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Three of the original 12 students who displayed tic-like symptoms at Le Roy High School had preexisting conditions, according to a report released today by the NYS Department of Health.

One of the students had previously been diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome and suffered an acceleration of symptoms during the onset of the 12 cases.

The other eight students were diagnosed with conversion disorder.

Three more students have been identified since the DOH started preparing its report.

The age range of the students is 13 to 19.

From the report, "All 12 students were evaluated by Work Fit Medical and eight of the 12 were evaluated by DENT Neurologic Institute."

Two of the three students with preexisting conditions had been tic free for some time, but experienced an exacerbation of tic symptoms during this time period.

Of the original 12, significant life stressors were identified in 11 patients.

One of the original 12 students did not seek medical treatment.

The report goes into some detail on the investigative process the DOH went through to examine the case.

As part of the environmental evaluation, the DOH states it, "consulted with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the Lehigh Valley Railroad Derailment Superfund Site and reviewed information pertaining to the Lapp Insulator and Target Products sites to determine the potential for spread of contamination to the school campus."

It also states:

Interviews of the 12 cases did not reveal any common environmental exposures, other than attendance at the same school. The occurrence of symptoms in only female students and the range of time of symptom onset are not consistent with an environmental cause.

An exhaustive search of prior reports of environmental contamination causing tic disorders showed only a couple of cases worldwide, according to the report.

As for infectious causes, the 12 students did not have common experiences to explain an infectious onset.

"Drug use was ruled out based on interviews with all the cases, and toxicology screens on seven of the cases," states the report.

Seven students received Gardisil.

"Six of seven cases who received Gardisil had onset of tic symptoms greater than one year after their last dose of vaccine," states the report.

According to the report, none of the cases were consistent with PANDAS.

The report also states:

A post-licensure safety study of HPV vaccine among 189,629 females completed by an independent safety team of experts, identified no association between vaccination with Gardisil and neurologic disorders

In its conclusion, the report states:

The healthcare providers and public health agencies involved in this investigation consider this cluster of cases to be the result of conversion disorder/mass psychogenic illness.

...

While outbreaks of psychiatric or neurologic disease without clear explanation are unusual, similar cases have been documented (11-14). The conversion disorder/mass psychogenic illness conclusion is based on individual medical evaluations, the presence of significant life stressors, and demographic characteristics of the cases. It is uncertain what role conversion disorder played in the recurrence/acceleration of symptoms in the three cases with preexisting medical conditions.

The report encourages families of affected children to continue individualized care with their treating physicians.

Read the full report (PDF).

The Le Roy illnesses may not have one single cause, according to a Tennessee health official who has seen this kind of thing before.

Dr. Timothy Jones, state epidemiologist for the Tennessee Department of Health, was lead author of a paper for the New England Journal of Medicine examining an outbreak of an illness in 1998 at a high school in McMinnville, Tenn.

It turned out, for at least 90 percent of the cases, there was no environmental cause for the illness, which in this event included rashes, vomiting, nausea and headaches. Some of the people involved just happened to be sick at the time of a rumored gas leak and one girl turned out to be pregnant, causing morning sickness, though she didn't know it at the time.

The diagnosis -- which was hard for the community to accept -- was psychogenic or sociogenic illness.

For most of the sick kids and teachers, the illness was a matter of adopting symptoms from people around them.

Jones hasn't been involved in the Le Roy case and only knows about the situation thorough media reports, but he said there are some similarities to the Le Roy and McMinnville situations.

• Most of the patients are adolescent and disportionately female;
• The groups tend to know each other or be socially related;
• There is a line-of-sight transmission or direct knowledge of a previous patient's symptoms;
• There is no other apparent medical explanation for the illness.

There are also some things, Jones said, that are not entirely classic psychogenic in the Le Roy situation.

Most importantly, in most psychogenic cases, the symptoms are short lived. They usually involve dizziness, fainting, vomiting and rapid heart rate, for example. The symptons usually disappear when patients are separated.

In the McMinnville case, for example, after the initial outbreak, everybody went home for the weekend and were fine until they returned to school on Monday.

Typically, Jones said, these kinds of outbreaks start with one person who has an actual physical problem -- the student becomes woozy or the choir member who faints -- but over the course of the illness spreading, additional cases may be psychogenic or there may be infectious or environmental causes for some patients.

In the Le Roy case, it's possible, if not probable, that the the initial student with a tic sympton -- the trigger case -- has a non-psychogenic disorder.

One of the problems public health officials have in such a situation is explaining who might be ill because of an infectious or environmental condition and who might be showing psychogenic symptoms.

HIPPA prevents officials from discussing a specific patient diagnosis.

While a public state health official might be able to talk about a diagnosis for a group of patients under HIPPA, Jones said, the doctor who has actually treated the patients is prevented by HIPPA from discussing the cases, even as a group, because that could lead to public knowledge of individual diagnosis.

"No matter what, these are incredibilty senstive things to discuss and there are good reasons for that," Jones said. "When you have the word 'psych' attached to any conversation or diagnosis, people think they're being told they're crazy, or they're faking it or they're malingering. It's a hard thing to convince them and other people reading about it that it's real. The symptoms are real."

Jones said actual mass conversion disorder is a very rare thing and he knows of only two such cases in recent history, one in Colombia and one right in Tennessee.

In the Tennessee case, girls at a closed religious community stopped eating and were suffering severe weight loss.

"It certainly can happen, but it's at the severe end of the spectrum for sure."

Public attention doesn't help matters, either, Jones said.

While things like a lot of ambulances and fire trucks showing up at a school can spread an outbreak of psychogenic illness, so can the appearance of the media, and reports in the media reinforce the message of an illness spreading.

Getting people to accept the diagnosis is very difficult, Jones said.

In the McMinnville case, self-proclaimed experts and actual experts from all over the country were popping up with test suggestions and ideas for investigation.

In all, public health officials ended up spending close to $100,000 trying to find an environmental cause for an illness that, in the end, had no environmental cause.

Telling the community at a public meeting that the cause was psychogenic was "one of the most stressful things I've done in my entire career," Jones said.

"It's not because people were being mean," Jones said. "They were well meaning. This is scary. It's scary for the kids. It's terrifying for the parents. Many times people don't want to hear the answer."

Recommended reading: Mass Psychogenic Illness Attributed to Toxic Exposure at a High School.

A 17-year-old from Batavia who was spotted allegedly speeding by an off-duty deputy Dec. 24 on West Main Street Road has been charged with a felony and two misdemeanors stemming from events that transpired that day.

The deputy attempted to talk about speeding with the youth, Austin L. Wester, while stopped at Read Road, according to a Sheriff's Office press release.

The deputy reportedly attempted to keep Wester at the intersection until an on-duty deputy could arrive.

Wester, who lives on Pratt Road, reportedly refused to remain at the location. In his attempt to detain Wester, the deputy allegedly suffered a hand injury.

Wester was charged with assault, 2nd, resisting arrest, and assault, 3rd. He was jailed on $30,000 bail.

The investigation was conducted by Deputy Patrick Reeves, Investigator Timothy Weis, with assistance from Deputy Brian Thompson and Deputy Ronald Meides.

For years, Bill Dominiak has been known the world over as a master craftsman.

Dominiak makes pool cues, the kind top professionals buy and use to win tournaments.

Now, right here in Genesee County, anybody can buy a Dominiak designed and built product, but you won't need a felt-covered table to use it.

You just need a knife and something to cut.

Dominiak and business partner Tom Walter launched New York Butcher Block about six months ago and their local retail outlet is Batavia Restaurant Supply.

Blocks are $65 and up, and butcher tables are $275 and up, with table tops and countertops in the works.

The blocks are all natural, including the finish, which contains natural oils and beeswax.

"When you're in business, you're always looking for new revenue streams," Dominiak said.

For pool cues, Dominiak's Stafford-based company buys only the best hardwoods available in Western New York. The people who buy professional pool cues have very high standards and not all of the great wood is good enough to make it into a pool cue.

"Pool cue manufacturers are very fussy about the grade of wood they use and this gives us a chance to do something else with (the rest of the wood)," Dominiak said.

For years, Dominiak said, the wood not used in cues would just be given away.  Now he's found a way to turn the wood into money.

The EPA announced Thursday that barrels full of rock and soil from the site of a 1970 train derailment in Le Roy will be removed by the end of February.

Soil and rock material from the drilling of the groundwater monitoring wells was placed in drums and stored at the site in a fenced-in area. Based upon data previously collected from the drilling activities, this material is believed to be non-hazardous. The EPA has directed the railroad company to do sampling to evaluate the material in some of the drums so they can be removed and disposed of off-site. This work is expected to be completed and the drums removed by the end of February 2012.

Full report (PDF)

UPDATE 5:23 p.m.: Press release from the office of Rep. Kathy Hochul:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After Congresswoman Kathy Hochul spoke with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Judith Enck yesterday, Congresswoman Hochul, along with senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, announced that the EPA will remove barrels from the federal Superfund site in Le Roy by the end of February.

“I’m proud to announce that the EPA will finally help clean up LeRoy and will remove these barrels by the end of this month,” said Congresswoman Hochul. “The health and well-being of my constituents is my top priority and I am glad I was able to help remove these containers. Now we must ensure our local water supply and the soil is clean of any environmental threat.”

“Removing the barrels is absolutely the right thing to do, and I want to thank Administrator Enck and the EPA for getting it done,” said Senator Schumer. “Going forward, it’s going to be absolutely critical that we watch this site like a hawk and keep testing the area to monitor the plume and finish the remediation of this site. The EPA should also release the full December report so that everyone who lives, works, or attends school in the area has the information they need to understand what is being done to clean-up this site.”

“I am pleased to hear that the EPA will remove the barrels from this Superfund site,” said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee. “The EPA must now continue testing and monitoring all areas around the site to assure residents there has been no further contamination. Everyone in Le Roy and Genesee County must know that their community is a safe place to live, visit, work, and raise a family.”

The removed drums will be tested to ensure they are sent to the proper disposal location. Quarterly testing is undertaken at the Superfund site and is next scheduled to take place this month, however Congresswoman Hochul, Senator Schumer, and Senator Gillibrand have sent a letter to the EPA calling on them to release December’s report to the public to ensure the contamination has not spread. A copy of the letter can be found here. 

On Monday, Congresswoman Hochul sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson calling on the EPA to reevaluate the Superfund site. A copy of the letter can be found here.

Pending federal legislation could have a dramatic impact on Genesee County's ability to repair and maintain its road and bridges, according to Highway Superintendent Tim Hens.

Both the House and Senate version strip most of the aid that has traditionally gone to local governments to help with infrastructure. 

The county is facing more than $15 million a year in expenses over the next five years to repair roads and bridges.

The bill would also realign regional highway planning committees and allow any municipality of more than 10,000 people to set up their own committees.

"There could potentially be hundreds of these planning organizations fighting for the same pot of money," Hens said. "Neither the House version nor the Senate version is very local-friendly."

Hens has drafted a letter to senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand along with Rep. Kathy Hochul asking them to consider the local impact of the legislation.

Hens wrote:

We are certainly in favor of consolidating programs and accelerating delivery measures that reduce the time and cost to bring projects to construction, thereby maximizing the available dollars to the actual construction. However, we are very concerned that funding available to the non-NHS system will fall short of what is critically needed. Although we concur that the NHS is vital to the nation’s economy, it is important that the entire transportation system be considered as one seamless system that needs to preserved and maintained in its entirety. Local governments saddled with mandates just do not have the financial ability to take up these obligations on their own.

Full text of his letter after the jump (click on the headline to read):

Dear Senator/Representative:

As you are already aware, the surface transportation bill known as SAFETEA-LU expired on September 30, 2009. Highway and transit programs have been operating under short term extensions ever since. The current extension expires on March 31, 2012.

NY State budgets have not been adequate to reverse the deterioration of local roads and bridges and the lack of action on federal highway program authorization and funding has created huge uncertainty. This uncertainty not only affects state highway programs; but the contractors, designers, subcontractors and material suppliers who work within these programs are also affected.

In the US Senate, the federal highway and transportation funding bill is MAP-21—Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century. Legislation known as the “American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act,” was introduced by the House on January 31, 2012. These bills seek to reform and streamline federal transportation programs, cut red tape in the project approval process, increase states’ flexibility in determining their most critical transportation needs, and encourage private sector participation in financing and rebuilding our infrastructure.

While immediate action is needed to pass a multi-year transportation reauthorization bill which will bring much needed certainty to the construction marketplace, the fear is that some proposed modifications to existing federal highway funding programs could result in fewer funds available for non-National Highway System (NHS) bridges and not provide any additional funds for non-NHS highways in New York.

We are certainly in favor of consolidating programs and accelerating delivery measures that reduce the time and cost to bring projects to construction, thereby maximizing the available dollars to the actual construction. However, we are very concerned that funding available to the non-NHS system will fall short of what is critically needed. Although we concur that the NHS is vital to the nation’s economy, it is important that the entire transportation system be considered as one seamless system that needs to preserved and maintained in its entirety.  Local governments saddled with mandates just do not have the financial ability to take up these obligations on their own.

In addition, how the local Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) boundaries are determined would change considerably in some cases; eliminating some Counties from their existing MPO. This would weaken the ability to ensure that transportation decisions benefit the overall community and threaten the economic stability, vitality and viability of the region as a whole.

The current Genesee Transportation Council boundaries are allowed per Title 23 Section 450.312(d) of the Code of Federal Regulations: “MPA boundaries may be established to coincide with the geography of regional economic development and growth forecasting areas.” The nine-county region has the same boundaries as both the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development District and Governor Cuomo’s regional economic development council. Strategic plans for both the district and the council have been completed within the last six months. We strongly urge that this provision be maintained in the next surface transportation legislation.

Increased federal funding is desperately needed to allow our highway superintendents the funding necessary to begin to address the critical needs of the state’s local transportation infrastructure. Genesee County and many other rural counties would be severely impacted with the loss of MPO representation and redirection of funds to the NHS. On behalf of Genesee County I am urging that you and your New York colleagues take steps to insure that the final multi-year federal transportation authorization bill does not short change the local highway and bridge system in this state.

Thank you for your continued support.

The county is scheduled to receive a $7,200 grant to help fund training for potential food-processing workers, as part of the Finger Lakes Food Processing Cluster Initiative.

The grant will likely assist Genesee Community College in developing food-training classes, said Scott Gage, director of the Job Development Center, and comes at a good time, with companies like Alpina opening factories in Batavia, along with existing businesses such as Yancey's Fancy in Corfu.

"Workers need to learn manufacturing techniques, process control, and health and safety issues," Gage said. "We’re seeing this as a tool to help us with these new businesses moving into the town."

Steve Hyde, CEO of the Genesee County Economic Development Center, said there is an effort going forward from government agencies, schools and food-processing companies themselves to create a better trained work force for these types of businesses.

He said developing such tech-based job-training programs (and food processing is now a tech-based job) is hugely important for the region.

"We are better aligning education with industry needs," Hyde said. "If you really start being able to deliver (a better trained work force), boy, you are at a key strategic advantage (for attracting new businesses to the area)."

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) is circulating a petition calling for mandate relief during this year’s legislative session seeking public support for a measure that will decrease costs to local governments and drive down taxes. Hawley stated that by showing the governor that Western New Yorkers are on board, real progress stands to be made.

“Here in Western New York, we’re tired of property taxes and other fees skyrocketing year after year due to expensive and unnecessary programs forced on us by state government,” Hawley said.

“We took a step in the right direction with last year’s budget, alleviating some of the pressure on local governments, but we need to do much more. I am hopeful that local taxpayers will join me in showing the governor just how important this is to Western New Yorkers so we can build on last year’s momentum and provide real savings on our tax bills.”

This year, nine state mandates will account for 90 percent of the county’s local property tax levy. The petition can be signed at bit.ly/WNYformandaterelief.

Hard copies are available at the assemblyman’s district office. The assemblyman can be reached at 121 N. Main St., Suite 100, Albion, NY 14411, by phone at 585-589-5780, or via e-mail at hawleys@assembly.state.ny.us.

Press release from the Genesee County Legislature:

Importance of Medicaid Petition Drive. Why should Geneseeans Care?

$9.2 million six years ago was the amount Genesee County was spending for Medicaid. 50% of the total program cost is the responsibility of the taxpayer in New York State which is the same in most of the other 49 States. New York State has the 57 New York counties paying a share of this Medicaid Bill each week which in 2012 equals about 18.5% of that 50% state share.

Six years later, $9.8 million is the dollar amount representing 18.5 cents of every dollar spent for Medicaid that Genesee County taxpayers must fund in the 2012 budget year.

Approximately 7,200 individuals are enrolled in Medicaid in Genesee County. In 2014, the Federal Health Statute (Affordable Care Act) is mandating states to select a health care program for those particular state residents in need of health coverage and eligible to enroll. In New York state the choice has been made, Medicaid will be the primary payor. 

Current estimates that there are 5,000 additional county residents eligible for this proposed/expanded Medicaid program. This means an additional 69% increase in Medicaid funding, or in 2012 dollars would mean $6.30 per thousand just to pay the county’s 18.5% of this unfunded mandate.

This is a call to be answered by Genesee County and all New York State residents that have concern to be proactive with their county’s Medicaid petition drive.

Blank petitions are available at your town and village offices and once you have obtained signatures return to your town or village hall or local library. Petitions may also be sent to county residents electronically by contacting the Clerk of the Genesee County Legislature, Carolyn Pratt, 344-2550, ext. 2202, cpratt@co.genesee.ny.us

Parents are reporting in comments on The Batavian that the Le Roy Central School District will hold a meeting Saturday morning to introduce report on test results performed at the Jr./Sr. school  Leader Professional Services and discuss a possible round of environmental testing at the Jr./Sr. high school.

On its website, Leader describes its services: "... a full-service environmental, industrial hygiene, safety and transportation compliance services company with principal offices in the following areas: Buffalo, New York; Rochester, New York; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."

The meeting will be from 9 to 10 a.m. in the school auditorium.

Parents received an automated phone message about the meeting.

Meanwhile, Scientific America this morning published an interview with a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Michael Jenike, who said PANS (sometimes called PANDAS) could be the cause of tic symptoms in 15 Le Roy HS students.

Jenike said the disorder was once thought rare, but he believes it is more common than many doctors realize.

I used to think it was very rare, too. I've worked on OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) my whole career, and I couldn't figure out why no one could pin down what was going on with these kids who had had strep. Then the parents got me involved, and I learned a lot more. I now think PANS is extremely common — way, way more common than we thought. I get emails from parents every day whose kids have it. I don't think it is rare, is the bottom line.

The problem is, some doctors don't know about it, and some don't even think it exists, so it isn't diagnosed.

He also said he believes the age range could run higher than previously thought.

According to the article, Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, who reportedly treated 11 of the 12 girls initially reported with the illness, has said PANDAS was ruled out because it is rare and because it only afflicts young children.

UPDATE: Media release from Bill Albert, of the law firm Harris Beach.

Le Roy Central School District Community Meeting
 
Date: Saturday, February 4, 2012
 
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
 
Place: High School Auditorium, 9300 South Street Road, Le Roy, N.Y.

Topic: As most are aware, the District has hired Leader Professional Services a highly regarded environmental, industrial hygiene, and safety consulting firm. Leader was hired to assess the testing already performed at the high school and to make recommendations for further testing at the school. Leader has completed its review and will present its recommendations for a work plan for additional testing to the parents of students in the District on Saturday, February 4 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. at the high school auditorium.

Presenters from Leadership Professional Services:
Michael P. Rumrill, President/CEO
Mary Ellen Holvey, CIH, Senior Industrial Hygienist
Peter von Schondorf, P.G., Senior Project Manager

Media Information Session 8:30 – 8:55 a.m.: Please join Leader Professional Services representatives and Superintendent Kim Cox at 8:30 a.m. for a media information session to preview the recommendations prior to the community meeting. This session will be held in the school’s library.

Parking: There will be no parking at the school’s parking lot. The school is hosting student Round Robin basketball games in which buses will be dropping off and picking up students throughout the day. You will be directed to park at Hartwood Park located next to the school.

In the past 10 years or, call volume for the Town of Batavia Fire Department has jumped from about 50 calls per year to around 300 calls per year, and the number could soar to 800 calls per year in the next two decades.

That kind of growth requires planning, according to Board of Directors Member Tim Yeager, who was joined by department leaders Thursday to unveil a new master plan -- the first of its kind -- for the department.

"What has occured in the past 10 years, what's occurring now and what could potentially happen in the future -- we tried to address all of those things (in the plan)," Yaeger said. "We don't want to play catch up and be reactive. We want to be proactive and anticipate those potentials and better plan for those in order to keep costs down."

The department will remain all volunteer, Yaeger said, but staffing will need to increase from 41 active members to 100 active members.

That kind of recruitment and retention, according to the plan, may mean possible property tax relief for volunteers, stipends, retirement plans as well as other incentives to volunteer. The department's bylaws may also need to be amended to relax the residency requirements.

The biggest expense for the department is in possibly replacing two aging and inadequate fire halls, which could cost $5.8 million and $2.7 million respectively.

The department will also need a second ladder truck at a cost of $625,000 and to replace the current ladder truck, another $1 million. Plus over the next several years, other aging pieces of equipment will need to be replaced at a cost of $400,000 to $500,000.

All of this can be done, Yaeger said, without increasing the fire district's tax rate, which is currently $2.34 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Growth in the town, much of it fueled by the anticipated success of the Genesee Agri-Business Park, will drive up the overall assessed value of property in the town, meaning more revenue for the fire district.

"That increase should sustain us based on our predictions over that 20-year period and keep in consideration any increase in the cost of doing business over those 20 years," said Fire Chief Randy McIntire. "We can keep the tax rate as it is."

Station #1, at 8382 Lewiston Road, is 20 years old and only 6,800 square feet. The concept #1 new station would be 18,000 square feet and include five engine bays, a room for turn-out gear, men's and women's locker rooms, offices, a workout room, lounge area and increased storage.

But Station #2 is perhaps the location in most immediate need of replacement and enlargement.

The large buildings of the ag park will require the fire department to have a ladder truck at Station #2, and with the anticipated growth in both business and residential on the east side of town, the department will need updated trucks and personnel ready to respond from Station #2, according to the report.

Built on Clinton Street Road in 1977, the 1,920-square-foot facility has only two engine bays and not much else.

The concept #2 new station would be 8,200 square feet, have three bays, offices, conference room, locker rooms and a lounge area.

Construction on the new Station #2 would begin in 2014.

While the plan doesn't anticipate a tax increase, and forecasts the ability of the department to pay for new equipment out of tax revenue, the cost of new stations will probably mean the department will need to take out construction loans at an anticipated interest rate of 4.5 percent.

The plan came about because department officials were looking at growth in the town and realized they better be ready for it, but they didn't have a lot of data on what the town was planning or what was anticipated.

Department officials met with town officials over the past several months and gathered data to help them develop a plan for the future.

"We had a lot of ideas, and lot of good ideas on where to move forward, but there was nothing documented," Yaeger said. "We needed to gather the data to justify the decisions that we needed to make. All of the decisions in this plan are based on data."

UPDATE: Forgot to link to the PDF of the report. Here it is.

Note: Hawley's office issued this press release Wednesday, but I didn't see the email until just now, but thought it still important to post:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) is working with state and local officials to diligently address the health issues facing Western New Yorkers. In the wake of the disturbing developments regarding Tourette's-like symptoms displayed by 12 students attending Le Roy Junior-Senior High School, the assemblyman is doubling down on his efforts to protect the health of the entire Western New York community.

“The strength of our community relies on the health, safety and happiness of Western New Yorkers, and I am committed to making sure that no stone is left unturned in the quest to protect those needs,” Hawley said. “By working with health and environmental officials at the federal, state and local levels, I am pursuing every channel to ensure that we are doing everything in our power to prevent threats to the community’s health.”

The assemblyman has spoken directly with both state Health Commissioner Nirav Shah and state Department of Environmental Commissioner Joe Martens to share his concerns regarding the developing tragedy in Leroy.

“The situation in Le Roy is infinitely tragic, and swift action is imperative,” Hawley continued. “Above all else, it is the duty of public servants to protect our children, seniors and families. Nothing takes priority over the health of our fellow Western New Yorkers.”

UPDATE: The Batavia Police Department announced today (Feb. 3) that Shannon Reichart was located today safe and unharmed. Detective Richard Schauf thanks the public for its assistance in locating her.

Batavia PD issued an alert today for a 15-year-old runaway who may be in the area.

Shannon Reichart has a history of running away, according to police and has been found in Genesee County before. She has a boyfriend in Genesee County. His name has not been released.

Reichart is described as 5'2", 110 lbs. with brown hair and brown eyes. 

She was last seen wearing a black shirt with white letters that say "STAR" and black sweatpants with white Nike sneakers. Shannon has a tattoo of a peace sign on her knee cap and the initials "HHH" on the web on her left hand.

She may be in the company of her 17-year-old boyfriend who has brown hair and brown eyes, weights 160 lbs. and is 5'7".

The winner in our most recent Shop Batavia contest is Trish Cody.

Trish wins a set of handcrafted Valentine's glasses from Bruggie's.

The winner was selected at random from among people who "Liked" Shop Batavia on Facebook and registered for the contest.

Shop local!

Shop Batavia -- the only place in Genesee County to shop at locally owned businesses online, all in one place, and find coupons, gift certificates, recommendations and merchandise from local shops.

Let's start with PANDAS.

Every day, I get emails and phone calls from all over the country from people saying, "the cause of the tics must be PANDAS."

PANDAS stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. Some people who contact us claim that PANDAS should now be called PANS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neurological Syndrome). I've even heard the word "pediatric" should be removed.

The original theory was that PANDAS was caused by a strep infection, but some researchers apparently now believe that the disorder can be caused by any infection.

School and state officials have repeatedly said -- including at the Jan. 11 community meeting and in subsequent press releases -- that PANDAS and infections have been ruled out.

Late last week, I requested an interview with Dr. Gregory Young, who originally told the community PANDAS had been ruled out. The request was simple: I'd like to get more detail on why PANDAS was ruled out.

Jeffrey Hammond, the spokesman for the DOH got back to me on Monday and referred me to Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, the DENT neurologist who made the conversion disorder diagnosis and has been quoted as blaming the stress the girls are reportedly under on post-9/11 terror warnings.

I left two messages at Mechtler's office yesterday. When I called this morning, I spoke with DENT's marketing director, Maria Caserta.

Caserta was initially helpful, but 30 minutes after confirming an interview time for Thursday, Caserta emailed to cancel the interview.

When I squawked, Caserta responded that Dr. Mechtler was canceling the interview because The Batavian revealed he has taken more than $150,000 in payments from phrama companies.

Caserta wrote, "Please note: Dr. Mechtler speaks for pharmaceuticals on a professional basis related to Headaches and Brain Tumors. He is no way affiliated with these pharma companies in relation to Gardasil or Cervarix."

Duely noted.

I immediately informed Hammond that Mechtler was unwilling to share with the community the reason behind ruling out PANDAS and requested another avenue of information, but as yet, Hammond has not responded to the email.

I've also emailed the DEC, EPA and DOH, in some cases, multiple times, trying to get more detail on claims by the school district that environmental testing has taken place.

On Saturday morning, Superintendent Kim Cox initially claimed soil and water testing had been done at the school, but when pressed for details, she said she wasn't actually sure what had been done.

In a letter to the community this morning, Cox said, "All of these agencies and professionals from these agencies have assured us that our school is safe.There is no evidence of an environmental or infectious cause." ... and ... "The school was tested for total Volatile Organic Compounds by an independent firm."

So my second attempt in 24 hours to get more details on environmental testing -- what was tested (soil, air, water, inside and outside the building), when and by whom, elicited the following email.

“DOH reviewed both the epidemiology and the clinical evaluations and found no evidence of environmental or infection as the cause of the girls’ illness.”

“An environmental exposure would affect many people. The treating physicians ruled out PANDAS. The school was tested for Volatile Organic Compounds (including TCE) by the independent firm. The school is served by a public water system. The Guardasil vaccine was ruled out because many of the girls did not receive the vaccine. Despite the evidence, the Le Roy School District chose to pursue environmental testing."

“DOH has reviewed 12 cases and we are aware of three new suspected cases. The three new suspected cases are being evaluated by private medical professionals who will then share the evaluations with DOH. DOH will evaluate the new suspected cases are part of our Le Roy investigation.”

"People are free to pursue additional environmental testing."

Additional background perspective:

    - The Genessee County Health Department contacted us in October
    - Epidemiology is the study of the causes, distribution and control of disease in populations.
    - DOH conducted a scientific literature review.
    - The department continues to monitor the cases.

    - The school district’s website has copies of the environmental review, in case you don't have them. Here’s the link to the school’s site: http://www.leroycsd.org/. The documents are found under the “important message” section.

    - Questions about the Lehigh Valley railroad site should be directed to the EPA. Mike Basile, 716-xxx-xxx, xxxx@epa.gov

    - HIPAA prevents DOH from sharing the diagnoses. That is a question for the private physicians (Dent Neurology) who have been treating the girls.

I immediately responded to Hammond requesting more detail -- again, who is the independent firm, were soil and water samples taken, etc.? So far, no response from Hammond, though he did issue a press release late this afternoon that includes detailed information on interior water testing.

Press release:

New York State Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah, M.D, MPH today announced that the department has secured an agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that the NIH will provide the Le Roy High School students suffering from tic-like symptoms with a free, independent third-party evaluation of their cases.

The evaluations will be performed under the auspices of Dr. Mark Hallett and Dr. Susan Swedo of the NIH Institute on Neurology in Bethesda, Maryland, at no cost for the specialized consultation or for travel and accommodation costs of the students and their families.

The Department of Health is sending information on this opportunity to visit NIH to the parents and families of those affected by this illness and urges them to take advantage of this opportunity to be examined by these experts.

Dr. Hallett is currently NIH’s Chief of the Medical Neurology Branch and Chief of its Human Motor Control Section. He is currently the principal investigator of a clinical study of the diagnosis and natural history of patients with neurological conditions.

Dr. Swedo is currently chief of the Pediatrics and Developmental Neuroscience Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Dr. Swedo and her NIMH team were the first to identify a new subtype of childhood disorder thought to be related to streptococcal infections known as Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS). Dr. Swedo's work has led to the development of several possible therapies for the condition.

“The Department of Health understands that parents and students in the Le Roy School District are seeking more information on the tic-like symptoms that have presented in some students in the Jr./S.r High School,” Dr. Shah said. “Based on the clinical evaluations of the patients and the pattern in which these cases presented, the department continues to believe that there is no environmental or infectious cause of these illnesses or public health threat to the community.”

At the request of the school district, water samples from the school were tested at the department’s Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany. The department analyzed three drinking water samples taken on Jan. 25, 2012 from the Le Roy High School by the Genesee County Health Department. Two samples were taken from areas frequented by students (student laboratory and kitchen). The third sample was taken where public water enters the building and is representative of water quality in the Monroe County Water Authority (MCWA) distribution system that supplies the high school and the surrounding area. The analyses of these samples were completed on Jan. 30, 2012.

The results show nothing out of the ordinary. All three samples meet state and federal drinking water standards. The water quality in the student areas was no different from the water quality in the area around the high school. In addition, all three samples were consistent with the normally expected water quality for the entire Monroe County Water Authority (MCWA) service area. The only chemical detections to note were three disinfection by-products, the earth metal barium, and fluoride. All of these detected chemicals were at levels that are within state and federal drinking water standards. The disinfection by-products were found at levels consistent with entire the MCWA service area. Disinfection by-products occur at all drinking water systems that chlorinate surface water and result from the reaction of the primary disinfectant (chlorine) with naturally occurring organic material found in all surface waters of the state. The detected barium comes from Lake Ontario and is consistent with the level normally present in MCWA's water. Fluoride is added by MCWA for dental protection purposes and the level detected is MCWA's optimal target level for fluoride.

Detected Chemical Range of Levels Detected Maximum Contaminant Level Disinfection Byproducts: Chloroform 27 - 28 (ug/L or ppb) * Bromodichloromethane 10 (ug/L or ppb) * Dibromochloromethane 2.8 (ug/L or ppb) * Total Disinfection Byproducts = 39.8 - 40.8 (ug/L or ppb) 80 (ug/L or ppb) Barium 0.018 - 0.019 (mg/L or ppm) 2 (mg/L or ppm) Fluoride 0.7 (mg/L or ppm)) 2.2 (mg/L or ppm)

 

Via email from Bill Albert at Harris Beach:

Letter to the Community

February 1, 2012

Over the past few days, activities that have occurred in our community with respect to environmental testing by a representative who claimed to be working on behalf of Erin Brockovitch have taken center stage. This has been a distraction and taken us away from our mission to return normalcy to our school District, which every medical professional says is critical for the health and well-being of all students in our schools. As we have communicated, we have been working closely for months with numerous medical professionals, the New York State Department of Health, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. All of these agencies and professionals from these agencies have assured us that our school is safe. There is no evidence of an environmental or infectious cause. Environmental causes would not discriminate. We would see a wide range of people affected. 

The community should take assurance that the Department of Health concluded extensive reviews of both the epidemiology and the clinical evaluations and found no evidence of environmental or infection as the cause of the students’ illness. Again, an environmental exposure would affect many people. The school was tested for total Volatile Organic Compounds by an independent firm. The school is served by the Monroe County Water Authority. This system is monitored on a regular basis. In addition, we have just been informed that water samples taken from the inside of the school as an additional precaution have been tested and determined to be safe. The treating physicians at the Dent Institute ruled out PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders associated with Streptococcal infections), a condition that sometimes causes this behavior. The Gardasil vaccine was ruled out because many of the girls did not receive the vaccine. 

In addition, to help assist the district with assessing all aspects of this situation, we hired our own independent environmental expert to conduct a review of the findings and offer alternative approaches if needed. This was done not because we questioned the state medical professionals or federal agencies, but to help reassure the community. There are also some individuals who are attempting to connect the 1970 Lehigh Valley Railroad train derailment that spilled Trichloroethene (TCE) to the school.  In fact, the TCE plume has been shown as moving in the opposite direction of the school, some three miles away.     

The individual who came onto school property this past Saturday did not identify himself, did not show his credentials, and did not contact us ahead of time to offer assistance or coordinate with our efforts. Nor did this individual demonstrate that the testing approach was in accordance with scientific methods. It was clearly staged as a publicity stunt with members of local and national media invited to participate. We know this because the media arrived well in advance of this individual. In fact, one member of the media entered the school without permission and interrupted the preparations for an on-site program. Of course they were asked to leave. I am charged with keeping this entire school, staff, students and grounds safe. Not knowing this individual’s intention, I had no idea if he was there to get something or leave something. 

Our administration and staff are exceptional and have been diligently working under stressful situations to try to maintain a supportive educational environment. This has been extremely challenging given the irresponsible tactics and programming by the national media. Speculation and reporting of erroneous information by those who have none of the information that has been compiled over months of study by leading professionals is confusing our community. It is also heightening the level of anxiety of all our students and especially jeopardizing the recovery of those affected students, many who had recovered or been showing signs of improvement. These kids want to get better. As a community, we need to support each other and these students by ensuring our school environment is nurturing and safe. I want to thank the members of our local media who have been engaging in responsible reporting.

I know we all want what is best for the children. We are all frustrated, tired and saddened by this turn of events as it is affecting the entire community. I am confident we will work through it, but I do believe it will take some time. My role as Superintendent of this District is to ensure I am providing the best possible educational environment conducive to learning and allowing our children to excel to the best of their ability. I am not an environmental scientist or medical professional, and therefore, cannot always be the spokesperson for highly technical and medical explanations nor answer questions that require in-depth technical knowledge. Questions of this nature must be addressed to those professionals and answered by these professionals. I have been trying to increase the direct communication from these agencies as well as putting forth new information as it is received. I know it is frustrating not to have definitive answers or wait for test findings. I want to assure you that all technical professionals involved are doing everything they can to expedite the process and communicate any new information as it is received.

I know this has been an emotionally hard situation and we all hope for the speedy recovery of our students. Please know we welcome your questions and suggestions, and take all under consideration. We will continue to communicate with you as soon as we have new information to share. 

Kim M. Cox
Superintendent of Schools

A 35-year-old Batavia resident is accused of breaking into a home on Porter Avenue on Nov. 18 and stealing video games and a gaming system.

Jailed without bail on a charge of second-degree burglary is Justin C. Smith, of 25 Hutchins St., Batavia.