Stroke care centers must be certified
On January 21, Governor Murphy signed a bill that would improve the stroke system of care in New Jersey. The bill was passed unanimously by both houses of the Legislature. The new law ensures that stroke centers are certified to ensure they have the pieces in place to treat stroke patients in a timely manner. It would also require EMS providers to have protocols in place to identify stroke and transport patients to the appropriate facility quickly.
Stroke kills nearly 3,500 people in New Jersey every year and causes lifelong disabilities for thousands more. Patients who receive treatment in the first 3 hours after stroke symptoms appear have the best chance of not only surviving, but of resuming daily life with limited lingering problems.
Sadly, too many stroke patients do not receive timely care. They are left to wait in emergency rooms for hours or taken to hospitals that are not equipped to treat their conditions, wasting precious minutes and hours. As a stroke survivor and advocate for the American Heart Association, I believe that New Jersey stroke patients deserve better. This law will improve stroke care.
I thank the Governor and all members of the Legislature who supported this law to ensure that stroke patients receive the best care possible.
For more information on stroke, visit stroke.org.
Stacy Quinn, Belleville, Volunteer & Northern NJ Board Member, American Heart Association
Record 700-lb bear killed in NJ bear hunt
We have said all along that the bear hunt is a trophy hunt and has nothing to do with bear management. The 700-lb bear, which set a world record, was clearly killed as a trophy. This hunt was supposed to be about going after nuisance bears that are around homes and people. The fact that this bear was killed in the middle of the woods shows that this hunt clearly has nothing to do with management – especially because the Pope and Young Club took credit for the world record.
Governor Murphy says that he is against the bear hunt, but over 300 bears have been killed under his watch – including the killing of this record-size bear. He blocked the hunt on state lands to divert public attention while allowing the hunt to go forward. Although he says that he cannot stop the hunt, the bear facts are three other governors have successfully prevented it. What’s worse is that bow hunting, which was added to the October segment of the hunt by Christie for the first time since the 1970s, has been allowed to continue.
NJ needs to transition from hunting to a real bear management plan that includes education about living in bear country, information on bear proofing properties, educational material at trailheads, and habitat protection to keep people and bears apart. Most importantly, it should establish garbage management plans advising people to use bear proof containers and not to put out trash at night. Murphy needs to stop the hunt and stop the games before we have no more bears in NJ.
Jeff Tittel, director, NJ Sierra Club
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