Friday, November 16, 2007, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Center for the Arts Screening Room
University at Buffalo

Participants in this symposium will explore the challenges involved in creating models and crafting protocols that anticipate the distribution of and access to limited medical resources during community health crises - in effect, we will address the questions - "who goes first?", "who decides?" and "who enforces?" Inherent in this process are legal and ethical concerns related to equity, authority, jurisdiction, liability, and legal triage, defined as the efforts of relevant actors to prioritize legal issues and solutions to facilitate effective public health responses. To illustrate the complexities involved, case studies will be presented, including one examining the implications of the New York State draft guideline on the allocation of ventilators during an influenza pandemic. The symposium has been organized by faculty from the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions and the Law School, as well as public health practitioners from Western New York and Ontario. It is a follow-up to the November 2006 symposium on legal preparedness.

Program
8:15	Coffee and registration
8:45	Opening Remarks
	Lynn Mather, Director, Baldy Center for Law & Social Policy
	Sheila Shulman, UB Law and School of Public Health and Health Professions
9:00	The Unspoken Dilemma of Inadequate Resources in a Community Health Care Crisis
	Keynote Presentations with discussion following
	Dr. Tia Powell, Executive Director, New York State Task Force on Life & the Law
	Allison Stuart, Director, Emergency Management Unit, Ministry of Health, Province of Ontario
10:15	Break
10:30	Interactive Scenario: Outbreak of Virus X Who Goes First? Who Goes Last? Rationing Vital Health Care Episodes 1 and 2
	Moderators:
	Dr. Anthony Billittier, Erie County Commissioner of Health
	Dr. Douglas Sider, Regional Niagara Public Health Department
	Panelists:
	Mary Ann Buckley, Senior Attorney – Emergency Preparedness, Bureau of House Control, New York State Department of Health
	Robert Burhans, Director, Health Emergency Preparedness Program, New York State Department of Health
	Dr. Michael Christian, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Infectious Diseases & Critical Care, Mount Sinai Hospital & University Health Network
	Justice Kevin Dillon, New York State Supreme Court
	Dr. Robert Gougelet, Director, New England Center for Emergency Preparedness; Emergency Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School
	Virginia McEldowney, Special Counsel, Damon & Morey, LLP
	Thomas Merrill, General Counsel, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
	Dr. Brian Schwartz, Scientific Advisor to Emergency Planning Unit, Province of Ontario Ministry of Health
	Liam Scott, Counsel, Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario Ministry of Health
12:15	Lunch
1:30	Interactive Scenario: Outbreak of Virus X Who Goes First? Who Goes Last? Rationing Vital Health Care Episode 3
2:15	Legal, Ethical, and Societal Implications of Blocking Access to Care
	Moderator:
	Lisa McDougall, Phillips, Lytle, LLP
	Panelists:
	Dr. Robert Gougelet, Director, New England Center for Emergency Preparedness; Emergency Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School
	Dr. Jack Freer, UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Chair, Kaleida Ethics Committee
	Sally Phillips, Director of Bioterrorism Preparedness Research Program, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, Department of Health and Human Services
	Thomas Merrill, General Counsel, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
	Liam Scott, Counsel, Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario Ministry of Health
3:45	Concluding Discussion

Registration

Registration via email
The fee for general registration is $25. UB faculty and students will be free of charge, but registration is required. Please email Ellen Kausner at ekausner@buffalo.edu with your name and contact information. Non-UB affiliated attendees should mail their check, made out to UB Foundation Activities, to the Baldy Center, 511 O'Brian Hall, University at Buffalo Law School, Buffalo, NY 14260.

Continuing Legal Education
This program qualifies for a total of 5.5 CLE credits; 2.0 in the area of Ethics and 3.5 in the area of Professional Practice. All credits are non-transitional. UB Law School has been certified by the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board as an Accredited Provider of continuing legal education in the State of New York for the period of March 11, 2005 - March 10, 2008. The University at Buffalo Law School has a financial hardship policy; for details contact Lisa Mueller, CLE Coordinator, at 645-3176. CLE fee for this conference is $100.00 ($60 for UB Alumni). Please make your check payable to UB Foundation Activities. Checks will be accepted the day of the symposium.

Continuing Medical Education
This program has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for CME (ACCME) through joint sponsorship with the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the UB School of Law, Public Health and Health Informatics. The University at Buffalo is accredited by the ACCME to sponsor CME for physicians. The UB School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences designates this educational activity for a maximum of 7.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Creditss TM. Physicians should claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Conference Sponsors

This symposium is jointly sponsored by:
Baldy Center for Law & Social Policy
Western New York Public Health Alliance
Damon & Morey LLP
Phillips Lytle LLP
University at Buffalo Law School
University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions
Canadian-American Studies Program
Canada-U.S. Legal Studies Centre

Planning Committee

Sheila Shulman, University at Buffalo Law School, School of Public Health & Health Professions
Donald Rowe, University at Buffalo School of Public Health & Health Professions
Douglas M. Sider, Associate Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region Public Health Dept.
Anthony J. Billittier, Commissioner of Health, County of Erie Dept. of Health
Gregory J. Balzano, Epidemiologist, New York State Health Dept., Cross Border Preparedness Program
Leon I. Nadler, Senior Medical Care Administrator, County of Erie Dept. of Health
Patricia Anders, Director, Emergency Preparedness Training, Public Health Preparedness Office, NY State Health Department
Anna Falicov, University at Buffalo Law School, student assistant
Brian McCarthy, University at Buffalo Law School, student assistant

Baldy Center For Law & Social Policy
511 O'Brian Hall, University at Buffalo Law School
Buffalo, NY 14260
716-645-2102

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