Here's some of what's new in Representative Koutoujian's Office and the House Committee on Health Care . . .
Koutoujian talks about spinal cord research bill on Fox25
In a report that aired recently Fox25, Koutoujian calls for the public to encourage their lawmakers to pass legislation that would allocate more money for a special fund created to pay for spinal cord injury research.
Click the link below to watch the Fox25 report.
http://www.myfoxboston.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4711106&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1
Koutoujian letter in Jewish Advocate
The Jewish Advocate recently published a letter written by Rep. Peter Koutoujian commending the Massachusetts Jewish community for its support in acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. To read the letter, click on the file at the right of the screen.
Commission releases disparities report
Established by the Legislature to study why health disparities exist among ethnic and racial minorities and what can be done to eliminate them, the Commission to End Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities spent more than three years researching and drafting a report that is the first of its kind in the nation. Rep. Koutoujian served as co-chairman of the 20-member commission.
Koutoujian, along with Commission Co-chairperson Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, released the report in August during the National Conference of State Legislators convention in Boston.
To read the report, click on the attachment at the right of the screen.
Click the link below to see some photos from the event!
http://www.mccardinalphoto.com/council/ncsl/
Koutoujian talks politics on Fox25
Rep. Koutoujian recently joined Republican strategist Rob Gray to talk about Mitt Romney's decision to distance himself from Idaho Senator Larry Craig and the prospect of casinos in the Bay State.
Click the link below to watch!
http://www.myfoxboston.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/Detail?contentId=4203346&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=5.2.1
Watch out for them pesky "skeetos."
It wouldn't be an afternoon or evening in the New England outdoors without slapping at a mosquito or two. The tiny-winged critters are as much a part of the local summer scene as backyard barbacues and the Red Sox.
Mosquitoes can be more than just a mere annoyance. They can transport diseases potent enough to cause serious illness, and even death, in humans.
West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) have emerged as two of the more dangerous viruses transported by mosquitoes. The state Department of Public Health recently released an advisory to the public on how it can better protect itself from getting bit and becoming ill.
The West Nile Virus was first identified in the United States nearly a decade ago. While most people bit by an infected mosquito will not become seriously ill, a small percentage of the infected can develop headaches, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, skin rashes and swollen lymph glands. In a few of the most severe cases, WNV can be fatal.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis is rare, but can be deadly. In addition to fever, headache, and lack of energy, EEE can cause swelling of the brain.
DPH offers plenty of information on WNV and EEE, as well as tips for avoiding mosquito bites.
It's a good idea to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when you are in an area of high mosquito concentration. Avoid areas with standing water, such as small ponds. Remove any recepticles that can collect standing water, such as trash cans and old car tires. These are prime mosquito breeding grounds.
Mosquito repellants can also be extremely effective in keeping the bugs away. The two most common active ingradients in repellants are DEET and permethrin.
To learn more, click on the mosquito borne illness prevention guide located at the right of the screen.
Suicide prevention, smoking cessation lead FY08 public health budget
The House and Senate recently settled on a compromise plan for the state Fi scal Year 2008 budget, which includes increases for several key public health programs. The state will likely spend nearly $4 million on suicide prevention, channeling much of its resources into prevention programs for seniors and a suicide hotline for veterans of war.
Plans also call for spending $12 million on smoking cessation programs, an $8.5 million increase over current spending levels.
Human service employees, who often work directly with the state's developmentally disabled population, stand to beneift from a $23 milllion increase in their salary reserves. The money will be used to provide a modest pay increase to workers from organizations that contract with the state to provide direct care services to the developmentally disabled.
The House and Senate spending compromise also calls for a $12 million increase to the state's universal immunization program to target Roravirus, Meningococcal congugate and other existing immunizations.
Koutoujian, lawmakers rally against junk food in schools
Against a backdrop of sign-toting Boston-area students, Rep. Peter Koutoujian called for schools to drop unhealthy foods and drinks from vending ma chines and other points of sale as part of an effort to stem the rising tide of childhood obesity in the Bay State. The House Public Health Committee chairman headed up a May 30 rally in preparation for a public hearing on "An Act to Promote Proper School Nutrition."
"Junk food equals junk health," declared Koutoujian at the rally."
Childhood obesity rates have tripled during the past 20 years, partly due to the increased proliferation of unhealthy foods and a spike in more sedentary lifestyles among many youths.
Koutoujian's bill would virtually eliminate the sale of unhealthy chips, candy bars, sodas, sports drinks and other foods that do not meet nutritional standards set forth by the federal government.
Health experts agreed at the hearing that steps must be taken to reduce childhood obesity rates.
"As a pediatric dietician at Boston Medical Center, I see daily the health impact of obesity in children on children themselves and their families," said Vivian Morris of BMC's Department of Pediatrics. "I have patients as young as 10 years old with type 2 diabetes, a disease with the potential for many co-morbidies, including blindness, loss of limbs, heart disease and kidney disease and early death."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2005 "Youth Risk Behavior Survey" reports that 27 percent of all Massachusetts high school students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. The U.S. Surgeon General's 2001 "Call to Action to Decrease Overweight and Obesity" found that overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
Bill would bring gym class back to school
More than a decade ago, the state stopped requiring schools to offer physical education to students. Many cash-strapped districts dropped the program, leaving students with no structured physical activity during the day.
In an effort to increase physical education awareness among youths, Rep. Koutoujian has proposed legislation requiring 120 hours of physical education or structured recess time per year.
The legislation is part of Koutoujian's child health initiative package, which also calls for eliminating the sale of junk food in schools and banning advertisements and other forms of commercialism in schools.
"School is for blackboards, not billboards," said Koutoujian.
Public Health Committee examines state's Universal Immunization Program
At a recent oversight hearing featuring some of the state's leading immunization experts, Public Health Committee members listened to testimony of the benefits and drawbacks of adding three vaccines to the state's Universal Immunization Program.
Lawmakers are debating this year whether vaccines to prevent meningitis, rotavirus and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) should join the 12 vaccines covered by the state for children. The state does not cover these three new vaccines, the state will be reclassified from an "Universal Immunization Program" to a "Universal Select" Immunization program.
Dr. Tracy Lieu, professor and director of the Center for Child Health Care Studies at Harvard Medical School, estimated it would cost the state roughly $ 30.8 million to vaccinate 80,000 children (40,000 of them girls for HPV ) against the three viruses. Lieu said the vaccines would prevent 30,000 cases of rotavirus, 66 cases of cervical cancer and five cases of meningitis .
There are 16 vaccines in the Routine Childhood & Adolescent Schedule, up from 7 in 1985 and 10 in 1995.
The HPV vaccine has attracted widespread attention this year. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer in women. The vaccine can prevent the cancer, and is among the vaccinations included on the state's vaccine schedule. However, only federal funds are available to a select population if individuals are not covered through private insurance or pay themselves for the vaccine. Each HPV vaccine dose costs about $100 per dose and a total of three doses are needed to complete the process. Marylou Buyse from MAHP testified that MA Health Plans cover the three vaccines
The House of Representatives has included roughly $38 million in its budget plan for the 2008 Fiscal Year.
House releases Fiscal 2008 budget plan
Following months of planning that culminated with a week's worthy of lengthy debate, the House of Representatives released a $26.9 billion budget plan for Fiscal Year 2008 that includes several key public health initiatives. A substantial increase in funding for suicide prevention programs as well as money for Commonwealth Care, the state's new health insurance subsidy program that is helping to ensure all Massachusetts residents have access to affordable, quality health care.
The new budget comes as the state continues to face tight fiscal times. While we are not able to fund all the programs we would like, the House is committed to adequately funding essential programs while keeping aware of new threats to the public health. This year the House provided:
- $1.8B to fund key elements of Healthcare Reform. This includes funding for restored benefits, population expansions, and increased rates for providers;
- $140M for the MassHealth Family Assistance program including funding for increased enrollment under the new eligibility requirements;
- $262M for MassHealth Essential including funding for increased enrollment up to the new enrollment cap of 60,000;
- $41M to Insurance Partnership and Premium Assistance programs to enroll uninsured individuals up to a higher income level;
- $16M for the MassHealth HIV program including funding for the increased enrollment cap; and
- $1M for expansion of MassHealth Wellness program.
In the Department of Public Health, we added:
- $3.25M for the Suicide Prevention program
- $153K for the Breast Cancer Detection and Prevention program
- $1M for the Western Mass Hospital retained revenue account
- $4M for the consolidated state hospitals operating account
Institute of Medicine calls for curbing junk food in schools
A recently released report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies concluded that the federally-reimbursable school nutrition programs should be the main source of nutrition at school, and opportunity for other foods should be limited to healthy options in most cases.
Similar to pending legislation Koutoujian, House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Health, filed to ban the sale of junk food in public K-12 schools, the IOM report concludes that food made available in schools should be designed to meet nutritional standards.
Specifically, the IOM report “Nutritional Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth” recommends that snacks, food and beverages contain no more than 35 percent of total calories from fat, less than 10 percent of total calories from saturated fats and have no trans-fats.
The report recommends federally reimbursable school nutrition programs should be the primary source of foods and beverages offered at school. It also calls for limiting the sale of soda to high schools, and then only after the school day has ended. Sports drinks should also be restricted, the report concludes, only being made available at the discretion of sports coaches for students engaged in vigorous activity lasting an hour or more.
“This report reaffirms what we have been saying for a long time,” said Koutoujian. “Our schools play a significant role in shaping the nutritional habits of our children, and junk food has little place in the same venue where we educate our children.”
The Joint Committee on Public Health with hold a public hearing on his bill, “An Act to Promote Proper School Nutrition,” next month.
“It’s great that now a national report is coming out supporting what we have been trying to do on the local level,” said Susan Servais, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Council. “We have been working with Rep. Koutoujian for several years on the nutrition issue and one place to start to make improvement is with school nutrition. Several schools have already taken significant steps toward providing healthier foods for our children and we need to encourage others to follow suit.”
Previous reports have concluded that the presence of junk foods in schools has decreased federal reimbursements for lunch programs because fewer students buy school lunches when they have access to less healthy alternatives.
Other IOM recommendations include:
- Requiring that only healthy foods are available at elementary and middle schools during after school activities
- Restricting foods sold at elementary and middle school fundraisers to healthy options, and including healthy options at high school fundraisers.
- Locating junk food and beverage distribution in low student traffic areas and ensuring that the exterior of vending machines does not depict commercial products or logos or suggest that consumption of vended items conveys a health or social benefit.
- Allowing only healthy snack items are after school for student activities in elementary and middle schools.
Koutoujian testifies on commercialism in schools
Rep. Koutoujian recently testified before the Joint Committee on Education on legislation he filed that calls for the formation of a special commission to study commercialism in public schools.
Koutoujian has questioned the appropriateness of private advertisements on school campuses as the practice has become increasingly common.
According to Dr. Juliet Schor, chairperson of the Department of Sociology at  Boston College, the level of commercial activity in schools has accelerated dramatically in recent years.
Schor, a mother of two, is the author of Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture.
Through her study of the issue, Schor found that school children are being bombarded with different types of marketing strategies, such as "viral programs that that recruit children on playgrounds to become salespersons for products." Another strategy Schor learned of involved "payment of money to schools in return for using class time for filling out survey questions on brand preferences and other market information."
As advertising on school grounds has eclipsed the old days of a soda company advertisement on the football field scoreboard, Koutoujian has proposed an unpaid commission to further examine the issue.
"School is for blackboards, not billboards," Koutoujian told the committee.
He said he is concerned cashed-strapped school districts are having to turn to advertising to fill budget shortfalls.
According to research done by Shor's organization, The Center for a New American Dream, 78 percent of parents are opposed to showing commercials for brand-name products in schools, and parental support for de-commercializing schools is high.
Public Health Committee hearing schedule available
The Joint Committee on Public Health has released its full hearing schedule for the 2007-2008 Legislative session. To view the hearing list, click on the Microsoft Word document at the right of your screen. Hearings are scheduled to run through December.
Committee updated on flu pandemic threat
Leading national health experts recently told the Joint Committee on Public Health that Massachusetts remains vulnerable to a flu pandemic that could kill 20,000 residents and send more than a million to a hospital system hardly prepared to handle such as surge. The comments came as the committee heard testimony April 4 on a specially-drafted bill that would create a new, more inclusive system of how the Commonwealth responds to public health emergencies, such a flu pandemic or bio-terrorism attack. Rep. Peter Koutoujian, House chairman of the committee, said a new system is warranted to ensure Massachusetts does not suffer an organizational breakdown similar to the one that occurred in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
“Today’s public health threats are different than those encountered in the past,” said Koutoujian. “A flu pandemic doesn’t have any boundaries. An act of bioterrorism or a novel infectious and deadly virus has the potential to spread faster and create more devastation that one can imagine.”
Calls for increased attention to public health emergencies have risen with the impending threat of a new flu pandemic. Health officials are especially concerned about the H5N1 bird flu strain that emerged in 1998 and threatens to mutate into a form that can transfer easily between humans.
“The clock is ticking on emergency preparedness, and we need to act as soon as possible,” said Dr. Alan Woodward, a longtime emergency room physician at Emerson Hospital and past president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. “Pandemic is the worst kind of public health emergency we can imagine because it happens everywhere all at once.”
In fact, Woodward estimates a full-blown flu pandemic would kill 20,000 Massachusetts residents, admit another 80,000 into hospitals, and require another 920,000 to receive out-patient care. The state’s economic loss could top more than $16 billion.
But Jeremy Sharp, government affairs director from New Jersey-based Trust from America’s Health, said Massachusetts does not have enough hospital beds to handle the patient surge a flu pandemic would generate. He said a moderate flu pandemic would force local hospitals to run out of beds within two weeks.
According to Dr. Stuart Weiss, a partner for MedPrep Consulting Group, the H5N1 flu strain is especially dangerous because humans have not been exposed to it, leaving the human body barren of any antibodies that can fight the virus. It has a 60 percent mortality rate in humans, which is dramatically higher than the 1918 flu’s 2 percent mortality rate. That flu strain killed 20-40 million people worldwide.
Weiss said about 2 million Massachusetts residents would become ill if the bird flu strikes. Surprisingly, younger individuals are more vulnerable because they tend to have more active immune systems than older individuals. An active immune system can more easily become over-active and destroy vital human tissue as it fights the virus.
While a vaccine is produced each year to combat the regular seasonal flu, there exists no vaccine for the H5N1 strain. Weiss said one is not immediately available, but the use of anti-virals can help combat the virus.
“The time to act is now, “he said. “It you wait until a pandemic is upon us to purchase anti-virals it will be too late.”
The H5N1 bird flu strain has widely affected poultry, especially in Asia, but has yet to mutate into a form that van be easily transferred between humans. There have been about 300 reported cases of H5N1 infecting humans worldwide, and roughly 150 deaths.
Health experts expect the virus will arrive in the United States within the next year or two by way of migrating birds.
Testifiers agreed hearing that local preparation will be key to minimizing the effects of a flu pandemic. In 2006, U.S. Heath and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt warned that communities that expect the federal government to provide support they need will be “sadly mistaken.”
Koutoujian talks health care, business, politics in Ireland
With St. Patrick's Day just a few days in the past, Rep. Koutoujian boarded a plan to Ireland to participate in a special political leaders exchange program offered by the Irish Institute at Boston College. 
The program, which focuses on young leaders in the U.S. and Ireland, allowed Koutoujian the unique opportunity to be present in Northern Ireland when Catholic and Protestant party leaders signed a power-sharing agreement. The two religious factions have long been at odds with each other and have only recently begun to thaw what has been an icy - and often violent - relationship.
Koutoujian also met with Irish officials, business leaders and students to learn more about how the Emerald Isle has emerged as one of Europe's economic leaders. He also delivered an address about Massachusetts' new law requiring that all Bay State residents carry health insurance.
The trip provided Koutoujian with the opportunity to meet several of Ireland and Northern Ireland's top public officials. In the picture above, Koutoujian is greeted by Councilor Patrick McCarthy, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Mandate for health insurance coverage in Bay State nears
As the mandate for virtually all Massachusetts residents to carry some type of health insurance grows nearer, the state authority in charge of drafting the rules that flesh out the landmark law have been busy this month working out the details.
Individuals and families who already have health insurance – especially those who participate in employer sponsored plans – do not need to be immediately concerned with the new law. However, those without insurance will need to purchase some type of coverage by July 1 or face financial penalties. Full implementation of the law, including prescription drug coverage, is not expected until Jan. 1, 2009.
The currently uninsured will not be expected to purchase traditional non-group insurance plans, which average about $335 per month for Eastern Massachusetts residents. Subsidized plans offered through the state-sponsored Commonwealth Choice program will cost as little as $175 per month for residents living in the state’s eastern region, and $154 for those in western Massachusetts.
The Commonwealth Choice plans will cost as little as $175 per month for the average uninsured individual in the most expensive eastern region of the state. Identical plans in central and western Massachusetts will cost about $154 per month.
By way of comparison, a preferred provider organization plan without prescription drug coverage and a $5,000 deductible currently offered to the average uninsured person through the non-group market in the eastern region costs $335 per month.
Insurance products unanimously endorsed today by the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority board of directors will offer a wide assortment of affordable products for individuals and small businesses to choose from through the Connector beginning May 1. The plans offer a choice of deductibles ranging from zero to $2,000 with prescription drug coverage.
The Connector Authority has approved insurance products from seven carriers, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, ConnectiCare, Fallon Community Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, New England Health, Neighborhood Health Plan and Tufts Health Plan.
New bills to address OxyContin abuse
The abuse of OxyContin and other painkilling medications remains one Massachusetts' most prevalent drug problems. The Brockton Enterprise newspaper, which covers a readership area hit especially hard by OxyContin and heroin abuse, recently published a series of articles detailing the effect of the drugs on several residents and their families.
The Massachusetts Legislature is well aware of the devastating effects  OxyContin and other painkilling medications can have when not properly used. In 2004, the Legislature formed a special commission to investigate drug abuse and develop a plan for how the state could better address the issue.
In July, 2006, the 11-member commission released its report. As a result, several pieces of legislation were filed to reduce addiction and abuse of OxyContin and other prescription and illegal drugs. "An Act to Develop a Pilot Program for Unused Prescription Medication Disposal" would create a take-back and disposal program for unused prescription and over the counter medications.
"An Act Relative to Mandatory Reporting of Overdoses" mandates the reporting of all drug substance overdoses, including alcohol, that are treated in emergency departments.
"An Act Relative to Prescription Drug Abuse" mandates improvements in the Prescription Monitoring Program at the Department of Public Health.
Governor Patrick unveils first budget plan
Governor Deval Patrick unveiled his Fiscal 2008 budget plan late last month to much fanfare, offering a $26.7 billion proposal he says is the answer to the state's fiscal needs during times of a $1 billion budget shortfall.
Health and human services, which includes public health, always represents a significant slice of the budget pie. In addition to $472 million for Commonwealth Care Insurance - the state's health insurance subsidizing program - Gov. Patrick proposed increases on several key public health needs. The budget includes a $24.8 million increase for the Universal Immunization Program, covering three new vaccines recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Included is funding to vaccinate more than 108,000 children between the ages of 9 and 18 again Human Papilloma Virus, which can cause cervical cancer.
Furthermore, the budget increases funding for health promotion and disease prevention programs administered by the Department of Public Health by $21.6 million over last year's budget. This maintains prevention funding that was enacted as part of health care reform last year.
There is also $354 million in funding for the Safety Net Care Pool (formerly the Uncompensated Care Pool) for payments to acute care hospitals and community health centers which provide care to the uninsured. This is a $256 million decrease in funding for the Pool, reflecting anticipated progress in enrolling current Pool users in health insurance.
No Spain, but a State House gain
You may have seen or read in the news the story of a group of Spain-bound Waltham High School students who were left at the airline gate in New York City after their airline overbooked their flight and claimed they arrived too late to get on board.
The frustrated and disappointed students - as well as their trip leaders - returned home with Barcelona on their minds but no longer on their itineraries.
Rep. Koutoujian knew there was no substituting the real thing, but invited the students to for a Spanish-style fiesta at the State House later that week. In addition to an authentic Spanish tapas food and Gypsy Kings Music, the students were treated to a special surprise visit to Governor Deval Patrick's office. The new governor sympathized with the students on their missed trip and gave them the dime tour of his personal office. Still relatively new to the State House, the governor called upon the tour guide who was accompanying the students to fill them in on some of the historical specifics of his space.
House committee addresses child abuse and neglect
Massachusetts residents and beyond were shocked last month with news that a Hull mother and father had been charged with literally drugging their 4-year-old daughter, Rebecca Riley, to death. The little girl died slowly after a prolonged ingestion of mood-altering medications.
Shortly before the charges against the parents were brought forward, the House established a special commission to investigate incidents of child abuse and neglect in Massachusetts. Headed by House Majority Leader John Rogers, the committee listened to several hours of testimony spread over multiple hearings on cases of abuse that have been documented and took recommendation on what can be done to reduce child abuse and neglect.
Koutoujian is one of the committee's members and plans to arrange a hearing under the direction of the child abuse committee to learn more about the prescribing of mood altering drugs to children.
Koutoujian takes aim at tran fats in Massachusetts restaurants
In December, 2006, Rep. Koutoujian filed legislation that aims to ban the use of trans fats in Massachusetts restaurants. In most cases an artificially-produced substance that prolongs the shelf life of certain foods and alters their consistency, trans fats are blamed for contributing significantly to coronary disease in the United States. Some health experts estimate up to 25 percent of coronary events are due to the consumption of trans fats.
Early last year, the federal government began requiring food manufacturers to include the amount of trans fats in their products on food nutrition labels. In November, New York City took an even bolder step forward by banning trans fats in the city's restaurants.
So, what are trans fats and why are they so unhealthy? Trans fats are created when hydrogen atoms are fused with vegetable oil, a process known as hydrogenation. The result is a semi-solid product, such as shortening. The big problem with trans fats is the human body cannot process them, so they end up "becoming" part of the body. They clog and harden arteries and turn to fat. Tens of thousands of Americans are believed to die each year from complications associated with trans fat consumption.
Some restaurants have already chosen to stop using trans fats in their food preparation. Several large chain restaurants have either gotten rid of trans fats or are in the process of doing so. Boston-based Legal Seafoods was ahead of the curve when it stopped using trans fats six years ago. KFC, Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks Coffee and Au Bon Pain are among those making the switch to healthier alternatives.
The Massachusetts Restaurant Association, which represents many of the state's 10,000 eating establishments, has voiced support for the bill because the group prefers a state-wide ban rather than a patchwork, community-by-community approach.
Under Koutoujian's bill, which could be afforded a public hearing in the State House by the spring or summer, calls for all restaurants to comply with the ban within a year of its passage.
Public Health Committee holds suicide prevention hearing
In December, the Joint Committee on Public Health welcomed more than a dozen suicide prevention experts to offer testimony on a problem that claimed the lives of 429 Massachusetts residents in 2004. The committee held the hearing to learn more about what causes individuals to commit suicide and what the Legislature, media and public can do to help reduce incidents of suicide.
Among the testifiers was Deborah DiMasi, wife of House Speaker Sal DiMasi, and her daughter, Ashley. DiMasi's lost a brother to suicide, and called for heightened awareness the issue and more prevention funding.
Other testifers included students from Needham High School, where four students committed suicide over a 18-month span. They said students have had a difficult time coping with the deaths.
Department of Mental Health Commissioner Elizabeth Childs (pictured above before the committee) told the committee the number of suicides in Massachusetts in 2004 was more than double the number of homicides. The number of people hospitalized for self-inflicted injuries was 4,277, more than twice the number of assault injuries. Another 6,633 people were taken to hospital emergency rooms for self-inflicted injuries, said Childs. Also, Childs added that suicide is the third leading cause of death among individuals ages 15 to 24.
Koutoujian sets 2007-2008 legislative priorities
The 185th General Court convened this month, kicking off the 2007-2008 Session. Rep. Koutoujian has filed dozens of bills aimed at improving the lives of residents of the Commonwealth and beyond. Here are some of the highlights.
Commercialism in Schools
This proposed legislation prohibits companies from advertising their products or services in public elementary and secondary schools. Several companies, especially food and beverage outfits, advertise heavily on school property.
Establishing a Health Disparities Office
Health disparities are among the most significant problems in our health care system, especially among ethnic and racial minorities. This legislation establishes a special office to monitor and reduce health disparities.
Reporting drug overdoses
Tracking how many individuals suffer drug overdoses is a challenging endeavor because there is no uniform reporting system in place. This bill would require doctors, hospitals and others to report drug overdoses to the state.
Divesting from countries where genocide is occurring
The state pension system includes investments in businesses located in foreign countries. This bill calls for the state to divest its interests and prohibit trade in countries where genocide is occurring. It also encourages investment in countries that have acknowledged a genocide is occurring or has occurred, and are working to redress crimes against humanity.
Banning trans fats from Massachusetts restaurants
Trans fats are mostly artificially-produced, and are believed contribute significantly to coronary disease. This legislation follows the New York City model by banning the use of trans fats in Massachusetts restaurants.
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