Page 16 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 or altered. The Postal Service cannot guarantee a 100 percent delivery rate.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes COMPREHENSIVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PACKAGE (H 4879) House 155-0, approved a bill designed to make mental health care more accessible in the Bay State. Provisions include the implementation of the nationwide 988 hotline to access 24/7 suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis services; a public awareness campaign on the state’s red fl ag laws that limit access to guns for people at risk of hurting themselves or others; creation of online portals that provide access to real-time data on youth and adults seeking mental health and substance use services, including a function that allows health care providers to easily search and fi nd open beds; giving the state additional tools to enforce existing parity laws which are aimed at providing equal benefits for physical and mental health treatment; and requiring insurance coverage of critical behavioral health services. “Everyone deserves access to quality mental health services, yet far too many people face unnecessary barriers to care,” said Rep. Adrian Madaro (D-East Boston), House Chair of the Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Committee. “This bill reaffi rms the House’s commitment to increasing access to behavioral health care across Massachusetts. For too long, the healthcare system has not treated behavioral health as equal to physical health, creating obstacles in addressing the mental health crisis, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. That’s why this timely piece of legislation makes critical steps toward prioritizing mental health services for people across the commonwealth, including our youth who have been acutely aff ected, and those who face challenges in getting the care they need. These policies refl ect our strong belief that behavioral health care is essential.” “I’m proud of the legislation passed by the House today that builds on our long-standing efforts to advance important reforms and substantial investments that are aimed at improving our behavioral health care delivery system,” said Speaker of the House Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “From addressing the behavioral health crisis that our young people are currently experiencing, to our eff orts to alleviate emergency department boarding, to provisions that will bring us closer to treating mental and physical health equally, this legislation will benefi t all residents in the commonwealth when accessing critical health care.” The Senate approved its own version of the bill in November. A House-Senate conference committee will likely hammer out a compromised version. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS HEALTHCARE – Massachusetts’ health care system is ailing in the lingering aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. Hospitals are suff ering severe fi nancial losses, putting smaller providers in peril as the larger players look to expand and consolidate. Behavioral health has become an acute priority in a system with limited capacity. Join the State House News Service and MASSterList for an in-person convening of government and industry leaders on the challenges and opportunities within the commonwealth’s health care system on Tuesday, June 28 at the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) at 10 Winter Place in Boston. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. for networking and light refreshments, with the program beginning at 8:30 a.m. Sign up at: https://www.eventbrite. com/e/the-state-of-massachusetts-health-care-tickets358812496837?aff =BHRC SALES TAX HOLIDAY ON AUGUST 13 AND 14 - The House and Senate set Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14 as this year’s Sales Tax Holiday. This will allow consumers to buy most products that cost under $2,500 on those two days without paying the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax. This annual sales-tax-free weekend was made permanent in 2018 and gives the Legislature the authority to set the dates by June 15 each year. Supporters of the holiday say it has been in eff ect for many years, would boost retail sales and noted that consumers would save millions of dollars. They argue that the state’s sales tax revenue loss would be off set by increased revenue from the meals and gas tax revenue generated by shoppers on those two days. Opponents of the bill say the state cannot aff ord the up to $30 million estimated revenue loss and argued the holiday actually generates little additional revenue for stores because consumers typically buy the products even without the tax-free days. They say that the Legislature should be looking at broader, deeper tax relief for individuals and businesses and not a tiny tax-free holiday. BORROW $5 BILLION FOR STATE PROJECTS (S 2920) – The Senate approved, on a voice vote without a roll call vote, a $5 billion bond bill that borrows money for hundreds of construction projects—the majority involving maintenance and modernization projects of buildings related to health care, higher education, information technology, workforce development, the environment and affordable housing. Many of the buildings are decades old. The Senate added millions of dollars during consideration of the package. A key provision imposes a five-year moratorium on any prison or jail construction in Massachusetts. “We need a fi ve-year pause on new jail and prison construction and prison expansion to ensure that the pathways away from incarceration for women and for men, pathways that the House and Senate helped create, are being justly used and often used, “said Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). “These investments will kickstart important projects related to buildings, infrastructure, pollution mitigation, broadband services and more, providing incalculable benefi ts to the residents of Massachusetts,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “Today’s passage of the [bill] will support a strong future for our commonwealth through critical infrastructure and information technology investments in areas like public higher education, cybersecurity, state building decarbonization and much more,” said Sen. Michael Rodrigues (D -Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “This legislation represents the Senate’s commitment to ensuring that our commonwealth’s institutions are modernized while continuing to responsibly steward our state’s fi scal health and strengthening our reputation as a good place to do business.” said Sen. Nick Collins (D-Boston), Senate Chair of the Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets. There were 174 amendments filed by members, many of which were off ered by legislators for projects in their own district. Members pitched their amendments behind closed doors. In the end, there was debate on only a few individual amendments while most were bundled into two mega-consolidated amendments and approved or rejected on a voice BEACON | SEE PAGE 17 by Jim Miller Is Skin Cancer Hereditary? Dear Savvy Senior, Is skin cancer hereditary? My 63-year-old brother died of melanoma last year, and I’m wondering if I’m at higher risk. Younger Sister Dear Younger, While long-term sun exposure and sunburns are the biggest risk factors for melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – having a sibling or parent with melanoma does indeed increase your risk, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. Each year, around 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, and about 7,500 people will die from it. While anyone can get it, those most often diagnosed are Caucasians, age 50 and older. And those with the highest risk are people with red or blond hair, blue or green eyes, fair skin, freckles, moles, a family history of skin cancer and those who had blistering sunburns in their youth. Skin Exams The best way you can guard against melanoma and other skin cancers (basal and squamous cell carcinomas) is to protect yourself from the sun, and if you’re over age 50, get a full-body skin exam done by a dermatologist every year, especially if you’re high risk. Self-examinations done every month or so is also a smart way to detect early problems. Using mirrors, check the front and backside of your entire body, including the tops and undersides of your arms and hands, between your toes and the soles of your feet, your neck, scalp and buttocks. Be on the lookout for new growths, moles that have changed, or sores that don’t heal, and follow the ABCDE rule when examining suspicious moles. Asymmetry: One half of a mole doesn’t match the other. Border: The border is blurred or ragged. Color: The mole has uneven colors, often shades of brown, tan or black, with patches of pink, red, white or blue. Diameter: The lesion is new or at least a quarter inch in diameter. Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape or color. For more self-examination tips and actual pictures of what to look for, see SpotSkinCancer.org or use a skin cancer detection app like Miiskin. com, MoleMapper.org or SkinVision.com. In the spring and summer, there are also a variety of places that off er free skin cancer screenings, like the American Academy of Dermatology (spotskincancer.org) and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (asds.net/ skincancerscreening.aspx), which off er screenings done by volunteer dermatologists across the U.S. Sun Protection Even though you can’t change your skin or family history, there are some proven strategies that can help you protect yourself. For starters, when you go outside put-on broad-spectrum SPF 30, water-resistant sunscreen on both sunny and cloudy days. If you don’t like the rub-on lotions, try the continuous spray-on sunscreens which are easier to apply and re-apply and less messy. Also, seek the shade when rays are most intense – between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can also protect your skin by wearing a widebrimmed hat, and long sleeves and pants when possible. The best clothing options are tightly woven fabrics that help prevent the sun’s rays from reaching your skin, or you can wash in an invisible shield sun protection into your clothes with SunGuard laundry additive (see sunguarduv.com). You can even buy a variety of lightweight clothing and hats that off er maximum UV protection in their fabric. Coolibar.com and SunPrecautions. com are two good sites that off er these products. Treatments If caught early, melanoma is nearly 100 percent curable. But if it’s not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. Standard early treatment for melanoma is surgical removal. In advanced cases, however, immunotherapies and targeted therapies have shown positive results, or chemotherapy and radiation may be used. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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