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The actress and comedian discusses her history with emotional eating and how to overcome criticism from "haters".

Although actress, producer, and comedian Rebel Wilson's "Year of Health" officially ends on December 31, 2020, it seems like it's time for her to move into the plural. She officially started at 3rd place in "Years of Health".

"Starting the New Year off strong! HAPPY NEW YEAR you are legend, love from failure!" she captioned a sparkling holiday photo of herself on Instagram as Wilson called in 2022 in Australia.

Rebel wilson weight loss how she lost 77 pounds !
rebel Wilson weight loss and the secret of her success

Wilson has taken her fans and followers every step of the way, documenting her progress through candid Instagram photos and captions:

And celebrate her proud moments. "You have to celebrate—life is short and you just have to love and live it," Wilson recently wrote in his 2021 synopsis. "You know how I've lived with them for the past few years? Well, this year is the Year of the Rainbow 🌈 ... after the storm, the rainbow always appears," she added, likely being a nod back after a breakup - previous boyfriend, Jacob Busch.

In a December 6, 2021 interview with BBC World Service, Wilson said that she decided to share on Instagram that she would declare 2020 as her "Year of Health", because I wanted to make it. a lasting change and I want to take responsibility for it. I guess it's helpful to make it public, but it's risky. Before I lose weight and wear it again, and you are sometimes criticized for it. "

When Wilson decided to prioritize his health in 2020, "I got a lot of feedback from people on my team, really, here in Hollywood," added Wilson in the BBC interview, noted that her team was hesitant about her career success. in films from Bridesmaids to Pitch Perfect to Jojo Rabbit can be associated with her image "probably twice the size and sometimes three times the weight of other actresses," given the frame size her picture 16 or 18.

That didn't stop her, however: "Deep down inside I know that some of the emotional eating behaviors I'm engaging in are unhealthy. I don't need ice cream every night. It's me numbing my emotions with food, which is not healthy.

However, all the attention she soon received as she lost 10, then 40, then 80 pounds, was admittedly uncomfortable at times.

"In 2019, I've had four pretty successful movies out and done all of these other great things in my career. But then the next year, all I did was lose weight. 80 pounds. And the extra attention is going on an Oscar-nominated movie, producing a movie and all that," outspoken Wilson told the BBC. "I've noticed that it's getting a lot of attention...is that what a woman has to do in the world to lose weight to get noticed? For me it's the healthiest version of me - it's It's not about size or a number or anything. But it's so hot! Why are people so obsessed with it?"

It's also been interesting to see how others treat her, Wilson said in the same BBC chat.

"I know what it feels like to be a woman who is basically invisible...when there's no one to hold the door for you, or just look at you like you're almost worthless because you're not supposed to be. good looking to them. You understand this favors you purely because of your looks, which you can't deny is wrong."

"There were some people who said, 'oh, she's not going to be funny now?" And I'm like, 'check out my new movies in a new year [probably referring to Senior Year, coming to Netflix in 2022] coming out and see what you think, guys. "What it has done in terms of career is opens a whole other door to dramatic roles," Wilson said, going on to explain that she could have only focused on comedies on a larger scale. her past.

As she looks ahead, Wilson also takes time to reflect on how far she's come — and shares what she's learned along the way. Read on for more wisdom from the rest of that BBC interview, a November 2021 sit-down with Women's Health magazine, plus an hour-long narration she shared on Instagram Live in December 2020.

While we've all witnessed physical transformations, Wilson says the biggest changes happen internally. In the past, she's had a "Year of Joy" and a "Year of Love," and Wilson enters 2020 determined to make it a "Year of Health." e".

In sharing what he's learned along the way, Wilson admitted on Live, "I'm not a medical professional... I can only speak from my personal experience and try to share one There's no one right book or one product or one thing you can buy; you can just learn tidbits about what works for you."

 

Rebel wilson weight loss how she lost 77 pounds !
Rebel Wilson weight loss successful

How did Rebel Wilson lose weight and stay in shape?

1. Remember your "why".

Wilson's "why" is to be healthy before freezing eggs to be able to have children later. (Wilson was diagnosed in her 20s with polycystic ovary syndrome.) It's also about feeling better and conquering her emotional eating — while staying true to herself.

2. Wilson is not restrained or trained "like an animal".

Instead, she aims to "attack health from every angle" and give herself a chance if she takes a day off or eats something out of place as part of her Mayr Method diet plan. she .

3. Find your favorite way to get in shape.

She gets most of her activity from walking. Wilson said on Live. She would watch a podcast or a book and just walk around whatever town she was in. Six out of seven days a week, Wilson sets a goal of 60 minutes of exercise (walking or working out with one of her personal trainers). One day a week is for rest. Wilson also took to Instagram to show off how she got a constant arm workout with a bottle of vodka!

4. Be true to yourself.

In early 2020, Wilson wrote a letter to himself to make his commitment to health more tangible. (FYI, we have some helpful tips for setting weight loss goals that you can actually achieve!). Now that she's hit her goal weight, Wilson mostly practices walking and gets good at treating the muscles between them by soaking in a bath with Epsom salts or bath oils, she tells Women's Health.

5. Pay attention to your nutrition.

"You can't just ignore a bad diet, that's something I should have known but really didn't know until this year," says Wilson. She used to eat fast food a few times a week as a kid, or would think a tough workout gave her the green light to eat 3,000 or 4,000 calories that day. During the "Health Year," her goal was to keep 1,500 calories or less while she was losing weight, and now that she's on a maintenance regimen, Wilson has adjusted to 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day. After some experimentation, Wilson discovered that she felt best when she ate a high-protein diet. She doesn't "eat clean" every day, but focuses on how her body feels after she consumes all she does — and makes a goal to eat everything mindfully.

 

Since she's not trying to lose any more LB, Wilson tells Women's Health that she incorporates more snacks, plus the occasional ice cream and chocolate, into her menu to make it. easier to "maintain". She also incorporates more healthy ingredients into her favorite dishes, such as adding shredded carrots and avocado to her tacos.

"The biggest lesson I've learned is how to deal with my emotional eating, learn to process my emotions and deal with my emotions better," she tells Women's Health. "That's what really changed my life for the better."

6. Try meditation.

If she's feeling stressed, Wilson opens a meditation app (here are five of our favorites here at eatWell!) to "get back in shape," she said on Live.

"Guys, get out there, walk, walk, walk. Drink water, find the best foods to fuel your body, and if you're like me and suffer from emotional eating, , consider that and how you can help yourself in that area," Wilson concluded in the Instagram video. Words of wisdom from a woman who now calls herself "Just right for Amy".

7. Love yourself.

"I'm a very confident, professional, well-rounded person, but I still suffer from low self-worth and not loving myself," she said on Live. Writing about emotions is helpful, says Wilson. She sets a 12-minute timer, then writes down all of her feelings so they don't get stuck — then ends with one to five things she's grateful for that day.

During those thoughts, she realized that the number on the scale had absolutely nothing to do with it. To the BBC, Wilson said, "I'm proud that the message has been delivered that it's not just about losing weight, but about me being healthier overall. That's something I'm trying to encourage others out there. that's... that should be the goal, not to conform to some beauty standard that society considers the beauty standard of that year."


Rebel Wilson weight loss successful
Rebel Wilson weight loss successful

Rebel Wilson Weight Loss Conclusion

Yes, losing weight is a challenge. But holding it back after the "Health Year" could be an even more impressive achievement, explains Victoria Seaver, MS, RD, registered dietitian and EatWell's deputy digital editor. Of those who lost a significant amount of weight, about 80 percent of them regained most or all of it within five years, according to a 2019 study in the journal Medical Clinics of North America.

"A lot of the time, people lose weight too quickly, and fast weight loss doesn't mean long-term weight loss. Sustainable and healthy weight loss is up to 1 to 2 pounds per week. If you lose more than that, Your body will eventually try to compensate by making you crave high-calorie foods, so it can get the energy it needs to function daily, as well as replenish its stores. We see this a lot when people follow a really strict, restrictive diet. Once they stop dieting, they gain the weight back and then some more. That's why it's important to follow a sustainable diet or diet and something you can do easily for a lifetime," says Seaver.

Follow the Mediterranean diet: It's easy to follow, she adds, full of flavor building blocks, and "because it includes so many low-calorie vegetables and high-fiber foods, you can lose weight in a healthy way".

"Hopefully you'll find that feeling energized, have a more positive outlook on life, and enjoy the meals you're eating - rather than stressing over them - is a better sign of health." compared to the number on the scale," says Seaver.

You can check out these articles here for a calorie calculator and a list of free online tools and apps to track what you're eating. easy to calculate and apply.

Wilson echoed the same sentiment in the BBC interview: "I'm 100% mature in my appearance and feel like at 41, I look better than ever, which I think is rare. Most people peek when they're 20. Maybe to me it's like my life's journey is about to line up, and for me it's only hit at 40. But what I try to do is share just enough so that people can somewhat understand the hardships I went through… and to help people,” she said. Ultimately, Wilson says it's important to remember, "you can be any size you want, just try to be the healthiest version of you. And that may be different for everyone else. together."

For more weight loss tips, read our listed and proven weight loss strategies articles here.

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Tight labor market means lower medical costs for workers
Tight labor market means lower medical costs for workers


Healthcare costs fell in the form of lower deductibles and copays this year thanks to a tightening labor market as employees can more easily find work elsewhere.

A new analysis by employee benefits consulting firm Mercer shows that the transfer of more costs in total employer premiums to workers has been reduced this year, particularly in for lower-wage workers. Employees are now seeing some of this health care good news continuing through 2022 as they choose their healthcare benefits during open enrollment, the annual period that allows them change or choose coverage for the following year.

“Concerns about the affordability of health care for lower-wage workers, coupled with the need to retain and attract employees in a competitive labor market, have been overwhelming,” said Mercer. led to an unexpected reversal in some health plan cost-sharing trends.” This week looks at changes to health benefits this year. The data comes from Mercer's national survey of more than 1,700 employer-sponsored health plans with 50 or more employees.

Here are some notable points:

Among small employers with 50 to 499 workers, the “average deductible” for individual coverage in a preferred provider organization (PPO) drops to $900 from $1,000. dollars.

The average deductible for an individual in the qualifying plan for a health savings account dropped to $1,850 from $2,000.

Major employers have increased family coverage in PPO plans from just $12 to $602 a month this year from $590 a month.

Major employers haven't increased their employees' premium contributions much, with the average monthly wage deductible increasing $7 "for employee-only coverage" to $167 from $160.

“Not only have most employers delayed increasing deductions and other cost-sharing provisions, but some have even made changes to reduce employee out-of-pocket spending on benefits. health services,” said Mercer.


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Source shared from: forbes.com

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News about the latest covid-19 epidemic in the US

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday refused to block New York’s requirement that health care workers be vaccinated against the coronavirus even when they cite religious objections.

News about vaccination in the US
News about vaccination in the US

As is often the court’s practice in rulings on emergency applications, its unsigned order included no reasoning. But Justice Neil M. Gorsuch filed a 14-page dissent saying that the majority had betrayed the court’s commitment to religious liberty.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. joined Justice Gorsuch’s dissent. Justice Clarence Thomas also said he would have blocked the vaccine requirement, but he gave no reasons.

The Supreme Court in October refused to provide relief to health care workers in Maine who had made an essentially identical request in a challenge to a similar state requirement, over the dissents of the same three justices.

The court has also rejected challenges to vaccination requirements at Indiana University, for personnel in New York City’s school system and for workers at a Massachusetts hospital. The court also rejected a challenge to a federal mandate requiring masks for air travel.

All of those rulings were issued by just one justice, which can be a sign that the legal questions involved were not considered substantial. But those one-justice rulings did not involve religion.

In his dissent on Monday in the case from New York, Justice Gorsuch wrote that the practical consequences of the court’s decision would be grave.

“Thousands of New York health care workers face the loss of their jobs and eligibility for unemployment benefits,” he wrote.

“These applicants are not ‘anti-vaxxers’ who object to all vaccines,” Justice Gorsuch added. “Instead, the applicants explain, they cannot receive a Covid-19 vaccine because their religion teaches them to oppose abortion in any form, and because each of the currently available vaccines has depended upon abortion-derived fetal cell lines in its production or testing.”

“The Free Exercise Clause protects not only the right to hold unpopular religious beliefs inwardly and secretly,” he wrote. “It protects the right to live out those beliefs publicly.”

The ruling came in a pair of challenges brought by doctors, nurses and other health care workers who said the requirement violated their right to the free exercise of religion. They argued that the availability of a medical exemption meant that the state was discriminating against religious practice, citing decisions of the Supreme Court striking down limits on religious gatherings that the justices in the majority said were more restrictive than ones imposed on secular gatherings.

A federal judge in Brooklyn ruled against the challengers in the case before him, but another federal judge, in Utica, ruled for the challengers in a second case.

In a consolidated appeal in the two cases, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in New York, refused to block the requirement.

“Faced with an especially contagious variant of the virus in the midst of a pandemic that has now claimed the lives of over 750,000 in the United States and some 55,000 in New York, the state decided as an emergency measure to require vaccination for all employees at health care facilities who might become infected and expose others to the virus, to the extent they can be safely vaccinated,” a unanimous three-judge panel of the appeals court wrote in an unsigned opinion. “This was a reasonable exercise of the State’s power to enact rules to protect the public health.”

In an emergency application asking the Supreme Court to intercede, the health care workers’ lawyers wrote that the requirement “imposes an unconscionable choice on New York health care workers: abandon their faith or lose their careers and their best means to provide for their families.”

Barbara D. Underwood, New York’s solicitor general, responded that the state does not allow a religious exemption for its longstanding requirements for measles and rubella. The medical exemption for the vaccination requirement, she added, “is tightly constrained in both scope and duration,” making very few people eligible for it.

As a general matter, she wrote, “achieving high vaccination rates in particularly vulnerable settings is of the utmost importance.”

In his dissent, Justice Gorsuch wrote protecting religious freedom warranted a different approach.

“Today, we do not just fail the applicants,” he wrote. “We fail ourselves.”

“We allow the state to insist on the dismissal of thousands of medical workers — the very same individuals New York has depended on and praised for their service on the pandemic’s front lines over the last 21 months,” Justice Gorsuch wrote. “To add insult to injury, we allow the state to deny these individuals unemployment benefits too. One can only hope today’s ruling will not be the final chapter in this grim story.”

Justice Gorsuch invoked similar reasoning in the Maine case.

“Where many other states have adopted religious exemptions, Maine has charted a different course,” Justice Gorsuch wrote at the time. “There, health care workers who have served on the front line of a pandemic for the last 18 months are now being fired and their practices shuttered. All for adhering to their constitutionally protected religious beliefs. Their plight is worthy of our attention.”

Shared source: nytime.com

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Washington County health department distributes COVID tests at home
Washington County health department distributes COVID tests at home

The Washington County Department of Health is receiving approximately 700 COVID-19 home testing kits from 500,000 distributed by the Maryland Department of Health.

According to a statement from Governor Larry Hogan's office, Abbott BinaxNOW Ag At-Home testing kits are being made available free of charge to help the public test more ahead of the pending holiday and winter holidays.

“By making these home testing kits available through local health departments, we are giving Marylanders more choice and peace of mind as we head into the holiday season,” Hogan said. ,” Hogan said in the press release. "Of course, the most important thing you can do, if you haven't already, is get a shot or booster shot."

In Washington County, the health department plans to conduct tests, said spokeswoman Danielle Stahl.

"We've distributed several hundred kits directly to local organizations who engage with underserved communities to reach those with limited access to resources." Stahl wrote in an email. "We are currently reviewing locations and partnering with organizations across the county to distribute these kits. We will be announcing these locations on our website and social media. me in the coming weeks."

So far, the county health department has distributed the kits to the Reach of Washington County, the Salvation Army of Hagerstown and the Center for Hope at Hagerstown Rescue Mission, Stahl said.

Each kit contains two COVID-19 tests approved for use by one person, and the tests will be administered at least 36 hours apart and within three days of each other, according to the release. The tests are self-testing and results are available in 15 minutes.

“Immunizations and testing remain the two most important actions Marylanders can take to keep themselves and their loved ones protected from COVID-19,” said State Health Secretary Dennis R. Schrader said in the statement. “We are committed to providing free, accessible COVID-19 testing statewide, and these at-home testing kits will strengthen other state-supported testing initiatives.”

Where can I get vaccinated?

The county health department offers immunization clinics throughout the county throughout the week.

All three COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the third dose and booster, are available at all the health department's vaccine clinics, according to a separate bulletin from the department. To check vaccine eligibility and dosage, visit washcohealth.org. Welcome or to schedule a vaccination appointment, call 240-313-3456 or visit the website.

Here are the upcoming clinics:

Monday, November 29: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at St. Mark's Lutheran, 601 Washington Avenue in the West End of Hagerstown.

Tuesday, November 30: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Boonsboro American Legion, 710 N. Main St., Boonsboro

Wednesday, December 1-7 p.m. at the Washington County Department of Health, 1302 Pennsylvania Avenue, Hagerstown

The health department only offers the Pfizer vaccine to people 12 to 15 years old. There will be special clinics for 5 to 11 year olds at the health department office in Hagerstown from 1 to 7 p.m. every Tuesday, starting December 15.

Washington County Public Schools and Meritus Health Services are working with the health department to establish vaccine clinics for this age group at WCPS sites.

The health department is also offering drive-and-walk COVID-19 testing:

Monday, November 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hagerstown Housing Authority, 36 W. Lee St.

Wednesday, 1:10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hagerstown Housing Authority, 36 W. Lee St.

Meritus Health is also offering a daily immunization clinic at the Robinwood Professional Center Atrium, 11110 Medical Campus Road east of Hagerstown. The first and second doses are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The booster shots are available the same days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. More information is available on the health system's website at www.meritushealth.com.

Reference source: yahoo.com

This article originally appeared in The Herald-Mail

Maryland health department provides Washington County with home COVID tests


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If you want to lose weight, don't over-exercise - here's why you need to know
If you want to lose weight, don't over-exercise

When it comes to improving our fitness, the time you don't spend exercising (often referred to as "recovery") is just as important as the time you practice and train.

You will lose weight properly with a methodical and not too much exercise

Overtraining occurs when there is an imbalance between the amount of exercise you do and the amount of recovery you have between training sessions. It can cause impaired immune response, altered hormonal activity, and persistent fatigue (usually lasting more than four weeks). But some reports and online commentary also suggest that overtraining may be the reason why some people are struggling to lose weight - or it may even cause them to gain weight. This is unlikely - here's why.

Not only is recovery important for those looking to build muscle, leaving enough time to recover between workouts is also important to avoid "overtraining" - a form of extreme fatigue that can be overwhelming. Recovery can take weeks to years.

To lose weight, you must create what is known as a “calorie deficit”. This basically just means burning more calories than you're taking in and for a sustained period of time.

There are two ways to reach a calorie deficit - whether it's changing your diet so you eat fewer calories than your body burns, or increasing your exercise intake so you burn more calories than you're taking in. into the.

On this basis, it seems realistic to expect that if someone over-exercises they will probably burn more calories than they are taking in - leading to weight loss. But some people believe that because exercise puts a strain on the body, overdoing it will put long-term stress on the body - which in turn leads to weight gain. This counterintuitive link is often related to a hormone called cortisol.

The hormone cortisol is often released in response to stress - such as emotional stress from work or school. Cortisol is also released when we complete moderate or intense exercise stress. The body does this to help prepare for the stress it will experience - so it requires the body to release some energy to help complete whatever exercise we're doing.

The stress-related increases in cortisol levels associated with exercise are usually short-lived and usually return to normal within an hour of exercise. As a result, anyone who regularly exercises at a high level will experience persistently elevated cortisol levels due to exercise-related stress.

Your stress and weight need specific understanding

Overexposure to cortisol leads to increased activation of a particular enzyme called lipoprotein lipase that exists in fat cells. This enzyme tells cells to increase fat storage and explains why excessive stress can sometimes lead to increased fat in the abdomen, face and chest area. Excessively high levels of cortisol can also make it easier for adipose tissue to regenerate cortisol in the adipose tissue itself - further increasing lipoprotein lipase activity and subsequent fat storage.

Research from my own lab has found that the cortisol response to a high-intensity stress test, 30-minute cycle exercise is reduced after a short period (11 days) of exercise. high amtitude. This, along with findings from other research, suggests that during periods of overtraining, our blood cortisol levels can actually drop in response to a stressful event - for example. like exercise.

There is some evidence that the group of cortisol-producing glands (called the HPA axis) is affected by overtraining. But much of this research shows that cortisol's response to stress is actually reduced during periods of overtraining.

This may be a protective mechanism for the body when it is repeatedly exposed to increased levels of cortisol. This means that a period of intense exercise is unlikely to increase fat storage and weight gain.

An average person's rate of overtraining

Even if you exercise regularly, it's hard to know your risk from overtraining. We know that advanced athletes are more likely to be overtrained due to their intense training needs, with studies showing that between 30% and 60% of athletes overtrain. . But research looking specifically at how often the average person experiences overtraining is rare.

So why can people experience weight loss even if they are exercising regularly? While the hormone cortisol has been linked to weight gain, the average person exercising a few times a week is unlikely to stress their bodies enough to cause the type of cortisol to spike significantly and sustainably. to do this.

If you have been successful in losing weight but find that your progress has stalled, then you should calculate if you now Do you need fewer calories? Adding some extra light activity every day - such as a lunchtime walk - can also help you burn some extra calories without stressing your body.

The reason people may experience weight loss - or even weight gain - despite going to the gym a few times a week or even daily can be due to any number of factors. Excessive stress in your day can be a cause, along with a poor-quality diet, of not running into a calorie deficit or even overestimating the number of calories you burn in the gym.

While overtraining shouldn't stop the average person from losing weight, it's important to incorporate rest days into your exercise routine to avoid fatigue and allow your muscles to recover.

 

Source: https://theconversation.com/

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New York home health agencies to pay $18.5 million to settle violations
New York home health agencies to pay $18.5 million to settle violations

One of the largest home health groups in New York has agreed to pay millions of dollars to resolve wage-and-hour violations.

The home health group is made up of Intergen Health LLC and Amazing Home Care Services LLC, which share ownership and employees. Both Intergen and Amazing Home Care primarily serve New York’s Medicaid population, according to a recent announcement from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office.

“In New York City, we fight to protect all workers — including those who work in people’s homes,” de Blasio said in the announcement. “Home health care workers care for our families and not only deserve paid safe and sick leave — it’s their right. To any company in New York City that thinks they can get away with withholding workers’ rights and violating our laws: We will hold you accountable.”

The announcement — part of an ongoing home health-enforcement initiative — was made jointly with New York State Attorney General Letitia James, along with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP).

“Home health aides provide vital support to our vulnerable loved ones,” DCWP Commissioner Peter A. Hatch said. “Sadly, these invaluable workers often face exploitative working conditions that violate important labor protections.”

A joint investigation allegedly found that Intergen Health and Amazing Home Care violated paid safe and sick leave laws in multiple ways, including failing to pay employees when they used leave or firing employees who used unscheduled leave. The home health group additionally required employees to submit documentation explaining why they’re using leave, and failed to provide a formal policy for safe and sick leave, according to New York officials.

On top of all that, the announcement claims Intergen Health and Amazing Home Care refused to pay overtime when employees worked over 40 hours per week, miscalculated overtime rates and refused to pay workers for time spent traveling between patients.

To settle the allegations, Intergen Health and Amazing Home Care agreed to pay $18.6 million in restitution and adopt “extensive compliance measures.” The restitution will be split up into two phases.

In phase one, the home health providers will pay about $2 million to compensate 6,500 employees impacted by violations of paid safe and sick leave laws, along with four employees who were illegally fired. The providers will also pay $5.2 million to compensate roughly 12,000 employees for New York Labor Law violations.

In phase two, which is being resolved in coordination with a private lawsuit, there will be a maximum payout of about $11.5 million to live-in workers. That amount is subject to court approval.

“Home health aides are on the front lines serving the most vulnerable in our communities, yet these agencies denied them the most basic form of dignity and respect: fair pay for a hard day’s work,” Attorney General James said in the announcement. “These hardworking New Yorkers not only deserve the pay that was unfairly denied to them, but also the assurance that this won’t happen again — and that’s exactly what this agreement will do.”

The case was DCWP’s largest investigation into paid safe and sick leave violations to date. This week’s news adds to the department’s previously announced settlements with home health agencies — nearly three dozen in total.

“Let this be a warning to all employers: Exploitative and illegal labor practices will not be tolerated in New York,” James continued.

New York’s aggressive oversight of home health labor abuses began ramping up in July 2017. By September 2018, officials shared findings from an investigation into 42 home health agencies that, together, employed more than 50,000 workers.

“This is similar to what we’re seeing from the United States Department of Labor, where they have identified the home care industry as a high-risk industry with respect to its employees and their treatment,” home care legal expert Angelo Spinola told Home Health Care News at the time. “It appears that [DCWP] is intentionally identifying and targeting home care companies with the idea of sending a message to the industry that it must take [labor] laws seriously.”

HHCN was unable to reach Intergen Health and Amazing Home Care Services.

 

Source: https://homehealthcarenews.com

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New York Attorney General Letitia James urged the Supreme Court Wednesday to deny a request from a group of New York health care workers to block the state's vaccine mandate, arguing that the emergency rule requiring vaccinations for certain health care workers is necessary to combat the spread of the virus, which can lead to a "vicious cycle of staff shortages and deterioration of patient care."


Vaccine Covid-19

James' filing was in response to a lawsuit brought by three nurses and a group called We the Patriots USA, Inc., who object to the fact that while the mandate allows exemptions for those with medical objections, there is no exemption for people with religious objections.

It's the latest dispute concerning the various types of mandates to reach the high court, and it is nearly identical to recent cases brought by workers in Maine. The court has yet to block a mandate, although the Maine mandate went into effect over the objection of three conservative justices.

The nurses say they object to the vaccines because of their distant relation to fetal cell lines developed from abortions in the 1970s and 1980s. The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said last December in a note approved by Pope Francis that receiving the shot was morally permitted.

"It is morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process," the Vatican note said. The nurses say they are "devout Christians" who "object to deriving any benefit -- no matter how remote -- from a process involving abortion."

In briefs Wednesday, James said that the vaccines do not contain aborted fetal cells. She said that some cell lines "which are currently grown in a laboratory and are thousands of generations removed from cells collected from a fetus in 1973" were used in the "testing during the research and development phase of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines." She added that the use of fetal cell lines for testing is "common" including for the Rubella vaccination.

She said that the "narrow grounds" for an exemption based on medical issues is "largely temporary," such as a "severe or immediate allergic reaction" after a previous dose of the vaccine, and added that in the nursing home sector 88.7% of workers are fully vaccinated.

New York's mandate requires all state health care workers to receive the vaccine and allows an exemption only for those with medical objections.

A lawyer for the nurses said the mandate violates the First Amendment because it requires employers to terminate health care workers who refuse the vaccine because of their religious beliefs, but offers an exemption to those workers who refused based on medical objections.

Last month, when the Supreme Court denied a request to block the Maine rule, the court's right wing -- Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito -- dissented and said they would have halted the mandate while the appeals process plays out.

Writing for his two conservative colleagues, Gorsuch pointed to the fact that "unlike comparable rules in most states," Maine's rule contained no exemption for those whose "sincerely held religious beliefs preclude them from accepting the vaccine."

He said that workers "who have served on the front line of a pandemic for the last 18 months, are now being fired and their practices shuttered," all for "adhering to their constitutionally protected religious beliefs." He added: "Their plight is worthy of our attention."

Sources: cnn.com

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