Former state health commissioner Richard Daines was found dead in a barn on his Dutchess County property Saturday, his former press secretary tells City Room. State police found him in the barn, where he had been taking down Christmas decorations. At a press conference this morning, Mayor Bloomberg told reporters that he believed the cause of death was a heart attack, but that has not been officially confirmed. more ›

In NY state, Big Gulps are poised to become the new cigarettes. Health officials say they’re ready to instate a tax on fizzy drinks that contribute to obesity rates; they want to charge an extra cent for every ounce of sugary soda (diet sodas are exempt since they contain no calories). On Monday the city and state health commissioners will meet with Gov. Paterson, who’s previously supported such a tax, to hash out a plan. "This is one good thing we could do during a miserable year in Albany," State Health Commissioner Richard Daines told the Daily News. more ›

A marketing effort, protesting Governor Paterson's proposed health care cuts, from Greater New York Hospital Association and health care union 1199 is blasted as a "low blow" by the NY Post and gets a NY Times editorial. Referring to how a wheelchair-bound blind man asks the governor, "Why are you doing this to me?" in a TV ad, the Times writes, "A better question should go to the health unions and hospitals paying for these ads. Mainly, why are you doing this — again? Frightening citizens and trying to intimidate officials working to make sense of health care spending and balance the state budget fairly?" State Department of Health Commissioner Richard Daines wasn't amused by the ads, "There's a passage in Jeremiah that says something like, 'Foolish people who even having eyes do not see.' I think we're really concerned about people who have the eyes to see the problem and aren't choosing to see them." more ›

State Health Commissioner Richard Daines has taken to YouTube to educate New Yorkers on the virtues of Governor Paterson's proposed "obesity tax," which would add an 18-percent tax on non-diet soda and other sugary drinks containing less than 70 percent real fruit juice. Sure, the video's no Ottomoman-Humping Gangbang, but we are in a recession, so we'll excuse the lackluster production values. more ›