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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signs groundbreaking LE patient education bill, authored by LE&RN

Kathy Bates and William Repicci

Kathy Bates and William Repicci

NYS Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal

NYS Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal

Championed by NYS Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal and NYS Senator Martin J. Golden

I am deeply grateful to Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature for supporting this bill.”
— Kathy Bates
NEW YORK, NY, USA, October 2, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a lymphedema (LE) patient education bill early this morning. The new law mandates that the New York State Department of Health shall design an informational packet about lymphedema to be given to patients at high risk of developing lymphedema.

The bill was authored by the Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN) and was spearheaded by NYS Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, who sponsored the bill in the New York State Assembly. NYS Senator Martin J. Golden sponsored the bill in the Senate. The bill also had a champion and advocate in LE&RN Spokesperson Kathy Bates.

"I am deeply grateful to Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature for supporting this bill,” said Ms. Bates. “If not for Bill Repicci and LE&RN’s tireless efforts on behalf of the ten million people suffering from lymphedema in America, none of this would be possible. It is their stories that inspire us and propel us closer to a cure.”

According to LE&RN, one of the obstacles to LE becoming a national priority has been its low profile among medical practitioners. With medical schools spending little time on the study of lymphatics, doctors are often slow or unable to diagnose LE. As a result, people at risk for the disease are often caught off-guard by the onset of symptoms and lose valuable time in pursuing a treatment regimen. This pioneering bill is a dramatic step forward for patient education in general and is particularly important to the LE community, in which stories of delayed diagnosis and lack of information are all too common. LE&RN has already begun working with LE&RN Chapters across the nation to ensure that all patients receive the same access to information that is now guaranteed for those in New York State.

"For the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and the estimated 10 million Americans who live with the chronic, incurable disease of lymphedema, this first-in-the-nation bill is nothing short of momentous,” said LE&RN President and CEO William Repicci, shortly after the bill was signed by the governor. “This bill empowers people who are at risk of getting this disease, which will lead to early diagnosis, enhanced quality of life, and a reduction of ongoing medical complications."

About LE&RN
Founded in 1998, the Lymphatic Education & Research Network (formerly LRF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization whose mission is to fight lymphatic disease and lymphedema through education, research and advocacy. LE&RN provides valuable education resources for the millions of people who suffer from lymphedema and lymphatic disease. LE&RN fosters and supports research that can deepen the medical community's understanding of the lymphatic system. For more information about lymphatic disease or the Lymphatic Education & Research Network, please visit www.LymphaticNetwork.org or call (516) 625-9675.

Laura Farrell
Lymphatic Education & Research Network
(516) 625-9675
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