Patient safety law protects some documents in court case An opinion by New Jersey judges provides a clearer outline on documenting poor medical outcomes.
By ALICIA GALLEGOS, amednews staff. Posted Aug. 29, 2012.
A New Jersey appellate court has upheld as constitutional a state law that protects the confidentiality of documents related to medical errors in order to improve patient safety.
The court clarified how broadly such protection extends, saying investigative and analytical material created in compliance with the New Jersey Patient Safety Act is “absolutely protected.” However, documents generated for other purposes are subject to existing discovery rules.
For doctors and hospitals, the ruling is an educational guideline for how best to structure Patient Safety Act processes within health facilities, said Melinda Martinson, assistant general counsel for the Medical Society of New Jersey, which was not involved in the case.
“The bottom line is physicians need to know whether they’re strictly within the confines of the [Patient Safety Act] procedures,” she said. “It is possible that those involved in a PSA evaluation could believe that their discussions are confidential, but later found to be discoverable in litigation because the hospital process was flawed or the material was used for another purpose.”
The case stems from a lawsuit filed by Esther Applegrad against Ridgewood, N.J.-based Valley Hospital and several physicians and nurses. Applegrad claimed that negligent actions by hospital staff caused her daughter’s brain damage. One doctor was dismissed from the suit after settling with the plaintiff
The county’s two Democratic freeholders have scheduled a trio of dates on their “listening tour” to hear from residents on the controversial proposal to merge the county police department with its sheriff’s office
NJ Tea Party Coalition
At the meeting in Oakland last evening, we understand there were few attendees, some of who said that they didn’t even know about this and didn’t know the issues ???*How do they know of the event but not the subject??? *There is concern that there is a side agenda to these meetings; * No meetings are scheduled in the southern end of Bergen – why is that???? * Is this a real listening tour and who is listening to whom?
BERGEN COUNTY – The county’s two Democratic freeholders have scheduled a trio of dates on their “listening tour” to hear from residents on the controversial proposal to merge the county police department with its sheriff’s office.
David Ganz (D-Fair Lawn) and Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee) had announced their intentions to embark on the tour last month, prior to a vote on whether the county should hold a non-binding referendum on the consolidation in November.
Ganz and Voss been among the most vocal backers of the referendum and the proposed merger, both of which have caused a deep divide between officials in the county – including the freeholders and County Executive Kathleen S. Donovan.
The ballot question, authorized by a 4-2 vote by the board earlier this month, remains scheduled to coincide with Election Day Nov. 6.
However, Donovan has filed a lawsuit that claims the board overstepped their authority by authorizing the merger earlier this month, and aims to stop the referendum before any ballots are cast.
Today, Ganz and Voss announced that the tour will kick off on Aug. 27 at the Oakland Senior Center.
That will be followed by dates at the
Northvale Borough Hall on Aug. 30.
Each of the meetings is scheduled for 6 p.m.
“We have already heard from the Sheriff, the County Police, the Prosecutor, the County Executive, and some of our colleagues on the Freeholder board,” Ganz said in a statement. “It’s time to hear what the people of Bergen County have to say.
Upon Executive Order from Acting Governor Kimberly M. Guadagno, flags at Ridgewood schools will be flown at half-staff on Thursday, August 30, 2012 in recognition and mourning of the passing of Army Sergeant First Class Gunther H. Wald.
The 50 states are more than $4 trillion in debt, according to a new report, and New Jersey is among the worst offenders.
State Budget Solutions, a self-described nonpartisan nonprofit based in Virginia, calculated the debt of all 50 states and found a total of $4.19 trillion in red ink. California is the most indebted state — by far — but New Jersey ranks fourth, behind New York and Texas.
Bob Williams, president of State Budget Solutions, said the numbers indicate states are in the kind of trouble that can’t be fixed with budget gimmicks or political posturing. (Kaltwasser, NJBIZ)
This comes just one day after New Jersey was listed as having the 4th highest state debt in the nation
Nanny State: N.J. bill would restrain pets in cars
It’s a common sight, and not just in the dog days of summer: the pooch with its head stuck out of a car window, ears flapping in the wind.
But those free-spirited rides could be history if a controversial new bill gains traction among New Jersey lawmakers.
The measure would require motorists to harness non-crated pets – or face a $20 ticket and a possible charge of animal cruelty that carries a civil penalty of up to $1,000.
The proposal has drawn both support and ridicule.
Some critics have called the bill’s sponsor, Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D., Essex), and literally barked over the phone. (Colimore, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
RNC: Utah’s Mia Love Gets Enthusiastic Reception in Tampa
By Arian Campo-Flores
TAMPA, Fla.— African-American support for the Republican Party has fallen so far that a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showed Mitt Romney capturing 0.0% of the black vote.
Enter Mia Love, the 36-year-old daughter of Haitian immigrants and a Republican congressional candidate in Utah. Should she win, she would be the first-ever black Republican woman to win a seat in Congress.
In a speech that drew sustained applause at the GOP convention Tuesday night, Ms. Love recounted her parents’ journey to the U.S., saying they arrived with only $10 in their pockets.
“The America I grew up knowing was centered in self-reliance and filled with the possibilities of living the American dream,” said Ms. Love, the mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah.
Ann Romney, who has grown as a forceful advocate for her husband throughout the 2012 presidential campaign, was widely seen by Republican and Democratic Party operatives and activists as having delivered the best speech of the GOP convention headliners on Tuesday night.
Those are the findings of a National Journal’s Convention Insiders Poll conducted Tuesday night immediately after Christie wrapped up his keynote address. The poll is an anonymous survey of Democratic and Republican Party and elected officials, grassroots activists, consultants, fundraisers, lobbyists, and allied interest-group leaders. (Barnes, National Journal)
Ridgewood school board, teachers a step closer to contract agreement
August 29, 2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, While details are not yet being disclosed contract negotiations between the Ridgewood Education Association (REA) and the Board of Education (BOE) may soon be over. The contract news comes just in time for the beginning of new school year.
Rumors of an agreement had been circulating for weeks were confirmed today by a story in the Ridgewood News stating that REA and BOE negotiators have reached a memorandum of agreement (MOA), meaning the terms of a potential agreement still await ratification from the REA and a vote from the BOE, said Superintendent Daniel Fishbein. ( https://www.northjersey.com/news/167831865_Ridgewood_school_board__teachers_a_step_closer_to_contract_agreement.html )
Superintendent Daniel Fishbien told the Ridgewood News ,”Details will be kept confidential until the need for confidentiality no longer exists,” noted the board in an addendum to the agenda provided at its public meeting on Monday.
“[An MOA] means both sides have agreed to the terms and both sides have to ratify it,” Fishbein said, adding that negotiations are done when the contract is ratified by both parties. A timetable for the potential ratification could not be provided.
The official ratification now depends how quickly the REA is able to coordinate a meeting with its members and explain the MOA and vote to ratify it.
Earlier this year contract talks were thrown off track when longtime BOE member Bob Hutton was defeated by upstart BOE critic Jim Morgan . Hutton had until that time been the BOE’s point man on the teacher contract negotiations .
Back to School: Industry watcher says retail ‘off to a slow start’ in pivotal back-to-school season
As New Jersey retailers prepare to report their back-to-school sales, the head of the state’s retail association said he is not expecting to see any jumps in revenues, as consumer spending and sentiment remains flat leading up to the holiday season.
“I feel like a broken record saying everybody’s been cautiously optimistic, but every retailer has been going into the back-to-school season thinking that way for the last few years, and it hasn’t changed,” said John Holub, president of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association. (Eder, NJBIZ)
Back to School: New Jersey cheating questions hit close to home
Investigations of teachers and administrators helping their students cheat on state achievement tests remain disconcerting and discouraging — especially when they occur as close to home as Woodbridge and other local districts.
Some of these cases are relatively decisive. A high-profile investigation in Atlanta implicated dozens of teachers and administrators and ultimately took down the district superintendent.
But there are murkier outcomes. An investigation into New Jersey’s own Camden schools, where cheating was never proven outright, led to a settlement last year with the whistleblower — a district principal — and left lots of unanswered questions. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
Mud runs draw the fit and their muck-caked friends
Published August 28, 2012
Reuters
Mud runs, essentially military-style obstacle races in muck, might appall the neat freak but for some people mud is the medium for a challenging test of true grit and fitness.
Neal Pire, owner of Inspire Training Systems, in Ridgewood, N.J., has trained several people for mud runs, which come in varying lengths and levels of difficulty and appeal to people who enjoy performing and withstanding the elements.
“Most of the people I’ve seen do it are the extreme fitness enthusiasts,” said Pire, an expert with the American College of Sports Medicine. “The oldest was in her late 40s. It’s not a lifetime affair.”
Back to School: Welcome to the 2012-2013 School Year
Teacher Opening Day and Convocation is Tuesday, September 4. Students start the 2012 – 2013 school year on Thursday, September 6, with a Minimum Day schedule.
All parents and guardians must complete the Online Registration process through Skyward Family Access between September 1 and September 13. To register, go to the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us, choose Family Access under the Parents tab, log in with your username and password and select Start Registration. If you have forgotten your password, select the Forgot your Login/Password link on the log-on page and a password reset link will be e-mailed to you. You may also e-mail for assistance to skywardhelp@ridgewood.k12.nj.us. Detailed instructions on Online Registration will be mailed home on or about August 29.
Residents are welcome at all public meetings of the Board of Education, which are held twice a month at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, floor 3. The meetings are also broadcast live on FiOS channel 33, Optimum channel 77, and via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club, helps to have friends …
Well did anyone read the legal advertisement in the Ridgewood news. It seems that the Tennis Club is going in front the the Ridgewood Planning Board with and application for lights and other items.
Now if you read further is seems that Mr Harlow is listed as “technical advisory” Yes former Councilman, current member of The Board of Adjustment, Campaign Manger for Councilwoman Haulk. With the Mayor and Deputy Mayor on the Planing Board and the statement may by are now May that the three were ticket I just wounder why the Tennis Club was not allowed to “Phone in the Application ” because the deck is stacked.
The Hon. Chris Christie Governor of New Jersey Remarks as Prepared for Delivery at Republican National Convention August 28, 2012 Tue Aug 28 2012 21:26:40 ET
**Exclusive**
This stage and this moment are very improbable for me.
A New Jersey Republican delivering the keynote address to our national convention, from a state with 700,000 more Democrats than Republicans.
A New Jersey Republican stands before you tonight.
Proud of my party, proud of my state and proud of my country.
I am the son of an Irish father and a Sicilian mother.
My Dad, who I am blessed to have with me here tonight, is gregarious, outgoing and loveable.
My Mom, who I lost 8 years ago, was the enforcer. She made sure we all knew who set the rules.
In the automobile of life, Dad was just a passenger. Mom was the driver.
They both lived hard lives. Dad grew up in poverty. After returning from Army service, he worked at the Breyers Ice Cream plant in the 1950s. With that job and the G.I. bill he put himself through Rutgers University at night to become the first in his family to earn a college degree. Our first family picture was on his graduation day, with Mom beaming next to him, six months pregnant with me.
Mom also came from nothing. She was raised by a single mother who took three buses to get to work every day. And mom spent the time she was supposed to be a kid actually raising children – her two younger siblings. She was tough as nails and didn’t suffer fools at all. The truth was she couldn’t afford to. She spoke the truth – bluntly, directly and without much varnish.
I am her son.
I was her son as I listened to “Darkness on the Edge of Town” with my high school friends on the Jersey Shore.
I was her son as I moved into a studio apartment with Mary Pat to start a marriage that is now 26 years old.
I was her son as I coached our sons Andrew and Patrick on the fields of Mendham, and as I watched with pride as our daughters Sarah and Bridget marched with their soccer teams in the Labor Day parade.
And I am still her son today, as Governor, following the rules she taught me: to speak from the heart and to fight for your principles. She never thought you get extra credit for just speaking the truth.
The greatest lesson Mom ever taught me, though, was this one: she told me there would be times in your life when you have to choose between being loved and being respected. She said to always pick being respected, that love without respect was always fleeting — but that respect could grow into real, lasting love.
Now, of course, she was talking about women.
But I have learned over time that it applies just as much to leadership. In fact, I think that advice applies to America today more than ever.
I believe we have become paralyzed by our desire to be loved.
Our founding fathers had the wisdom to know that social acceptance and popularity is fleeting and that this country’s principles needed to be rooted in strengths greater than the passions and emotions of the times.
Our leaders today have decided it is more important to be popular, to do what is easy and say “yes,” rather than to say no when “no” is what’s required.
In recent years, we as a country have too often chosen the same path.
It’s been easy for our leaders to say not us, and not now, in taking on the tough issues. And we’ve stood silently by and let them get away with it.
But tonight, I say enough.
I say, together, let’s make a much different choice. Tonight, we are speaking up for ourselves and stepping up.
We are beginning to do what is right and what is necessary to make our country great again.
We are demanding that our leaders stop tearing each other down, and work together to take action on the big things facing America.
Tonight, we choose respect over love.
We are not afraid. We are taking our country back.
We are the great grandchildren of men and women who broke their backs in the name of American ingenuity; the grandchildren of the Greatest Generation; the sons and daughters of immigrants; the brothers and sisters of everyday heroes; the neighbors of entrepreneurs and firefighters, teachers and farmers, veterans and factory workers and everyone in-between who shows up not just on the big days or the good days, but on the bad days and on the hard days.
Each and every day. All 365 of them.
We are the United States of America.
Now we must lead the way our citizens live. To lead as my mother insisted I live, not by avoiding truths, especially the hard ones, but by facing up to them and being the better for it.
We cannot afford to do anything less.
I know because this was the challenge in New Jersey.
When I came into office, I could continue on the same path that led to wealth, jobs and people leaving the state or I could do the job the people elected me to do – to do the big things.
There were those who said it couldn’t be done. The problems were too big, too politically charged, too broken to fix. But we were on a path we could no longer afford to follow.
They said it was impossible to cut taxes in a state where taxes were raised 115 times in eight years. That it was impossible to balance a budget at the same time, with an $11 billion deficit. Three years later, we have three balanced budgets with lower taxes.
We did it.
They said it was impossible to touch the third rail of politics. To take on the public sector unions and to reform a pension and health benefit system that was headed to bankruptcy.
With bipartisan leadership we saved taxpayers $132 billion over 30 years and saved retirees their pension.
We did it.
They said it was impossible to speak the truth to the teachers union. They were just too powerful. Real teacher tenure reform that demands accountability and ends the guarantee of a job for life regardless of performance would never happen.
For the first time in 100 years with bipartisan support, we did it.
The disciples of yesterday’s politics underestimated the will of the people. They assumed our people were selfish; that when told of the difficult problems, tough choices and complicated solutions, they would simply turn their backs, that they would decide it was every man for himself.
Instead, the people of New Jersey stepped up and shared in the sacrifice.
They rewarded politicians who led instead of politicians who pandered.
We shouldn’t be surprised.
We’ve never been a country to shy away from the truth. History shows that we stand up when it counts and it’s this quality that has defined our character and our significance in the world.
I know this simple truth and I’m not afraid to say it: our ideas are right for America and their ideas have failed America.
Let’s be clear with the American people tonight. Here’s what we believe as Republicans and what they believe as Democrats.
We believe in telling hard working families the truth about our country’s fiscal realities. Telling them what they already know – the math of federal spending doesn’t add up.
With $5 trillion in debt added over the last four years, we have no other option but to make the hard choices, cut federal spending and fundamentally reduce the size of government.
They believe that the American people don’t want to hear the truth about the extent of our fiscal difficulties and need to be coddled by big government.
They believe the American people are content to live the lie with them.
We believe in telling seniors the truth about our overburdened entitlements.
We know seniors not only want these programs to survive, but they just as badly want them secured for their grandchildren.
Seniors are not selfish.
They believe seniors will always put themselves ahead of their grandchildren. So they prey on their vulnerabilities and scare them with misinformation for the cynical purpose of winning the next election.
Their plan: whistle a happy tune while driving us off the fiscal cliff, as long as they are behind the wheel of power.
We believe that the majority of teachers in America know our system must be reformed to put students first so that America can compete.
Teachers don’t teach to become rich or famous. They teach because they love children.
We believe that we should honor and reward the good ones while doing what’s best for our nation’s future – demanding accountability, higher standards and the best teacher in every classroom.
They believe the educational establishment will always put themselves ahead of children. That self-interest trumps common sense.
They believe in pitting unions against teachers, educators against parents, and lobbyists against children.
They believe in teacher’s unions.
We believe in teachers.
We believe that if we tell the people the truth they will act bigger than the pettiness of Washington, D.C.
We believe it’s possible to forge bipartisan compromise and stand up for conservative principles.
It’s the power of our ideas, not of our rhetoric, that attracts people to our Party.
We win when we make it about what needs to be done; we lose when we play along with their game of scaring and dividing.
For make no mistake, the problems are too big to let the American people lose – the slowest economic recovery in decades, a spiraling out of control deficit, an education system that’s failing to compete in the world.
It doesn’t matter how we got here. There is enough blame to go around.
What matters now is what we do.
I know we can fix our problems.
When there are people in the room who care more about doing the job they were elected to do than worrying about winning re-election, it’s possible to work together, achieve principled compromise and get results.
The people have no patience for any other way.
It’s simple.
We need politicians to care more about doing something and less about being something.
Believe me, if we can do this in a blue state with a conservative Republican Governor, Washington is out of excuses.
Leadership delivers.
Leadership counts.
Leadership matters.
We have this leader for America.
We have a nominee who will tell us the truth and who will lead with conviction. And now he has a running mate who will do the same.
We have Governor Mitt Romney and Congressman Paul Ryan, and we must make them our next President and Vice President.
Mitt Romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to put us back on the path to growth and create good paying private sector jobs again in America.
Mitt Romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to end the torrent of debt that is compromising our future and burying our economy.
Mitt Romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to end the debacle of putting the world’s greatest health care system in the hands of federal bureaucrats and putting those bureaucrats between an American citizen and her doctor.
We ended an era of absentee leadership without purpose or principle in New Jersey.
It’s time to end this era of absentee leadership in the Oval Office and send real leaders to the White House.
America needs Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and we need them right now.
There is doubt and fear for our future in every corner of our country.
These feelings are real.
This moment is real.
It’s a moment like this where some skeptics wonder if American greatness is over.
How those who have come before us had the spirit and tenacity to lead America to a new era of greatness in the face of challenge.
Not to look around and say “not me,” but to say, “YES, ME.”
I have an answer tonight for the skeptics and the naysayers, the dividers and the defenders of the status quo.
I have faith in us.
I know we can be the men and women our country calls on us to be.
I believe in America and her history.
There’s only one thing missing now. Leadership. It takes leadership that you don’t get from reading a poll.
You see, Mr. President – real leaders don’t follow polls. Real leaders change polls.
That’s what we need to do now.
Change polls through the power of our principles.
Change polls through the strength of our convictions.
Tonight, our duty is to tell the American people the truth.
Our problems are big and the solutions will not be painless. We all must share in the sacrifice. Any leader that tells us differently is simply not telling the truth.
I think tonight of the Greatest Generation.
We look back and marvel at their courage – overcoming the Great Depression, fighting Nazi tyranny, standing up for freedom around the world.
Now it’s our time to answer history’s call.
For make no mistake, every generation will be judged and so will we.
What will our children and grandchildren say of us? Will they say we buried our heads in the sand, we assuaged ourselves with the creature comforts we’ve acquired, that our problems were too big and we were too small, that someone else should make a difference because we can’t?
Or will they say we stood up and made the tough choices needed to preserve our way of life?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my children and grandchildren to have to read in a history book what it was like to live in an American Century.
I don’t want their only inheritance to be an enormous government that has overtaxed, overspent and over-borrowed a great people into second-class citizenship.
I want them to live in a second American Century.
A second American Century of strong economic growth where those who are willing to work hard will have good paying jobs to support their families and reach their dreams.
A second American Century where real American exceptionalism is not a political punch line, but is evident to everyone in the world just by watching the way our government conducts its business and everyday Americans live their lives.
A second American Century where our military is strong, our values are sure, our work ethic is unmatched and our Constitution remains a model for anyone in the world struggling for liberty.
Let us choose a path that will be remembered for generations to come. Standing strong for freedom will make the next century as great an American century as the last one.
This is the American way.
We have never been victims of destiny.
We have always been masters of our own.
I won’t be part of the generation that fails that test and neither will you.
It’s now time to stand up. There’s no time left to waste.
If you’re willing to stand up with me for America’s future, I will stand up with you.
If you’re willing to fight with me for Mitt Romney, I will fight with you.
If you’re willing to hear the truth about the hard road ahead, and the rewards for America that truth will bear, I’m here to begin with you this new era of truth-telling.
Tonight, we choose the path that has always defined our nation’s history.
Tonight, we finally and firmly answer the call that so many generations have had the courage to answer before us.
Tonight, we stand up for Mitt Romney as the next President of the United States.
And, together, we stand up once again for American greatness.
Some residents from Ridgewood and nearby area have been meeting recently to organize the
honoring of Gold Star Mothers, an organization of mothers whose sons or daughters served
and died while serving their nation in times of war or conflict. The Gold Star Mothers Day is a
national event to honor mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of our country.
On Sunday, September 30, 2012 our nation will honor our Gold Star Mothers and families. The
American Legion Post 53 and Ridgewood’s Blue Star Families are spearheading the effort to
bringing awareness to our community and commemorating the sacrifices these mothers and their
families have made. In Ridgewood, we will light luminaries from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. on Sunday,
September 30th at Van Neste Park. Residents will also light luminaries at the end of their
driveways. The goal is to see thousands of luminaries lit throughout Ridgewood to honor Gold
Star Mothers on September 30th!
The effort has seen a lot of enthusiasm from local groups such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,
Order of Elks, VFW and many businesses. To find out how you can be part of this event, please
contact Maria Bombace or Bob Paoli.
