Paulson Coletti - Portland Oregon Law Firm

Medical errors abound

Mariko — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:15:28 +0000

Many of us have heard stories about botched surgeries during which medical instruments are left inside patients, but how many of us considered these stories to be urban legends? Sadly, such stories aren’t tall tales but often the truth. A recent story in the Salt Lake Tribune documented serious medical errors that took place in Utah hospitals in the twenty-first century. These “never events,” or sentinel events, as they are called, numbered some 219 from October 2001 to April 2007 and resulted in the deaths of nearly half. Among these errors were patients receiving the wrong blood type during transfusions, patients receiving the wrong type of medication, patients having the wrong type of surgery performed, and patients, specifically infants, being dropped.

Utah follows 32 types of serious medical errors with the intention of finding solutions to these errors and to prevent them from happening in the future. In 2007 alone Utah facilities reported 57 sentinel events. Of these 27 patients died, 28 were severely inured, 1 suffered from unwanted sexual contact, and 1 disappeared. A large percentage of the medical errors took place in operating rooms. Lack of communication is often blamed.

Have you or someone you know experienced a “never event”? While these stories are seriously alarming, it’s probably wise not to get too paranoid about hospital care. As with anything medical, it’s best to do your research, ask a lot of questions, and be your own advocate.

Go green with caution

Mariko — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:15:01 +0000

The greening of America is big news these days, and Portland is certainly one of the leaders of the revolution. Not only do you hear about the importance of recycling and the pluses of alternative energy, but every day it seems the abandonment of cars for bicycles or public transportation comes up in conversation. It’s great that more people are making an effort to decrease their reliance on fossil fuels, but keep in mind that public transportation, specifically buses, has some drawbacks.

Idling buses fueled by diesel emit hazardous fumes and present dangers to riders as well as bystanders and bus drivers. Recently a group of NYC Transit bus employees filed a lawsuit against 13 diesel engine manufacturers. The lawsuit claims these manufacturers were aware of the dangers of the exhaust fumes yet did nothing about it.

A web site geared toward parents of young children posted an article about the hazards of diesel school bus emissions. It notes that exposure to diesel fumes can lead to serious diseases, including asthma and cancer. School buses often idle when stopped to unload or load passengers, and they also frequently park in a line and idle while waiting for students to come and go. This can result in fumes entering the buses. Fortunately, many communities are taking steps to minimize diesel exhaust exposure. For instance, the Minnesota North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club launched the School Bus Diesel Campaign, which calls for schools to prevent school buses from idling, redesign parking so school buses do not park in close proximity to school buildings, increase school bus maintenance as well as inspection, and more.

So, while it’s great to take public transportation, just be aware of potential dangers, and steer clear of idling diesel buses!

Window dangers

Mariko — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:02:22 +0000

That was quite a heatwave we had here in Portland over the weekend! Even though it has cooled down for now, the issue of window safety is still important. The Oregonian reported that some seven children in the Portland-Vancouver region have fallen from open windows this summer. Many believe window screens provide a safe barrier for their children, but in fact children can, and do, easily push or fall through screens. Others who don’t have window screens think windows are out of children’s reach and thus safe.

Though falling from upper stories is the most worrisome, don’t think your child can’t get hurt from falling from a ground-level window. A drop from a ground-level window can still cause great harm.

To prevent falls from windows, authorities suggest a number of options: install window locks; install window guards; and move furniture and other objects away from windows so children can’t climb up to the windows.

Though window safety may seem obvious, judging by the number of accidental falls reported, windows are frequently overlooked when it comes to childproofing. In fact, making windows safe is a good idea even if you don’t have children–I nearly fell out the window yesterday as I cleaned the window glass! So, be safe and be careful.

We Will Miss You Daniel Clark-Rizzio

Jane Paulson — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:29:51 +0000

We will miss you Daniel. Our thoughts are with you and your family. Here is Daniel’s obituary. His celebration of life is tomorrow at Grant Park from 4-8pm.

July 21, 1983-Aug. 4, 2008

Daniel Clark-Rizzio passed away early Monday morning, Aug. 4, 2008. He was 25 years old and had been living with cancer for six years.

Shortly after graduating Grant High School in 2002, Daniel was diagnosed with liver cancer. Despite this diagnosis and time-consuming treatments, Daniel refused to let cancer dictate how he would live. He did exactly what he wanted to do, on his own terms, and insisted on being treated like everyone else.

In the midst of chemotherapy, he continued to snowboard and go rafting with friends; only three weeks ago he flipped his boat on the Deschutes River. In the last six years he attended college in San Diego, traveled to Europe and Peru, and ultimately returned to Portland to pursue his work with special needs students. Most recently he worked as a para-educator at Sunnyside School, where he was known for always treating his students in the manner he wanted to be treated, with respect rather than pity.

This year he married Danielle Galland, the woman he called his inspiration. As Daniel often told people, Danielle accepted him for who he was. She made his last years the happiest of his life.

Daniel’s greatest legacy is his diverse community of friends. He lived and died surrounded by the people he loved. As Danielle explained, once you were his friend, you were his friend forever. Over the past week, these friends crowded into the Hopewell Hospice to share their memories and talk about the special relationship Daniel had with each of them. During this time, people often comforted him by saying, “Everyone’s here, D.”

Daniel lives on through his friends and family: his wife, Danielle; mother, Judith; father, Andy; stepmother, Cheryl; stepfather, Jim; brothers, Aaron, Joseph, Tom and and Joe; cousin, Harriet; grandmothers, Ellie, Helene and Nan; and his puggle, Maggie.

A celebration of Daniel’s life will be held in Grant Park on Friday, Aug. 15, from 4 to 8 p.m.

The family requests that remembrances be made in Daniel’s name to DeLiver a Cure, an organization researching cures for fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma.

Where’s the beef?

Mariko — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:26:14 +0000

In keeping with the tainted food theme, it seems many have a beef with Nebraska Beef of Omaha. In June 2008 some 50 people were sickened by tainted ground beef from Nebraska Beef.

The product was recalled at the end of June, and soon after the company, as well as federal officials, claimed Nebraska Beef’s products were safe for consumers.

Unfortunately for the public, the company was wrong. In August the beef processor recalled some 1.2 million pounds of beef products after more people grew ill.

The first recall included only ground beef, but when the E. coli bacterium was discovered in other beef products, including prime cuts, the second recall came into play and covered products made on June 17, June 24, and July 8.

One of Nebraska Beef’s vendors is Whole Foods Market, which is known for offering organic and natural foods. On August 8 Whole Foods announced a recall for ground beef sold between June 2 and August 6.

On August 12 Whole Foods posted a lengthy article on its blog assuring its customers of the safety of products sold at Whole Foods and explaining the company’s policies and processes in teaming with suppliers.

For additional information, see this article in the New York Times.

You say tomato

Mariko — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:38:25 +0000

In mid-May a salmonella outbreak sickened more than 1,000 people, prompting the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to caution consumers against eating tomatoes, the suspected culprit. In July it was discovered that the actual cause of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak was probably not tomatoes but most likely jalapeño peppers. So why did it take so long to determine the cause of the outbreak? According to a story in the Washington Post, lack of communication between local and national health agencies is partly to blame, as well as the difficulties in tracing the distribution paths of the tomatoes. Though warnings of a possible salmonella outbreak first surfaced in late May, the Food and Drug Administration didn’t alert consumers about the contaminated peppers until July 9. In the meantime, tomato growers lost more than $100 million.

Do you think it took health officials too long to determine the cause of the salmonella outbreak? Did you stop eating tomatoes because of the warnings? Did you continue to eat hot peppers? How safe do you think our food supply is?

West Linn High School Class of 1983 25th Year Reunion

Jane Paulson — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:03:25 +0000

Since I don’t know where to post such inquiries (and did put something on Craigslist) I thought I should post the information on the blog for anyone searching for the reunion information.

The West Linn High School Class of 1983 is having its 25th Reunion this Saturday. Even though we grew up in Wilsonville my brother and I attended West Linn because Wilsonville did not have a high school yet.

Organizers: A few of your classmates! Joanie Kramer, Jane Paulson, Rhonda Coleman, Maureen Schreiber, BJ Mercer
Location: On The Deck Sports Bar & Grill - www.ondecksportsbar.com
910 NW 14th, Portland (Pearl District), OR 97209 US

When: Saturday, August 9, 6:00PM
Phone: (503) 227-7020

We’re very excited to see as many of you as possible!

One night only to simply catch up with classmates and reconnect with old friends.
No host bar and menu. Casual, summer attire.

Fortress Insurance Finally Pays For Lingual Nerve Injury

Jane Paulson — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:49:11 +0000

From previous postings you may know our client won his jury trial against Willamette Dental for damage to his lingual nerve from a wisdom tooth extraction. The trial was in Portland, Oregon in June 2006. Willamette Dental was insured by Fortress Insurance and appealed the jury verdict. The case was argued before the Oregon Court of Appeals by Maureen Leonard for our client and we prevailed. The insurance company tried to get our client to settle for less than 1/3 the verdict and then less than 1/2 the verdict (not including the 9% interest that was running on the judgment). Insurance companies try to wear down clients. Fortunately, believing in the jury and the court system, our client stood up to the insurance company and didn’t blink. Last Thursday, July 31, 2008, over two years after the verdict, our client received a check from the insurance company for the full amount of the jury verdict plus interest.

Little guy: 1

Insurance company: 0

Texting may be hazardous to your health

Mariko — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:20:53 +0000

Text messaging has become an integral and seemingly unavoidable aspect of society. While texting has many benefits, it apparently can be dangerous as well. The American College of Emergency Physicians Foundation recently publicized the hazards of texting and cautioned people to text with care. Teenagers and young adults in particular can become so distracted by texting that they are unaware of their surroundings. The Foundation reported numerous injuries and even deaths resulting from texting. Texting while walking can cause falls or collisions with other pedestrians, bicyclists, or even automobiles, not to mention collisions with stationary objects. The Foundation stresses using common sense while texting and also offers the following suggestions:

- don’t text while you are exercising or doing anything that requires physical activity and attention, such as walking
- don’t text while driving
- don’t text when your situation requires full awareness of your surroundings, such as when you are alone at night or in an unfamiliar area, when you are waiting for public transportation, or when you are in a very busy or crowded area and theft could be an issue

The Foundation also encourages texters to silence their phones when confronted with situations that require awareness and attention. Becoming distracted by incoming text messages can be as dangerous as sending them.

So fess up out there–how many of you multitask and text while walking or driving? Do you plan to continue this behavior even though you know it is hazardous? Why or why not?

Bicycle helmet laws in Oregon to expand?

Mariko — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:54:44 +0000

Bicyclists in Portland, Oregon, are an adamantly vocal and independent bunch, and an article in the July 31, 2008, edition of the Oregonian may just give bicyclists another issue in which to pour their energy. Oregon state senator Floyd Prozanski of Eugene hopes to expand Oregon’s current bicycle helmet law to include all bicycle riders. The existing law, ORS 815.485, affects only riders under the age of 16. Prozanski, who considers himself a bicycling advocate, believes helmets are a public safety issue and that a mandatory helmet law would go a long way in ensuring the safety of citizens. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance, the largest bicycle advocacy group in the state, has not supported mandatory helmet laws. For additional information on this increasingly heated issue, see this post from the BikePortland blog. Weigh in with your opinions. Do you think a mandatory helmet law is a good idea for Oregonians? Do you wear a bicycle helmet? As a driver, how do you feel about bicyclists who don’t wear helmets?