vote yes support all health care professionals

I am writing to express my support for the bill regarding informed consent for hysterectomy or oophorectomy procedures. It is crucial for patients to be fully informed about their medical procedures and have the freedom to make informed decisions about their own bodies. This bill ensures that patients receive the necessary information and resources before undergoing such procedures, empowering them to make the best choices for their health. Thank you

As a licensed professional counselor who has closely worked with a group in the Hampton Roads area, I've witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of Dr. Perwaiz's unnecessary surgeries on countless women, causing significant mental health challenges. These women were preyed upon and manipulated into undergoing procedures they didn't need. Dr. Perwaiz instilled fear in them, convincing them that their very lives were at stake unless they consented to invasive surgeries, robbing them of their reproductive rights and causing irreversible physical and emotional trauma. It's disheartening to acknowledge that such abuse of power could occur within our healthcare system. Yet, sadly, Dr. Perwaiz's case is not an isolated incident. Across the state, vulnerable individuals are being exploited for financial gain by unscrupulous medical practitioners. While this bill may not single-handedly prevent all instances of such victimization, it represents a crucial step in the right direction. By holding physicians more accountable and prioritizing the protection of patients' rights, we can begin to stem the tide of exploitation and abuse. However, by sending this bill back to committee, I fear we are sending the opposite message. We must continue to advocate for comprehensive reforms that safeguard women's physiological rights and ensure that healthcare professionals uphold the highest ethical standards. Without proactive measures in place, we risk perpetuating a cycle of exploitation and suffering. Let us stand together and demand accountability within the medical community. Let us champion the rights of those who have been wronged and work tirelessly to prevent further injustice. Together, we can create a future where every individual receives the quality care and respect they deserve.

HB217: women should know what consequences these procedures entail HB1035: excellent idea. Please move to report.

YES always to informed consent

I am thankful my Dr was transparent and honest during my hysterectomy. She had a meeting with me and my husband to discuss the surgery, potential options for a less invasive surgery,. Thank you for your consideration off this bill to support women'es rights and reproduction!! Fondly, Mary Beth Libby, M.Ed.

Comments Document

Honorable Mr. Orrock, I ask that you please support HB217, as this bill is very personal to me. I met a wonderful woman and mother, Karen Collins, through a twin Mom club in Spotsylvania. I have known her for a decade. I was absolutely horrified to find out that she had her god given right to have more children taken from her, during an unrelated surgery and without her life being put in danger. Karen is a model citizen and an upstanding ethical person. A complete sweetheart, and her last ovary was taken during an appendectomy without her direct consent. I believe children are a gift from god. The ability to have children and grow your family, under god, is rooted in the same faith that built this nation. These organs are sacred. Without legislation, more misunderstandings / tragedies will continue to occur to wonderful families like my friend Karen. I can't imagine a more horrific thing happening to a more wonderful person. Please prevent this. Had the doctor been legally required to check a box on reproductive organ removal (when life isn't in danger, which it wasn't) - this wonderful Spotsylvania family would have had the blessing of more brothers and sisters. So much suffering can be fixed with this bill. Please support it. Thank you Bobby. I hope this comment is not too late. Respectfully, Jennifer Child, Spotsylvania Virginia. ----- Footnote: This happened to someone I know, personally, and it's heartbreaking and terrible. I am attaching a photo of my friend and her family. (I do not think she would mind). Do you know what is missing in this picture? Her future children that were carelessly stripped from her. This bill is needed.

I support this bill.

As a woman who had my only remaining ovary removed without my consent and without medical necessity, I respectfully urge the committee to support House Bill 217. The removal of any reproductive organ from a woman’s body should be her decision, and hers alone, unless it involves a life-threatening emergency where its removal is necessary to save her life and consent cannot be given. Doctors should not be allowed to hide behind generic, boiler-plate consent form language allowing them to make decisions about reproductive organ removal “in the best interest of the patient”. The best interest of every woman is to provide her the opportunity to make her own informed decisions about what happens to her reproductive organs. Female reproductive organs serve critical roles in women’s health and quality of life, far beyond reproduction. Their removal results in permanent, life-altering changes to a woman’s body. I was sterilized and immediately thrust into surgically-induced menopause at the age of 37 and now have to subject myself to a myriad of man-made hormones to maintain some semblance of normal life. The physical, mental and emotional changes I have experienced since my doctor made an intraoperative decision to remove my fully-functioning ovary without my consent have ruined the quality of life I enjoyed pre-surgery. Additionally, I am now at an increased risk of multiple health issues, to include shortened life expectancy, and am subject to numerous side effects of hormone replacement therapy. Before this happened to me, I never have imagined how often these unnecessary surgeries are happening to women all over the country. It seems like common sense that a doctor wouldn’t be allowed to remove a uterus or ovaries without a woman’s consent, but somehow our society has historically allowed it to happen at alarming rates. And unfortunately, when it does occur and women seek justice, they are largely dismissed by both the medical oversight and legal communities. I was personally told "it was just an ovary" and to "get over it and move on with your life". Women's reproductive organs should never be treated as disposable or collateral damage. I hope you will take the time to consider how big this issue is, beyond my single story. If you are not familiar with Dr. Javaid Perwaiz, the Chesapeake, Virginia gynecologist recently sentenced to 59 years in prison, please take the time to visit the Wavy News Channel 10 website, and read the investigative report The Patients v. Perwaiz. It is a lengthy ten-part series, but it is an excellent example of why legislation like HB217 is critically necessary here in the Commonwealth. He was not only removing organs without consent; he was also coercing women into consenting to surgeries that were not necessary and taking advantage of his patients’ trust in him. For decades, women’s complaints have fallen on deaf ears, and it wasn’t until the Federal government stepped in that these women were heard and validated. He had hundreds of victims, many who didn’t even know that he had performed unnecessary surgeries on them until after his arrest was publicized. If one doctor can have hundreds of victims; even if there are only a few “bad” doctors in the Commonwealth performing these unnecessary procedures, the number of women in Virginia who are victims is likely in the thousands. There is a substantial public health justification for this legislation and it is absolutely necessary to protect women in Virginia.

Good morning, I am sorry I can't share my comments live but I am glad for the opportunity to share with the sub-committee on this important issue. License portability is a critical factor in improving access to mental health care for Virginia residents and people across the region. As the owner of group private practice I am often working to navigate issues of licensure for the 10 clinicians on my team and the hundreds of clients that we serve. In this post-covid era where many people are now utilizing teletherapy, portability is a big deal particularly in areas like Northern Virginia where residents of one state often work in another. We have a number of clients who would like to be seen during their lunch breaks but because they work in Maryland or DC they are unable to do so with their Virginia licensed therapist. This issue shows up for college students who may go to school locally but are still across state lines and therefore can no longer work with their therapist. There is also the financial and administrative burden on therapists who want to make their services more broadly available but may not have the means to obtain and maintain licenses in both states. If we are truly committed to improving mental health care access and quality then moving forward with this bill is an essential step we must take. I look forward to opportunities to share more information on how this can be beneficial to constituents and small businesses such as my own.

Dear Delegates of the House Health and Human Services - Health Professions Committee, My name is Megan Dolbin-MacNab - I am a licensed marriage and family therapist and approved supervisor in Virginia. I work in a training setting, teaching and supervising novice marriage and family therapists. I am writing to encourage you to support House Bill 329, introduced by Delegate Mark Sickles, which seeks to ease licensure by endorsement requirements for marriage and family therapists in Virginia. House Bill 329 will allow marriage and family therapists with an unrestricted license from another state to be eligible for licensure by endorsement in Virginia. This change will remove unnecessary licensing barriers and provide more licensed and qualified individuals with the ability to deliver mental health services in Virginia. When I moved to Virginia, I experienced these barriers firsthand. I held an unrestricted license in another state and the process of obtaining licensure in Virginia was extremely challenging. I am also regularly contacted by marriage and family therapists who are relocating to Virginia and seeking my guidance on how to navigate various barriers to licensure. Essentially, the current licensure by endorsement requirements can make it difficult for qualified mental health professionals to practice in Virginia. And this directly impacts those who are in need of mental health services. Most importantly, House Bill 329 will increase access to qualified mental health providers. As a mental health provider and supervisor, who resides in rural Virginia, our mental health clinic maintains a months-long waitlist of people who are desperate for mental health services. There are simply not enough available providers in our area to meet the demand. The consequences of not being able to access mental health services are dire - suicide rates are staggering and unmet mental health needs can result in lost income, fractured relationships, substance misuse, physical health problems, and family and community violence. Any initiative than will make it easier for individuals, couples, and families to obtain needed mental health care is most welcome. House Bill 329 is critical in this regard, as it provides a pathway for increasing the number of highly trained mental health providers who are available to meet the mental health needs of individuals, couples, and families across the Commonwealth. I strongly urge the Committee to support this legislation, which is critical to supporting the health and well-being of all Virginians. Sincerely, Megan L. Dolbin-MacNab, PhD, LMFT American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Clinical Fellow American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor

It is my belief that this bill is writing a wrong. AS A VETERAN I have seen the shortage of qualified individuals in the mental health field and find it unbelievable that it was ever made so difficult to maintain competent licensed individuals from doing a job they have successfully done for years because of a test require by none credentialed bureaucrats. TWENTY TWO a day killing themselves because they can't get the help they need....I personally experienced this shortage. You like to complicate things...these individuals should have been grandfathered in to start with.

I am a physician assistant who has worked in a department of corrections in Massachusetts as a practitioner. My role was doing physical exams after intake and also managing acute and chronic diseases. Advanced practitioners are full capable of completing basic physical exam which includes taking a history, med reconciliation, and creating management plans. If you are educated on the education of advanced practitioners, then it should be known that they are fully capable providers. Adding them as providers to perform this skill prevents delay of care but also delay of jobs or programs in prison where a PE is required.

My name is Michael Gordon. I am a recovering addict. My clean date is 06/06/2008. I writing this letter because it my duty as a health professional to bring to the table how important it is that we change the barrier crime law. I have spent countless hours and days working with other addicts who trying to find their pathway into recovery. The frontlines are thin because the people whom society deemed unworthy because of some past mistakes cannot work in the field that they could do the greatest good. I did not know when I received my sentence in 1990 for distribution of crack cocaine. I would be serving a life time sentence. Luck for me I don’t have a barrier crime, yet today after getting my GED, going to college and graduating with honors. I still can live in certain areas or have certain jobs. I went from the crack house to the White House and still that not enough for Virginia to forgive me of my past mistakes. We need more people who has made a deep commitment to change to share their experiences with others who are suffering!!

Good morning My name is Dr Steven Cantrell. Past president of SOFT. SOFT is. Parent shopper grpup for families with a child born with trisomy 18, 13’ and related disorders. Trisomy 18 was considered lethal and hopeless 30 years ago Families were not consulted or included in the conversation to withhold all care and their child would die and were not included in this decision. Today medical care has advanced to provide necessary intervention to help. Physicians are willing to provide surgery for.a Brighter future. Simons Law asks that parents have a seat at the Table Allowing parents to participate helps all parties We all did the best for our child. Thank you Dr Steven Cantrell. Ryan’s dad born with trisomy 18

I am the Hello My Name is Heidi Murphy I support Simon’s law because honestly my daughter wouldn’t be here if it was for Simon’s Law. My daughter Sajjona is 6 years old now and also has Trisomy 18 just like Simon. I’m the social media manager of Simons law and advocate for numerous families across the country so they can get fair care. Parents have the right to know if their child has a DNR placed in their chart. Please pass Simon’s Law and allow fair care for children like my daughter Sajjona who I had to advocate for fair care.

Comments Document

Parents, mothers, give life to their child, they should be the only ones making such life and death decisions. As the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Supreme Court of the United States has confirmed: § 1-240.1. Rights of parents. A parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent's child. Note: "CARE OF THE PARENT'S CHILD" The question that each one of the committee should ask themselves: Do you want to make a life and death decision for your child, who you brought into this world, raised and kept safe and thriving their whole life, or not.