NEW YORK - With only ten days left in the legislative session, medical professionals are asking state lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to obtain a prescription to peacefully end their lives if they choose to use it.

The New York Medical Aid in Dying Act has been stalled in both the Assembly and state Senate for five years.

It's modeled after Oregon's 1997 Death with Dignity Act that gives adults with mental capacity, a terminal illness and prognosis of six months or less to live the option to request a prescription they could use to die in peace.

Retired Dr. Jay Federman served as medical director of a hospice in upstate New York. He said the law would give options to people whose pain cannot be relieved by palliative care.

"It allows them to eliminate the suffering," said Federman, "and even mentally, they get peace of mind by knowing that that the medication would be available."

He added since the law passed in Oregon, similar laws have been adopted in nine other states and the District of Columbia. Some groups have opposed the bill on religious grounds.

Peggy Wiltberger, a registered nurse and retired hospice case manager, pointed out that causes of suffering go beyond the physical symptoms people endure in a terminal illness.

"The single greatest cause of suffering pretty much is losing one's ability to function," said Wiltberger. "Dying isn't just a day. It's a long, drawn-out process of increasing loss."

She said families, too, are generally grateful that their loved ones have the option to gently end their suffering.

Federman noted the Medical Aid in Dying Act has broad support across political, ethnic and religious lines, and two-thirds of New York doctors are in favor of passing the bill. He said he believes it would help open dialogue about a topic that is often avoided.

"I think there's tremendous benefit for some patients and for our society in general," said Federman. "Because it will promote discussions about end-of-life, which we're sorely lacking."

He noted if the Legislature fails to act this year, the bill will be reintroduced in the next session.

Sunday is Global Heat Action Day, to raise awareness about the risks posed by heat and ways to stay safe.

In Nebraska and across the Midwest, the combination of higher temperatures and rising humidity is making outdoor workers more susceptible to heat-related illnesses. Agricultural workers are among the most vulnerable.

Athena Ramos, an associate professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Public Health who is affiliated with the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, said heat-related illness is preventable. She pointed to the importance of letting people become acclimated to heat before working in it and providing sufficient amounts of cool, clean water.

"A worker will need about 32 ounces of water an hour in hot temperatures, so about four cups of water an hour," she said. "And even if somebody doesn't feel thirsty, we need to encourage them to drink water. It's very, very important to help the body prevent overheating."

Ramos also stressed the importance of rest breaks, shade and training on the multiple signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. And she encouraged the use of a "buddy system." In 2018, heat caused a farmworker's death in a Nebraska cornfield, and his body wasn't found until the next day.

Long workdays contribute to agricultural workers' risk of heat-related illnesses. Ramos said 10-hour days are not unusual for Nebraska farmworkers.

"And a lot of the migrant farmworker crews will be working more than 10 hours a day, because they're coming in for a relatively short period of time," she said. "And they have specific tasks that have to get done, and they only have four or five weeks to actually do it."

To date, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington have enacted state heat standards. Ramos said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is working on federal standards, but heat currently falls under the "General Duty Clause."

"Within that clause, it basically says that employers have a duty to ensure a safe working environment," she said. "So, you already have that responsibility as an employer, although a lot of farmworker advocacy groups would say we need something more specific."

She said OSHA has also been doing more heat-related inspections under a "Special Emphasis Program."

Brain-health experts are working to improve detection and care for Alzheimer's disease as new data reveal an increasing Alzheimer's population in Georgia.

According to the Alzheimer's Association's Facts and Figures report, nearly 7 million Americans have the disease, with more than 188,000 affected individuals in Georgia alone.

Jill Disney, senior director of programs and services for the Alzheimer's Association Georgia chapter, said this number is projected to double by 2060, leading to a significant impact on health care costs.

"We also know that one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer's or another dementia, places a heavy burden on our health care system with total payments for care costing $360 billion nationwide," Disney pointed out. "That is projected to rise to $1 trillion by 2050."

She emphasized the effect goes beyond those diagnosed. According to the report, Georgia caregivers provided an estimated $11 billion of unpaid care for people living with Alzheimer's and others with dementia in 2024. It is expected the number will continue to increase. Data also show a growing need for more health care professionals to meet future needs.

To address the predicted increase, Disney noted researchers are making progress in determining signs for early detection, new therapies and prescriptions, which may slow the disease or help manage symptoms. She explained a large part of the effort includes clinical trials and studies across the nation.

"The Alzheimer's Association 'Part the Cloud' program has invested more than $68 million in 65 early-stage clinical trials, including one here in Georgia, that are these novel treatments to Alzheimer's disease," Disney outlined. "An FDA-approved drug that is being examined in folks with Alzheimer's disease to see if it has clinical benefit."

Experts believe in the future, Alzheimer's will be treated using more than just medications. Other types of devices or interventions may also be used. Disney added risk reduction is a key focus for experts, with the goal of preventing the disease. Right now about one in nine people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer's dementia.


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New York City's Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital is slated to close on July 12. Mount Sinai Health Systems cites financial reasons since the hospital lost millions in revenue in recent years.

Closing Beth Israel adds to Lower Manhattan's healthcare shortage, as New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital will be the only full-service hospital in the area.

Arthur Schwartz, general counsel with the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York, said this costs people chances for care.

"Every time a hospital closes, it keeps New Yorkers from getting healthcare in two ways," said Schwartz. "One is it prevents people from getting immediate, timely lifesaving care. And it also prevents people from getting emergency care that may not be life-threatening, but which requires the attention of more than an urgent care center."

CIDNY is one of several groups filing a lawsuit to prevent Beth Israel's closure. A newly filed closure plan calls for expanding Bellevue Hospital's emergency department.

But, court filings show Beth Israel patients faced delays due to unapproved service cuts.

New York City Fire Department ambulances were told to divert stroke patients away from the hospital due to a lack of staff.

New York State hospital closures are turning regions into healthcare deserts. Four out of five hospitals statewide had negative or unsustainable operating margins in 2022.

Schwartz said health system consolidation makes it difficult to save Beth Israel.

"Mount Sinai, Montefiore, NYU, and Northwell basically own almost every hospital in New York City," said Schwartz. "They control an enormous amount of the healthcare in New York City. To find a knight in shining armor who's going to come in and buy Beth Israel is harder than it may have been."

But, hospitals and medical centers are booming in other parts of the city.

A survey by real estate services company CBRE finds growing demand for healthcare services makes the Upper East Side a central location for the healthcare sector.

Five major new hospital and medical projects are slated or have broken ground for construction, despite community opposition.