Protect Your College Children at Cona Elder Law’s Health Care Proxy Wednesdays in December and January

November 2017

Smithtown Messenger

Melissa Negrin-Wiener, Esq., Smithtown resident and partner at Cona Elder Law, elder law firm, will host a series of Health Care Proxy Wednesdays for College Age Kids each week in December and January. It will be held at their offices: 225 Broadhollow Road in Melville between 9 AM – 5 PM.

College students and their parents can meet with a Cona Elder Law attorney to execute a Health Care Proxy. Participants will also receive a wallet card identifying their agent with contact information as well as a USB drive with
pertinent information for themselves and their agent. For more information or to RSVP for Health Care Proxy Wednesdays for College Age Kids, contact Sarah Carpenter at 631-390-5000 or Sarah.carpenter@conalaw.com.

“Parents don’t automatically have the legal right to access their child's medical information in part because of the HIPAA laws,” says Ms. Negrin-Wiener. “While it is certainly important to protect the confidentiality and
security of healthcare information, many parents are unaware that they lose rights in this regard when their children reach age 18.” Without a signed health care proxy from the student, medical professionals are required to get approval from the patient, which can be impossible in certain critical or emergency situations. There have been several tragic cases that emphasize the need for a proxy. For example, a first year student at University of Rochester was going to the university counseling center because of a drug problem. Since the daughter had not given consent for her parents to be told about any aspects of her health, they couldn't intervene and come to her aid. Before the parents knew anything about their daughter’s situation, she died tragically from a drug overdose in her dorm room.

Cona Elder Law is recognized as a leading elder law and estate planning firm on Long Island. The firm has been ranked the #1 Elder Law firm by Long Island Business News for the past 6 years and has been a finalist in the HIA Business Achievement Awards. Cona Elder Law is also recognized for its charitable works and has received the Outstanding Corporation Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The firm provides creative advocacy and cutting edge planning strategies and has been featured in many publications including: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, L.I. Business News, Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, The Daily News, The New York Post, Kiplinger’s, Reader's Digest and many others. Cona Elder Law attorneys have appeared as guests on WNBC-TV, WABC-TV, CNN-fn, News 12, WLNY News 55 and many radio stations including WOR, WCBS AM, WBAB and WFAN.

For a free Guide to Elder Law and Estate Planning, visit us at www.conaelderlaw.com, e-mail elder@conalaw.com or call 631.390.5000.