Health:
No attacks needed, nor do I take them seriously. One might be able to do the civil divorce first. It is not common practice, and is very much the exception to the rule in NY.
As for the sofer plus eidim, I stated that Joseph was correct. It is seldom done quite that way, because people who expect to remarry prefer to have something that has documentation that is accepted elsewhere. I have letters from well known batei din that certify that they will NOT recognize gittin performed by particular rabbanim. Same goes for geirus. If giyur was done in a manner that was certainly kosher, but the beis din involved is not known in another location, the rabbonim there may reject recognizing the geirus until it is done again by someone they recognize. I have first hand experience with that. Yes, the sofer with eidim can be kosher. But how will the rabbonim or beis din elsewhere know that?