State Rep. Karen Jarmoc (D-Enfield) and Rep. Matthew J. Conway Jr. (D-Suffield) plan to introduce a bill this session that would increase access to immediate treatment and improve the overall quality of healthcare for people who suffer from bleeding disorders.    

The lawmakers were inspired to sponsor the legislation after hearing the poignant story of a Suffield resident, Mark S. Zatyrka, who suffers from hemophilia and has had difficulty receiving immediate treatment for his disease.

“Mark’s story is one of courage, and he moved me to do this,” Rep. Jarmoc said. “When you suffer from hemophilia and other bleeding disorders the importance of receiving immediate care is critical. Without it, there can be medical complications that in some rare cases can even result in death.”

“Bleeding disorders affect many people in Connecticut and those who are suffering from disorders need an increased quality of care for this potentially deadly condition,” Rep. Conway said.  

Some patients feel they are being forced by insurance companies to use mail-order purchasing to obtain medications that they need immediately and Rep. Jarmoc said they want to speed up the process. The two lawmakers have been studying the issue for six months since being contacted by Zatyrka. They established a working group of consumers, physicians, social workers, advocacy groups and pharmaceutical providers this past fall to meet and work on the legislation.

The result is a comprehensive bill that aims to help individuals with bleeding disorders. Rep. Jarmoc and Rep. Conway said the bill would be raised in the Insurance Committee and its House chairman, Rep. Steve Fontana (D-North Haven) has already made a commitment to hold a public hearing.

“I look forward to continuing work with the group to further this important legislation,” Rep. Conway said.

A bleeding disorder, such as hemophilia or Von Willie brand disease,  is a medical condition characterized by a deficiency or absence of one or more essential blood clotting proteins in the human blood such as hemophilia or Von Willie brand disease.

Rep. Conway represents the 61st Assembly District, which includes parts of Suffield, Windsor and East Granby. He is a member of the Education, Judiciary and Energy and Technology Committees.

Rep. Jarmoc represents the 59th Assembly District, which includes Enfield, and is co-chair of the Task Force on Children in the Recession. She is also Vice Chairwoman of the Select Committee on Children and a member of the Education, Human Services and Public Safety and Security Committees. 

Local lawmakers, Rep. Matthew Conway (D- E. Granby, Suffield, Windsor) and Rep. Karen Jarmoc (D-Enfield)  met recently with area dairy farmers in regard to support for a state measure to provide assistance to the Connecticut dairy industry.  According to the Connecticut Farm Bureau, which co-hosted the gathering with dairy farmers, the current milk pricing structure set by the Federal Government has Connecticut farmers losing nearly $1 on every gallon of milk they produce due to the high cost of feed, fuel and doing business in Connecticut.

Rep. Conway and Rep. Jarmoc pledged to support legislation that establishes a sustainable safety net program that makes payments to dairy farmers when the federal formula’s price for fluid milk falls below the minimum sustain monthly cost of production as determined by the USDA. The two lawmakers said that they would advocate having this measure included in the state budget.

Rep. Conway said, “We must focus on developing short and long-term solutions to this ongoing problem facing our state’s dairy farmers, It is important to note that there are an estimated 4,200 jobs indirectly associated with the dairy industry. This important measure speaks to job preservation, farm preservation and ultimately needed support for our dairy farmers.”

“Other near by states such as Massachusetts and Maine have a program such as this in place to support the dairy industry,” said Jarmoc. “The diary farms provide for some 1,500 jobs across Connecticut. It is important that we as a legislature support this measure to assist diary farmers as they work to get through a difficult period.”

The Connecticut General Assembly’s Task Force on Children in the Recession held its first public hearing on Saturday at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford as the group continues its mission of exploring the impact of the current economic