Latest news with #McGaw
Boston Globe
30-05-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
R.I. House passes human composting bill, shifting focus to Senate
Corvese said he realized the House was about to pass the bill. But, he said, 'I just want to assure my constituents back in District 55 in North Providence — I do not intend to compost grandma." Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up On Friday, the bill's sponsor, Representative Michelle E. McGaw, told the Globe that the legislation is meant to provide another option in addition to traditional burial in a coffin or cremation. So, she said, '(Corvese) doesn't have to compost grandma if he doesn't want to.' Advertisement Representative Michelle E. McGaw, a Portsmouth Democrat, has introduced a human composting bill. Handout McGaw, a Portsmouth Democrat, said some funeral homes in the state are interested in making this option available, and she has constituents interested in it. 'It's enabling legislation,' she said. 'Anyone who is not comfortable with these options can choose from one of the other options that are already available.' Rhode Island would join 13 other states that have passed human composting legislation, including Maine, Vermont, and New York. Advertisement McGaw said human composting aims to reduce the impact on the earth. Burial involves occupying land and paying for things such as caskets, grave liners, and gravestones, while cremation requires the burning of fossil fuel, pouring an average of 534 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere for each cremation, she said. With human composting, dead bodies are placed inside vessels along with organic matter that helps speed the natural decomposition process, McGaw explained. An indoor chamber keeps the vessels between 130 to 160 degrees, and the contents are blended regularly over the course of four to seven weeks. The result is about a cubic yard of nutrient-dense soil. This year, the legislation has been broadened to include alkaline hydrolysis, also known as water cremation, which is legal in 28 states, McGaw said. For that process, McGaw said, a body is placed into a vessel with water and alkaline substances — potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide, or a combination. The vessel is heated up and the alkaline solutions return the body, which is already mostly water, to 'a clean water product, with no tissue or DNA,' she said. Bone fragments are left over, similarly to cremation. Those remains are ground up, and a fine white ash is placed in an urn, McGaw said. 'Instead of soil, you get water,' she said. McGaw said she hopes this is the year her bill becomes law. 'As you saw, the debate was far less on the House floor this year,' she said. 'When you see people at fundraisers or in the hallways, they say 'Tell me about this bill, help me understand it better.' It has definitely been a conversation piece. As people get more education about what the bill actually does, they are becoming more comfortable with it.' Advertisement The legislation would enable licensed disposition facilities, including those that also perform cremation, to offer natural organic reduction and/or alkaline hydrolysis, subject to licensing, inspection, and regulations set by the state Department of Health. The bill, which would take effect on Jan. 30, 2027, would not affect burial or cremation as options Rhode Islanders can choose. Attention now shifts to the Senate, which has new leaders following the Senator Tiara T. Mack, a Providence Democrat, has introduced On Friday, Senate spokesman Greg Pare said new Senate President Valarie J. Lawson, an East Providence Democrat, will be reviewing testimony on the bill and speaking with Senator Melissa A. Murray, the Woonsocket Democrat who chairs the Health and Human Services Committee. Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Dolphin reports soar as cameras increase
Since cameras were installed on fishing boats, six times more accidental catches of dolphins have been reported by the fishing industry, official information shows. Fisheries New Zealand science and information director Simon Lawrence told the Otago Daily Times data collected from on-board cameras thus far confirmed cameras improved the "quality of data available" to inform fisheries management — "particularly in relation to accidental protected species captures reported by fishers". "As at April 2025, we have observed 6.1 times more reported dolphin interactions since cameras have been on board fishing vessels," Mr Lawrence said in response to an official information request. "This demonstrates that the presence of cameras has led to a sustained change in reporting across the vessels within scope of the rollout." On-board cameras were first placed on vessels deemed to pose the greatest risk to protected species, he said. The first phase of the rollout, in 2023, focused on the west coast of the North Island and those parts of the South Island most likely to overlap with Hector's dolphin habitats. Data released in April last year showed an improvement in reporting by fishers, which was in line with expectations, he said. From the beginning of last year, the rollout extended to the remaining areas within the scope of the programme, he said. Reports of accidental capture of protected species increased when cameras were put on boats and those increased levels then continued unchanged, he said. Forest & Bird Otago and Southland regional conservation manager Chelsea McGaw said the significant increased was "not surprising". "It is not surprising that reports of dolphin bycatch have increased by more than 600%," Ms McGaw said. "It has been long suspected that a lot more bycatch was happening than what was previously self-reported or reported by observers." Along the same lines, in the kingfish and snapper fisheries, "discards" of fish had risen 950% and over 1000%, respectively, since cameras were introduced. Ms McGaw said the increases did not mean more animals were being caught or discarded than before, "just that we are now beginning to see the true picture of bycatch in our fisheries". "The most worrying part of all this is that the current proposal to review the Fisheries Act wants to allow cameras to be turned off when at anchor and when transitioning to and from port, creating 'black spots' where this data cannot be captured. "It is also proposed that camera information, such as that gathered for this article, will not be able to be retrieved through the Official Information Act [OIA] process, and will be locked tight behind MPI walls." The information touted by Fisheries New Zealand was also "invaluable public information" that allowed for transparency of the fishing industry. The data collected by cameras also provided advocacy tools for organisations such as Forest & Bird to fight for reduced bycatch and ecosystem-based fisheries management, she said. University of Otago emeritus professor Liz Slooten said the most recent bycatch data — from January to March this year — was due to be published this month and she would comment then. However, she said it would be useful to find out the number of boats that did not have cameras or observers on board. Prof Slooten said she suspected it would be very different for gillnet and trawl fisheries. "Both of these kill dolphins. "From what we can gather, the proportion of boats with cameras on board is much higher for trawling vessels than gillnetting vessels. "But MPI [Ministry for Primary Industries] seem very reluctant to actually provide information on this." She also said the 6.1 times more reported dolphin bycatches was "a significant change", one which she expected "shocked" officials.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
R.I. lawmakers align on ADHD prescription bill. Doctors are more divided.
A pair of bills moving through the Rhode Island General Assembly would permit patients to fill multiple months of their ADHD medications — like methylphenidate, or generic Ritalin, shown here — in a single visit to the pharmacy. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Legislation moving through the Rhode Island House and Senate could alleviate one pain point for parents: Filling a prescription for ADHD medications amid ongoing shortages. On Tuesday, the Rhode Island House Committee on Health and Human Services OK'd an amended version of H5866, a bill led by Portsmouth Democratic Rep. Michelle McGaw that would improve patients' access to prescription stimulants by allowing pharmacies to fill and dispense a 60-day supply rather than in 30-day increments as is currently allowed. The drugs are mainly used to treat ADHD and ADD, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders, and since 2022 have consistently faced shortages nationwide. The bill's Senate duplicate — introduced by Sen. Alana DiMario, a Narragansett Democrat — was also heard in committee on Tuesday. It was held for further study, which is standard practice at a bill's initial hearing, but at least one of DiMario's colleagues on the Senate Committee on Health was supportive. 'As someone who has to do this, yes, it's very angst provoking for the provider and for the patient,' said Sen. Pam Lauria, a Barringon Democrat and primary care nurse practitioner. DiMario's bill would permit a more plentiful prescription by allowing pharmacies to issue a 90-day supply in a single filling. The original version of McGaw's bill also endorsed a 90-day supply before being amended on March 28 ahead of its second committee hearing. The house's legal counsel said at Tuesday's hearing that there had been comments from physicians which spurred the change but did not provide details. DiMario wrote via text message Thursday that for now, her Senate bill will retain the 90-day stipulation. 'We just had the hearing so the [Committee] Chair will review all the testimony and decide how to proceed,' DiMario wrote, 'but to my knowledge there isn't a compelling reason to shorten the timeline to 60 days given those prescriptions can be written 90 days at a time in three separate prescriptions already.' DiMario and McGaw's bills are written to permit larger prescriptions for 'non-opioid, non-narcotic Schedule II substances.' Schedule II drugs can be very habit-forming, but have at least some specific clinical applications, including prescription stimulants like mixed amphetamine salts (Adderall), Ritalin and Vyvanse, which are used to treat ADHD and ADD. Since 2007, the Drug Enforcement Administration has allowed doctors to write prescriptions for 90 days' worth of Schedule II medications. But these 90-day prescriptions cannot be picked up all at once, and they can't be sent to a pharmacy at the same time. A physician must write three separate prescriptions, three months in a row. The patient will then see their doctor for another round of prescriptions, and the cycle begins anew. Multiple prescriptions may also be written for different strengths, to divvy up a larger dose and get around shortages. DiMario also sponsored a successful bill signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee last year that prepares state health officials to adopt a 2023 federal standard that allows for electronic transfers of ADHD prescriptions — another common obstacle for patients and doctors alike, as federal prescription regulations plus continued shortages frequently complicate accessibility for patients. Dr. Gregory Fox, a pediatrician speaking on behalf of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told senators Tuesday the bill was a 'no-brainer' from a physician's perspective as well. 'I sat down with my two nurses today and they told me, when they arrived this morning, there were 20 refills for ADD prescriptions waiting for them, and then many, many, many come on through the day,' Fox said, estimating that his office nurses spend 'at least three or four hours of administrative time per day on ADHD prescriptions,' which DiMario's bill would slash by a third. Supportive testimonies for the legislation for DiMario's bill and McGaw's original draft came from the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association as well. Dr. Howard Schulman, an internist and primary care doctor based in East Providence who said he often tried to bring a 'from the trenches' perspective on health care to lawmakers in his public testimonies, was the lone person to submit a letter Tuesday against the bill. In a phone call Wednesday, Schulman noted he was more comfortable with the 60-day rule over the 90-day proposal. He emphasized that he understands the motivation for the legislation, and has empathy for the lawmakers who expressed frustration at having to refill their kids' medicine over and over. 'This bill, if we pass it, is going to make my life better,' said Rep. Jennifer Boylan, a Barrington Democrat, at the initial March 18 hearing of McGaw's bill. 'I'm one of the parents that is going to the pharmacy three times a month. They cannot synchronize the prescriptions. I'm calling the doctor for three different prescriptions every single month. It's ridiculous.' But Schulman was not convinced it was wise to increase a patient's supply of drugs that can become more habit-forming with higher doses, especially when the drugs are often shared among young people. 'I'm always trying to minimize the amount,' said Schulman of the stimulant prescriptions he's been writing for 15 years in his practice. 'There's a fair number of people who are on it, [but] I'm not giving it out like candy.' Schulman prescribes at most 60 milligrams once a day — half the amount some patients say they're taking when they arrive at his office from other prescribers. Schulman also asks his patients to read 'Generation Adderall,' a 2016 New York Times article that detailed one woman's account of dependence and eventual cessation from the popular amphetamine. Asked if filling even larger prescriptions for the drugs could exacerbate existing shortages, Schulman chuckled but didn't speculate. He said his concern was with lawmakers who aren't doctors 'regulating something that could affect people getting addicted to it.' Schulman said he hoped the Rhode Island Department of Health would have something to say about the bill. But the state health department 'has no position on this bill,' Joseph Wendelken, an agency spokesperson, wrote via email Wednesday. The House bill will now go to a floor vote, likely the week of April 21, said House spokesperson Larry Berman in an email Thursday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
