When dealing with a serious medical diagnosis, such as mesothelioma, one needs information and knowledge. This information can be used for a patient or cargiver to stand up for his/her rights and get the treatment they deserve. Below is the Medical Patient's Bill of Rights - it should be helpful. Also, social workers, nurses, and other providers can help to advocate on a patient's behalf.

The following summarizes eight areas of consumer rights and responsibilities adopted by the President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry in 1998. Many health plans have adopted these principles:

1. Information Disclosure. Consumers have the right to receive accurate, easily understood information and some require assistance in making informed health care decisions about their health plans, professionals, and facilities.
2. Choice of Providers and Plans. Consumers have the right to a choice of health care providers that is sufficient to ensure access to appropriate high-quality health care.
3. Access to Emergency Services. Consumers have the right to access emergency health care services when and where the need arises. Health plans should provide payment when a consumer presents to an emergency department with acute symptoms of sufficient severity -- including severe pain -- such that a "prudent layperson" could reasonably expect the absence of medical attention to result in placing that consumer's health in serious jeopardy, serious impairment to bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.
4. Participation in Treatment Decisions. Consumers have the right and responsibility to fully participate in all decisions related to their health care. Consumers who are unable to fully participate in treatment decisions have the right to be represented by parents, guardians, family members, or other conservators.
5. Respect and Nondiscrimination. Consumers have the right to considerate, respectful care from all members of the health care system at all times and under all circumstances. An environment of mutual respect is essential to maintain a quality health care system.
6. Confidentiality of Health Information. Consumers have the right to communicate with health care providers in confidence and to have the confidentiality of their individually identifiable health care information protected. Consumers also have the right to review and copy their own medical records and request amendments to their records.
7. Complaints and Appeals. All consumers have the right to a fair and efficient process for resolving differences with their health plans, health care providers, and the institutions that serve them, including a rigorous system of internal review and an independent system of external review.
8. Consumer Responsibilities. In a health care system that protects consumers' rights, it is reasonable to expect and encourage consumers to assume reasonable responsibilities. Greater individual involvement by consumers in their care increases the likelihood of achieving the best outcomes and helps support a quality improvement, cost-conscious environment.

As with any serious illness, one faces many challenges upon being diagnosed with Mesothelioma. While dealing with everything involved, it is natural to wonder how to talk to our children and grandchildren about this illness and its implications—including the possibility of death. It is important to remember that children are resilient and can handle just about anything adults can with enough support. As children are fearful of the unknown, access to information and support services is usually less frightening than what they may be imagining on their own. Once an honest and caring dialogue has been opened up, it is actually not uncommon for a child’s unique perspective to be a source of comfort for the parent or grandparent as well. A child’s reaction to a loved one’s illness and possible loss will vary; it is important to know your children and their coping styles. Children will experience stages of grief and loss much like adults do and need to be allowed the time and space to process their grief.

Below, I’ve compiled some information and strategies to assist with this difficult task.

· Tell your children the truth. Listen carefully to your children’s questions and answer them honestly and simply

· Avoid phrases like “going to sleep” or “going away” which can create confusion and fear

· Be prepared to answer the same questions over and over

· Be prepared to answer tough questions and provide reassurance

· Start the discussion when the illness begins to affect the children

· Explain the diagnosis and treatment plan in age-appropriate language

· Avoid telling children at bedtime as children will need time to play and talk after hearing the news (children’s way of processing information)

· Try to keep your schedule as normal as possible- meals, naps, routines, bedtimes, etc. Predictable routines reassure and help children feel secure

· Stick to your regular household rules and limit setting

· Look for any significant change in behavior that lasts for more than two weeks, this could indicate need for outside help/counseling (changes may include acting-out behavior at school, changes in how your child plays with his friends, difficulty sleeping, and loss of appetite)

There are many additional resources and support options on the web and in your local book stores. Read more at the American Cancer Society website in their article titled “Helping Children When a Family Member Has Cancer: Dealing With a Parent’s Terminal Illness” – for the full article click here

KILDEER, N.D.,/August 10/--The Environmental Protection Agency is calling for further study of an asbestos-like mineral called erionite, found in the Kildeer Mountains of North Dakota. Erionite is a naturally occuring fibrous mineral first discovered in the Kildeer Mountains in the 1980's. Erionite fibers are long and thin, like that of asbestos. Erionite from Kildeer Mountain gravel pits has been used on roads, parking lots, and other locations throughout Dunn County. The EPA began testing erionite samples last October after state health officials were alerted to the published results of a Turkish study linking erionite exposure to lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. As with asbestos, there is a latency period with erionite; mesothelioma or other related lung disease may not manifest itself until 10-40 years after exposure. Preliminary testing of Kildeer Mountain erionite showed it to have a similar composition to that found in Turkey in the 1970's, however the studies proved inconclusive due to the wet, damp weather at the time of testing. According to the EPA, further study is necessary to determine the effects of long-term exposure to erionite and any health risk it may pose to area residents. Part of that study would include x-ray testing of those residents who have had long term exposure to the erionite testing sites.

For more information, click here.

The University of Minnesota announced yesterday that it is launching a new 3-part study to determine whether there is a definite link between taconite mining and mesothelioma. Taconite rock is a low grade iron ore mined from the Mesabi Iron Range region of Minnesota. Once considered waste rock, interest in Taconite as an iron source steadily increased as supply of higher grade iron ore decreased. However, with the increase in taconite mining also came what appears to be an increase in lung disease, particularly mesothelioma, among taconite workers. The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed that 58 former miners have died from mesothelioma. However, it is still not clear whether the taconite miners have contracted mesothelioma and other lung diseases from the inhalation of asbestos fibers in the production plants, or by asbestos-like fibers in the taconite dust inhaled during the mining process. In the first part of the study, which is set to begin within the next few weeks, researchers will examine taconite samples for the existence of asbestos-like fibers, which may help establish a link between taconite mining and mesothelioma. The study is expected to take approximately three years to complete.

For more information, click here.

WASHINGTON/August 8/Business Wire--The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) announced the launch of its Asbestos Video Library today. The ADAO was organized in 2004 by asbestos victims and their families to raise awareness and provide education about the dangers of asbestos exposure and asbestos-related diseases. The Asbestos Video Library is a free, online resource tool which will provide up-to-date information regarding the prevention, detection and treatment of abestos diseases. It will also serve as a unique forum for asbestos victims to interact with each other, as well as with interested members of the science and medical communities, and the general public.

For more information on the ADAO and to view the full announcement, click here.