Senator Kemp Hannon said the first annual Patient Safety Awareness Week is March 10-16 in 2002, as declared by New York State Governor George Pataki.

"The goal of Patient Safety Awareness Week is to heighten understanding and communication between doctors and patients and to encourage health consumers to be proactive in their healthcare," Hannon, chairperson of the Senate Health Committee, said.

This effort to increase patient awareness and education was initiated by Ilene Corina, a Wantagh resident who founded and presides over a support group for survivors of medical errors called PULSE (Persons United in Limiting Substandards and Errors).

Hannon previously worked with Corina on the Health Information and Quality Improvement Act. Signed into law by Pataki in 2000, the act sponsored by Hannon provided funding for a comprehensive physician profile system, launched at the onset of 2002.

Health consumers can log onto www.nydoctorprofile.com or call 1-888-338-6999 to obtain information on their doctors' education, translation services, disciplinary actions and more. Besides taking advantage of New York State's Physician Profile System, Hannon and Corina recommended that health consumers join them in supporting the upcoming Patient Safety Awareness Week by:

-Making an appointment for a physical;

-Throwing out expired medications;

-Asking questions about an upcoming procedure; and

-Pledging to live a healthy lifestyle by exercising and eating well.

To find out more about patient safety, New York State health care programs and PULSE of New York, Hannon and Corina invite the public to attend the following open houses:

Monday, March 11

10 a.m. - registration and refreshments

10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Cardiovascular Disease in Women

Shankman Auditorium (located in basement under parking garage)

Franklin Hospital Medical Center

900 Franklin Avenue, Valley Stream

Call 465-2500 for reservations; call 256-6000 for directions

Tuesday, March 12

1:30 p.m. - registration, screening and refreshments

2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Skin Cancer: Risk and Prevention

Lecture Hall (basement)

North Shore University Hospital at Plainview

888 Old Country Road, Plainview

Call 465-2500 for reservations; call 719-3000 for directions

Wednesday, March 13

1:15 p.m. - registration, refreshments and blood pressure checks

1:45 - 3:15 p.m. - Breast Cancer: As You Age, Are You at Risk?

Winthrop-University Hospital Mineola Community Center

115 Washington Avenue, Mineola

Call 663-3916 for reservations

Thursday, March 14

11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Lobby open house

Nassau University Medical Center

2201 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow

Call 572-0123 for directions