Viewpoints Viewpoints Editor: David Kubissa | 274-9213 | [email protected] | THE ITHACA JOURNAL | ithacajournal.com | Saturday, February 6, 2010 8A GUEST VIEWPOINT DARTS Proper disposal of outdated or unused & LAURELS prescription drugs Learn is critical to keeping Fundraiser medications from for Free Clinic polluting drinking water supplies. Laurel: From Betsye Caugh- more about ey of Ithaca Health Alliance to Gannett the volunteers of the Ithaca Health Alliance and Free Clinic insurers who donated their time by bak- ing breads and serving donors By Allen Lambert during the brunch fundraiser at Moosewood on Jan. 31. This Tompkins County legislator contribution by the volunteers Dooley Kiefer states (Jan. 2 guest and those who participated or viewpoint) criticisms of health attended supports the work of insurance companies, supposedly the Free Clinic. Moosewood the primary culprits in over- generously sponsored the priced American health care. event, donating space and serv- Those claims range from false to ices and contributing proceeds seriously misleading. A Google to the Clinic. search reveals more accurate Thanks to Bethany Schroed- analyses and data sets. er, Jon Bosak, Chris Lynch, Su- Ï Regarding supposedly ob- san Soboroff, Beth Harrington, scene profits. (1) The majority of Sadie Hays, Maria Gradziadei, health insurance in the U. S. and Deirdre Silverman, Valarie New York is provided through FitzRandolph, Pat Gee, Brooke non-profit organizations, e.g., Hansen, Julia Lapp, Penny BlueCross BlueShield. (2) The av- Goldin, and the Moosewood erage profit rate for for-profit owners and staff. health insurance companies is be- low the corporate average as found in Standard & Poor’s 500 Good Samaritans and below what is generally con- to the rescue sidered a fair return on an entre- Out — carefully — preneurial investment. Laurel: Carmen De Chilles Ï On “exorbitant CEO of Ithaca would like to thank salaries.” (1) CEO salaries in the the angel (or angels) who largest health insurance found me passed out in the providers average under $1.5 mil- with old medicine snow bank from the wrong lion — less than some doctors kind of medication that put me and lawyers make. Also, health into an overdose. I just got out insurance CEOs, like CEOs of all Collection day in March allows safe disposal of a 30-day stay at a hospital, for-profit companies, receive ad- and I was put on the right meds ditional compensation in the Here’s why March 6 is an im- medications into the trash is also for my illness. I was very close form of stock options, perform- portant day for virtually every discouraged. It can lead to acci- to being with my angels. I ance bonuses, etc. Averaged over Tompkins County household: dental swallowing by children or would like to thank these an- 10 years, the base salary still is the Coalition for Safe Medica- pets or could lead to misuse gels for saving my life and the lower than that for big financial tion Disposal — CSMD — will and/or abuse. hospital staff. Please God, look institutions, not to mention pro- host a communitywide event to A result of this study is the in- out for all the angels. fessional athletes and movie address potential environmental augural Unwanted Household stars. (2) Combined salaries of all challenges tied to improper dis- Pharmaceutical Collection Day Help for injured cyclist health insurance CEOs amount to posal of unwanted household designed for everyone with no- no more than 0.00025 percent of pharmaceuticals. longer-needed household med- Laurel: Greg and Mary Ellen health care expenditures. Given the beauty and impor- ications — and concerns about Lourey of Trumansburg would Ï What about all the claimed tance of our own natural re- how to get rid of them safely. like to thank all of the people non-health related expenditures sources, most notably Cayuga The Collection Day will be Sat- who donated to the benefit din- vs. a single-payer, government- Lake, we need to pay attention urday, March 6, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at ner held for Greg on Jan. 9 at sponsored system? Who thinks to how unwanted and outdated ABOUT THIS SERIES the Tompkins Consolidated the Eagles Club. (Greg was se- government insurance will not pharmaceuticals are disposed. Cayuga 2.0 is a series of monthly guest Area Transit (TCAT), 737 Wil- riously injured in August 2009, have administrative overhead, or Pharmaceuticals — including an- viewpoints about the health of the Cayuga low Ave., Ithaca. after being hit by a young driv- that such would be significantly tibiotics — can be found in the Lake watershed and the challenges and The coalition has worked with er while bicycling to work.) lower than private industry? Do drinking water supplies of at opportunities related to it. The viewpoints many local agencies to make this The outpouring of support has government agencies not spend least 41 million Americans. The are provided by the Tompkins County Wa- as simple as possible for the pub- been so touching and humbling money on advertising and other concentrations of the pharma- ter Resources Council. lic. Cornell’s Gannett Medical to us. And the $3,200 raised non-service delivery operations? ceuticals are small — far below Ï Next month’s installment: Agricul- Center and Wegmans and Tops through the benefit to assist us with our financial needs will be Does government not have “mas- typical medical doses — but ture in the watershed. pharmacies have offered the sive billing bureaucracies?” studies have services of registered pharma- a real help to us. Where is the evidence that a sin- found problemat- cists to oversee the event. There We especially want to thank gle-payer insurance system ic impacts on Division of the New York State will be a convenient “drive-thru” Valerie White who organized would cost less (for delivering wildlife, and the Department of Conservation location at TCAT’s headquar- the benefit; Frank Wells and the same services now delivered U.S. Environ- refers to these medications as ters. his family who cooked the deli- but expanded to more people)? mental Protec- “likely not commonly moni- Once the pharmaceuticals are cious dinner; the Eagles Club Ï What about government re- tion Agency has tored, unregulated in water, collected, they will be taken to for hosting it; Oasis Christian ducing costs? Name any enter- acknowledged poorly studied/poorly under- an incineration facility in Os- Fellowship, DMK Studios and prise run by government more ef- that the issue is a stood, may be concerns re: hu- wego County. The coalition has Greg’s co-workers at Ithaca LINDA P. man health or aquatic life.” The City School District for spon- ficiently or at lower cost than WAGENET serious concern. received tremendous coopera- private industry. Are the Postal In Tompkins DEC has developed an educa- tion from the City of Ithaca Po- soring the event; and The Itha- Service, FEMA (Katrina, here we Guest County, drinking tional campaign about pharma- lice Department and the Tomp- ca Journal for its coverage. We come), Veterans Administration Viewpoint water is periodi- ceutical disposal, including a kins County Sheriff’s are feeling the love, and we are and so on models of low-cost, cally tested for poster that can be displayed in Department. Law enforcement grateful. Thank you so much. high-quality performance? The miscellaneous pharmaceuticals pharmacies, doctors’ offices and agencies are required to accom- VA hospital system is what the and antibiotics. Again, although medical facilities. pany the medications to the in- WRITE TO US federal government currently op- in very low levels, these chemi- A few counties in New York cineration facility. We welcome letters no longer than erates in health care delivery and cals are appearing in our local have undertaken pharmaceutical The event is free and open to water supplies. The City of Itha- return days. The first collection the public. No appointment is 200 words. Please include your name, therefore what we could expect address and a daytime telephone of its expansion into general pop- ca has determined that these are day in Monroe County — the necessary. No one will ask your “emerging contaminants.” Rochester area — gathered more name. So that confidentiality can number. We edit for brevity, accuracy, ulation.The cost and effective- clarity and grammar. Edited ness of flood insurance is an ex- Across the country, states than 42,000 pills. Monroe Coun- be addressed, participants are have recognized that pharma- ty has gone on to hold five more letters should address a single idea. ample of what governmental asked to leave medications in We reject anonymous letters, poetry, intrusion into insurance will do ceuticals have the potential to collection days, resulting in 128 original containers and mark out cause environmental problems pound of hazardous substances, Internet pass-alongs and form letters. to health care hiding and subsi- personal information. Writers are limited to one letter dizing costs and driving most pri- as well as increased drug traf- nearly 4,000 pounds of non-haz- The following will be accept- ardous substances and 314 within 30 days. Letters and articles vate insurers out of the business. ficking in local communities. For ed at the March 6 event: Pre- may be published in print, electronic pounds of controlled substances. Ï As for the “hordes of lobby- example, Iowa has implemented scription drugs including con- media or other forms. We regret we The Coalition for Safe Medica- ists,” that is, unfortunately, the a statewide drug disposal pro- trolled substances, pills, cannot return or acknowledge tion Disposal has representatives way our political system works gram where participating phar- powders, liquids, inhalers, unpublished letters. from the Ithaca Area Wastewater but also is protected by the First macies take back these medica- Epipens and non-prescription E-mail: [email protected] Amendment.