Allergy Risks Increase as FDA Changes Food Labeling Requirements During COVID-19 Pandemic
Opinion | On May 22, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public comment providing new guidance that will relax the labeling requirements on packaged food to allow food companies more flexibility during the COVD-19 pandemic. Companies selling food are now allowed to make minor changes to the formulation of food products […]
Virginia Legislature Gives CDC, Board of Health Power to Mandate Vaccines for School Children
In the 2020 Legislative session, the Virginia Legislature passed H.B.1090, a bill that amended a law requiring children attending public and private schools in the state to receive vaccines (§ 32.1-46. Immunization of patients against certain diseases).1 Virginia Delegate Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) was the lead sponsor of H.B. 1090 introduced on Jan. 8, 2020, which […]
New York Nursing Homes in Crisis During COVID-19 Pandemic
On Mar. 25, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an order requiring nursing homes to accept on an expedited basis all new or returning residents with confirmed or presumed COVID-19 who are discharged from the hospital after being diagnosed as medically stable. The order states: No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to […]
New York on PAUSE During COVID-19 Outbreak
New York has been struggling with responding to one of the worst COVD-19 outbreaks in the world. As of Apr. 25, 2020, an estimated 271,600 people in New York State and 141,754 in New York City have been infected with COVID-19.1 In response to this health crisis, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued an […]
Amish Children to Be Denied an Education in New York
An Amish family filed a lawsuit in October 2019 arguing that the removal of the religious exemption to vaccination mandated for school attendance violated their rights under the New York Constitution. The family had three unvaccinated children, who were shut out of a private school that enrolled only 24 students, all of whom were Amish […]
504 Plans for Special Needs Children: The New Normal
Every fall I meet with teachers and school officials to review my children’s 504 plans to protect them from anaphylactic shock. This back-to-school ritual has become so routine that we hardly give it a second thought. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects people with disabilities and other qualifying health conditions from discrimination […]