The nation's defense secretary's treatment for prostate cancer has put the disease in the public spotlight again, and officials at Rochester Regional Health/United Memorial Medical Center had a specialist talk with reporters on Wednesday to help people better understand detection and treatment.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced the launch of the Northern Border Regional Commission’s (NBRC) new J-1 Visa Waiver Program, an initiative the senator has long pushed for which can help recruit and bring more highly needed physicians to rural Upstate New York. 

Schumer said the new program will help address the healthcare provider shortage in New York and beyond by easing the visa requirements for physicians who are trained in the U.S. and agree to practice in underserved areas of the Northern Border Region. 

He said NBRC will recommend the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) waive their “two-year home-country physical presence requirement” for eligible physicians seeking to work at healthcare institutions and practices in New York and other states within the NBRC territory.

"This is just what the doctor ordered to help recruit more highly qualified physicians and a major step to helping address the national healthcare worker shortage we are seeing in rural communities across America and in Upstate NY. Rural communities from Penn Yan to Plattsburgh, know the struggles of healthcare worker shortages all too well. This long awaited initiative will help provide rural and underserved areas across Upstate New York with quality, affordable healthcare by working to address ongoing physician staffing shortages,” said Senator Schumer. 

“I am proud to have advocated for this program, and to be leading the charge to help the NBRC get the increased support it needs to continue vital programs like this. I will never stop fighting to ensure that every New York community, regardless of its size, has access to the quality medical care it needs.”

The NBRC will consider recommending a waiver on behalf of eligible J-1 physicians who will work in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs). 

Eligible physicians will work in primary or mental health care for at least three years and 40 hours per week within a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designated HPSA or MUA of the Northern Border Region. The program is modeled, in part, after the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) successful J-1 Visa waiver program.

Schumer has a long history of championing the Northern Border Regional Commission and its positive economic impacts on the North Country and broader Upstate New York regions. Earlier this year, Schumer announced nearly $11 million in federal funding for twelve projects across the North Country and Upstate New York through the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) – the largest annual investment for Upstate NY in the program’s history. The historic increase in funding for the NBRC is a direct result of the funding Schumer was able to deliver in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law. 

In 2021, the senator secured $150 million for the NBRC in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law, over triple its funding from previous years. For context on how large the historic nearly $11 million investment in Upstate NY is this year, from 2010-2022, the NBRC invested in over 60 projects totaling over $28 million in investment for Upstate New York. Last year, the NBRC awarded $5.8 million for projects in Upstate NY. 

The NBRC’s 2023 Catalyst Program is designed to stimulate economic growth and inspire partnerships that improve rural economic vitality across the four-state NBRC region. The Commission made a historic level of funding available through the program this year, with up to $45 million in grants, including up to $20 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that communities across Upstate NY were able to tap.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) are alerting residents that cases of respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, are rising throughout Genesee and Orleans Counties. GO Health has also seen an increase in the presence of RSV in wastewater throughout both counties.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that can be mild for most people, but can be very harmful and serious for very young children, older adults, people with medical conditions, those born premature, or with underlying lung conditions.

Symptoms of RSV include fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, coughing, sneezing, and runny nose. These symptoms usually appear in stages and not all at once. In young infants with RSV, the only symptoms may be irritability, decreased activity, and breathing difficulties.

Severe illness can result in bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airways in the lung, and pneumonia, an infection of the lungs. Hospitalization due to RSV is needed when a person is experiencing difficulty breathing or is dehydrated.

A vaccine is available to prevent and protect against RSV for adults aged 60 and older, infants and young children, as well as pregnant people to protect their unborn child. If you are interested in the vaccine, you are encouraged to talk with your healthcare provider and for the best protection, you should get the vaccine as soon as possible.

To protect against all respiratory viruses including RSV, COVID-19, and the flu, practice the following precautions:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing/sneezing. This may prevent those around you from getting sick. Use your elbow or shoulder to limit the spray when coughing/sneezing.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. It is especially important to wash your hands after you have coughed or sneezed into your hands or blown your nose. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Frequently disinfect shared items, like doorknobs, handrails, phones, pens, remotes, etc. 

Practice these other health habits for general health:

• Clean and disinfect touched surfaces at home, work, and school.
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Engage in 30 minutes of physical activity 3-4 days a week.
• Manage your stress. Read a book, chat with a friend, take a walk, etc.
• Drink plenty of non-alcoholic beverages.
• Eat nutritious foods.

For more information about RSV, visit the New York State Department website. For the Genesee and Orleans Counties Wastewater Dashboard that tracks RSV, COVID-19, and flu in local sewer sheds, visit the GO Health Wastewater Dashboard.

For more information on GO Health programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org or call your respective health department at:

• Genesee County: 585-344-2580 ext. 5555 
• Orleans County: 585-589-3278

Follow GO Health on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at GOHealthNY.

Click here for more information.

Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans 18 to 45 years old. It is being mixed illegally with drugs like counterfeit painkillers, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, so the lethal dose is much smaller. You cannot see, taste, or smell fentanyl, but there is something you can do to protect others. Getting trained to administer Naloxone can help get those that are experiencing an overdose the time they need to get help. Naloxone is an FDA-approved medication that works to reverse an opioid overdose, including a fentanyl overdose. Naloxone works as an opioid antagonist by binding to opioid receptors and blocking the effects of opioids.

In Genesee County, fentanyl has caused a large number of deaths, and has even been found mixed in with other drugs. Since 2018, there have been 58 fatal opioid overdoses in the county, with 10 additional deaths still pending official causes of death as of November 2022. In 2020, Genesee County experienced 15 fatal opioid overdoses (25.7 per 100,000). With a higher fatal opioid overdose rate than that of New York State in 2020 (21.8 per 100,000), it is especially important for Genesee County residents to know the signs of an overdose so naloxone can be administered.

If someone is having difficulty breathing, is unconscious, choking, or experiencing discoloration of their skin or lips, an overdose may be occurring. Naloxone can be used to reverse both fentanyl and other opioid overdoses, such as heroin, oxycodone, morphine, and methadone. There is no harm in administering naloxone if an overdose is not occurring or opioids are not in the body.

The Naloxone Co-Payment Assistance Program, commonly referred to as N-CAP, can help individuals obtain naloxone. If you have prescription coverage as part of your health insurance plan, N-CAP will cover up to $40 in prescription co-payments. This ensures there are little to no out-of-pocket expenses for those getting naloxone at their local New York State pharmacy, all of which provide naloxone through a standing order that allows you to get this medication without a prescription. To learn more about N-CAP, please visit: www.health.ny.gov/overdose.

Individuals who use any type of illicit substance or misuse prescribed opioids are at risk of experiencing an overdose. Now more than ever, it is important to have naloxone nearby. Encourage your loved ones to be trained, carry naloxone, and tell their friends where they keep it in case they overdose. Reversing an overdose can be done in four steps: call 911, administer naloxone by inserting into the nostril and pressing the plunger, give CPR if trained, and stay until help arrives.

To learn more about fentanyl and naloxone, visit:

• HEALing Communities Study Website: www.HealTogetherNY.org/Genesee
• GOW Opioid Taskforce Website: www.gowopioidtaskforce.org/
• GO Health Facebook: www.facebook.com/GOHealthNY

Tis the season to bundle up, spend more time indoors, and enjoy family and friends over the holiday season. Unfortunately for some, it is also the time of colds, flu, COVID and RSV.  We are already seeing an increase in flu activity across Genesee and Orleans Counties.

Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every year. “The flu vaccine is a safe and effective way to reduce the spread of the flu in the community, as well as decrease the risk of severe symptoms,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). For those who are more at risk of serious complications of these respiratory viruses, it is important to talk with your primary care provider about the best way to protect themselves from illness.  If you are sick, stay home!  Wash your hands and sanitize shared items frequently.  Take care of yourself by eating healthful foods, getting good sleep, regular exercise and drinking plenty of water, non-caffeinated or non-alcoholic beverages.  If you are a smoker or someone who vapes, that increases your risk of upper respiratory viruses.   

If you are at high risk, consider that the more people you are exposed to, the more likely you are to get a virus.  During this time of year, it is important to stay connected with family and friends, so be creative in how you do that.  If the weather is good, spend time with family outdoors snowshoeing, hiking, and cross-country skiing.

For more information about the flu activity in New York State, visit https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/influenza/seasonal/

November is designated as Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a global effort to reduce stigma for a disease that affects both smokers and non‐smokers and takes more lives annually than breast, prostate, colon and pancreatic cancers – combined.

Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, but lung cancer can occur in people that have never smoked. Other risk factors include being exposed to secondhand smoke, having a family history of lung cancer, exposure to asbestos, and exposure to radon gas. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an estimated of 21,000 Americans die from radon-related lung cancer every year.

The leading cause of lung cancer amongst non-smokers is radon exposure. Radon is a clear, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas that is naturally found in the Earth. Radon dissolves in groundwater and forms pockets under homes and buildings. The primary method of radon exposure is through cracks in home foundations, new or old. In fact, one-fifth of all houses in the United States have dangerous levels of radon. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), if you smoke and live in a home with high radon levels, your risk for developing lung cancer significantly increases. 

Homes with a radon level over 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/l) need to be evaluated by a Certified Radon Mitigator to determine the type of radon reduction system that may need to be installed.  “By knowing your home's radon level and reducing it if necessary, you can protect yourself and your family,” said Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health).

Testing for radon is fast and inexpensive and is the only way to determine the radon levels in your home. GO Health encourages residents to test for radon when buying a home, doing a major renovation, every 2 years if there is a mitigation system installed or every 5 years otherwise. When purchasing a new house, make sure the seller completes a radon test kit and has the results available.  If you are building a new home, make sure to have radon-resistant construction features installed and tested prior to moving in.

You can purchase a short-term radon test kit from your local hardware store or through a radon-testing laboratory. For more information about radon visit, https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/radiological/radon/radon.htm. For more information about radon or other GO Health programs and services, visit www.GOHealthNY.org.

The United States has passed a grim, heartbreaking milestone: a record number of Americans are dying as a result of a drug overdose.

Between April 2020 and April 2021, drugs – mostly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl – took the lives of more than 100,000 of our sons and daughters, loved ones and neighbors, community members, and friends. During the same twelve-month period, eleven people died in Genesee County from opioid overdoses, and fentanyl was involved in all of these deaths.

This rise in opioid overdoses across the U.S. is largely due to illicit fentanyl contaminating street drugs. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is FDA-approved as a patch or lozenge for the treatment of severe pain. Fentanyl is at least 50 times more potent than heroin. Most recent cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose, and death in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl that is mixed into drugs like counterfeit painkillers and benzodiazepines, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Fentanyl has also been detected in fake pills that look like candy.

“A small amount of fentanyl, smaller than the tip of a pencil, can kill someone,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “This is a serious issue that impacts our children, our families and our community.”

Because we have an unregulated and criminalized drug supply, there is no way to tell if a street drug someone is using is 100 percent safe. This means that someone may use a product that they believe their body is able to tolerate, but it may actually be much stronger than they expect due to being contaminated with fentanyl, without knowing.

The opioid crisis is not confined to a particular subset of our population. The epidemic affects wealthy and poor, black and white, rural and urban, and every corner of Genesee County.

HEALing Our Communities 
The street drug supply has always been unpredictable and inconsistent – this is especially true now. People who use drugs should assume overdose risk no matter what drug they’re using, and practice as much harm reduction as consistently possible. Our community should also practice harm reduction strategies by: 

• Knowing the signs of an overdose. 
• Carrying naloxone and knowing how to use it. 
• Looking out for others in the community and administering naloxone if you suspect an overdose!

By following these harm reduction strategies, together, we can HEAL our communities and reduce preventable overdose deaths. 

The Genesee County Health Department, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (GCASA) and other community partners are excited to join 33 other communities across New York, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Ohio in launching the first communications campaign for the HEALing Communities Study. The first campaign running from Oct. 3 – Dec. 2, 2022 is focused on raising awareness of the dangers of illicit fentanyl, a drug that is present in more than three-quarters of the 2,000+ overdose deaths that occur in New York each year (source: NY State Opioid Annual Report 2021). In addition to sharing facts about the dangers of illicit fentanyl, the HEALing Communities Study campaign teaches ways to protect our loved ones and community members from a fatal fentanyl overdose including: 

• Knowing the signs and how to respond to an overdose.
• Getting trained and carrying naloxone (also known as Narcan® or Kloxxado™), an FDA-approved medication that can save someone’s life if they are overdosing on opioids, whether it is a prescription opioid pain medicine, heroin, or a drug contaminated with fentanyl.

“We are eager to continue the work that we have been doing to reduce overdose deaths in Genesee County,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “The HEALing Communities Study will provide additional technical assistance and financial resources to help support and expand the collaborative initiatives that the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming (GOW) Opioid Task Force is implementing.”

About the HEALing Communities Study
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimates that 2.1 million Americans have opioid use disorder (OUD), yet fewer than 20% of those receive specialty care in a given year. New York State has one of the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths in the nation. A menu of evidence-based practices (EBPs) exists, including opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs, prescription opioid safety, FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), behavioral therapies, and recovery support services. Unfortunately, these EBPs have largely failed to penetrate community settings. 

As a result, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) launched the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) to identify the EBPs that are most effective at the local level in preventing and treating Opioid Use Disorder. The goal of the study is to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths by 40 percent. The first phase of the study, which ended June 30, occurred in Cayuga, Columbia, Greene, Erie, Lewis, Putnam, Suffolk, and Ulster Counties. The second phase of the study will now run through December 2023 in Broome, Chautauqua, Cortland, Genesee, Monroe, Orange, Sullivan, and Yates counties. In support of this work, Genesee County is collaborating with local partners on a newly formed workgroup as part of the existing GOW Opioid Taskforce to launch three communications campaigns:

1. Naloxone and Fentanyl Education (10/3/2022-12/2/2022)
2. Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Awareness (3/6/2023-5/5/2023)
3. MOUD Treatment Retention (8/7/2023-10/6/2023)

If you are interested in joining the HEALing Communities Work Group or other GOW Opioid Task Force Work Groups, please contact Christen Foley at cferraro@gcasa.org.

To learn more about the HEALing Communities Study and to help end overdoses in Genesee County, visit:

• HEALing Communities Study Website: HealTogetherNY.org/Genesee
• GOW Opioid Taskforce Website: www.gowopioidtaskforce.org/
• GO Health Facebook: www.facebook.com/GOHealthNY

Lead is a metal that is toxic to our bodies. It has been found in many products including lead-based paint, plumbing, leaded gasoline, toys, ceramics, and more. No amount of lead in our bodies is safe. Young children under 6 years old are most at risk for lead poisoning because their bodies are rapidly developing. A child with lead poisoning can experience learning difficulties, lower IQ, difficulty paying attention, organ damage, and anemia. At very high levels, lead poisoning can be fatal.

“The effects of lead poisoning are irreversible, but there are ways to decrease lead in our blood,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “Eating food high in vitamin C, iron, and calcium can help reduce lead being absorbed from the digestive system into the bloodstream.”

Vitamin C absorbs iron and can remove lead from the body. Lack of iron has been associated with higher blood lead levels; however, eating enough iron-rich foods will help reduce lead absorption. Lastly, calcium helps to build and maintain strong bones. Eating enough calcium will reduce the amount of lead being stored in bones.

You can include many foods with vitamin C, iron or calcium in your diet.  

Foods containing vitamin C include fruits and vegetables such as:

• Oranges
• Lemons
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Raw Spinach
• Melon
• Peppers

Foods containing iron include types of meats, seafood, beans, fruits, and vegetables such as:

• Chicken
• Beef
• Spinach
• Red kidney beans
• Lentils
• Enriched and fortified breads and cereals

Foods containing calcium include dairy products and some seafood such as:

• Milk
• Cheese and yogurt
• Dark leafy green vegetables such as collard greens and kale
• Pinto beans and lentils
• Canned salmon and sardines
• Calcium-fortified beverages (juices, almond milk)

For any questions and more information on Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) Lead Program, contact the Genesee County Health Department at (585) 344-2580 ext.5555 or Health.GOlead@co.genesee.ny.us. You can also visit the GO Health website at www.GOHealthNY.org.