Posted on June 30, 2010 by Frank Dito

Staten Island Pools Are Open for the Summer

As schools let out for the summer and the temperatures have been above 90 degrees for the last few days, the City's public pools have opened up around Staten Island. Many backyard pools have been opened for weeks already, especially with the soaring temperatures and the approach of the 4th of July holiday.

When it comes to swimming pools, too often tragedies occur that could be prevented. Please make sure that your children are safe. Even if you have a small inflatable pool in your backyard, only inches deep, a small child can still drown if they fall into the pool. If you are having a party, consider hiring a lifeguard to watch the pool, especially if you are going to busy entertaining your guests. If you swim in a public pool or at a beach, make sure that there is a lifeguard is on duty before you go in the water. If there is no lifeguard, or a red flag is up, STAY OUT of the water!

If you have a pool, make sure that your child learns to swim. There are many programs that teach children how to swim. These programs teach "self-rescue", which would provide a child with the ability to swim to the side and climb out of the pool if they accidentally fall in. Although learning to swim is not a substitute for supervision, teaching a child how to get out of the pool may just help to prevent a tragedy.

If you own a home with a pool in the backyard, remember that the law requires that they be surrounded with at least a 4-foot tall barrier preventing access to the pool, a gate that is self latching and that the gate be locked when the pool is not in use. These laws were passed to help prevent tragedies. Make sure that your pool is up to code and if you go to a neighbor's or friend's house, make sure that their pool is safe as well. We can all help to prevent these tragedies from occurring.

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Posted on June 29, 2010 by Frank Dito

Is Defensive Medicine Practiced on Staten Island?

A recent article contends that 9 out of 10 physicians, mostly emergency room doctors, practice what is called "defensive medicine." Defensive medicine claims to be ordering more tests on a patient, not out of concern for the patients well being but out of fear of a malpractice lawsuit. I have never been able to understand defensive medicine and always believe it to be an excuse, not a fact. First, we are all aware that doctor's are now under heavy pressure to make money, which means they need to treat as many patients as quickly as possible. That pressure, coupled with the overcrowding of emergency rooms, limits the amount of time that the doctor can spend with each patient to truly understand what is wrong.

The doctor's always seem to label a malpractice claim as "frivolous" and never admit to making a mistake. Unfortunately, mistakes do happen but a doctor, someone you trust with your life, is held to a higher standard. What doctor's always fail to mention, especially in New York, is that in order to be sued for malpractice, a fellow physician must have reviewed the treatment given and say that it was inadequate or improper. The physician's review is based upon their opinion that the treatment rendered deviated from the  "standard of care" that a physician would normally provide to a patient.

Most of the malpractice claims are for a doctor's failure to diagnose an injury or illness. What I have yet to understand is that if additional testing can discover an injury or illness, why not order it for the patients sake? Obviously, when another physician looks at the treatment given, he is able to show that an additional test should have been ordered based upon the patients complaints. With the new changes being made to the healthcare system, one has to wonder if our treatment will be based upon money or the best interests of the patient.

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Posted on June 28, 2010 by Frank Dito

What to Do after a Dog Bite

In New York City, hundreds of people are bitten by animals each year. The New York City Health Code requires that all animal bites be reported within 24 hours of their occurrence. The purpose of the law is so allow the Department of Health to follow up and ensure that the threat of rabies does not exist in the person or the animal.

Apart from the threat of rabies, the law also provides another benefit; evidence that an animal has bitten a person before. Too many times, Staten Island residents are the victims of dogs that have bitten people before. When asked, the owner typically says that the dog is "really gentle" and "never bit anyone before." If the victim of the previous bite followed the law and reported the incident, a permanent record was made. By conducting a Freedom of Information Law search through the New York City Department of Health, any subsequent victim can find out if the dog's owner is lying.

As one of the five borough's, Staten Island can be crowded. Sometimes, when living in a multiple family home, we can be put into close contact with dogs. The breed of dog that we come into contact with may not be the best to be kept in an apartment building near other residents. By reporting the bite, we can all help make Staten island a safer place to live.

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Posted on June 27, 2010 by Frank Dito

Window Guards

Summer time is here. With heat indexes reaching into the triple digits, many on Staten Island are struggling to cope with the heat. Along with the warmer temperatures, a new danger rises at this time of year - children and open windows. Recently, a 2-year old boy fell three stories from his Manhattan apartment building. The apartment where this child lived did not have window guards installed, an apparent violation of the New York City law. Miraculously, he survived but many other children are not so fortunate.

If some of you think that window screens will help prevent a fall, you are fatally mistaken. Many of you may have noticed the "warning tag" placed on most window screens. The warning clearly states that the screen will not prevent a child from falling out an open window. Screens are for keeping bugs out and not for preventing falls.

In New York City, if you live in a building that has 3 or more apartments and have a child under 10 years of age living with you, your landlord or management company MUST install window guards in every window of your apartment, even if you live on the first floor. Even if you live in a single family home, and you have young children or grandchildren, its a good idea to install window guards. The guards are around $60.00 - less than the price of a cup of coffee per day each month - and can be purchased on-line. Isn't your child worth the price?

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