Your Words

Commentary: Common sense on provider salaries would help disabled

By Ian Paregol — Recent data indicates that there are thousands of Maryland citizens with developmental disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy waiting for services. They are currently in crisis and in need of adequate supports.

As they wait for assistance, the network of community providers whose mission it is to meet their needs grows increasingly threatened by years of chronic underfunding.

Employment Law and the Swine Flu (and other contagious illnesses)

By Eric D. Disharoon, Esq. and Oren D. Saltzman, Esq.

Despite a decline in the number of U.S. swine flu cases, the national Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warned that a third wave of swine flu could occur this spring. Employers are obligated by federal and state occupational safety and health regulations to provide a safe workplace.

While employers may want to keep contagious workers out of the workplace, federal and state disability laws may limit their ability to ask employees about their medical condition or require them to take medical exams.

Generally, federal and state leave laws require employers to provide leave to employees due to sickness. Employees who get sick while on the job may be entitled to worker’s compensation benefits if the sickness resulted from another employee’s spreading their contagious illness in the workplace.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), a person has a “disability” if he/she has a physical/mental impairment substantially limiting a major life activity (such as hearing, sight, or speech, among others). It is unclear whether swine flu meets this definition of disability as this pandemic only recently became so widespread.

However, the ADA prohibits covered employers (all employers with 15+ employees) from excluding individuals with disabilities from the workplace for health or safety reasons unless the individual poses a “direct threat” (a significant risk of substantial harm even with reasonable accommodation). It also requires reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. And, it regulates employers’ disability-related inquiries and medical examinations for all applicants and employees.

Snow update From Howard County Executive

February 15, 2010 — Thanks to a tremendous team effort from County residents, businesses, and public servants, things are beginning to return to normal in Howard County. We're still not there yet, but I can assure you that Howard County Government will continue to work its hardest until the job is done.

To that end, we know that many streets are still not clear from curb to curb. Our crews are using front-end loaders and other heavy equipment to open additional travel lanes and clear hard packed snow from the pavement. This work will be ongoing over the coming days, but because of the limited space to pile snow and the expansiveness of this task, it will take some time before our roads are fully cleared of snow. In addition, be aware that this snow removal work will at times block traffic. Please continue to use extreme caution and drive slowly when out on the roads, especially at intersections.

I know the question on the minds of parents throughout the county is "When will schools re-open?" Our Superintendent, Dr. Sydney Cousin, announced this afternoon that schools will be closed on Tuesday.

Update: Howard County Executive Ken Ulman

February 11, 2010

Dear Neighbors,

Thank you for your continued patience as we work diligently to clean up from this historic week of winter weather. I am writing to share an update on our recovery effort in Howard County.

Our plow crews were out in full force today working with crews from the Columbia Association, school system, and the private contractors we hired. As always, our top priority is making the roads passable for emergency response purposes, and we made significant progress on that goal today. We will continue to work tirelessly until all roads meet this standard, at which point we will transition our operations to improving conditions at intersections and on neighborhood streets.

Protect your hands and arms from winter weather injuries

Editor's note: This isn't really a business story but it's timely.

February 11, 2010 — In addition to Jack Frost nipping at your nose, you also have to protect yourself from hand and arm injuries when dealing with snow and ice. Dr. Christopher Forthman, an Lutherville orthopaedic surgeon with Greater Chesapeake Hand Specialists, P.A. in Lutherville, explains common types of injuries, prevention techniques and treatment options.

Slip Sliding Away

Unfortunately, there is no simple way to avoid falling on snow and ice, the best you can do is to watch out for ice, wear appropriate footwear, and avoid steps and other elevations such as a roof.
When we fall, we tend to land on our outstretched hands so that we avoid injury to our heads. The result is a quite a large amount of trauma to the upper extremity this time of year.
Fortunately, many injuries are skin bruises and joint sprains. If you can move the injured area, there is no major deformity and the pain is relatively mild, then it is usually safe to treat the injury yourself. Elevate the area and apply a cold compress.
Severe pain, swelling or deformity often indicate that a joint has been dislocated or a bone broken. Most breaks involve fracturing the radius bone at the wrist. See a doctor immediately because often the bone must be realigned and sometimes surgery is necessary.
Fractures and dislocations of the elbow can also occur when you fall onto your outstretched hand. Typically, the elbow hyperextends and the hinge joint breaks. Likewise, the ball and socket up in your shoulder may break if you fall directly onto the arm. See a physician ASAP!

Clean Up Cautiously

Shoveling, scraping and other strenuous clean-up type activities after the snowstorm may result in heart attacks when people are more active than usual.
They also can cause soft tissue injuries such as tears in the rotator cuff, tendonitis at the elbow (“tennis” elbow) or cartilage tears in the wrist.
Many of these soft tissue problems will resolve with rest, cold-compresses and anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen.

To prevent these injuries, consider the following:

Shoveling

If you are healthy, shoveling can be good exercise, but it is a full body activity that requires coordinated motion of the legs, torso and arms. The key is putting your body into the maneuver.
Let your weight help you get under the snow and let your torso help toss it away.
Don’t lift the snow over chest height because it could tear the rotator cuff, the layer of muscles that moves the shoulder.

Scraping

Purchase a window scraper with a good size handle or a handle that allows a two handed grip.
Put your body into chiseling the ice…don’t make your arms do all the work.
Take regular breaks during activity
Consider wearing an elbow or wrist brace if necessary.

Safe Snowblowing

Keep your hands away from the moving parts even if the machine is turned off!
Often energy is stored in the blades and they may recoil if you reach in to unclog the assembly. Always use a stick or other utensil for this process.

Warm Up the Muscles & Dress Warmly for Snowball Play

Warm up and stretch before going outside, especially if you have a snowball fight planned with your kids.
Dress in layers and watch out for signs of frostbite, even when wearing gloves.
Mild frostbite causes a yellow appearance to the skin along with a feeling of burning or tingling.
Sometimes the burning gives way to complete numbness or no pain at all. Don’t let the numbness fool you. Get inside and warm the affected areas.
If you develop redness and swelling, go to the emergency room. Wound care may be necessary in the hospital and particularly deep injuries may require amputations.

Founded in 1987 and based in Lutherville, Md., Greater Chesapeake Hand Specialists, P.A. focuses on providing successful outcomes for the entire spectrum of problems associated with the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder. The practice group, which consists of nine full-time physicians, maintains seven satellite locations throughout Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Howard and Talbot counties, as well as Baltimore City. For more information visit www.chesapeakehand.com.