Ms. Laurene West's testimony to the Senate Year 2000 Technology Committee October 7, 1998 Hearing Washington, D.C. Standing here before you this morning I probably appear to be in good health. I am not. Without daily medication and a coordinated effort from the health care community, I will be a casualty of the Year 2000 I will die. I had a tumor removed from the center of my brain and now I require daily medication to prevent re-growth. Additionally, when I had the first of 13 surgeries on my head, I acquired a staph infection which does not respond to any known oral antibiotic. I am dependent on IV antibiotics which I can not stockpile as they expire in less than 30 days. A disruption to the supply of IV antibiotics will kill me. I am a Registered Nurse for more than 20 years I have worked in Critical Care areas of the hospital. Concurrently for the past 14 years, I have worked to develop and implement medical information systems. For the past two years I have worked with various health care organizations to help them prepare for the Year 2000 crisis. I know health care. I know what impact the Year 2000 will have on healthcare. My message today is two fold. First - we have all read media reports expressing concern about potential power outages in the Year 2000 and the resulting effect on national security, financial institutions, air traffic control, etc.all hospitals and health care facilities will be at significant risk without power. However, today, I want to suggest that a disruption in the medication supply will be more important than a disruption to the power supply. Nurses can keep patients alive with manual procedures doing CPR for extended periods of time but we can not keep patients alive without medications. The second message is that all Americans will be affected if there is a disruption in the supply and distribution of medications, particularly for those of us who are alive only because we have uninterrupted access to prescription medications. Ladies and Gentlemen, my medication requirements are minimal compared those of many other Americans. Millions of insulin dependent diabetics, cardiac patients, transplant patients (kidney, heart, lung, cornea all organs) all will die if their medication requirements are not met. We need to begin immediately to teach the American public what they can do to prepare. We need a massive, national public awareness/education program so that we can minimize the number of Year 2000 related casualties. An informed and educated public will be less likely to panic.causing social unrest because prescription drugs are not available. All medication dependent Americans are looking to you to help mobilize national resources to help us survive. I want to help with this process, all I need are funding and your influence. Lets work with the Rx2000 Solutions Institute, the American Medical Association, AARP, The International Red Cross, as well as federal resources to develop plans for a coordinated national preparedness program so that the Year 2000 does not cause unacceptable risks. We need legislation allowing for a one time exclusion for Medicare or health plans allowing patients to receive a 90 day supply of medications instead of a 30 day supply. We need creative processes for distribution of controlled substances and radioactive isotopes. (All health plans should volunteer this option). Just in time inventory is a big problem. We need to work with the CDC (Center for Disease Control) to prevent global epidemics from a lack of antibiotics or immunizations. We should compose a National "Patient Advocacy Council" to monitor Y2K efforts within all health care organizations. This could be an attachment to the Rx2000 Institute. Health care organizations should be required to stockpile medications and supplies as well as disclose their Y2K compliance progress with their patient population. And, if worst case scenarios do occur, and health care is rationed, the public needs to know what procedures and diagnoses will be treated Thus far, most health care organizations have taken the stance that their liability exposure ca be limited by keeping "in check" their due diligence efforts. (This may be politically and legally correct but I do not consider this to be ethical.) If WE do not teach the public, who will? There is no harm if we over react, many may die if we do not act. I am willing to do whatever I can to help save as many lives as possible mine included. My story is not unique, there are millions of people who know there is a problem but they do not know where to turn for suggestions or help. Lets help them! Rx2000 Solutions Institute 4620 W. 77th Street, Suite 245 Minneapolis, MN 55435 Phone: 612-835-4478 FAX: 612-830-0931 This site maintained by the support team of Mint City Internet. (517)224-4714 Copyright © 1996,1997, 1998 Rx2000 Solutions Institute. All Rights Reserved. Ms. Laurene West's testimony to the Senate Year 2000 Technology Committee October 7, 1998 Hearing Washington, D.C. Standing here before you this morning I probably appear to be in good health. I am not. Without daily medication and a coordinated effort from the health care community, I will be a casualty of the Year 2000 I will die. I had a tumor removed from the center of my brain and now I require daily medication to prevent re-growth. Additionally, when I had the first of 13 surgeries on my head, I acquired a staph infection which does not respond to any known oral antibiotic. I am dependent on IV antibiotics which I can not stockpile as they expire in less than 30 days. A disruption to the supply of IV antibiotics will kill me. I am a Registered Nurse for more than 20 years I have worked in Critical Care areas of the hospital. Concurrently for the past 14 years, I have worked to develop and implement medical information systems. For the past two years I have worked with various health care organizations to help them prepare for the Year 2000 crisis. I know health care. I know what impact the Year 2000 will have on healthcare. My message today is two fold. First - we have all read media reports expressing concern about potential power outages in the Year 2000 and the resulting effect on national security, financial institutions, air traffic control, etc.all hospitals and health care facilities will be at significant risk without power. However, today, I want to suggest that a disruption in the medication supply will be more important than a disruption to the power supply. Nurses can keep patients alive with manual procedures doing CPR for extended periods of time but we can not keep patients alive without medications. The second message is that all Americans will be affected if there is a disruption in the supply and distribution of medications, particularly for those of us who are alive only because we have uninterrupted access to prescription medications. Ladies and Gentlemen, my medication requirements are minimal compared those of many other Americans. Millions of insulin dependent diabetics, cardiac patients, transplant patients (kidney, heart, lung, cornea all organs) all will die if their medication requirements are not met. We need to begin immediately to teach the American public what they can do to prepare. We need a massive, national public awareness/education program so that we can minimize the number of Year 2000 related casualties. An informed and educated public will be less likely to panic.causing social unrest because prescription drugs are not available. All medication dependent Americans are looking to you to help mobilize national resources to help us survive. I want to help with this process, all I need are funding and your influence. Lets work with the Rx2000 Solutions Institute, the American Medical Association, AARP, The International Red Cross, as well as federal resources to develop plans for a coordinated national preparedness program so that the Year 2000 does not cause unacceptable risks. We need legislation allowing for a one time exclusion for Medicare or health plans allowing patients to receive a 90 day supply of medications instead of a 30 day supply. We need creative processes for distribution of controlled substances and radioactive isotopes. (All health plans should volunteer this option). Just in time inventory is a big problem. We need to work with the CDC (Center for Disease Control) to prevent global epidemics from a lack of antibiotics or immunizations. We should compose a National "Patient Advocacy Council" to monitor Y2K efforts within all health care organizations. This could be an attachment to the Rx2000 Institute. Health care organizations should be required to stockpile medications and supplies as well as disclose their Y2K compliance progress with their patient population. And, if worst case scenarios do occur, and health care is rationed, the public needs to know what procedures and diagnoses will be treated Thus far, most health care organizations have taken the stance that their liability exposure ca be limited by keeping "in check" their due diligence efforts. (This may be politically and legally correct but I do not consider this to be ethical.) If WE do not teach the public, who will? There is no harm if we over react, many may die if we do not act. I am willing to do whatever I can to help save as many lives as possible mine included. My story is not unique, there are millions of people who know there is a problem but they do not know where to turn for suggestions or help. Lets help them! Rx2000 Solutions Institute 4620 W. 77th Street, Suite 245 Minneapolis, MN 55435 Phone: 612-835-4478 FAX: 612-830-0931 This site maintained by the support team of Mint City Internet. (517)224-4714 Copyright © 1996,1997, 1998 Rx2000 Solutions Institute. All Rights Reserved. Technology Committee October 7, 1998 Hearing Washington, D.C. Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit . Ms. Laurene West's testimony to the Senate Year 2000 Technology Committee October 7, 1998 Hearing Washington, D.C. Standing here before you this morning I probably appear to be in good health. I am not. Without daily medication and a coordinated effort from the health care community, I will be a casualty of the Year 2000 – I will die. I had a tumor removed from the center of my brain and now I require daily medication to prevent re-growth. Additionally, when I had the first of 13 surgeries on my head, I acquired a staph infection which does not respond to any known oral antibiotic. I am dependent on IV antibiotics which I can not stockpile as they expire in less than 30 days. A disruption to the supply of IV antibiotics will kill me. I am a Registered Nurse – for more than 20 years I have worked in Critical Care areas of the hospital. Concurrently for the past 14 years, I have worked to develop and implement medical information systems. For the past two years I have worked with various health care organizations to help them prepare for the Year 2000 crisis. I know health care. I know what impact the Year 2000 will have on healthcare. My message today is two fold…. First - we have all read media reports expressing concern about potential power outages in the Year 2000 and the resulting effect on national security, financial institutions, air traffic control, etc….all hospitals and health care facilities will be at significant risk without power. However, today, I want to suggest that a disruption in the medication supply will be more important than a disruption to the power supply. Nurses can keep patients alive with manual procedures – doing CPR for extended periods of time but we can not keep patients alive without medications. The second message is that all Americans will be affected if there is a disruption in the supply and distribution of medications, particularly for those of us who are alive only because we have uninterrupted access to prescription medications. Ladies and Gentlemen, my medication requirements are minimal compared those of many other Americans. Millions of insulin dependent diabetics, cardiac patients, transplant patients (kidney, heart, lung, cornea – all organs) all will die if their medication requirements are not met. We need to begin immediately to teach the American public what they can do to prepare. We need a massive, national public awareness/education program so that we can minimize the number of Year 2000 related casualties. An informed and educated public will be less likely to panic….causing social unrest because prescription drugs are not available. All medication dependent Americans are looking to you to help mobilize national resources to help us survive. I want to help with this process, all I need are funding and your influence. Let’s work with the Rx2000 Solutions Institute, the American Medical Association, AARP, The International Red Cross, as well as federal resources to develop plans for a coordinated national preparedness program so that the Year 2000 does not cause unacceptable risks. We need legislation allowing for a one time exclusion for Medicare or health plans allowing patients to receive a 90 day supply of medications instead of a 30 day supply. We need creative processes for distribution of controlled substances and radioactive isotopes. (All health plans should volunteer this option). Just in time inventory is a big problem. We need to work with the CDC (Center for Disease Control) to prevent global epidemics from a lack of antibiotics or immunizations. We should compose a National "Patient Advocacy Council" to monitor Y2K efforts within all health care organizations. This could be an attachment to the Rx2000 Institute. Health care organizations should be required to stockpile medications and supplies as well as disclose their Y2K compliance progress with their patient population. And, if worst case scenarios do occur, and health care is rationed, the public needs to know what procedures and diagnoses will be treated. Thus far, most health care organizations have taken the stance that their liability exposure can be limited by keeping "in check" their due diligence efforts. (This may be politically and legally correct but I do not consider this to be ethical.) If WE do not teach the public, who will? There is no harm if we over react, many may die if we do not act. I am willing to do whatever I can to help save as many lives as possible – mine included. My story is not unique, there are millions of people who know there is a problem but they do not know where to turn for suggestions or help. Let’s help them! Copyright © 1996,1997, 1998 Rx2000 Solutions Institute. All Rights Reserved.