FDNY takes $120M ambulance hit
Department had tried to sell the mountain of debt to collection agencies but found no takersThe FDNY is writing off $120 million in EMS ambulance services provided each year to uninsured patients, a top official yesterday told the City Council.

"If a person doesn't have insurance, in most cases they do not pay," Assistant Commissioner Steve Rush testified at a council budget hearing.

"We offer to those patients charitable payments, which is a reduced fee, but most of them elect not to take advantage of it. There's only so far you can go."

Rush added that the department had tried to sell the mountain of debt to collection agencies but found no takers.

"They are no longer interested," Rush said. "It's a very difficult debt to collect on."

The unpaid ambulance bills represent 32 percent of the $380 million that it costs taxpayers annually to run the fleet of ambulances.

EMT Who Allegedly Ignored Dying Woman Arrested for Shoplifting
A New York City emergency medical technician accused of failing to help a dying pregnant woman in a Brooklyn restaurant has been arrested on shoplifting charges on Long Island.

Melissa Jackson was arrested for allegedly trying to swipe about $50 with of goods from a WalMart.

Jackson and another EMT, Jason Greene, were accused of failing to help 25-year-old Eutisha Revee Rennix after she became ill while working at a Brooklyn restaurant on Dec. 9., 2009 The EMTs were waiting in line for their food and later said they were "on break" and not on duty.

Greene was shot and killed last July in a fight outside a SoHo club.

Last October, Jackson was charged with official misconduct, a misdemeanor. She was also put on 30 days leave by the FDNY.

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EMT Test Information and EMT Exam Questions. Free EMT test preparation help and sample EMT practice questions.

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Court-Ordered HIV Testing of Defendants
As of November 1, 2007, New York State Criminal Procedure Law Section 210.16 will require testing of criminal defendants, indicted for certain sex offenses, for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), upon the request of the victim/survivor.

This law also amends New York State Public Health Law (subdivision 1 of section 2805-i) by adding a new paragraph that specifies that health care facilities providing treatment to victims/survivors of a sexual offense must:

1. offer and make available "appropriate HIV post-exposure treatment therapies in cases where it has been determined, in accordance with guidelines issued by the commissioner, that a significant exposure to HIV has occurred," and
2. inform the victim/survivor that "payment assistance for such therapies may be available from the New York State Crime Victims Board pursuant to the provisions of article twenty-two of the executive law."

The New York State Department of Health has been requested to provide guidance for the following scenarios.

1. The court must order HIV-related testing of the defendant when the result would provide medical or psychological benefit to the victim/survivor.
* Medical and Psychological Benefit Guidance for Defendant Testing, NYS DOH AIDS Institute, (10/07) can be found at www.hivguidelines.org.
* This guidance also addresses what type of test should be ordered and whether follow-up testing would be medically appropriate.
2. The court should designate a county public health officer to conduct the test.
* For test site locations:

HIV/AIDS Laws & Regulations
Reporting and Partner Notification Law
http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/regulations/index.htm