the money, and the girl said, "He is paying for your order." I was astounded and said, "You are kidding." She said no, so I turned to the young man and said, "Wow, I have never had that happen before" and did thank him many times.
There are still so many nice young people out there. We usually hear about bad things; well, this is a heart-warming story. It really touched my heart.
I want to again thank that young man. He is one to be proud of if his family could hear of it.
I do not know his name, but I hope you see this and tell your family it was you. I hope your life will be a long, happy and prosperous one. It was a pleasure to meet you for just that brief time.
Patricia Ryden
Keeseville
Prescriptive authority
TO THE EDITOR: I read with great interest your headline article, which accurately reported that "lack of care is near crisis level."
Doctoral psychologists have for years been addressing the problem you reported by establishing comprehensive university-based post-doctoral training in prescribing psychiatric medications to address the lack of services particularly in rural America. The training is first rate, as described by the physicians and psychologists who have developed the prescriptive programs.
Appropriately trained psychologists licensed in several states and within the Armed Forces have been professionally and effectively providing consultative and prescriptive services for years. Yet your article did not mention the fact that within our state there are appropriately trained licensed doctoral psychologists who meet the educational and experiential requirements established by the Armed Forces and other states for prescriptive authority who are ready to address the "near crisis" you mentioned.
Unfortunately for our residents, our properly trained psychologists are not permitted to prescribe due to the influence of organized medicine in Albany.
I strongly recommend that your readers insist that our political representatives in Albany pass legislation that would grant psychologists prescriptive authority to address the very real crisis you described.
Dr. Raymond Havlicek
Board-certified psychologist Fellow, American Academy of Clinical Psychology
Dangerous cuts
TO THE EDITOR: The severe cuts passed in 2011 to the state's landmark prescription-drug assistance program for older New Yorkers — called EPIC — as covered in your Jan. 12 article "EPIC Cuts a Tough Pill to Swallow," are shortsighted and potentially dangerous.
Governor Cuomo and the state legislators must fix this mistake in 2012.
Cutting this important program will drastically affect thousands of middle-income, older New Yorkers who need the extra help and the peace of mind in knowing they can get the prescription drugs they need to stay healthy.
Your article quotes one local county official saying that "there are pharmaceutical programs that will provide financial relief to those who qualify." Some of these programs may help some people, but many can be confusing and limiting as to what drugs they cover and who is eligible for coverage. They can also change or end at any time.
Without EPIC funding, I fear many older New Yorkers may go back to the days of deciding to go without the medications they need because they simply can't afford them.
When older people don't take their medications, their health is further compromised, costing our state's health-care system more in the long run.
I urge everyone to contact Sen. Little and Assemblywoman Sayward and urge them to restore funding to EPIC in this year's state budget before it is too late.
David McNally
AARP NY senior manager of government relations and advocacy
Campaign financing
TO THE EDITOR: We can still vote, but major political positions are obtained only through expensive campaigning restricted to those with tremendous resources.
So candidates need to be personally wealthy or financed by wealthy individuals and/or corporate entities that can buy our government.
Citizens United Bill became law last year when the Supreme Court voted to allowed unlimited funding of political agendas in creation of Super Pacs by corporations, breaking a long-standing law limiting contributions to $2,000.
More than 90 percent of the Super Pac money raised to date supports GOP candidates. This isn't our citizens united. This is democracy in America for sale to the wealthiest contributors.
Do you think this is what our Declaration of Independence, Constitution and our Founding Fathers had in mind when they created our democracy?
What are all these wealthy corporate and individuals obtaining from their huge contributions? They get the laws that make them and their companies bigger, stronger and wealthier. Most want to pay less tax and make someone else pay more toward the nation's debt.
The Republican candidates all favor lower taxes, to the greatest benefit of the wealthy. Ask Reagan's budget director, David Stockman — lower tax rates did nothing to increase job growth. Keynesian and trickle-down economic policy wasn't the answer then, and it's not now.
From 1951 to 1964, the top individual income-tax rate was 91 percent; currently, it's 35 percent.
We have a debt crisis that needs to be fixed. A true democracy would have a tax code that honored the working poor and middle class, not the wealthy.
Tax capital gains more than earned income. Make the top taxable incomes $10 billion with a rate of 94 percent, like we had in 1945.
The wealthy bought this government; now they can pay for it.
Jack Knox
Lake Placid
