Your Weekly Dose of Health September 16, 2016

** Please join us on October 5th in Times Square for Beyond Pink: Sharing our Metastatic Breast Cancer Story Launches Educational Video and Photo Booth. This educational video booth provides tailored information and resources, specific to the metastatic breast cancer (MBC) community, to broaden the breast cancer conversation and be more inclusive of MBC. Click here for more information.

** As you may be aware, step therapy, or “fail first” legislation, A.2834D (Titone) / S.3419C (Young), passed the NYS Senate and Assembly in the final week of the Legislative Session. Please take the time to call Governor Cuomo at 518-474-8390 and urge him to sign this legislation into law, as it’s in the best interest of New York patients and providers! Click here for more information on step therapy.

National News:

  • According to Census data released this week, the uninsured rate declined by 1.3 per cent between 2014 and 2015. The percentage of Americans without health insurance in 2015 was 9.1 per cent or 29 million people. Read more health related census data here.
  • On Thursday, the Senate approved $270 million in funding to help Flint Michigan and other communities that are dealing with water quality issues like lead contamination.
  • California is moving forward with a plan to allow undocumented immigrants to buy health insurance, asking the Obama Administration to approve their plan.
  • The number of American workers testing positive for drug use is the highest it’s been in ten years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

State News:

  • Governor Cuomo this week announced awards for the development of 1,200 supportive housing units for vulnerable New Yorkers. Read the press release here.
  • New York State’s Office of Mental Health this week released a statewide plan for suicide prevention.

City News:

  • New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene release a brief that shows that New York City’s suicide rate increased by 11.7 per cent between 2005 and 2014.

Upcoming events: