Great Hall, Massachuestts State House 

Learn how to advocate for your patients & meet with your legislators

 We will be advocating for:

An Act Establishing a Primary Seatbelt Law (AKA “Natalie’s Bill”) – HB 2401/ SB 1211 http://www.childrenshospital.org/about/Site1394/mainpageS1394P27sublevel106Flevel157.html

 Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program – (MCPAP) – S.9894, H.1416 http://www.childrensmentalhealthcampaign.org/index.cfm?pageId=1323

 Act Fresh: Comprehensive Land Use Reform and Partnership Act – CLURPA – SB1019

Featured speakers will include:

Ruth Balsar – State Representative

 John Auerbach – Commisioner, Massachusetts DPH

 John H. Straus, MD – Vice President, Medical Affairs for Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership

Anna Rosenquist, MD – Pediatrician, Advocate

 BREAKFAST AND LUNCH SERVED – EVENT FREE FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS

We hope to see you there!!!

RSVP by May 25th to Jeff Winer (jcwiner@partners.org)

Pediatric Residents and Fellows Day at the State House

April 15, 2010 ∙ The Great Hall

Schedule of Events

8:30          Registration & Breakfast

9:00          Welcome & Introductions

9:15          Erin Tracy MD, MPH – Obstetrician, Massachusetts General Hospital

Focus on the Issues:

S847& HB2080 An Act Relative to a Board of Registration in Midwifery

Keynote Speakers

9:30          Vivek Murthy MD, MPH – Internist, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

President & Cofounder of Doctor’s for America

10:00        Gregory Hagan MD – Pediatrician, Cambridge Health Alliance

Vice President MCAAP

10:30        Short break & Snack

10:45       Greg Parkinson, MD- Pediatrician, Falmouth Pediatric Associates

Chair of MCAAP Committee on Injury Prevention and Poison Control

Focus on the Issues:  S366 & H3224/3297:  An Act to Regulate the Use of Off Highway & Recreation Vehicles

11:00        Sean Palfrey MD- Professor of General Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center

Focus on the Issues:

S470/859 & H3453: An Act Establishing the Massachusetts Childhood Vaccines Program and the Massachusetts Immunization Registry

11:15        Alex Calcagno

Workshop: “How to be an Effective Lobbyist”

12:15        Lunch

Informal Q&A with Ed Brennan, Esq. – Legal Counsel & Lobbyist, MCAAP

1:00-3:00  Meetings with individual legislators*

3:00          Feedback & Wrap-up

* We are also hoping to have a few legislators stop so the schedule may change slightly!

Boston, MA – On April 15, 2010, over sixty pediatricians in training will be gathered at the Massachusetts State House to advocate for children’s healthcare at the fifth annual Pediatric Residents and Fellows Day at the State House (RFDASH).  On the top of their agenda will be a bill guaranteeing funding for all recommended childhood vaccines and creating a vaccine registry to track vaccine status of all children in the Commonwealth (S. 2195).

For a century, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health provided vaccines to all healthcare providers in the states, so that all children had access to immunizations regardless of health insurance status.  However, Massachusetts is no longer a “universal childhood distribution state”, meaning the state is no longer able to fully provide such funding.  The bill up for debate would create a vaccine purchase trust funded by insurance providers to cover vaccine costs not covered by the state.  This trust would then allow for vaccine purchase through the federal purchase system, which is 40% less costly than private purchasing.  In addition, Massachusetts is currently one of only two states in the U.S. that does not have a vaccine registry, preventing children’s immunization status from being easily tracked.  This bill would also establish such a registry, thereby helping to improve vaccination rates in the Commonwealth.

“It is impossible not to feel the immense impact vaccines have had on children’s health,” says MGH pediatrics resident Jessica Rosenthal.  “Our instructors often tell us about the number of seriously ill children with bacterial meningitis that they took care of as residents, describing that many of those children developed devastating neurologic sequelae.  I have not seen a single child with bacterial meningitis this year, and Haemophilus influenza B vaccine has clearly had a major role in decreasing the frequency of this largely preventable illness.”  Kerrin DePeter, a second year pediatrics resident at MGH adds, “When we have such effective means at our disposal for preventing serious illnesses, it seems irrational and unfair not to do everything possible to facilitate widespread distribution of these resources.  We should not be taking steps backwards in 2010 in the initiative to vaccinate children, and this bill would catch Massachusetts up again.”

The fifth annual Residents Day at the State House is sponsored by the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MCAAP).  Pediatricians from all over the state will be in attendance.  Featured speakers will be Dr. Greg Hagan, Vice President of MCAAP, and Dr. Vivek Murthy, co-founder of Doctors for America.  Other issues at the focus of RDASH efforts are support for a bill limiting ATV use in children and opposition to a bill that would relax limits on obstetrical care delivered by non-physician providers.  More information can be found at http://mghfcresidents.wordpress.com.

Day at the State House

Thursday April 15, 2010

8:30 am to 3:00 pm

Great Hall – Massachusetts State House

Learn how to advocate for your patients

Meet with your legislators

Featured speakers will include:

Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA

Cofounder

Doctors for America

Greg Hagan, MD, FAAP

Vice President

Mass Chapter of the AAP

RSVP by March 15th to Jeff Winer

jcwiner@partners.org

For more information, visit our blog at http://mghfcresidents.wordpress.com/

Please include in your reply:

Name, Institution, Home address (to set up meetings with your senator/representative), T-shirt size

Participation: morning only or morning and afternoon

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH SERVED – EVENT FREE FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS

We hope to see you there!!!

Resident Advocacy Group, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children

For Immediate Release                                                           Contact: Samantha Dallaire   

January 28, 2010                                                                                 617-722-1500

Murray: Senate Passes Improved Safety Regulations

for Use of All-Terrain Vehicles

(BOSTON) – Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) announced today that the Senate has passed legislation improving safety regulations for operators of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in Massachusetts. The bill requires ATVs, off-road motorcycles and snowmobiles to be registered and all operators to wear helmets. It also establishes a minimum age of use for ATVs. 

“We have to consider the safety of people, especially children, who use these vehicles,” Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) said. “This bill will hold negligent users or owners accountable and help reduce the bad practices that harm individuals and children.”

Since the tragic ATV-related death of their eight year old son Sean in 2006, Mark and Katie Kearney of Plymouth have tirelessly advocated for increased ATV regulations and have worked with Senate President Murray’s office to put together this safety legislation.

“These are needless accidents, and I am so pleased that the Senate understood this and passed regulations that will hopefully prevent this kind of tragedy from ever happening again,” said Katie Kearney. “The passage of this bill shows that if you see a problem, you can go to your legislator and do something.  Senate President Murray has been a caring advocate for this legislation and has been by our side throughout the process.”

According to the National Trauma Data Bank, more than 70 percent of pediatric ATV injuries and deaths involved children under the age of 14. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found a 33 percent increase in all ATV-related injuries since 2001. In 2006 alone, at least 111 children under 16 were killed in ATV accidents.

“This legislation passed by the Senate would undoubtedly save the lives of many children and stem the tide of the preventable and costly pediatric brain injuries that are treated in the trauma centers of this Commonwealth,” said Dr. Peter T. Masiakos, a trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The bill prohibits anyone under 14 from operating an ATV, unless it is for a sanctioned race supervised by adults over 18. It also establishes penalties and fines for reckless and negligent use, leaving the scene of an accident, and unauthorized use and false registration.

In order to cross a public way, public safety provisions in the bill require that crossings are marked and approved as part of an authorized recreation vehicle trail system. The bill also prohibits ATV use that does millions of dollars of damage every year to public and private property, wildlife and crops.

In 2007, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation created an Off-Highway Vehicle Working Group to identify strategies and solutions to address the growing concerns regarding the illegal and unsafe use of snowmobiles and recreation vehicles. Much of this bill, which also creates a new state off-highway vehicle advisory committee to address ongoing concerns, stems from their work.

Further provisions of the bill include:

• Prohibits possession of a loaded firearm, rifle or shotgun while riding on a recreation or snow vehicle;
• Requires that a person between 14 and 16 years of age may only operate an ATV with an engine capacity up to 90 cubic centimeters, and such use must be directly supervised by someone over 18;
• Provides that operators of recreation vehicles born after January 1, 1991 must complete a vehicle safety and responsibility course;
• Mandates that recreation and snow vehicle owners who knowingly allow persons to use their vehicles are liable with the operator for any damage or injuries;
• Establishes an Off-Highway Vehicle Program Fund that collects registration fees and revenues from fines and forfeitures to pay for law enforcement activities, land acquisition, trail maintenance and development, and the development of safety and training programs.

This bill now goes to the House of Representatives.

###

Murray was elected in March 2007 as the first female President of the Senate in Massachusetts history.  From January 2003 through March 2007, she chaired the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.  She is currently serving her 9th term in the Massachusetts Senate, representing the people of Bourne, Falmouth, Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Sandwich and precincts 10, 11, and 12 in the Town of Barnstable.  For more information, visit www.ThereseMurray.com.

REMINDER: Please remember to vote for the MA Senate Election this Tuesday 1/19/10

AAP advocacy website:

http://www.mcaap.org/legislative-advocacy/
http://www.aap.org/advocacy.html
 - Health reform specifically: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/washing/mainpage.htm

This year’s fourth-annual Pediatric Residents and Fellows Day at the State House (RFDASH) brought out about 80 residents, fellows and faculty from various hospitals to advocate for legislation that affects children’s health.

“We got a great response from many senators and representatives who didn’t know much about our bills before the meetings, but were very positive afterwards about supporting them,” says Alenka Zeman, MD, who organized the event with fellow MassGeneral Hospital for Children resident adovcate Catherine Aftandilian, MD. “It is very rejuvenating for us to step outside the hospital walls and to let our voices be heard,” Zeman adds.

Hosted by the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the day began with inspirational speakers who prompted the audience to advocate for the legislation later.

Capitol reform

James Perrin, MD, kicked off the morning with an impromptu but effective talk on healthcare reform in our nation.

“It’s an incredibly vibrant, complex, amazingly fast time in Washington,” Perrin says. “You should stay tuned and get involved where you can.”

Perrin explained that this is a particularly important year in Washington, DC, as it represents an important opportunity for change before midterm elections next year. Perrin also noted the critical role of Senator Ted Kennedy, who had been a strong advocate for healthcare reform, but whose health was expected to affect his participation.

One bill, many lives

Trauma surgeon Peter Masiakos, MD, switched gears to explain how one bill (S.366) to regulate the use of off-highway and recreation vehicles can save many lives.

Masiakos became passionate about regulating the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the like after caring for Sean Kearney, an 8-year-old boy who died after an ATV accident in late 2006.

“He was a little boy we couldn’t make better,” Masiakos said.

The Kearneys, who spoke after Masiakos, told the story of their son, who they left for a play-date with a trusted family, only to receive a call that Sean had been involved in an accident with an ATV, something the family had no familiarity with. Sean was flown to Mass General Hospital after the accident, but the injuries he sustained under the weight of the 500-lb ATV were too great, and he died five days later.

“We had four children, but we put three to bed every night,” said Katie Kearney, Sean’s mother. She added, “We couldn’t prevent it [from] happening to Sean, but we can prevent it from happening to another family.”

The Kearney’s expressed gratitude for Dr. Masiakos, who stayed with them through the five days Sean was in the hospital, and who became one of the ATV bill’s strongest proponents.

“Passing this law will protect children from the risks that ATVs expose them to,” Masiakos says.

Coordinated health

Following the Kearney family’s discussion, David DeMaso, MD, chairman of psychiatry at Children’s Hospital Boston, spoke about the bill for coordination of children’s mental health care services. The bill (H. 3586/S.757) aims to form a link between care providers, for example in the hypothetical case of a 14-year-old girl with asthma who is also being treated by a psychiatrist for depression and anxiety.

From the perspective of the psychiatrist looking to prescribe the patient depression medication, DeMaso asked his audience a seemingly obvious question: whether it would be a good idea for him to talk with the girl’s pediatrician. That is the essence of the bill.

Immunizations

The final bill in question (H.3453/S.859) would establish the Massachusetts Childhood Vaccines Program and the Massachusetts Immunization Registry. The subject is a particular sore spot for many, as the state has fallen in terms of immunization distribution.

“Massachusetts was number one for immunization and we no longer are and that’s not acceptable,” said State Representative Alice Wolfe.

Sean Palfrey, MD, and professor of general pediatrics at Boston Medical Center, spoke with Ed Brennan, Esq., legal counsel and lobbyist for the MCAAP, on the topic.

“We as pediatricians are known to be not just knowledgeable, but advocates for children,” Palfrey said.

The day culminated with visits to senators and representatives, with the hope that these three bills would soon become laws.

For event organizer and resident Zeman, the event has grown considerably since she first became involved as an intern a few years ago.

It’s exciting because this day just keeps expanding and expanding,” she says. “You realize we can have an impact.”

9:00          Welcome and introductions

9:15          Lauren Smith MD, MPH – Medical Director of the Mass Dept of Public Health

“Public Health and Health Disparities:  The Social Becomes Biologic”

9:45          Peter Masiakos MS, MD – Pediatric Surgeon, Mass General Hospital

“The Needs of the Many Outweigh the Needs of the Few:  How Meaningful Legislation Impacts Children’s Health”

Focus on the Issues:  S366: An Act to Regulate the Use of Off Highway and Recreation Vehicles

10:15        The Kearney Family: A family’s perspective on the ATV bill

10:30        Short break and snack

10:45        David DeMaso MD- Chairman of Psychiatry, Children’s Hosp of Boston

Focus on the Issues:  S757 & H3586: An Act for Coordination of Children’s Mental Health Care Services

11:00        Sean Palfrey MD- Prof of General Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center

With a visit from Alice Wolf- State Representative 25^th Middlesex District

Focus on the Issues: S859 & H3453: An Act Establishing the Massachusetts Childhood Vaccines Program and    the Massachusetts Immunization Registry

11:45        Visit from Senate President Therese Murray

12:00        Sean Palfrey MD & Ed Brennan, Esq. – Legal Counsel & Lobbyist, MCAAP – Workshop: “How to be an Effective Lobbyist” & Question & Answer Session

12:30        Lunch

1:00          Meetings with individual legislators

2:00 –       Feedback and Wrap-up

9:00                 Welcome and introductions

9:15                 Lauren Smith – Director of the Mass Dept of Public Health

9:45                 Peter Masiakos- Professor of Pediatric Surgery, Mass Gen Hospital

10:00               The Kearney Family: Discussing Impact of the ATV Bill

10:15               Short break and snack

10:45               David DeMaso MD- Chair of Psychiatry, Children’s Hospital Boston, Mental Health Bill

11:00              Alex Calcagno – Lobbyist for the Mass Med Society, How to be an Effective Lobbyist

12:00               Sean Palfrey-Prof of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center & Ed Brennan- Lobbyist for the MCAAP, Immunization Bill                     

12:20               Questions & Answers

12:30               Lunch

1:30                 Meetings with individual legislators