New York state Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo  has reached an $875,000 settlement with the national retail pharmacy chain CVS to end its sale of expired products, including over-the-counter drugs, baby formula, milk, and eggs, at stores across New York State.

The settlement concludes the lawsuit previously filed by the attorney general in New York Supreme Court against CVS Pharmacy, Inc. for its pervasive sales of expired products and its breach of a prior settlement with the Attorney General in which it agreed to take measures to end such sales. Read the announcement here.

People who care for the homebound and elderly often need care themselves. A home healthcare agency, Home Instead Senior Care, is offering a free web conference for family caregivers at 7 p.m.  Nov. 19.

The web conference, “The Best Care for Your Parents: Senior Care Solutions and Potential Pitfalls,” will be co-hosted by Suzanne Mintz, president and CEO of the non-profit National Family Caregivers Association, and Paul Hogan, CEO of Home Instead Senior Care.

The Web conference is designed to help family caregivers plan for their loved ones’ care. For more information click here.

A new poll from shows that most people who tried to get the  swine flu vaccine for themselves or their children were unable to receive it.
The poll by the Harvard School of Public Health showed that only 30 percent of adults who tried to get it for themselves were able to obtain the vaccine.
It also showed that only 34 percent of parents were able to get the H1N1 vaccine for their children.
The poll found that 82 percent of the people asked believe there is a shortage of H1N1 vaccine in the United States, and approximately 4 in 10  think that is a major problem for the country. More than half of adults, 60 percent, believe there is a shortage of H1N1 vaccine in their community.
Forty percent believe there will still not be enough H1N1 flu vaccine by the end of November for everyone in their community who wants it.

Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center Network and Grace Baptist Church will host the 6th Annual Day of Champions Health Fair on Saturday, November 14, 2009, 10:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M. at the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center located at 107 West 4th Street, Mount Vernon.

Originally a men’s health fair, the free event is open to women and all individuals who would like to attend.

Those who attend will have access to prostate cancer screening, eye check-ups for glaucoma, blood sugar screens for diabetes, oral check-ups, quick check for H.I.V. (with immediate results available) and breast exams. Door prizes, lunch and a guest speaker will also be a part of the day’s events.

For additional information, contact Olga DeJonge, Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center at
(914) 699-7200.

Pretty Penny, the Nyack riverfront mansion where Helen Hayes lived for many years, will be the site of a fundraiser next month to benefit the hospital named in honor of  the famous Broadway actress.

The Helen Hayes Hospital Foundation will host a “Holiday Pretty Penny Social” on Sunday, December 6,  from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pretty Penny. Money raised at the event will benefit the state-run rehabilitation hospital in West Haverstraw.

Rockland Chef Peter X. Kelly will prepare cocktails and dessert. Tours of the home will be given and an art and antique sale will be conducted by Arader Galleries of New York City.  The  head of the gallery, W. Graham Arader III, is the current owner of Pretty Penny.

There will also be a silent auction and raffles.

Tickets are $110 or two for $200 and are available through the Helen Hayes Hospital Foundation at 845-786-4365.

Helen Hayes MacArthur and her husband, writer Charles MacArthur, purchased the Hudson River estate in 1932 for $25,000. When a friend remarked that it cost a “pretty penny,” the couple agreed, resulting in a name that has stayed with the home ever since.

In 1944, Helen Hayes was appointed to the hospital’s board, which she served on until she died in 1993. The hospital was renamed in her honor in 1980. The Tony, Grammy and Oscar winning actress once said, “I’ve seen my name in lights on theater marquees and in letters 20 feet tall on Broadway billboards, but nothing has ever given me greater sense of pride and satisfaction than my 49 year association with this unique hospital.”

New York State Department of Health, complying with an executive order, is asking for comments from regulated entities and interested parties to identify existing regulations that impose unnecessary, burdensome or excessive costs, paperwork, reporting or other requirements.

Comments are sought that describe and quantify the burden and suggest appropriate remedies that the agency may undertake to eliminate or amend regulations that are unnecessary, unbalanced, unwise, duplicative or unduly burdensome.

Any comments must be received on or before December 28, 2009 and may be submitted in writing to Katherine Ceroalo, New York State Department of Health, Bureau of House Counsel, Regulatory Affairs Unit, Corning Tower Building, Room 2438, Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12237 or electronically at regsqna@health.state.ny.us and to the Governor’s Office of Regulatory Reform at eo25@gorr.state.ny.us.

Former New York state Commissioner of Health Dr. Antonia  Novello has been reprimanded and censured by a board of the Department of Health that she once led.

Novello will have a to pay a $10,000 fine and complete continuing education in the area of professional ethics, according to a finding issued by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct. the decision goes into effect Monday, according to state records.

Novello, who led the state Department of Health from 1999 to 2006, was charged in a 20-count indictment with using state workers to run errands, take her on shopping sprees, and act as house servants.

As part of a plea deal , Novello pleaded guilty in July  to one count of offering a false instrument for filing, a felony.

Under the plea deal she must pay the state $22,500 in restitution and undertake 250 hours of community service at an Albany health clinic.

The decision by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct lets her keep her medical license.

A New York meat processor recalled more than a half million pounds of beef because it may be tainted with the E. Coli bacteria.

Two deaths and about 26 illnesses have been linked to the fresh ground beef.

The beef processor is Fairbanks Farms, located in Ashville, NY. The meat has been distributed to various retail outlets across the Northeast. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recall notice said that the possibly tainted meat had been sold in numerous ways, from meatloaf and meatball mix to hamburger patties.
For more info, check out http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_059_2009_Release/index.asp

Symptoms of E. coli infections include stomach cramps that may be severe and diarrhea that may turn bloody within one to three days. E. coli infections can sometimes lead to complications including kidney failure.

The Putnam County Health Department is offering the H1N1, or swine flu, vaccine to people who fall into the CDC’s priority groups.

The free vaccine clinic will be held on Saturday, Nov.7 at the Putnam Valley Middle School in Putnam Valley from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Due to limited quantities, the vaccine will only be given to pregnant women, people caring for infants under 6 months old, health-care workers who have direct patient care and people six months to 24 years old.

You must live or work in Putnam County to receive the vaccine at this event.

The county is also sponsoring two seasonal flu clinics on election day from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Brewster High School and Haldane School for all New York state residents.

The seasonal flu shot doesn’t protect against the H1N1 flu and vice versa.

Check the Putnam County Department of Health Flu Vaccine Hotline at 845-278-6130 for further updates.

A shampoo to protect against the H1N1 virus? A dietary supplement that does the same? How about a spray that claims to leave a layer of ionic silver on one’s hands that kills the flu virus? 

The are all among the quack cures that have come to the attention of the Food and Drug Administration.

The federal agency has developed a widget that can be dowloaded  that lists phony swine flu cures.  Since May 2009, FDA has warned more than 75 Web sites to stop the sale of more than 135 products with fraudulent H1N1 influenza virus claims.

Consumers are urged to only purchase FDA-approved products from licensed pharmacies located in the United States, and should contact their health professional if they have any questions or concerns about medical products or personal protective equipment.