National AG association installs Edmondson as president

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jun 27, 2002

Attorney General Drew Edmondson has been installed as president of the National Association of Attorneys General.

He used his inaugural address to discuss the importance of end-of- life health care.

"Each year, the president of the National Association of Attorneys General chooses a presidential initiative, an issue on which the association will focus," Edmondson said. "I have chosen to focus on the role of attorneys general in improving end-of-life care."

Edmondson said many Americans are struggling with the issue of caring for a family member with a terminal illness.

The attorney general said end-of-life health care is not only a public health issue, it is also a consumer protection issue.

"Attorneys general across the nation are charged with consumer protection duties and terminally ill patients and their families are consumers of health care services," Edmondson said. "To me it's a natural fit. End-of-life care is an emotional issue and the legal ramifications are complex. Americans expect and deserve competent health care for advanced illness, including adequate treatment of pain and health care providers who honor advance care directives."

Edmondson has planned a series of conferences in which attorneys general will hear testimony from national experts on issues such as pain management and health care decision making. They also will review practices currently employed by attorneys general and hear directly from concerned consumers and organizations active in end-of- life care.

"I want attorneys general to look closely at many areas of health policy to ensure that the people of their states are fully informed of their rights," Edmondson said. "Attorneys general can work with consumers and lawmakers to make sure current laws are adequate in meeting the needs of patients and families facing these difficult situations. Our role may be more educational than enforcement."

Edmondson, who joined Gov. Frank Keating in publicly signing their advance directives for health care in April 2001, believes having clear guidelines as to what a terminal or persistently unconscious patient desires can help avoid confusion during emotional times.

The listening conferences proposed by Edmondson will be in partnership with American Association of Retired Persons with supportive assistance from Last Acts and the Midwest Bioethics Institute.

Edmondson is the first Oklahoma attorney general to be named NAAG president.

He succeeds Kansas Attorney General Carla Stovall. Former NAAG presidents include current U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, U.S. Rep. Tom Udall of New Mexico and former New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Warren Rudman.

Jail study

Two state legislators want an in-depth study of laws affecting county jails and how jail inspectors interpret those laws.

Rep. Danny Hilliard, D-Sulphur, and Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, D- Ardmore, told Murray County commissioners that they would seek an investigation.

The two lawmakers were attending a commissioners' meeting because the director of the state Health Department's jail inspection division threatened to close Murray County's jail unless 12 more jailers were hired.

Commissioner Bill Lance said the county cannot afford to hire 12 additional jailers. He said he would not support raising taxes to pay for the jail inspector's requests.

The lawmakers said they have talked to jail inspection Director Don Garrison to discuss the Murray County jail.

Crutchfield said he believes there are several examples in which state laws do not mandate the standards the health department is requiring county jails to meet. "That's interpretation," the lawmaker said. "It's a killer on county government. There is a whole lot of difference between rules and regs and the law ... What we see, to an extent, in the way they're applying the law is overkill in rural Oklahoma."

He said he wants the study to result in "some adjustments and clarify some things."

Hilliard said it was a serious concern that 49 of the state's 77 county jails received failing marks from inspectors.

"I think we need to fine tune some things," he said. "This issue is going to have to be corrected. The thing we're going to do is delve into this issue and get a good grasp on it. We're going to work on it."

Crutchfield said the study likely would begin in August or September.

New directors

McKinney & Stringer has announced four new directors.

Richard J. Harris, Keith J. Klein and Debra W. McCormick are new directors in the Oklahoma City office and Michael S. Linscott is in the Tulsa office.

Harris joined the firm in 1996 and is in the insurance and personal insurance department.

Klein joined the firm in 1999 and practices in the energy and environmental group.

McCormick joined the firm in 1999 and is in the personal injury litigation section.

Linscott has been with the firm since 1999 and in the business litigation area.