Heavy Hitters!

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Kanawha County official is saying no to the idea of ambulance companies charging extra fees for obese patients - an idea that has gained traction elsewhere.

Kanawha Commission President Kent Carper said he would never support such a billing.

"There have been arguments made," he said. "We do have patients that arguably cause injury to medics, but I've seen this idea tossed around before and I think it's almost getting abusive to people."
http://www.dailymail.com/News/Kanawha/200910260880



Why not? Airlines charge extra for "extra baggage". They also charge double for obese passengers. Nothing has sent paramedics to the disability roles faster than obese patients. Paramedics were trained to move people, NOT PIANOS. Many of these patients will need a fork lift to put them down in the grave after they pass-away.

Abuse of people?? Yeah, it's abusive all right, when you expect paramedics to move someone that they KNOW will cause them injury! It's also abusive to the taxpayers who end up paying for the extra wear and tear to the equipment that these poor tubs of lard cause.

Fine with me if anyone wants to weigh 450 pounds. It's not my decision to make for someone else. BUT, don't expect me to pay the cost of YOUR decisions. And don't expect others to injure themselves just becuase you want to weigh that much.

The extra fee is for having a second paramedic crew respond to help in the lift.
King Kent understands this, but he also realizes that there is a good chance that the majority of his supporters have a higher than average BMI.
King Kent's solution to this problem will be to install a weight room at KCEAA main operations on Brooks street to help the paramedics "bulk up" on the taxpayer's dime.

BTW.....has anyone seen Joe Lynch(KCEAA's director) recently? His $89,000+ salary has bought him more than a few Big Macs over the last 20 years.

Maybe they could just shoot up all the parmedics with steroids to solve the problem. (No, I am NOT serious, but it makes no less sense than charging someone who uses two paramedic teams the same price that the rest of us pay who only use one.)

hell,just get a flat-bed truck and a front-end loader

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Targeting obesity and diabetes in children before they’re even born, research shows obese-diabetic mothers produce obese-diabetic babies setting them up for a lifetime of health problems.

One local doctor is targeting the problem before the baby falls in harm’s way.

“Because of the baby and your health and everything too, it’s really serious because it could hurt both of you,” said Mary Middleton.

Mary learned that lesson the hard way, during her first pregnancy with her daughter, Brooklyn, two years ago. For years prior to that, she battled her weight and struggled with diabetes and high blood pressure. But, it took that pregnancy to get serious about her health.

“I’m afraid something could be wrong with the baby,” said Mary.

“When the mother is fat, the baby is born fat,” said Dr. Singh.

Dr. Shailini Singh is a perinatologist which means she specializes in high-risk pregnancies involving a wide range of health problems. Her specialty is dealing with diabetes in pregnancy. She is also the director of the Cabell Huntington Hospital Perinatal Center and Perinatal Diabetes Center.

West Virginia leads the nation in obesity, but that growing epidemic is affecting the unborn in massive numbers through diabetes and high blood pressure.

“I don’t tell my 300-pounder to go run. I can’t do that. But, I tell them to go around the block once, twice,” said Dr. Singh.

Dr. Singh says the key to controlling diabetes and high blood pressure is through exercise, diet and major lifestyle changes. That’s what Mary did.

“I try to watch what I eat and watch my carbs and not eat a lot of sugars,” Mary said.

“I tell them my job is to have a healthy mom and a healthy baby and they’re responsible for the future health of their own children. If they make the change, not only will that start the change of better health for themselves, but also their baby” Dr. Singh said.

Improving the health of mother and baby for a healthier society.

Babies born to obese mothers with diabetes not only tend to also be obese and have sugar problems, but can also have under-developed lungs that may land them in the NICU right after birth.