LAST year, a new law was put into place in New York to help protect subprime mortgage borrowers from foreclosure. Now the state is on the verge of extending similar protections to prime borrowers, too.
A bill passed by the State Legislature this month would require, among other things, that lenders give all borrowers 90 days’ warning before starting foreclosure proceedings.
Read more about foreclosure protections...
A lender’s “unconscionable, vexatious and opprobrious” conduct in attempting to foreclose on a Long Island home has prompted a state judge to cancel the mortgage on the property.
IndyMac Bank v. Yano-Horoski, 2005-17926, came before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey A. Spinner as the result of a state law mandating pre-foreclosure settlement conferences between lenders and borrowers of subprime, or high-cost, home loans.
Read more about this foreclosure case...
The state Legislature has passed a bill that will give New York state homeowners and renters more protection during foreclosures.
It will expand the mandatory 90-day pre-foreclosure notice to all types of home loans.
Read more about foreclosure protection...
For heaven’s sake, do something.
That’s the advice the president of the Illinois State Bar Association gives to those who have gotten word – or just suspect – that their home faces foreclosure. Read more about avoiding foreclosure...
The Huffington Post recently spoke with Senator Byron Dorgan, noting that he opposed the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. This law kept investment banks separate from commercial banks. Its repeal opened Pandora’s box, unleashing a financial beast upon the American people.
In an explosive exposé, the newspaper company, McClatchy, reveals that Goldman Sachs colluded with financial rating agencies to pass off risky securitized mortgages as AAA-rated securities. According to McClatchy, these mortgage-backed securities consisted of subprime loans that were presented to foreign investors as being safe. These investments were junk bonds.
There’s one particularly revealing part of the McClatchy exposé:Read more...
I have been an active Obama supporter since 11/2007. There were 100,000's of other NYers who did likewise. We labored on in the face of a Dem Party leadership that refused to recognize our existence.
There are so many people in NY who contributed so much to Obama's victory
We won. So my question is why is this organization headed by an aide to a Congress member who campaigned against Obama and continued to advocate for Clinton long after the primaries were over.
It's not that I'm advocating a spoils system or doubting Ms. DeRosa's sincere commitment. I'm just saying it might be better to have one of the many people who committted to Obama's agenda and techniques early on to lead this effort.
(BTW, I hear something similar is going on in South Carolina)
CA OPTION AL MEDICAL AND IHHS BENEFITS CUT FOR THOSE IN VOC REAHB TICKET TO WORK, EVEN SOME SEVERELY AND MULIPLY DISABLED. CUTS WERE BACKFILLED IN STAKEHOLDERS MEETINGS WHERE LOBBY ISTS AGREED TO REIN STATE FOR MULITPLE SPECAIL INTERST GROUPS ONLY
- NOT BY MEDICAL NEED -
THOSE SEVERELY MULITPLEY DISABLED AND THOSE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO WORK WILL NOW SUFFER and be UN -ABLE .
FOR THOSE SOME LESS DISABLED ALREADY WITH MORE SUPPORTS BECASUE THEY HAD REPRESENTATION OF LOBBYISTS .
THIS VIOLATES ADA +/OR SECTION 504 .
THERE ARE NO advocates and no voice for severely and multiply disabled not attached to regional centers certain senior and other outside special interests.
This has been done by affiliation NOT medical need !
PLEASE ASK Washington to stand up for us and give us a voice!
CA LOBBYISTS BACK FILL some cuts for SPECIAL INTERESTS only!
CHECKS Were supposed to come out in May some DELAYED.
DID YOU - IF ON SSI OR SSDI - RECeIVE YOUR $250.oo STIMULUS?
if you have not call
1-800-772-1213
please reply here too.!
By Jack Kim
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea, facing U.N. sanctions for last month's nuclear test, on Monday raised the stakes in its growing confrontation with Washington by jailing two U.S. journalists to 12 years hard labor for "grave crime."
The sentence follows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's warning on Sunday the United States was considering putting the reclusive North back on its list of states that sponsor terrorism, which would further isolate the impoverished country.
The journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, of U.S. media outlet Current TV, were arrested in March working on a story near the border between North Korea and China. The trial for the two, working for the company co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore, opened on Thursday.
"The trial confirmed the grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing as they had already been indicted and sentenced each of them to 12 years of reform through labor," the official KCNA news agency said in a brief dispatch.
The harsh sentence is certain to deepen the chill in relations with the United States which has been trying for years, with scant success, to convince Stalinist North Korea to give up its ambition of becoming a nuclear weapons power.
"We are deeply concerned by the reported sentencing of the two American citizen journalists by North Korean authorities and we are engaged through all possible channels to secure their release," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in the statement.
"We once again urge North Korea to grant the immediate release of the two American citizen journalists on humanitarian grounds," the statement said.
Clinton had also appealed for the two women's release saying the charges against them were baseless.
"(North Korea) is using the sentence as bait to squeeze concessions out of the U.S. amid heightened tension," said Lee Dong-bok, a senior associate with the CSIS think tank in Seoul and an expert on the North's negotiating tactics.
South Korean markets were for the most part unmoved by the sentencing, that came in line with expectations. A currency trader said the U.S. reaction to the sentencing and developments thereafter were more important for local markets.
Analysts say it would take it would take a military clash at sea or on the border to have a major impact on global markets.
MILITARY GRANDSTANDING
U.S. President Barack Obama at the weekend called the North's latest nuclear test, which was followed by a series of missile tests, "extraordinarily provocative" and said that this time there would be no appeasement by Washington.
Communist North Korea kept up its rhetoric which is increasingly unnerving a region that accounts for a sixth of the world's economy.
It threatened to retaliate with "extreme" measures if the United Nations punished it for last month's nuclear test.
"Our response would be to consider sanctions against us as a declaration of war and answer it with extreme hardline measures," the North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary.
It also issued a no-sail warning off its east coast, up to 260 km (160 miles) off the Wonsan area from where it launched a short-range missile in May and a barrage of short-range missiles in 2006.
North Korea has said it would fire an intercontinental ballistic missile if the U.N. Security Council did not apologize for punishing it for its April rocket launch, widely seen as a disguised missile test that violated U.N. resolutions.
The North appears to be preparing a long-range missile for a test that could be conducted as early as this month. It also appears to be readying for tests of mid-range missiles that could strike anywhere in South Korea or most of Japan.
The Security Council may adopt a new resolution as early as this week, but there is clear division among some members over how tough to be on the reclusive state.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone called for a strong resolution to make it clear that such tests would not be forgiven. But his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi said a "balanced" resolution was needed.
Clinton said last week Washington wanted the strongest possible resolution.
TERRORISM BLACKLIST
The United States removed North Korea from its terrorism blacklist in October in a bid to revive faltering six-party nuclear disarmament talks, prompting the North to take some measures to disable its nuclear facilities.
Pyongyang has since reversed those steps and said it had restarted the nuclear complex -- including reprocessing nuclear fuel to obtain weapons-grade plutonium.
China is seen as nervous of measures that might push its fragile neighbor into collapse, especially at a time when there is uncertainty of the health of leader Kim Jong-il, who is widely believed to have suffered a stroke last year.
Many analysts say the North's belligerence may be aimed largely at a domestic audience, with Kim, 67, using it to bolster his position at home with the military and to better secure the succession for his youngest son Kim Jong-un.
His eldest son, Kim Jong-nam, told Japanese television over the weekend that he would not be surprised to see his brother take over. If he does, it would be the third generation to head the world's first communist dynasty.
(Additional reporting by Kim Junghyun and Jon Herskovitz in Seoul, Yoko Kubota in Tokyo and Doina Chiacu in Washington; editing by Jonathan Thatcher and Jeremy Laurence)
DOESN'T THE MINORITY SPEAKER GET BRIEFED ATT HE SAME TIME?
http://www.gop.gov/media/features/09/05/19/what-did-speaker-pelosi-know
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/968952034?z00m=19760638
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin skyrocketed to the headlines when she became John McCain's surprise nominee for vice president in 2008 -- but even out of the spotlight of a national campaign, Palin continues to garner attention outside of Alaska.
Most recently, she made headlines for her take on accepting Alaska's portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 -- commonly called the stimulus plan. Andrew Sullivan of the Atlantic does a nice job of running down her waffling statements.
But the most baffling part to me is that, of the $930 million allocated for Alaska, she only rejected the $28.6 million slated for energy efficiencymeasures. The New York Times explains:
The stimulus funds for states' energy offices come with other efficiency-oriented stipulations. To be eligible for the money, governors must offer assurances that their state will not only strengthen its building code, but also that they will make energy efficiency and renewable energy a priority when spending the funds. The states are also supposed to make sure that utilities have incentives to help their customers make their homes and businesses more energy-efficient...
Sounds great to me. But Palin has other ideas, claiming that "mandating universal energy building codes" was a bad idea for Alaska. The problem is, rejecting that money is an even worse idea for our environment. The future of this planet depends on everyone -- including residents of Alaska -- to start conserving energy now. And the best way to get started is through government-funded programs like the state energy grants Governor Palin just rejected.
Even fellow Alaskan Republicans agree; Alaskan Senate Resources Committee Co-Chair Lesil McGuire (an Anchorage Republican) sent Palin a letter formally urging her to take the energy efficiency funds. The Anchorage Daily News reports that Senator McGuire "said in an interview that Palin herself set a goal of Alaska receiving 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025. 'And then to come back and reject the implementation of an energy saving code the building community hasn't rejected and that other states are readily adopting, I think it sends a hypocritical message,' McGuire said."
Agree it's hypocritical? You can let Sarah Palin know! Demand that she accepts the $28.6 million in stimulus funds for energy efficiency programs today by signing this petition.
From: John.Campbell@address-verify.com
Subject: April 27, 2009: From Congressman John Campbell's Laptop to Yours
BUT HE'S TRYING TO DO IT SOME MORE ON MAY 19. VOTE NO ON PROPS MAY 19 -DO NOT STAY HOME.
A few things worth noting this morning:
UNION WINS FURLOUGH SUIT: In a ruling on Wednesday, Judge Peter Busch ruled that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should not have furloughed state workers at the State Compensation Insurance Fund.
SCIF, as it's called, is a self-sufficient business insurance provider that receives no money from the state's general fund. The suit against the furlough had been brought by California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment (also known as CASE).
Jon Ortiz has more on the State Worker blog.
The whole thing makes one wonder what's next for those California state workers who are being furloughed despite having their salaries paid for entirely by the federal government.
That practice, both in California and elsewhere, was the subject of a New York Times story over the weekend.
"The states' response is completely illogical," said Michael J. Astrue, the commissioner of Social Security.
OIL AND WATER: Fresh from his helicopter tour of the Delta on Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will hunker down in San Francisco today for a hearing on offshore oil drilling.
Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, who was once deputy interior secretary under President Bill Clinton, plans to testify against such drilling.
Both houses of the Legislature have floor sessions scheduled for this morning.
BIRTHDAY: Republican Assemblywoman Jean Fuller of Bakersfield turns 59 today.
GOVERNOR 2010: Lew Uhler, president of the National Tax Limitation Committee, announced his endorsement of Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner on Wednesday, calling the GOP candidate for governor "a proven tax fighter for the people of California."
Capitol Alert Coordinator
CDCAN ACTION ALERT
California Disability Community Action Network
Advocacy Without Borders: One Community
APRIL 14, 2009 - TUESDAY
To reply to this email alert: Marty Omoto – martyomoto@rcip.com or go to the CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us
MAJOR PERMANENT CUTS TO REGIONAL CENTERS, MEDI-CAL, IHSS, SSI/SSP COMING
APRIL 22nd and MAY 7th MARCH & SIDEWALK DEMONSTRATION FOR RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS & SENIORS, LOW-INCOME WORKERS AND FAMILIES
Also: Come to April 23 Budget Hearing on Medi-Cal Cuts & Mental Health Issues
· California (and the nation) is going through the worse financial crisis since the Great Depression in the 1930’s, with California’s budget shortfall still growing by billions of dollars despite major spending cuts and new revenues and fund shifting and borrowing made in the 2009-2010 State Budget passed in February (four months early).
· Major permanent cuts impacting regional centers, SSI/SSP (federal/state grants to the lowest income persons with disabilities, the blind and seniors), CalWORKS, In-Home Supportive Services, permanent elimination of several Medi-Cal optional benefits including adult dental, mental health services, are already in the budget unless the Legislature and Governor rescind their previous actions and restore funding.
· With budget shortfall growing once again, additional huge permanent cuts are almost certain to be proposed by the Governor in late May.
· These are protests to stand up for the rights of children and adults with disabilities, with mental health needs, seniors, those with traumatic brain and other injuries, those with MS, Alzheimer’s and other disorders, their families, and the community organizations and low income workers who provide critical supports and services.
· This is about an individual’s right to live in their own home and community, rights that the Governor and Legislature have a responsibility to protect – not take away.
· This protest march and demonstration is also to let the Governor and Legislature know that our community of children and adults with disabilities, with mental health needs, with traumatic brain and other injuries, with MS, Alzheimer’s and other disorders, seniors and low income families should not be the ones bearing the burden to pay for California’s recovery. Our community has a right to share in the recovery too.
· Californians can lose their homes, employment and even lives not just by foreclosure or when retail businesses close – but also when the Governor and Legislature (and local government) cut funding for critical services (such as Medi-Cal, regional center funded services, In-Home Supportive Services, SSI/SSP, senior and mental health services) that results in a person being forced out of their home or job.
APRIL 22, 2009 – WEDNESDAY
REGIONAL CENTERS – MENTAL HEALTH CUTS (ASSEMBLY)
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM (be on time!)
PRIORITY: VERY HIGH!
WHERE:
Meet at the Sacramento Convention Center sidewalk area on 13th and K Streets (facing rear entrance of Hyatt Regency Hotel and the Esquire Grill restaurant)
WHAT:
· Meet at 11 AM in the sidewalk/plaza area in front of the Sacramento Convention Center FACING 13th and K Streets (across from Esquire Grill and the Hyatt Regency Hotel rear entrance)
· March from there, crossing 13th Street, marching down K Street Mall, crossing 12th street (stoplight) to 11th Street (walking mall), turning left marching down the 11th Street walking mall to the State Capitol, crossing L Street (stoplight) to the sidewalk facing the Capitol building (where the sidewalk demonstration will occur).
· Sidewalk demonstration until 1:00 PM for rights of children and adults with disabilities, mental health needs, seniors and low income families.
WHY:
· Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services (agenda will focus on cuts to regional centers and mental health services) meets at 1:00 PM, April 22, 2009 Wednesday afternoon in the State Capitol. Public testimony will be taken on cuts to regional centers. These permanent cuts include the details from the Governor (through the Department of Developmental Services) on needed changes in state law to implement cuts of over $100 million in state general fund money to regional center funded services between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010 and beyond. Advocates expect ,more and even larger permanent cuts in late May when the Governor submits his budget revisions – including more cuts to regional centers.
· March and sidewalk demonstration will protest the continued cuts made by the Governor and Legislature to regional centers that fund critical services to children and adults with developmental disabilities (including autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy) AND the prospect of MORE additional permanent cuts coming in late May and January as the State budget shortfall grows worse. Protest will also focus attention on cuts to mental health services.
· March and sidewalk demonstration also continues earlier protests against huge permanent cuts impacting cuts to In-Home Supportive Services, SSI/SSP, CalWORKS, senior services, low income children.
APRIL 23, 2009 – THURSDAY MORNING
MEDI-CAL – MENTAL HEALTH CUTS (SENATE)
09:30 AM or upon adjournment of Senate floor session
PRIORITY: VERY HIGH
State Capitol – Room 4203
· No outside protest or demonstration planned.
· Attend and testify at Senate Budget Subcommittee hearing that will focus on Medi-Cal, including cuts in the budget now that, unless rescinded before July 1, 2009, will permanently eliminate several Medi-Cal optional benefits including adult dental, incontinence creams and washes, podiatry and other critical services for persons not living in a nursing home or other similar health facility.
· Also hearing will focus on mental health services, Healthy Families and California Children Services budget issues
MAY 7, 2009 – THURSDAY MORNING
REGIONAL CENTER CUTS (SENATE)
09:00 AM (until start of hearing)
State Capitol – L Street sidewalk
Sidewalk demonstration for rights of people with disabilities, mental health needs, seniors. Meet on sidewalk on L Street facing the State Capitol (at 11th Street). More details coming.
· Senate Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services (agenda will focus on cuts to regional centers) meets at 09:30 AM (or when the Senate floor session adjourns that morning – could be later than 9:30 AM) May 7, 2009, Thursday morning in the State Capitol in Room 4203. Public testimony will be taken on cuts to regional centers.
· This sidewalk demonstration will continue the protests against cuts impacting not only regional centers, but cuts to In-Home Supportive Services, SSI/SSP, CalWORKS, mental health, low income children.
WHAT TO BRING TO APRIL 22 & MAY 7 EVENTS:
· Pictures of loved ones impacted by all these cuts, including those of workers.
· Posters and signs (“No More Cuts” “People with disabilities, mental health c needs and seniors deserve a better California” “Governor and Legislature: Do the Right Thing: Rescind Cuts to Disabled and Seniors”, etc) .
· Make signs as individualized as possible. This is about an individual’s rights to live in their own home and community and to share in the recovery of California and the nation and not be the ones made to pay for it.
· Bring your own lunch or snacks and water for April 22 and May 7 – it will be long a day!
SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER AVOIDING
· Avoid personal attacks on posters and signs as it takes focus away from the issue of the rights of a child, of an adult (including seniors), with disabilities, who are blind , mental health needs, or a disorder or injury.
· If coming with a group, consider NOT wearing the same color shirts (not just unions, but also community organizations, regional centers, or associations who sometime like to have their members wear the same outfit or shirt). This suggestion of not wearing the same type of t-shirt or holding the same exact mass produced sign is not an attack on any group – all groups are welcome.
· Wearing the same colored t-shirt (either one promoting a regional center, union, or association or other group) takes away from the focus of an individual – that of a child or adult or senior with disabilities, with autism, with traumatic brain injuries, with Alzheimer’s, with mental health needs. A person who is deaf or blind.
· The cuts are attacking and harming individuals – a child, an adult, a senior, a low income worker.
· Dress as an individual – as you would normally – because THAT is the best way to show California – to show the Governor and Legislature and others that this is about how these terrible cuts are harming a child with disabilities and mental health needs, an adult with disabilities and mental health needs, a senior, a low income worker. We want to make California see us in that way – and to hear the voices of individuals who are being harmed. Si Se Puede.
WHO SHOULD COME
· Cuts impact children and adults with developmental disabilities – including those with autism spectrum disorders, down syndrome; children and adults with other disabilities, children and adults with mental health needs, seniors including those with Alzheimer’s, persons with MS and other disorders, children and adults with traumatic brain and other injuries, children and parents from low income families, community organizations and facilities and low income workers who provide critical supports and services, regional centers, independent living centers, and more. All should come.
· These hearings are just three in a series of budget hearings that have been held all this past year – with more to come. There have been hearings on In-Home Supportive Services, mental health – and more will be scheduled likely on those and other issues – and we will organize events also on those dates.
· For April 22 and May 7, both the Assembly and Senate budget subcommittees will focus on major cuts to regional centers that fund community-based services to children and adults with developmental disabilities. Cuts include those that will children in Early Start (California’s early intervention program), transportation, supported living and a wide range of other services – in addition to on-going cuts passed last September and in February, which have already been implemented (including 3% cuts in regional center provider payments retroactive to February 1, 2009). The April 23rd Senate budget subcommittee hearing will focus on cuts to Medi-Cal, mental health.
· Just as important as focusing on cuts already proposed or already passed, is a focus that MORE permanent cuts of hundreds of millions of dollars in state spending is certain to come in the coming months, if the state’s budget situation continues to grow worse – as most expect it will.
· The Governor will propose revisions to the State budget for 2009-2010 that was passed in February four months early. But the deficit that was closed by that budget (which goes into effect July 1, 2009) has grown by a projected $8 billion, a number that will likely grow even larger in the coming months.
· That will almost certainly mean more proposed cuts – including those impacting specifically regional centers – and also other health and human services critical to people with disabilities, mental health needs, seniors and low income families across California. Unlike in previous years, these cuts will almost certainly be permanent.
HOW A PERSON CAN TESTIFY AT HEARINGS
· Nearly all of the budget subcommittee hearings allow time for the public to provide testimony or comments – but that time is very limited, especially if there is a large crowd waiting to testify.
· The subcommittee chair will, usually after each agenda item, ask for comments from the subcommittee, then will ask for any testimony or comments from the public (you don’t fill out a card requesting to speak in advance that is often the practice at local government type meetings) [CDCAN Note: agendas for these hearings are usually not available until the day before the hearing. Agendas are available in the hearing rooms – CDCAN will also send out copies and post on the CDCAN website as soon as agendas become available]
· People simply line up to speak (at the podium or table, depending on the hearing room). In the larger hearing rooms the subcommittees will often have wireless microphones available for persons unable to make it up to the podium easily.
· Give your full name and where you are from. If you have a picture – show it (including to the audience behind you).
· Keep comments focused on the specific agenda item that the subcommittee chair is asking people to speak on. Sometimes that is not always possible if the agenda doesn’t include the issues you want to talk about.
· Time to speak is very limited, especially if there are a lot of agenda items and also if there are a lot of people waiting to also testify. Persons should try to make brief comments, lasting not more than a minute or so.
· Talking longer is NOT more effective – and it simply takes away time for another person to speak (you can give written comments to the subcommittee in addition to speaking). And taking time away from another person waiting to speak is taking away their right to participate too.
· Think of how long a good commercial on radio or TV lasts – usually 30 seconds. But a strong and compelling point can be made in that time – in part also because if there are others lined up to speak too – then each person’s testimony is being supported and emphasized by everyone else.
· Be respectful to the subcommittee chair, members and staff – and also the sergeant at arms in the hearing rooms.
· CDCAN Note: more information about the specific hearings, including committee members and other ideas will be sent out later – and also at the two protests/demonstrations prior to the hearings.
URGENT!!!!
PLEASE HELP CDCAN CONTINUE ITS WORK!!!
CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings, reports and alerts and other activities cannot continue without your help.
To continue the CDCAN website, the CDCAN News Reports. sent out and read by over 45,000 people and organizations, policy makers and media across California and to continue the CDCAN Townhall Telemeetings which since December 2003 have connected thousands of people with disabilities, seniors, mental health needs, people with MS and other disorders, people with traumatic brain and other injuries to public policy makers, legislators, and issues.
Please send your contribution/donation (make payable to "CDCAN" or "California Disability Community Action Network):
CDCAN
1225 8th Street Suite 480
Sacramento, CA 95814
You can also donate via credit card – paypal on the CDCAN site working again!
MANY, MANY THANKS to HOPE Services of San Jose, FEAT of Sacramento (Families for Early Autism Treatment), RESCoalition, Easter Seals of Southern California, Tri-Counties Regional Center, Westside Regional Center, Regional Center of the East Bay, Friends of Children with Special Needs, UCP of Orange County, UCP of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, Alta California Regional Center, Life Steps, Parents Helping Parents, Work Training, Foothill Autism Alliance, Arc Contra Costa, Pause4Kids, Manteca CAPS, Training Toward Self Reliance, UCP, California NAELA, Californians for Disability Rights, Inc (CDR) including CDR chapters, CHANCE Inc, , Strategies To Empower People (STEP), Harbor Regional Center, Asian American parents groups, Resources for Independent Living and many other Independent Living Centers, several regional centers, People First chapters, IHSS workers, other self advocacy and family support groups, developmental center families, adoption assistance program families and children, and others across California
Dear All APF members,
FDA Briefing on Unapproved Opioids was held on April 9, 2009.
An emergency stakeholder briefing was convened via conference call by the FDA to address concerns that have been raised by the pain and palliative care communities regarding warnings to nine companies to stop manufacturing and distributing 14 opioid analgesics within 60 days. APF participated in this briefing. A replay of the briefing will be available until April 15, 2009 at 11:59 PM EDT. To hear the replay, callers can dial 1-866-419-2678.
Douglas Throckmorton, M.D., Deputy Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research stated that the FDA understands that patients dealing with terminal illness have unique needs that should have been taken into consideration. The FDA reported that they are taking immediate corrective action regarding the availability of the 20mg/ml morphine sulfate solution. They regretted that they failed to include representatives from hospice and palliative care organizations in deliberations over this particular issue and will improve their consultation process with key stakeholders in the future. The FDA commented that they were not aware of the extent of disruption in patient care because of their ruling or that a critical shortage of some of these medications already exists. We would like to acknowledge them for their swift action in this case as they became aware of the impact this disruption was having on the community. In order to help remedy this; they would like to hear from providers if there are critical shortages in medications to help manage patients optimally.
Action:The FDA has asked to be notified of drug shortages in your area as they arise. Contact FDA by emailing this information to drugshortages@fda.hhs.gov. All correspondence should include your professional information, name of the drug, your location, name of wholesaler (if available) and identify yourself as an APF member.
To stay informed of drug shortages, visit the FDA website at: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/shortages/
Our voices can make a difference.
If you are receiving this e-mail for the first time as a forward from a friend, please register here to continue to receive news and action items regarding pain management.
Sincerely,American Pain Foundation
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