Latest news with #PresbyterianHospital
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Unusual double transplant used out-of-state donor organs to cure Type 1 diabetes
May 11—Type 1 diabetes kept Matthew Martinez tethered to a kidney dialysis machine for 11 hours a day and dependent on daily insulin injections to keep him alive. All that ended April 29 when Martinez, 31, received an unusual double transplant that gave him a new kidney and pancreas, curing him of the disease that had dominated his life since childhood. Diabetes "affects everything from nerves to eyesight — everything," Martinez said Friday in a patient room at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, where he received the double transplant 10 days earlier. Dr. Gregory Larrieux, the state's only pancreas transplant surgeon, said Friday he expected to discharge Martinez by the weekend. "I haven't had to take an insulin shot since Monday night last week," Martinez said. Best of all, he no longer requires kidney dialysis. Martinez's surgery marks the first time that a simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant was performed in New Mexico using organs from an out-of-state donor, Larrieux said. Larrieux flew April 29 on a medical air ambulance to El Paso, where he obtained the donor organs. He flew them back to Albuquerque and performed the transplant surgery the same day. A total of nine patients have received pancreas transplants in New Mexico since the procedure was first performed here in 2017, he said. All nine used organs from Albuquerque donors. "If we're waiting until these donors are available and we're staying in Albuquerque, we're only going to be doing one every year, give or take," said Larrieux, a multiorgan transplant surgeon at Presbyterian. "We can go now to other states in the Southwest and do the same thing, which means we can bring more organs in and affect patients' lives at a faster rate," he said. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas loses the ability to produce insulin. The lack of insulin causes sugar to build up in the bloodstream, which can destroy the kidneys, damage nerves and eyesight, and have other harmful effects. Diabetes is the chief reason people require kidney dialysis, Larrieux said. People on dialysis die within five years on average, he said. Type 1 diabetes often runs in families. Like Martinez, whose younger sister also has the disease, Larrieux has many family members with Type 1 diabetes, including a younger brother. A pancreas transplant is the only known cure for the condition, he said. "I really am a believer that everybody, regardless of where you live, regardless of your socio-economic background, you deserve a shot" at a cure, he said. "That's why I'm here." Larrieux was recruited by Presbyterian four years ago from the University of Minnesota to perform pancreas transplants in Albuquerque. "If I'm able to get on the plane and go wherever, and it's a reasonable time, then I don't see any reason why we shouldn't," he said. Kidneys are robust organs that can be transported by commercial airlines, but the pancreas is fragile and requires special care to transport. If Larrieux hadn't crossed state lines to obtain donor organs, Martinez would still be waiting for a transplant, he said. Martinez went on a waiting list for a donor pancreas in July. "I didn't think any of this would come as soon as it did," said Martinez, who was told he would likely remain on the list for at least two years. Martinez, a former corrections officer, said he plans to use his newfound freedom from dialysis to travel and find a new career. Also on his list is skydiving, he said.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NY's largest health care workers union topples longtime prez
Members of New York's largest health care workers union just voted to topple their longtime president amid accusations of mismanagement and lavish Armstrong, senior executive president of Service Employees International Union 1199 East, easily defeated George Gresham in a landslide vote of 26,623 to 11,722 in a sign of major discontent over the current leadership. The results were announced by the union Sunday after an official count Saturday night. Gresham, who started out as a housekeeper at Presbyterian Hospital, had been president since he was dogged by accusations of using union-fund accounts as his personal 'piggy bank' to benefit himself, family and allies, according to a recent Politico investigation. He denied also is in poor health. 'Although this election did not go as I had hoped, I want to congratulate the candidates from both slates for their victories,' Gresham said in a statement released Sunday. 'No matter who you voted for, at the end of the day we are all part of our precious 1199 family, and I know that we share the same deep love for our union and the labor movement.'It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your President for the past 17 years. I started my journey as a proud rank-and-file member in housekeeping at Presbyterian Hospital 50 years ago, full of the same passion and commitment that still drives me today to fight for the rights and dignity of all healthcare workers, our patients and communities.' Gresham played a key role in winning increases in New York's minimum wage and expanding home-care services and Medicaid funding, which is the financial lifeblood for many hospitals that employ his members. SEIU 1199 East is part of the largest health care workers union in the country, representing 450,000 total members throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, has urged union officials to keep their eye on the ball by fighting back against proposed federal cuts in Medicaid and to negotiate stronger labor contracts. 'Once my term ends in June, I look forward to a new role in our great union – [as] an active 1199 retiree,' Gresham said. The development came as New York City United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, who has been in power since 2009, is facing a tough re-election fight is battling a spirited challenge from Amy Arundell, the former Queens borough representative who has held key positions in the union. She previously served in Mulgrew's dominant unity faction in the union. Mulgrew scored a big victory when he persuaded the state Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul to approve a class-size-reduction law in New York City classrooms. But his unity caucus is facing growing discontent. Last year, challengers to his slate won seats in the retiree chapter and the unit representing paraprofessionals. Retirees were particularly incensed over proposed changes in their Medicare coverage.
New York Post
04-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
NY's largest health care workers union topples longtime prez
Members of New York's largest health care workers union just voted to topple their longtime president amid accusations of mismanagement and lavish spending. Yvonne Armstrong, senior executive president of Service Employees International Union 1199 East, easily defeated George Gresham in a landslide vote of 26,623 to 11,722 in a sign of major discontent over the current leadership. The results were announced by the union Sunday after an official count Saturday night. 3 Members of Service Employees International Union 1199 East voted out president George Gresham. Christopher Sadowski Gresham, who started out as a housekeeper at Presbyterian Hospital, had been president since 2007. But he was dogged by accusations of using union-fund accounts as his personal 'piggy bank' to benefit himself, family and allies, according to a recent Politico investigation. He denied wrongdoing. Gresham also is in poor health. 'Although this election did not go as I had hoped, I want to congratulate the candidates from both slates for their victories,' Gresham said in a statement released Sunday. 'No matter who you voted for, at the end of the day we are all part of our precious 1199 family, and I know that we share the same deep love for our union and the labor movement. 'It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your President for the past 17 years. I started my journey as a proud rank-and-file member in housekeeping at Presbyterian Hospital 50 years ago, full of the same passion and commitment that still drives me today to fight for the rights and dignity of all healthcare workers, our patients and communities.' 3 Gresham had been the head of the union since 2007. X / @1199Prez Gresham played a key role in winning increases in New York's minimum wage and expanding home-care services and Medicaid funding, which is the financial lifeblood for many hospitals that employ his members. SEIU 1199 East is part of the largest health care workers union in the country, representing 450,000 total members throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, DC. Gresham has urged union officials to keep their eye on the ball by fighting back against proposed federal cuts in Medicaid and to negotiate stronger labor contracts. 'Once my term ends in June, I look forward to a new role in our great union – [as] an active 1199 retiree,' Gresham said. 3 A recent Politico investigation accused Gresham of using union-fund accounts as his personal 'piggy bank.' Christopher Sadowski The development came as New York City United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, who has been in power since 2009, is facing a tough re-election fight himself. He's is battling a spirited challenge from Amy Arundell, the former Queens borough representative who has held key positions in the union. She previously served in Mulgrew's dominant unity faction in the union. Mulgrew scored a big victory when he persuaded the state Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul to approve a class-size-reduction law in New York City classrooms. But his unity caucus is facing growing discontent. Last year, challengers to his slate won seats in the retiree chapter and the unit representing paraprofessionals. Retirees were particularly incensed over proposed changes in their Medicare coverage.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Readers sound off on hospital closures, attacks on universities and climate costs
Manhattan: Re 'Invest in health care to invest in NYC's future' (op-ed, April 30): The loss of Beth Israel Hospital is catastrophic for lower Manhattan. The proposed Lenox Hill Hospital expansion is not the solution. In this century, approximately 20 New York-area hospitals have closed, mostly in low-income neighborhoods. On Manhattan's East Side, where Lenox Hill is located, there are now more than 10 beds per 1,000 residents. With the Beth Israel closure, a 180-bed Presbyterian Hospital affiliate located on William St. is the only hospital south of 14th St., where 400,000 people live. That is 0.5 beds per 1,000 people. Residents of Chinatown, Tribeca and Battery Park now have no hospital. The Health and Hospitals Corp. fails to regulate the distribution of new beds. More beds in upper Manhattan will not solve this problem in the rest of the city. Lack of medical insurance with resultant unpaid hospital bills is one major reason for hospital failure in low-income neighborhoods where many people are uninsured, have Medicaid or Medicaid Expansion and are thus in jeopardy of losing their insurance. There is an excellent solution, the New York Health Act, now pending in the state Legislature. If passed, this act would provide appropriate health care for all state residents. Voicer Mia Molano published a passionate plea for this legislation. Were this bill enacted, virtually all New Yorkers would receive better health care at a lower cost than is currently available. Dr. Marc H. Lavietes, former secretary; Physicians for a National Health Program, NY Metro chapter Staten Island: There's a new mom at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital and she's not on the maternity floor. Meet Mother Goose, who gave birth to a clutch of goslings just outside the Lois & Richard Nicotra Heart Institute. In a touching twist of nature and nurture, she's chosen to nest her babies beside the newly installed heart sculpture that expresses 'Good Health is Everything'! We had been anxiously awaiting the goslings' birth for the past month. As our clinical teams care for patients on the inside, this devoted mother is quietly warming hearts just outside. I also just found out Thursday was National Mother Goose Day — talk about a crazy coincidence! Jillian M. O'Hara Staten Island: Mayor Adams has not made an attempt to hire school safety agents. Why? These are the men and women who protect our children every day. They are true unsung heroes. Their numbers have waned. The reasons are too numerous to mention. The agents are a division of the New York City Police Department. The police commissioner should be in the mayor's office at least twice a week or more to get a reason why the mayor has not hired more agents. Or does the commissioner not care about the safety of students? Agents need to be replaced to protect our students, teachers and all staff. Mayor Adams, find money to hire them. Jeffrey Van Pelt Brooklyn: Recently, I had to call a car service for an appointment to see a podiatrist. The address was on Sheepshead Bay Rd., and while there are many businesses north of the bay at Emmons Ave., the driver told me it was west of Ocean Parkway in Coney Island. The driver was right and I was wrong. I agree that while it is an inconvenience to change a street or avenue of a geographic location, this can only result in duplication, which results in mass confusion. One street and/or avenue is enough for any borough or city. Any more creates limitless problems for the post office and the general public. Elliott Abosh Astoria: You're better than this, or at least should be. Regardless of how anyone feels about Thursday night's Knicks game, the Knicks won. That's a fact. I came on your website looking for the game and the only article I could find is an opinion piece from your best Knicks writer about how they're not ready for the Celtics ('Brunson pops the clutch!' May 2). While his opinions may be on point, that's an article for Monday. Where is the article about the game itself, about what happened in the first quarter and beyond? Is the article buried somewhere online? If so, it shouldn't be. C'mon, be better. John Warren Whitestone: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have you gone mad? A deal with President Trump is a deal with Russia! Why don't you just cut out the middleman? Robin Mazzia Bronx: Trump lied to us about who started the Ukraine war. It was his pal Vladimir Putin who started it all. Trump has been kissing Putin's butt for a long time. He owes Zelenskyy a big apology, but the liar king will never apologize to anyone. I support Ukraine. I'm glad Zelenskyy stood up to Trump. Doris Festante Larchmont, N.Y.: I find it hysterical that Trump is now blaming Joe Biden for the drops in both the stock markets and GDP. It was just a year ago that Trump was taking credit for the economic boon during the Biden administration because he said everyone was excited about him winning the election. My understanding is that Trump also blames Biden for the Lincoln assassination. Evidently, Joe, being as old as he is, happened to tell John Wilkes Booth that Abe and Mary changed their minds about going to Ford's Theater that night! Steve Michaud Wellfleet, Mass.: As the cost of living continues to jet along with the financial markets being hammered, I imagine I'm not the only senior citizen who isn't retired, just tired. Mike Rice Patchogue, L.I.: I have been watching the news showing all the slashing and cutting of jobs and closing agencies by the Trump administration. Trump says he wants to cut waste, but what he really plans to do with this money is give his billionaire friends a nice, fat tax cut, and any crumbs left over will go to the rest of us to try to placate us. Time to contact your representatives and senators, especially the Republicans, and tell them to step up, do their jobs and actually represent us. Lynda Welsh Hamilton Square, N.J.: Our universities have always attracted the best and brightest from all parts of the world. Most often, they remain and add their talents in all areas, especially science and medicine. Trump's absurd reaction to anyone not white or born here will ultimately diminish all of us. Eileen Johnson Waltham, Mass.: Harvard University's internal report confirms that the campus schools most committed to humanistic values —education, divinity, public health and government — are also among the most hostile environments for Jewish students. This moral failure demands urgent reform. As the largest funder of American higher education, the federal government has both the right and responsibility to use its resources to enforce compliance with Title VI and other nondiscrimination laws. But rather than cutting off all university funding, much of which supports essential scientific research, it should apply pressure precisely where violations are most severe. The White House must not act with blunt force but with precision. What's needed is not a wrecking ball, but a scalpel: targeted, principled intervention that addresses antisemitism in the departments where it is most deeply entrenched. Rachel Fish Manhattan: To Voicer Terry Hansen: Yes, former Senate Budget Committee Chair Sheldon Whitehouse has repeatedly confronted his colleagues with his climate chart that reads, 'Time to Wake Up.' You cited his warning that rising home insurance costs will imperil our housing, and then financial, markets. He's also cited the Potsdam Institute's warning that the world's current level of fossil fuel use, without rising, will cause annual damages of $36 trillion by 2050. This number does not include the cost of individual emergencies, like hurricanes, floods and wildfires, that would be increasing annually in number and severity. Time to wake up, indeed! Every senator should be brandishing that chart. Thomas A. Caffrey Whitestone: If you can't forgive, you burn the bridge over which you must pass. Sally DeFelice
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Donate Life Month: Newborn baby gives the gift of life at Presbyterian Hospital
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – In the summer of 2023, Janie Rock and her husband experienced every parent's worst fear when their unborn son Gabriel was diagnosed with a terminal illness and would not survive outside of the Rock family decided to turn their misfortune into someone else's miracle. 'We thought the best option was to donate life and help somebody else in their time of need to help give us the comfort knowing that we can help somebody else in their time of need while we were hurting,' shared Janie Rock, Gabriel's mother. April is National Donate Life Month, in which organ donors, recipients, and the community come together to highlight the critical need for life-saving donations. Baby Gabriel died 10 hours after he was born. He gave the gift of life by donating his eyes and heart valves. Gabriel also helped launch the birth tissue program at Presbyterian by donating the hospital's very first placenta. 'It in a way gives us a comfort, it gives us peace knowing that there's help out there for families that need it,' continued Rock. Through donation, the tissues that are typically discarded after birth can be safely used for patients in need, promoting healing, treating burns and, in some cases, saving lives. 'So, there's a lot of people who need a transplant or benefit from a transplant, but no transplant is possible without donors. So living donors coming forward and generously giving credit themselves is an amazing gift,' explained Dr. Shelly Wilson, Transplant Surgical Director at Presbyterian Hospital. Donate Life America reports that in the united states more than 100,000 people, including 600 New Mexicans, are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, making donors anyone can register to be an organ donor, regardless of age. 'Yeah, so it is, honestly, as simple as designating it on your driver's license,' continued Wilson. The organization says one donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance the lives of up to 75 more through tissue donation. Presbyterian Hospital says New Mexico leads the nation with 56 percent of the population registered as donors. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
