Fatal Hunting Accident In Otsego County: A Reminder to Hunt Safe

Unfortunately there was a fatal accident yesterday, November 16th, near Westford, NY.  It appears that a downstate man was shot in the chest on the opening day of regular deer season.  Details can be found here.  This is a sobering opportunity to review how to stay safe when hunting.

According to the 2012 Hunting Statistics, last year was an exceptionally safe year for New York State.  There were only two fatalities occurring in Orange and Warren counties.  Otsego County had only one accident involving an accidental discharge while operating an ATV.  Hunting accidents have been declining over the past fifty years.

While the DEC highly recommends wearing hunter orange there is no law requiring hunters to do so.  The picture below from the DEC shows two hunters and visibility difference between camouflage and hunter orange.

Deer have more rods and fewer cones than people.  This means they have better night vision but poorer vision during the day.  They also see shorter wavelengths than humans reaching into the ultraviolet wavelengths(if curious see this article).  This means that orange appears a much darker shade to their eyes while for humans it stands out against wooded terrain.

In New York State there have been no fatal accidents involving a wearer of hunter orange in the past ten years.

Non hunters should be aware of hunting season and plan accordingly.  This means wearing bright colors or avoiding walking in the woods during deer season.  I have heard of more than one close call of a walker and jogger being shot at.

The dates for the 2013 NY deer season are early bow (Oct 1-Nov 15), regular (Nov 16- Dec 8), late bow (Dec 9- 17).

Promoting Agricultural and Rural Health

Upstate New York is home to a good deal of farming and the unique health conditions associated with farming.  In the early 1980's David Pratt MD and John May MD started the Farm Safety and Health project out of Bassett Hospital.  The program was successful enough to become the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health or NYCAMH for short.

NYCAMH educators have written a host of articles covering every aspect of farm safety.  Did you know that the sap from  wild parsnip can cause phyto-photo-dermatits?

Giant Hogweed

The sap from Giant hogweed also causes a similar reaction with photosensitivity as well.

Logging is another high risk occupation that also is commonly done on farms.  Being safe about logging has very little to do with how many trees one cuts down.  It only takes one accident to cause irreversible consequences.  Chainsaws with inertia brakes work best for kickbacks because they are independent of hand positioning.

What I Have Learned

Otsego County has a wide range of health services available.  The entire county is almost completely served by the Bassett Healthcare Network.  This integrated model helps to provide a better continuity of care. There are multiple school based health centers as well.

Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, NY



The greatest challenge facing healthcare delivery is access to care and providers.  Access to care is more frequently not a question of insurance but of distance and convenience.  A visit to a clinic or hospital can be very inconvenient and time consuming.  Not to mention their might be a long wait at the office.  Secondly, recruitment of providers to upstate New York can be very difficult.  Young physicians tend to stay in more urban areas.

It should be noted that hospitals are facing large reimbursement cuts that will make financial viability difficult.  Saving health care dollars starts with the individual, and it begins with choosing a healthy lifestyle today.

Kick Butts Day

Is tobacco dangerous? The answer is an overwhelming yes!  Smoking damages just about every organ in the human body.  Why then are children smoking?  The answer is a bit more complicated.  Peer pressure, advertising, education, and family environment all play a role.  Ninety percent of smokers start using tobacco before the age of 18.  In high school, 18.1% of students report smoking in the past month.  One thousand kids under the age of 18 become new smokers every day.  The tobacco industry spends 23 millions dollars a day on advertising.  Coincidence? I think not.  If you want more statistics with references please click here.

March 20th was Kick Butts Day.  This is an national event organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids that focuses on protecting children from the dangers of tobacco.  This article talks about Kick Butts Day activities in Otsego County schools.  

Kick Butts Day has been held for the last eighteen years.  It is exciting to see investment in the health of children, however their parents should not be forgotten.  Second hand smoke is often left out of the conversation.  Smoking cessation for parents is an important and difficult undertaking.

At Home Care Inc

For many patients leaving the hospital and returning home is an important part of the healing process.  However, discharge from a hospital can be delayed by lack of access to treatment and care at home. 

At Home Care Inc., is a not-for-profit agency that provides healthcare at home.  It was founded in 1987 and recently received an award for the business of the year by the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce.   At Home Care provides nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, and more to over 800 patients.  The agency works out of Oneonta, Norwhich, and Herkimer.  

At home care also operates Telehealth, a phone based technology that improves access by allowing providers to make a virtual visit.

Patients can also use Lifeline in their home.  Lifeline is an emergency response system that allows patients to call for help in their home even when they cannot reach a nearby phone.

What is a healthcare team?

A healthcare team is a popular term used to describe all of the healthcare professionals involved in patient care.  For example, when one go to the doctor for a check-up or physical, who is actually involved?  For starters there is the receptionist who keeps track of scheduling and billing.  Next, there are a number of nurses who place the waiting patients into an exam room and take vitals signs.  At long last, the physician sees the patient.  But is that all?  What if the physician orders a lab test?  The drawing of blood would involve a phlebotomist and a laboratory technician to run the test.  Some tests might need to be read by a pathologist or radiologist.   As one can see, there are quite a few people involved in just a simple visit.  Things become much more complicated if multiple visits to different specialists are involved.  It becomes quite easy for the patient to become lost and confused in the process.  Not to mention sometimes the physicians and nurses are confused the disjointed care.

The goal of a healthcare team is to integrate the different services and providers so that the patient receives an efficient continuum of care.  Such teamwork improves patient outcomes and reduces costs.  Integrating patient care with a healthcare team has been a forefront of healthcare reform.  

William Streck, MD at the Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, NY.

It is difficult to discuss integrated healthcare without mentioning The Cleveland Clinic, the Mayo Clinic, and Bassett Healthcare Network.  This article cites several examples of healthcare systems that integrate patient care.  Otsego County is fortunate to be the home of the Bassett Healthcare Network, a hallmark of integrated patient care.