Bethpage-Tribune_1975-05-01

              BETHB4GE BT R6
t t r . r l ^ H P A G t UB
W<f§
OLDBETHWGE
also serving ISLAND TREES
PLAINVIEW PLAINEDGE SEAFORD
VOL. 9 NO. 23
Off the Press.
Thursday, May 1,1975 10 cents per copy
Space Shuttle Takes First Journey
A disaster plan for emergency health care for New York State
citizens was unanimously approved today by the House of Delegates
of the Medical Society of the State of New York, the plan could be
implemented immediately if appropriate legislation to solve the
malpractice crisis is not passed by July 1, and doctors are forced to
withdraw from private practice on that date.
"Although the decision to closedown his practice is one that must be
made by each individual doctor, most New York physicians indicate
they will be unable to practice unless they can obtain malpractice
insurance protection at reasonable rates," said Dr. George T. C.
Way, chairman of the committee that drafted the dissaster plan.
"However, doctors cannot abondon their responsibilities to the
citizens of the state, and have approved a disaster plan that will
provide health care to citizen in need or emergency care."
Under the plan, local task forces in each community of the state
would designate facilities for emergency care and staff these
facilities with duty physicians on a 24-hour basis. Additionally, a 24-
hour-a-day Patient Information Bureau would be established at each
facility to answer questions and provide the necessary guidance.
"Whether this plan can go into effect depends on securing
emergency legislation that will ensure liability protection for any
physician providing whatever emergency services they may be %
required," Dr. Way said. "Obviously, no doctor can legitimately
care for patients if the threat of fiscal disaster hangs over his head."
Patients who visit an emergency health care facility in each
community first will be categorized to determine whether the
complaint involves a genuine emergency. "Presently, criteria that
will place a patient in the "emergency' category are: trauma
requiring medical care; bleeding; pain; sepsis; coma; dyspnea at
rest (difficulty with breathing); labor; acute psychosis; violent or
suicidal behavior; and acute drug intoxication," Dr. Way said.
All patients will be examined by a licensed physician at the
emergency facility.
Two basic privileges available in normal medical care will be
bypassed if the medical diaster plan goes into effect, Dr. Way said.
"One, of course, is the patient's free choice of a physician. The other
is continuing care by the same physician."
The care of patients would be the responsibility of the duty
physician during his tour of duty. The duty physician will brief his
replacement on every patient when the tour of duty is changed. The
admitting physician will also complete a history and physical for
each patient's chart, as well as the admitting diagnosis and a
complete outline of the diagnostic work to be done. It is our fervent
hope that the legislature will act to correct the current malpractice
crisis with the necessary legal changes that will make it possible for
physicians to obtain malpractice insurance at reasonable costs. If
this is done, the disaster plan will never have to be put irito effect.
But, given the .current state of legislative action, a system for
emergency care for the life and death needs of our citizens must be
devised now,"
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
MEDICAL SCHOOL AND
MERCY HOSPITAL, Rockville
Centre, Long Island, New York,
jointly announced today the
establishment of an educational
affiliation in Continuing
Education for Physicians.
This is the fjirst time that
Harvard Medical School
Department of Continuing
Education will undertake an
educational liaison with a
community hospital outside of
Massachusetts. *
A curriculum of lectures
covering advances in specialized
aspects of Internal Medicine, and
other specialties, to start in June,
is being developed for the Mercy
Hospital Professional Staff and
will be open to all practicing
physicians on Long Island.
Enrollment in the course will
quality physicians to receive
American Medical Association
Physician's Recognition Award
on an hour per hour basis.
"The educational affiliation
will bring to Long Island
physicians the most advanced
knowledge in modern medicine
and thus will benefit our
patients", said Richard C.
"Herrmann, Administrator of
Mercy Hospital, a 391-bed
.voluntary, non-profit, acute care
community hospital with a
professional staff of 439 qualified
physicians.
"It is our hope that this
collaborative venture will fulfill
the expectations of the Mercy
Hospital staff as well as other
physicians who wish to par­ticipate.
The enthusiasm that has
been evident in all of our
discussions argurs well for the
success of the program", said Dr.
Stephen E. Goldfinger, Associate
Professor at Harvard Medical
School and Associate Dean of
Harvard Continuing Education
Department.
"The courses being given by
Harvard Medical School will be
open to all physicians on Long
Island who wish to attend. A
question and answer period will
accompany each session and at
times interesting cases drawn
from actual cases of hospitals in
this area will be presented",
said Dr. Felix Monaco,
President of the Professional
Staff.
"A new chapter is beginning in
the history of the medical
Bethpage, New York, April 25,
1975 ... The first set of wings,
designed and built by Grumman
Aerospace Corporation for Rock­well
International's Space
Division, the prime contractor
for NASA's Space Shuttle Or-biter,
will leave Bethpage this
week for an 18-day journey which
will end in Palmdale, California,
site for the Orbiter's final
assembly.
The two-wing panels, each
measuring 30 feet from tip to
fuselage and 60 feet in width
where they join the fuselage, will
depart from Grumman's Beth­page,
Long Island, facility and
travel nine miles overland to
Oyster Bay, aboard two large,
specially-designed transporters.
The transporters will have their
own braking and lighting
systems, and each will be pulled
by a truck at a maximum speed
of 10 miles per hour.
The initial leg of the journey is
estimated to take two hours. At
the Rydell-Oyster Pier in Oyster
Bay, the wing panels, totaling
approximately 1,500 square feet
of surface and 12,000 pounds in
weitht and wrapped in a
moisture-proof soft cover, will be
loaded by crane, along with the
transporters, onto a waiting
barge.
A tugboat will pull the barge,
west through Long Island Sound
and the East River, to the Sea-
Land Terminal in Port Elizabeth,
New Jersey, " where the wing
assemblies will be transferred to
an ocean-going container ship.
The ship will travel, for about 13
days by way of the Panama
Canal, to Long Beach, California.
Upon arrival at Long Beach, the
two transporters, with the wing
panels still secured, will proceed
overland, north through Los
Angeles to Palmdale, California,
a distance of about 100 miles
which will take two days to cover.
Grumman Aerospace Cor­poration
was awarded a contract
in excess of $40 million to design,
manufacture and test the wings
for the Space Shuttle Orbiter, in
March 1973, by Rockwell In­ternational.
The Orbiter wing, made in two
panels, has a" "double Delta"
design. Aluminum is the primary
material, and truss-type ribs and
corrugated-web spars were used
in the construction to provide a
low cost, lightweight, high
reliability design.
The Space Shuttle Orbiter, the
first reusable space vehicle, is a
space, airplane which can fly in
the atmosphere like conventional
aircraft and in space like a space
vehicle. It has the capability of
.carrying a variety of payloads
into orbit as well as retrieving
them for trturn to earth.
Most of the United States' ef­forts
in space during the 1980's
and 1990's will in some way be
related to the Space Shuttle
transportation system. The
system will significantly reduce
the cost because of its
reusability, while at the same
time increasing the effectiveness
of using space for commercial,
scientific and defense needs.
Grumman Aerospace Cor­poration's
accomplishments in
space exploration are significant.
The Company designed and built
the unmanned Oribiting
Astronomical Observatory series
of spacecraft. Data from these
spacecraft have resulted in
greater understanding of the
'origin and evolution of our
universe. The Apollo Lunar
Module (LM), also designed and
built by Grumman, was the
world's first true manned
spacecraft. Today, six LM
descent stages stand on the moon
as testimony to one of the
g r e a t e s t technological
achievements in history.
NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson
Space Center, Houston, Texas, is
responsible for management of
the Space Shuttle Program.
Jerry Augusta Wins Point On Bus Cost
Last January the
BETHPAGE TRIBUNE
reported in its School
Board Report a request by
local resident to look into
the cost of school buses in
the Bethpage District.
Raybern Bus Service Inc.
education of physicians on Long
Island who, in addition to being
privileged to be located in the
vicinity of the several New York
medical schools, will now have
the opportunity to participate
locally in a comprehensive
program featuring the faculty of
Harvard Medical School, so that
they may be better equipped to
serve their patients in a time of
rapidly advancing medical
science", said Dr. Agim Leka,
who originated the idea for the
liaison in initial conversations
with Dr. Goldfinger. Associate
Dean of Harvard Medical School
(Continued on Page 8)
of Farmingdale had been
servicing the district for
many years and like other
costs to the District,
transportation costs were
constantly rising.
Jerry Augusta, the in­terested
resident
requested the Board check
the contract and see if a
lower rate could be
achieved.
Board President An­thony
LoFaso announced
at this week's Board
meeting that the Raybern
contract has been ex­tended
for the fourth year
at a reduced rate of $635
for each of 16 buses used
by the district.
Augusta stated, "I feel I
accomplished some­thing,"
and as one ob­server
noted it shows you
how one person can* really
make things happen.
LoFaso explained that
the new rate is corn--
parable to neighboring
districts. Bethpage will
pay $13,750 for each bus
and continue to pay the
cost of the gasoline.
Plainedge pays $13,700 and
Plainview. Old Bethpage
pays $13,990. Both districts
have written into the
contract that the bus
company pays for the gas.
The Board had the op­tion
of extending the
Raybern contract for
another year. A new
contract will be up for bid
next year.