Latest news with #Lifespan
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Take action:' Lifespan highlights World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – Friday marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which is aimed at raising awareness and taking action to prevent elder abuse and neglect. Lifespan of Greater Rochester president and CEO Ann Marie Cook announced Friday the nonprofit has achieved nearly $7 million, across upstate New York, in court-ordered restitution for victims of financial exploitation, which is recognized as the most common form of elder abuse. In 2012, Lifespan introduced working teams made up of members of law enforcement, forensic and financial experts, district attorneys, and health care says much of their latest caseloads have revolved around the recent surge in scams. 'I cannot begin to tell you how our cases and scams have quadrupled. Really, maybe more,' said Cook, 'It is a trend we're seeing and these teams have just started to take up those cases in addition to traditional elder abuse cases. The harm to them in terms of those cases is just as great as the terms in traditional elder abuse.' Five seniors in Greece celebrate their 100th birthdays Monroe County Executive Adam Bello issued a proclamation to Lifespan, joining officials with a shared call on the community to help break the silence in what's described as a silent epidemic. 'Remember, you don't need a title or a badge to make a difference. You could be a friend, neighbor, or family member who sees or hears something that just doesn't feel quite right. We need everyone to recognize the signs of elder abuse and to know where to turn. Know the signs, know the resources, and take action,' said Kelly Zunner-Daniels, division leader for the Upstate Elder Abuse Center of Lifespan. Primary buildings across Monroe County and New York State will be lit in purple this weekend in light of raising awareness on elder abuse. More information about Lifespan's work and resources can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Santa Monica Doctors Come Under Scrutiny in Sean "Diddy" Combs Federal Trial in NYC
A Santa Monica based concierge clinic Lifespan has come under scrutiny in the ongoing federal trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs after federal agents recovered prescription drugs in the name of "Frank Black" with the doctors' 2811 Wilshire Avenue address listed under the bogus patient's name after his prescription drug were found in room 2115 at the tony Park Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan on Sept. 16, 2024 after Combs' arrest earlier that day, Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Yasin Binda testified at Combs' ongoing federal trial on human trafficking and other racketeering conspiracy charges in a Manhattan federal courtroom. Combs has been held without bail at a Brooklyn federal lockup since his 2024 arrest. The pill bottle was recovered inside a Louis Vuitton bag on the nightstand along with apparent 'mood lighting,' Binda told the court. She also described finding bags with Astroglide lubricant and baby oil inside the entryway closet of the room. It's not the first time prescription drugs written by Los Angeles area doctors havebecome scrutinized in federal prosecutions. Two doctors, including one from Santa Monica, were federally charged in connection with providing illegal drugs to "Friends" actor Matthew Perry before his deadly overdose. Santa Monica physician, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, a.k.a. 'Dr. P,' is awaiting trial in the case. He colluded, federal prosecutors say, with another doctor Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego. Chavez pleaded guilty to federal charges and is now cooperating with investigators in the case. "These celebrities always have a pharmacist in the pocket. They are not doing street drugs, they are taking advantage of dirty doctors," Tom Pasquarello, a longtime Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent in Charge who has run field offices all over the world before his retirement, told Los Angeles. "We have seen this over and over again. Michael Jackson, Matthew Perry. Everybody has a doctor on the sideline who can write scripts for painkillers, anxiety disorders, whatever, for the right price." When reached at Lifespan, there was no one available for comment, a clerk told Los Angeles. Combs' trial finished its seventh day of testimony on Tuesday. Jurors will have to decide if his actions against Cassie Ventura, his longtime girlfriend, and another woman expected to testify amounted to sex trafficking. 'You may know of his love of baby oil,' Teny Geragos, Combs' attorney, said in her opening statement last week. 'Is that a federal crime? No.' [Mark Geragos, Teny's father, is a co-owner of Engine Vision Media, the parent company of Los Angeles magazine.]Prosecutors have worked to establish that Combs used his power and physical abuse to control Ventura, who stayed because she was afraid he would use videos of "freak offs" to destroy her career. Throughout their 11-year relationship, Combs allegedly 'physically abused' and 'sexually exploited' Ventura, forcing her to take drugs and have sex with male escorts as Combs masturbated and videotaped, said Assistant United States Attorney Emily Johnson in her opening statements. 'He had the power to ruin her life," Johnson told the jury.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘We're worried': New Social Security rules cause confusion and worry for seniors
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — New requirements that Social Security recipients access key benefits solely online or in person have left a number of older adults who rely on that income confused and worried about what this means when it comes to getting that check. Lifespan CEO Ann Marie Cook told News 8 Tuesday she had received multiple calls that day alone from people with social security benefits, asking what these changes mean for them. She said her goal is to put people's fears at ease. 'If they don't have to make changes to social security, and they're already receiving social security, they don't have to do anything,' Cook said. Cook said the concern, however, does not stop there. 'If people can't call social security and get through, it really, really impacts them,' Cook said. 'There's only a couple offices here, and for many people, unfortunately, that could be a hardship getting to them. And there's a lot of people, a lot of older adults, that don't have access to a computer or online services, so they will need support.' The phone service is set to go dark on March 31 — requiring people to go online or to a Social Security office. According to President Donald Trump and administration officials, those changes are intended to streamline the process and combat widespread fraud within the system. Cook worries about the potential impact. 'An example would be changing bank accounts. You can verify that and do that online or go to a social security office, but you won't be able to finish that process on the phone anymore,' Cook said. 'It is my understanding that they're cutting the staff of social security. The wait lines to get in social security were already long, and they'll just get longer.' For older adults, Cook said Lifespan can help those without access to a computer. 'We have older adult centers with computers that we can help them with. We can go to their homes and help them with that, to help them get online access if that's what they need, or we can help them arrange transportation to the Social Security office if they need something like that,' Cook said. 'Whenever you take away access to something as important as social security, it will negatively impact people. We're worried.' Cook also told News 8 she encourages people with issues and concerns to call Lifespan, but also to call their legislators and explain how these changes are impacting their lives. She said it does make a difference. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
How to make health care affordable for more Rhode Islanders? Look for the union label.
Dozens of Lifespan employees gather for the announcement of the health system's name change to Brown university Health during a press conference in the lobby of Hasbro Children's Hospital on June 20, 2024. Rhode Island has nearly 15,000 unionized health care workers. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) The Rhode Island health care system faces a number of significant threats to its viability. In Washington, D.C., Congressional Republicans are proposing significant cuts to Medicaid spending, while locally, for-profit hospital owners are filing for bankruptcy protection and state leaders grapple with the fallout. As labor leaders, we share the concerns of many Rhode Islanders about the condition of our health care system. In our small state of just over 1 million people, over 50% of us are insured through either Medicare or Medicaid. In our hospitals, over 70% of patients are covered by public health care plans. That leaves only 25% of hospital patients covered by commercial insurance, well below our neighboring states of Massachusetts (30%) and Connecticut (29%). What most Rhode Islanders might not know: The next largest group of insured Rhode Islanders get their health care from a union-negotiated health insurance plan, whether they are a union member or not. Even though there are about 9,000 unionized state employees, approximately 33,000 people are insured through union plans. It's not only because of the dependents we cover, but also because our plan also covers non-union workers like managers and supervisors, as well as their families. In the Ocean State, there are close to 15,000 unionized health care workers; so, not only are our members consumers of health care services, but we are also providers of health care. We have a vested interest in making sure our health care system is as strong as possible. That is why we believe all Rhode Islanders who are concerned about the state of our health care system should encourage more workers to join labor unions where they work. To us, increased unionization is a key component to a strategy ensuring every Rhode Islander has access to affordable health care services while simultaneously addressing a health care funding crisis that seems to get more precarious by the day. As a recent poll commissioned by the Rhode Island AFL-CIO found, there is strong public support for unions in the Ocean State, with more than eight in 10 Rhode Islanders agreeing that unions 'are necessary to protect the working person.' There are just over 500,000 Rhode Island based non-farm jobs in the state according to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. About 80,000 of these jobs are protected by collective bargaining agreements. We know from sources like the U.S. Department of Treasury that not only do unions raise the wages of their members by 10 to 15%compared to similar non-union jobs, but that all workers in markets with a heavy union presence see economic improvements. On top of that, 96% of union members have employer- provided health insurance compared to just 69% of non-union workers. We have a vested interest in making sure our health care system is as strong as possible. That is why we believe all Rhode Islanders who are concerned about the state of our health care system should encourage more workers to join labor unions where they work. Now imagine there were 10,000 more union members in Rhode Island by the end of 2025. If the average wage paid to a Rhode Island worker averages $65,000 per year, and these workers, through collective bargaining, could increase their wages by 10%, that would mean the individual worker would see a salary increase of $6,500. In a state with just over 1 million people, that means an additional $65 million in economic activity, leading to increased tax revenues from income and sales taxes. It would also mean these 10,000 workers, and their dependents, would be much more likely to have commercial health insurance. This could equate to as many as 25,000 fewer people on Medicare, meaning our hospitals would receive adequate payments for the services they provide, instead of relying on low reimbursement rates from public health insurance plans. Please don't misunderstand our point of view. As trade unionists, we believe that in a perfect world, there would be some form of national health care system where every American's health care would be provided for without concern for the cost to the patient and their family. But we don't live in a perfect world, and Rhode Island is confronting a crisis today. According to Rhode Island General Laws § 28-7-2, '…it is declared to be the public policy of the state to encourage the practice and procedure of collective bargaining.' This section of law refers not only to the public sector workers, but to those in the private sector as well. It is why the AFL-CIO refers to Rhode Island as a 'labor state' and why, we think, we can use the power of organized labor to help address Rhode Island's health care crisis. That is why we are calling on the collective leadership of the state — elected officials, business, community, and other civic leaders — to join with us during the next few months as the General Assembly debates next year's state budget and encourage as many Rhode Islanders as possible to join with their coworkers and negotiate for better wages and benefits. The entire state of Rhode Island would be better off if more of our proudly working-class state were part of organized labor. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jewish Home to add 160 units, demand for senior housing high in Rochester area
BRIGHTON, N.Y. (WROC) — The need of senior housing continues to grow in the Rochester Marie Cook, president of senior care nonprofit Lifespan, says that an estimated 1,000 units of housing are needed to fulfill the Rochester area's need. 'People want to remain in their community, and so to have an abundance of housing that they can choose is great for everybody,' she said. Cook added that the city of Rochester alone has had a 64% increase in older adults in the last ten years: the highest of any city or county in the state. She says affordable housing is the greatest need, but the addition of any new units are welcome, like Lilac Grove at the Jewish Home. The complex has 90 rental units that are market-rate for people 62 or older. Michael King, CEO of Jewish Home, says the main appeal for these kinds of rental units is to have flexibility, connection to people their age, and close access to Jewish Home's 14 lines of services. 'If you walk out of the apartment, and need outpatient therapy or occupational therapy, you can walk out of the apartment, come over, and we can provide those services to you,' King said. 70 more independent units to the Summit at Brighton on the Jewish home campus in the next handful of years. Cook at Lifespan says there is state funding in the proposed budget that could help, but she says this problem can't be solved by building alone. 'We help older adults to support them at home for as long as possible before they'll need to be moved into other types of housing,' she said. You can learn more about Lilac Grove and Jewish Home here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
