At Issue & In Focus

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of race, sexual orientation, or gender and the effects can impact many aspects of someone’s well-being. The consequences of this violence bring forth concerns for victims with regards to their health, homes, and financial security when they try to leave their abuser.

Help is available. Our office can provide assistance for victims with many of these issues.   For general concerns please contact our Office at (617) 727-2200.

For specific health insurance concerns, the Insurance & Health Care Consumer Helpline is (888) 830-6277

To receive assistance with consumer issues, our Public Inquiry & Assistance Center Hotline number is (617) 727-8400. Operators are available from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Alternatively you may file consumer complaints via email any day at any time by completing our Consumer Complaint form 

For information about our Victim Compensation and Assistance Division please click here or call (617) 727-2200 ext.2160

From September 2010 through August 2011 our Office responded to 206 domestic violence victim compensation claims and provided over $658,410.71 in compensation to victims.

If you or someone you know needs immediate help, please contact SafeLink at 1-877-785-2020. SafeLink is a 24-hour, free and multi-lingual hotline for programs in Massachusetts. An advocate can talk with you about your needs and help you identify appropriate resources.

AG Coakley Announces Legislative Agenda

Attorney General Martha Coakley today announced the filing of nine bills as a part of her legislative agenda. The series of bills seek to better protect public safety, combat fraud and corruption, and address the foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts. The bills include legislation that would establish standards and require banks to engage in loan modifications when they are financially beneficial to the bank before foreclosing on a property.  The AG’s Office also filed comprehensive human trafficking legislation that would establish human trafficking for sexual servitude or labor as a crime in Massachusetts, one of only five states in the country without human trafficking laws. Additionally, the AG’s Office filed comprehensive economic crime legislation designed to give law enforcement the necessary tools to investigate and prosecute sophisticated criminal activities and enterprises in the 21^st century.  Other bills filed relate to drug trafficking in methamphetamine, corporate manslaughter, dissemination of harmful materials to minors, manufactured housing, metals dealing, and the failure to have workers’ compensation insurance.  To see the full press release, click here.

World AIDS Day

Today, December 1st, marks the 22nd observation of World AIDS Day. Recent headlines focusing on the global financial meltdown may have decreased the news coverage, however the research on HIV/AIDS continues on. New discoveries may lead to vaccines and the drug trials are showing signs of effectiveness.

In Massachusetts, over 30,000 residents have been diagnosed with HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. Over half of the 30,000 are living with AIDS. HIV/AIDS is no longer the death sentence that it once was. The Attorney General’s Office has used funds from a series of multistate settlements with pharmaceutical companies to fund the Prescription Drug Assistance Grant, through which over $1 Million was distributed to 14 nonprofit community health centers throughout the Commonwealth. These organizations have assisted more than 500 individuals living with HIV/AIDS. The assistance goes beyond prescribing medication as it includes case management as well as providing counseling services.

While World AIDS Day is only one day in which the world is reminded of the deadly disease, new medicines being tested and scientific breakthroughs are occurring much more frequently. For more information about HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts, visit Health and Human Services’ Office of HIV/AIDS.

AGO Promoting Health and Reducing Disparities Grant Program

This week, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced an exciting new grant opportunity totaling $1.5 million over the course of the next two years. The Promoting Health and Reducing Health Disparities Grants (Health Grants) opportunity is aimed at promoting health and wellness in underserved populations and reducing health disparities in Massachusetts. The program is part of a series of competitive health-related grant opportunities offered by the AGO utilizing settlement funds obtained as a result of investigations of pharmaceutical manufacturers including Merck, Lilly and Pfizer and is designed to advance the AGO’s strategic health care priorities, including supporting Massachusetts health care reform efforts and containing health care costs in Massachusetts.

Municipal government agencies or boards and non-profit organizations looking to expand or provide new programs for underserved populations are encouraged to apply. Some examples of potential eligible programs include:

• Programs that promote health and wellness and encourage healthy eating and health-supporting behaviors;
• Programs that develop health literacy in underserved populations to improve disease prevention and self-management; and/or
• Programs designed to improve the management of chronic diseases including by not limited to diabetes, asthma, COPD, heart disease and obesity.

The AGO expects to issue grants in varying amounts, to multiple applicants. The maximum grant amount is $250,000 over a 2-year period and will be awarded in November. The deadline for applications is October 20, 2010. For more information about this program or other AGO grant programs, visit the AGO website.

 

DOMA Decision Reached

Last Thursday, the Attorney General’s Office won a landmark decision that struck down Section 3 of DOMA. Today, same-sex wedded couples in Massachusetts will immediately be eligible for over 1,100 federal benefits that they were previously ineligible for due to this discriminatory and unprecedented law which defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.  This is the first time a successful challenge to the Spending Clause of the Constitution has been brought and only the third time that a successful 10th amendment challenge was brought.

The decision, issued late yesterday by Judge Joseph L. Tauro also distinctly gives Massachusetts the right to regulate marriage among its citizens so that it no longer has to operate under a federally created caste system of first and second class marriages. Judge Tauro wrote in his ruling that “DOMA set the Commonwealth on a collision course with the federal government in the field of domestic relations.” Judge Tauro also wrote that because the federal government attached unconstitutional conditions to the receipt of federal funding, it exceed the scope of its authority. Massachusetts was the first of five states to marry same-sex couples.

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

According to Melissa Johnson, Executive Director of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, “Americans of all ages need to incorporate more movement into their daily lives. Adults need at least 30 minutes of activity five days each week. This can be done by choosing to bike or walk instead of driving, taking stairs instead of elevators, or pushing a lawnmower instead of riding one. Children need at least 60 minutes of daily active play. They need to run, climb, jump, and just get up and move around, away from their desks, the television and computer games.”

It is important to understand that you don’t need to sweat in a gym or run a marathon to reap the health benefits of daily physical activity. Even 30 minutes a day, broken up into shorter increments of ten or fifteen minutes, can greatly improve your health.

The AGO’s Project YES grant program uses settlement funds to support employing teens to work in jobs that promote increasing physical activity among children and teens.  Programs being funded include sports, bicycling, walking, dance and martial arts.

For information about the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, go to www.fitness.gov and to start a physical activity and fitness program, log on to www.presidentschallenge.org.

Get Some Sleep

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only one-third of adults are getting sufficient sleep or rest every night.

In the short-term, this has implications for our productivity, mood, memory, and even safety. On a longer-term basis, chronic sleep loss can contribute to a number of health problems, including weight gain, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system.

In honor of Better Sleep Month, check out the CDC’s Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends adult aim for seven or more hours of sleep each night for greater quality of life, better work performance and alertness.

Underage Drinking Prevention Campaign

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

40% of children report that they have tried alcohol by the time they reach eighth grade. The campaign “Talk EARLY. Talk OFTEN. Get Others INVOLVED.”, was recently launched by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in partnership with the Ad Council, to encourage parents to speak with their children about underage drinking.

Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America’s youth and contributes to the three leading causes of death among 12-20-year-olds (unintentional injury, homicide and suicide).

To learn more about the campaign, which includes PSAs and brochures in English and Spanish, visit the SAMHSA website.

Prescription Drug Misuse and Safe Disposal of Medications

Prescription drug misuse is the fastest growing category of drug abuse nationally among teens. Because of this, it is important that all of us safeguard all needed medications at home and think carefully about how we dispose of unused medications.

At one time, flushing was believed to be the safest way to dispose of medicine because it was thought to protect children and pets from accidental ingestion of unused medication and to decrease the chance of the medication being misused. 
 
Studies have now shown that outdated or unusable drugs that are disposed of by flushing or pouring down a sink enter the environment because wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to remove them.
 
So, how should one dispose of unused medications safely?
 
Do Not Flush! Do Not Pour! The SMARxT Disposal website, sponsored by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the American Pharmacists Association, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, suggests these steps:
 

1. Check with your police department or local board of health to see if your community has a drug collection program.
2. Check to see if your community household hazardous waste program collects medications (they must have law enforcement officials present)
3. If no collection options exist, you can follow these steps:
   a) Remove all personal identification from prescription bottles;  
   b) Mix all unused drugs with coffee grounds, kitty litter, or another undesirable substance, and/or  
   c) Place this mixture in a sealed container before disposing in the trash.

Gloucester Event – May 12th:

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is sponsoring a Northeast Regional Health Dialogue on Medication Drug Disposal Programs on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 in Gloucester.  The Gloucester's Medication Drug Disposal Program, which was funded by a grant from the AGO, will be highlighted. To learn more, please contact Laura Innis at DPH at laura.innis@state.ma.us or 617-624-6021.

The Great Outdoors

Are you still trying to live up to your New Year’s resolution to get in shape in 2010, but having a hard time getting motivated? Springtime in Massachusetts provides a wealth of inexpensive opportunities for individuals and families to get some exercise and enjoy the outdoors. Whether you prefer the land or the sea, the beach or the hills, you can find plenty of opportunities for a workout outdoors.

You will not only find this beneficial for your health, but your wallet as well. You can avoid the costs associated with a health club or even expensive family entertainment. Spending free time outdoors also allows you the opportunity to turn off the television and the computer and cut back on your personal energy usage. Leave the car keys at home and save on gas. You can find suitable entertainment within biking distance of almost anywhere, or maybe your bike ride is the entertainment.

To learn more about what is happening in Massachusetts Great Outdoors, you can also check out the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.